A Prayer for the Damned

by Peter Tremayne

  ‘He was demanding . . . yes,’ said Sister Sétach. ‘He was especially so with Brother Drón, who was his close adviser in the discussions. Sister Marga and I merely made the records of our travels.’

  ‘In the time that you spent at Cill Ria did you ever hear any stories about Ultán, about the time before he entered the religious life?’

  Again came that defensive lifting of the chin. ‘There were stories,’ the girl Fínally admitted.

  ‘What did you think of them?’

  ‘They were of no concern to me. What a person has done in the past remains in the past so long as, if they have done wrong, they have truly repented and sought forgiveness. Is that not the essence of the Faith, Fidelma of Cashel?’

  ‘So you were happy with Ultán?’

  ‘That is not the way I would view it. I served the Faith in Cill Ria and Abbot Ultán was the superior there. He was regarded by all as a man of piety and strength, a great leader and reformer, who, in his martyrdom, will soon become venerated throughout the five kingdoms.’

  Fidelma sat back and gazed thoughtfully at the girl.

  ‘Martyrdom? Well, let us return to why you risked your life to get back into this room.’

  Sister Sétach made a curious gesture with her shoulders as if in dismissal of the question. ‘I did not believe that I was risking my life.’

  Eadulf had been leaning by the window but his keen eyes had been searching the chamber in the flickering light of the lantern. He suddenly walked across the room to a chest in the corner.

  ‘Did you find what you were searching for?’ he asked mildly, looking down. Then he added, for Fidelma’s benefit, ‘This chest appears to be Ultán’s personal box. It seems to have been opened and closed in a hurried fashion since I saw it this morning. There are some clothes poking out of the lid where they have not been put back carefully.’

  Fidelma nodded, still looking at the girl. ‘What were you looking for?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Ah, then there will be nothing on you if you are searched?’

  ‘You would not dare search me?’ the girl said, aghast.

  ‘I am a dálaigh.’ Fidelma smiled. ‘It would be my duty to search you.’

  ‘I have taken nothing. You will find nothing. Go ahead. Search!’

  ‘Let us apply some logic, Sister Sétach,’ said Fidelma. ‘You came asking to see the chamber. The guard refused you entry. You then climbed out of a window on to a dangerous ledge, which even a mountain goat would not dare to climb, and, in spite of the peril to your life, you made your way along it to enter this chamber in order to search Ultán’s belongings. Now what could inspire such foolhardy courage?’

  There was a silence and then the girl sighed. ‘If you must know, it was imperative to make sure all Abbot Ultán’s belongings were safe. The records of the meetings, especially. Nature dictates that you will have to bury his mortal remains here. But we will take his belongings back to Cill Ria, where they will be regarded as relics of inestimable value.’

  Eadulf was astounded. ‘You came looking for mercenary wealth?’

  ‘Not at all,’ snapped Sister Sétach. ‘The relics will be beyond worldly value. They will be the subject of pilgrimage to Cill Ria – for Ultán will be our first great martyred saint.’ The girl’s voice was full of fanatical enthusiasm.

  Fidelma was shaking her head slightly. ‘Very well, Sister Sétach. Return to your room. I have no more questions for the time being.’

  Even Eadulf looked surprised. The girl stood up hesitantly, seeming unsure of herself.

  ‘Can . . . can I take the chest?’ she asked at length.

  ‘Not until the matter has been resolved. The chest will remain here.’

  The girl moved reluctantly to the door. Outside, the warrior Enda was barring the way and Fidelma called on him to let the girl pass.

  After she had gone and Fidelma and Eadulf were alone in the chamber again, it was Eadulf who uttered the first words.

  ‘You can’t really believe what the girl said? Holy relics? That’s ridiculous.’

  Fidelma smiled without humour. ‘We could have sat here until the next feast day of Imbolc and not extracted more information out of the girl. Of course, she was lying.’

  ‘Then why didn’t you search her?’ protested Eadulf.

  ‘Because she did not have anything on her. If she had, she would not have been so quick to challenge me to search her.’

  ‘She could have been bluffing.’

  ‘I believe not. She had not found what she was looking for. We might have interrupted her before she discovered whatever it was she wanted. Let’s have a look at this chest.’

  Eadulf dragged forward the small travelling chest. It was not heavy. He opened the lid while Fidelma held the lantern.

  ‘Items of clothing, robes,’ Eadulf muttered as he lifted them out one by one.

  Fidelma leaned forward. ‘Some leather bags and underneath some papers. What’s in the leather bags?’

  Eadulf checked through them. ‘Various coins and some nuggets of gold in this one, and in the other . . .’ He took out a piece of exquisite jewellery. ‘It seems that our abbot had good taste in necklaces,’ he said, holding it up.

  ‘It could be that you were right, Eadulf, when you asked the girl if she had come looking for mercenary wealth. I don’t think that it was relics to be venerated that she was after.’

  ‘You mean that she was after the jewels and money?’

  ‘Unless it was the records that she and Sister Marga were making of the meetings.’

  Eadulf started thumbing through the papers.

  ‘You might be right,’ he said ruefully. ‘They appear to be reports on leading churchmen of the abbeys that Ultán has visited.’ He pulled a face. ‘Those who favour recognition of Ard Macha as primatial seat get good marks, those who don’t are marked with disfavour. There is also a Latin book here . . . Liber Angeli, something to do with the history of Ard Macha.’

  ‘Well, there is little else here which might indicate what Sister Sétach was looking for.’

  ‘It would be a little ironic, if it were jewels that she was after. A thief stealing from a man who had been a famous thief.’

  ‘And murderer,’ added Fidelma. ‘Don’t forget that.’

  ‘A connection between the two?’

  Fidelma considered and then shook her head. ‘Alis volat propriis, as Publilius . . .’

  ‘. . . Syrus said,’ finished Eadulf, who knew of Fidelma’s fondness for the Maxims of the former slave from Antioch. ‘She flies by her own wings. So Sister Sétach is an independent thief?’

  ‘We would do well to watch her, that is all I am saying.’

  Eadulf replaced the papers in the box.

  ‘We’ll get Enda to take the box and lock it in my brother’s strong-room,’ Fidelma said. ‘It will be safe there.’

  They called Enda in and gave him the instruction. Then, taking a last look around the chamber in which Ultán had met his death, they left.

  ‘What now?’ asked Eadulf as they settled in chairs before their own hearth and stretched towards its warming glow.

  ‘Now?’ Fidelma smiled. ‘Now it is time to bathe and prepare for the evening meal. This was to have been our marriage feast so I will expect we shall have to eat with our guests in lieu of it.’

  Eadulf wrinkled his nose in distaste.

  Fidelma stood up suddenly. ‘I am going to call Muirgen to start preparing the baths. After the feasting there is another thing that we must do.’

  Eadulf raised his head wearily. ‘What is that?’

  ‘We must attend the funeral of Abbot Ultán at midnight. It will be interesting to see who attends that ceremony and why.’

  ‘Attend it?’ Eadulf had not been expecting that. This Irish custom of committing the body into the grave at midnight was one he found curious. ‘It will be late,’ he protested, ‘and don’t I have to be up at dawn to go on this boar hunt?’

  Fidelma grinned mischiev
ously at him. ‘Then it is lucky that dawn arrives late on a winter morning.’

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  A small crowd had gathered in the lantern-lit graveyard that was known as Relig na nGall, the graveyard of strangers, within the dark shadows of the towering rock of Cashel. It was where distinguished strangers who died in Cashel were laid to rest. Fidelma and Eadulf had accompanied Colgú to the place. The High King Sechnassach and the Chief Brehon, Barrán, were in attendance with the other nobles, among whom was Blathmac, the king of Ulaidh. It was obvious that most of them were attending out of diplomatic courtesy, although Muirchertach, king of Connacht, was not surprisingly absent. Also attending were Abbot Ségdae of Imleach, Abbot Laisran of Durrow, Abbot Augaire of Conga and several other members of the religious. Most of these had come out of duty rather than respect. The brehons Baithen and Ninnid also were present, and the chief mourners were Brother Drón and the two religieuse, Sisters Sétach and Marga.

  In spite of the illustrious company, so far as Fidelma was aware, there had been no fled cro lige – the feast of the deathbed -performed. And although when a great man died the watching, the aire, would usually take several days and nights, while lamentations were sung round the corpse, Ultán’s body had not even been watched over for a minimum full day and night. When Fidelma asked her brother why this was, Colgú had merely shrugged and said it had been the desire of Brother Drón acting on behalf of the community of Cill Ria.

  As they stood in the gloom among the graves, ogham-inscribed pillar stones marking the more distinguished burials, there came the slow rhythmic toll of a handbell approaching down the hill. It was the clog-estechtae, the death bell. The bellringer, a young man in dark robes, preceded the shadowy forms of four pallbearers who carried the wooden fuat or bier on which the body was laid, wrapped in a rochell or winding sheet. The small group entered the graveyard to the ringing of the bell and came to a halt by the head of the dark hole in the ground. The grave had already been measured and dug.

  There was a silence.

  The bellringer looked round nervously. No one in the crowd was moving. He cleared his throat.

  ‘Who is delivering the écnaire?’ he asked, puzzled when no one came forward. ‘Who will deliver the requiem and perform the services?’

  There was an uncomfortable shuffling among the religious, and then Brother Drón stepped forward angrily.

  ‘I will do so!’ he snapped, glaring meaningfully at Abbot Ségdae. ‘My abbot was a great man and deserves better than this.’

  ‘Your abbot came here as a stranger among us,’ replied Abbot Ségdae, his voice quiet but authoritative. ‘There is no religious of rank here who knew him other than as a man of belligerence and argument. None is therefore fit to deliver the écnaire over his grave. So say what you will, Brother Drón, and we will not deny you.’

  Brother Drón turned sharply to where the hawk-faced king of Ulaidh stood by, watching the proceedings with dark, bright eyes which sparkled in the lantern light.

  ‘And you, king of Ulaidh, do you allow this insult to a churchman of your kingdom to go unnoticed?’

  The unease among the people grew a little. Blathmac turned mildly to Brother Drón.

  ‘I see and hear no insult, Brother Drón. I hear a logical reason why no one of this company is qualified to speak of Ultán’s life and work save only yourself. If you do not wish to do so then let the strophaiss cover the bier and let it be placed in the ground, for the hour grows late.’

  Brother Drón swallowed hard. He stared angrily round at the company and then stepped forward and clapped his hands several times in the traditional way of starting the ceremony.

  ‘I lament for the departed soul of Ultán, pillar of the church and fist of the Faith, who . . .’

  ‘Who was a thief, murderer and man of evil!’ shouted a harsh voice.

  A figure pushed itself through the crowd on the far side of the grave from where Fidelma and Eadulf were standing.

  It was Brother Berrihert. There was a shocked silence at his intervention.

  ‘Let the truth be known of the evil that this man has committed. And let no one rhapsodise his misbegotten life by claiming that he may be numbered among the saints.’

  Brother Drón was’ speechless for the moment.

  ‘How dare you,’ he finally gasped. ‘What Saxon sacrilege is this?’

  ‘Truth is no sacrilege!’ cried Brother Berrihert. ‘Let these people hear the truth. He was evil. He was the murderer of my mother!’

  One of the two sisters, Fidelma was not sure whether it was Sétach or Marga, let forth a wailing moan. She saw one of them turn and cling to the other as if for comfort. She glanced at Eadulf and met his astonished gaze. He shook his head as if to say that this was something unknown to him.

  Brother Berrihert had advanced with an outstretched hand pointing to Brother Drón.

  ‘You, too, Drón, have espoused and shared that evil creature’s guilt. I come here to spit on this grave and to curse Ultán’s soul on its journey into everlasting darkness. As for you, Drón, may the fé soon measure your own corpse!’

  There was a gasp of horror from the assembly. By the time they had recovered from the shock of hearing the curse uttered aloud -for the aspen rod used to measure graves was believed by many to bring evil on any who touched it – Brother Berrihert seemed to have vanished in the darkness.

  Eadulf bent towards Fidelma. ‘That outburst might explain the strange encounter I had with Brother Berrihert’s father, Ordwulf, this morning. I knew that the mother had died but I had not realised that the death was claimed as murder.’

  Fidelma nodded thoughtfully.

  ‘We must speak with Berrihert and Ordwulf,’ she replied.

  The assembly was now in disarray. Colgú stepped forward, taking control.

  ‘Let the fuat be lowered into the grave,’ he instructed sharply. ‘Let those who wish to say a prayer for the repose of this man’s soul do so. But there are many here who feel that there are questions that have to be asked and answered before we can praise or condemn this man. God will forgive us if we delay until that time.’

  The High King Sechnassach had been speaking to Blathmac of Ulaidh and now turned, nodding approval.

  ‘It is well ordered, Colgú,’ he said loudly, so that Brother Drón could be left in no doubt of his approval. ‘Let us retire.’

  The crowd began to disperse with the exception of the pallbearers, Brother Drón, and his female companions, Marga and Sétach. Eadulf was about to move when Fidelma stayed him with her hand.

  ‘It would be unseemly to leave,’ she whispered.

  Eadulf suddenly realised that the brehons were remaining too. It was their duty also to do so.

  Fidelma waited while Brother Drón quickly intoned a series of prayers for the dead. She noticed that it was Sister Marga, who looked fairly young, who seemed to be sobbing uncontrollably. Sister Sétach had her arms round the slighter girl and was giving her what comfort she could, almost like a mother comforting a child. Finally, Brother Drón had finished and the pallbearers lowered the fuat into the ground. The traditional branches of birch and broom were laid over it before they began to fill in the earth.

  Fidelma and Eadulf waited until Brother Drón and his party had left in the company of Brehon Ninnid. Then they moved across to join Barrán and Baithen and walk with them back up the hill to the fortress gates.

  ‘I have attended many a funeral,’ were Brehon Barrán’s opening words, ‘but this was the most bizarre.’

  ‘If proof were needed that Abbot Ultán was not well liked, it has been amply demonstrated,’ replied Fidelma mildly.

  ‘Yet only Muirchertach was seen leaving his chamber,’ chimed in Brehon Baithen, obviously thinking that Fidelma would use the almost universal feeling against the abbot in her defence of the Connacht king.

  ‘It is true. Yet we cannot proceed without knowing all the facts about the enmities that Abbot Ultán stirred up.’

  ‘No matter what
anger he created,’ Brehon Baithen said, ‘it does not excuse his murder. We are dealing with law.’

  ‘Let us also hope that we are also dealing with justice,’ responded Fidelma sharply.

  ‘Well, I shall ensure that after what we have witnessed, a guard is placed outside Brother Drón’s chamber,’ remarked Brehon Baithen. ‘We would not want that curse to become reality. I thought this Saxon Brother Berrihert was a friend of yours, Eadulf? Does he not know that he has offended against our law of hospitality?’

  ‘I never said he or his family were friends,’ corrected Eadulf. ‘I said that I knew them. I studied with Berrihert and later met his brothers at the great Council of Witebia.’

  ‘Did you not persuade Miach of the Uí Cuileann to give them asylum in his territory?’

  ‘I did not,’ replied Eadulf with irritation. ‘Miach made up his own mind.’

  Fidelma made a clucking noise of disapproval.

  ‘What are you implying, Baithen?’ she admonished. ‘Eadulf admits to knowing Berrihert but that does not make him responsible for his actions or those of his relatives. In our lives we rub shoulders with many who turn out to be beyond redemption. Does that mean that we ourselves are beyond redemption?’

  Brehon Baithen took refuge in silence. Brehon Barrán’s face was impassive in the gloom.

  ‘You do not have long, Fidelma,’ he reminded her. ‘I have to return to Tara within the week.’

  After they had bidden a good night to the brehons at the gates of the fortress, Eadulf asked: ‘Shall I attempt to find Brother Berrihert and ask the meaning of that scene in the graveyard?’

  Fidelma shook her head. ‘The hour is late, the gates will be closed soon and, besides, you have the boar hunt to contend with first thing tomorrow.’

  ‘I have been thinking,’ Eadulf said slowly, ‘there really is no need for me to attend it. I am sure Muirchertach will keep to his word of honour. Our time may be more usefully spent here questioning witnesses.’

  ‘Many people will be attending the hunt tomorrow,’ Fidelma replied patiently. ‘Even the ladies will follow it. I want someone I can trust watching our guests.’