Dancing With Demons

CHAPTER SIX

Eadulf woke just before first light.

He could hear Fidelma’s regular breathing and knew that she was still asleep. At first he did not know why he had awoken and then he heard the noise of a pan being moved from the ircha, the kitchen area of the guesthouse. He looked out of the window and saw from the sky that it would soon be dawn. He wanted to turn over and go back to the warm comfort of the dream he was having but knew that, even if he could recapture the moment, within moments he would be roused sharply. With a sigh, he decided to make the best of it and crept out of bed.

If someone was already stirring in the kitchen, he could take the opportunity to wash before Fidelma and the others rose. He went to the door and opened it softly so as not to disturb her, and moved out into the corridor.

Having passed beyond the door he now heard the soft whispers of a conversation. He wondered who was awake apart from himself. Stepping quietly down the corridor, he then halted in embarrassment as he heard a female voice. He tried to place where he had heard it before and then he recalled that it was the plainfaced girl with the strange name — what was it? — Cnucha?

It was not her tone but what she said that halted him.

‘She is a …’ He did not understand the word that was used but had a feeling it was not a nice expression. Resentfully, the girl’s voice continued: ‘I don’t see why I should do her work for her!’

‘Because there is no one else to do it, my girl. That is why.’

He did not recognise the stern tones of the woman who answered her.

‘She is always getting out of her duties recently, ever since … ever since — well, you know.’

‘I have no time to argue, Cnucha. The meal for the guests must be prepared and the water heated for their wash. When Báine is not here, then it is up to you to fulfil these chores.’

‘It occurs to me that Báine is hardly ever here when needed. She spends too much time with the High King’s daughter, if you ask me.’

‘She cannot help the fact that the lady Muirgel has taken a fancy to her company. And you are in enough trouble with Muirgel and Brehon Barrán without complaining about others.’

The girl sniffed. ‘It was not my fault.’

‘They caught you searching the High King’s chambers the day after the assassination. Why were you doing that?’

‘I had a right to be there,’ the girl replied sulkily. ‘One of my tasks was to attend the chambers and keep them clean.’

‘The lady Muirgel did not think so.’

‘She shouldn’t have lost her temper and struck me! Bitch! Then Barrán came in and supported her, saying I had no business to be there.’

‘And he was right. Sechnussach had been assassinated. The chambers should have been closed.’

‘Brehon Barrán said as much, but …’ Her voice trailed off.

Eadulf heard the other woman sigh impatiently.

‘I don’t know what possessed you. Whatever were you doing in the High King’s chambers? Come on — the truth now. Surely not cleaning.’

Cnucha seemed to hesitate. Then: ‘If you must know, I was looking for something, that is all. I probably lost it elsewhere. It was … personal. A bracelet.’

‘I see. Well, I know jewellery can be of sentimental value, but-’

‘It was also valuable,’ the girl protested. ‘It was a bracelet of silver Gaulish coins. I must have lost it when I was cleaning. I did not want to lose it.’

‘Well, if it hasn’t turned up during the last ten or more days, I think you will have to resign yourself to its loss. It seems an expensive sort of thing for someone like you to come by.’ The voice was suspicious.

‘It was a gift from … a friend.’ The girl’s voice was defiant.

‘Well, wealthy friend or not, it still doesn’t absolve you from work, Cnucha. And with Báine not here, I suggest you get started on your duties.’

‘Then why doesn’t Báine go to Muirgel and be her attendant, so that we may get another person to help us in our work?’

‘All will be changed when this investigation is over and Cenn Faelad becomes High King. He will then choose his attendants as he considers fit.’

Eadulf heard the girl sniff.

‘And will you be staying on then, Brónach? Will you be in charge?’

‘Brother Rogallach is in charge. I am only the senior female servant.’

‘I doubt whether Cenn Faelad will want Brother Rogallach to continue to be in charge of his household. Cenn Faelad is a real man and not so outwardly pious as Sechnussach was.’

‘That is no way to talk about the late High King.’ The voice was stern with disapproval.

‘Why not? Anyway, I am comparing Sechnussach to Cenn Faelad. Sechnussach may have surrounded himself with pious religious, but he was no more than-’

‘You should have a care what you say about Sechnussach, my girl!’ Brónach hissed. ‘Especially now you have a dálaigh in this guesthouse who is investigating his assassination.’

‘Huh! Another so-called pious religieuse with her Saxon lover!’ Cnucha sneered.

‘Watch your tongue. They are married and well-respected. She is also sister to the King of Muman. Now, for the last time, get about your chores! When I see Báine, I will discuss this matter with her. She should let us have more notification if she has to attend to other duties.’

Eadulf heard a door closing and reasoned that the woman, Brónach, must have left by the side door. He paused for a moment and then decided to continue his mission to find water for washing. Cnucha was alone in the kitchen preparing oatmeal cakes for breakfast. She looked up with a start of surprise as he entered.

‘I did not know you were up, Brother.’

Eadulf pretended to stifle a yawn as he saw the girl flush guiltily.

‘I have only just risen. I am looking for water to wash. Was there someone else here before me? I thought I heard a voice.’

‘Oh, it was only Brónach. She is in charge of us.’

‘Ah. I don’t think we have met her yet.’

Cnucha shrugged and went on kneading oatmeal. She gestured with her head towards the wash room. ‘The water is heating ready for you.’

‘Thank you.’

Her tone had been dismissive and so the opportunity to develop theconversation was thus lost. Eadulf, with a sigh, accepted it with good grace.

Abbot Colmán arrived, as promised, as they finished their morning meal and took them to the royal residence called Tech Cormaic. It was a large rectangular building of two storeys with several outhouses, standing inside the ramparts of the royal enclosure, well away from the defensive system that surrounded the buildings of the nobles who dwelt at Tara. The High King’s house was built of a variety of woods, but chiefly of oak and yew. The slinntech darach, the overlapping boards of polished oak, which comprised the roof, shone in the morning sun.

The abbot led the way to the massive double doors of thick oak. A guard with a drawn sword resting against his shoulder saluted Abbot Colmán and stood to one side.

‘It would appear that the assassin entered this way in the dead of night,’ explained the abbot as he opened the doors.

‘And these doors are never locked or bolted?’ Eadulf enquired, seeking confirmation of what they had been told the previous night.

The abbot gestured at the ramparts that surrounded the royal enclosure. ‘To get here, one has to come through many guarded gates, and the main gate to the royal enclosure is always bolted and guarded on the inside.’

‘But the assassin did reach here,’ Eadulf pointed out softly.

Abbot Colmán flushed but did not respond.

Fidelma made no comment either as they passed into the dimly lit hall beyond, for there was only one window providing light. This, called a forless, was placed above the door. Its glass panel was thick, opaque, and the light it emitted was little enough. The main light came from pungent-smelling oil lamps.

Again Eadulf pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘It was a lucky coincidence for the assassin that the guards were not where they should have been, on guard within this hall. They were not here because they had heard a suspicious noise in the kitchen — is that right?’

The abbot nodded.

Eadulf raised his eyebrows a fraction. ‘Perhaps the assassin had more than luck on his side,’ he muttered.

‘We will question these guards when the time comes,’ Fidelma said, smiling acknowledgement at Eadulf for picking up the point. ‘Certainlyit seems that the assassin had exceptional luck. Is there an entrance to the kitchen area from here?’

‘The kitchen is a separate building at the rear. There is a door at the back of the hall and the meals, once cooked, are carried into the High King through it. It is usually locked during the night. The commander of the guard has a key.’ Abbot Colmán hesitated and then pointed up the stairs. ‘From here, the assassin would have gone up these stairs.’

‘Are all the bedchambers above the stair?’ Eadulf asked.

‘Not all. The High King’s apartments are there. There are rooms for his family and for his personal attendants. On this floor, the ground floor, there is a room for the commander of the Fianna, the High King’s bodyguard. When Cenn Faelad stays in the royal house, he has a chamber on this level also. There are rooms for some of the servants here as well. There is a private chamber for the High King’s meetings with his advisers which also serves as a library, a small room for meals when there is no great feasting to preside over, and the remaining rooms are given to storage and bedchambers for the maids.’

‘Very well,’ acknowledged Fidelma, following the layout as the abbot indicated it. ‘So we shall follow the steps of our assassin, through these main doors, across the hall, which is luckily empty of the guard, and up the stairs. Proceed.’

The abbot led the way up the broad wooden staircase and halted on the landing.

‘To the left is the High King’s apartment, through that door. The next door enters into the apartments reserved for his family when they stay here. Needless to say, they are residing elsewhere in the royal enclosure at the moment.’

‘And those other doors?’ Fidelma queried, indicating the ones in the corridor leading to the right off the landing.

‘The far door is the chamber of the High King’s bollscari, Brother Rogallach.’

‘Bollscari? What exactly is the difference between the factotum and yourself?’

‘I deal with administrative matters for the High King whereas the bollscari is in charge of all the domestic servants.’

‘And these servants — who are they?’

‘His personal attendants, three females and three males. I think you have met two of the females for they are attending you in the guesthouse.’

‘What are their normal functions?’

‘They are in charge of cleaning here, one of them is the cook, and so on.’

‘So, only the servants and the commander of the Fianna were staying here that night?’

The abbot hesitated before replying. ‘In the royal house … yes.’

Fidelma noticed the hesitation and immediately asked: ‘You have thought of something?’

‘Nothing of consequence, but perhaps a matter of clarification. You may know that Sechnussach and Gormflaith had three daughters. The youngest are Mumain and Bé Bhail. They were with their mother at Cluain Ioraird that night. I think we overlooked the fact that Muirgel, the eldest daughter, was in Tara.’

‘If I am to conduct a proper investigation I must be in possession of all the facts,’ Fidelma said sharply. ‘You are now certain that Muirgel was in Tara that night?’

‘I believe so.’

‘You believe so?’ she repeated with emphasis.

‘Muirgel is a strong-willed young woman. She does not stay at the Tech Cormaic but I was told in the morning that one of the servants went to her house and she was there. Gormflaith and her daughters have a separate dwelling on the other side of the royal enclosure.’

Fidelma grimaced. ‘We shall talk to Muirgel later. But are you saying that Gormflaith and her daughters do not live in the royal residence? So their apartment would not be in use anyway.’

‘That is so.’

‘Apart from Brother Rogallach, can you name the attendants who were here?’

‘Certainly. There is the High King’s personal cook, Torpach. There is his assistant, Maoláin, and the handyman, Duirnin. Then there are three female servants, the senior being Brónach. You already have met Báine. The other servant girl is Cnucha, a general maid. When the High King had personal or special guests, they also served the guests’ hostel. Only the servants who were here at the time of the assassination have been retained, for usually there are many more attending all the royal enclosure. Chief Barrán decided to set them to work in the other residences. They were all roused by the noise of the discovery that night but saw nothing that would help you, of course.’

Fidelma noted the names carefully in her mind before asking: ‘And these servants have their chambers … where exactly?’

‘The senior members of the staff have chambers on this floor, along the corridor there. The others have chambers on the floor below.’

‘Very well. Let us examine the High King’s chambers as our first step.’

The abbot moved to the first door that he had indicated to their left.

‘As we have discussed, this door was usually locked from the inside when the High King retired for the night. There were only two keys — one in the possession of the High King and the other in the possession of Cenn Faelad.’

Abbot Colmán opened the door and ushered them in.

The room was spacious, as one might expect of the chamber of the High King. It contained two fairly large seinester or windows of opaque glass, one of which was directly behind the great tolg or bedframe. The walls were of red yew panels, and the one directly facing the end of the bed had a large ornate cross of native design hung on it. Fidelma was not sure what wood it was made of. Apart from the bed, the other furnishings were fairly simple a brothrach or couch along one wall, a table by the bed and a few assorted boxes. The bedframe was devoid of any covering.

The abbot saw Fidelma’s scrutiny and offered: ‘The coverings, including the dergud, the mattress, were removed and disposed of. Likewise the adart, pillow, and setigi, blankets. In fact, all of Sechnussach’s personal belongings have now been removed.’

Fidelma made no response, merely looking from the door to the bed. All the assassin had to do was take a few swift steps from the door … She raised her head and looked to the far side of the room. There were two doors in the opposite wall.

‘Where do those lead?’ she asked.

‘One is the room that is used as the fialtech, the privy, and it is where the High King usually took his bath. It has an outside door and staircase. Water is heated on the lower floor and brought up to the bath by this stair. That door was bolted from the inside. Next to the privy room is the erdam, a side room where the High King kept his clothes and weapons. It has a window but there are no means of entering it, apart from the door in this chamber. The bedchamber can only be entered by the door we came in by, or by the door to the privy room. Irél checked all the rooms and bolts at the time. If the assassin had an accomplice, they could not have entered nor left by the outside door. The bolts were still in place.’

‘Let’s examine these other rooms,’ Fidelma announced, and walked around the dark wooden bedframe to open the first door.

The small room beyond had another opaque glass window. The bottom of it came up to her chest height and she saw that it could be opened from the inside.

Abbot Colmán saw her examining its frame.

‘It was designed to open from the inside so that the steam from the bath, the dabach, could be released from the room. Also, of course, the fumes from the … ’ He gestured at the covered receptacles in the corner.

Fidelma looked at the door and examined the bolts. There were two strong bolts as well as a lock.

‘And Irél, the commander of the guard, was sure that these bolts were in place on the night of the assassination?’

‘As I say, as soon as the body was discovered, Irél examined the chamber in case of anyone being in collusion with the assassin. The bolts were firmly in place so that no one could have escaped from the chamber through that route.’

‘Similarly, this window was secured that night?’

‘It was. Although, had it been open, it would have been a tight squeeze for anyone and it is a long drop to the ground below.’

She nodded absently and moved back into the bedchamber before leading the way into the second small chamber. In this side room there was, indeed, no separate outside door although there was another opaque glass window but again positioned at chest height and with no means of it being opened. Like the bedchamber, the walls were covered in red yew panels. Apart from a double line of wooden pegs and hooks along one wall, which was doubtless where Sechnussach hung his clothes, or weapons or even book satchels, all the rest of the furniture had been removed.

Fidelma stood examining the room for a moment and then shrugged.

‘As you say, Colmán, there is only one means of entry and exit if the other door and windows were secured that night from the inside. They could not have been secured after anyone had passed from this chamber. But there is one thing that bothers me …’

Abbot Colmán waited.

Fidelma pointed to the lock on the bedchamber door. ‘Why didn’t Sechnussach leave the key in the lock? Had the key been in the lock then the assassin would not have been able to insert his own, or if he was ableto push the other key out, he would have made enough noise to rouse the High King from his slumber before he struck.’

The abbot looked thoughtful. ‘It didn’t occur to me …’ he began.

‘As a matter of fact,’ interrupted Eadulf, ‘where was the High King’s key found?’

‘On the table by the bed.’

‘Then perhaps there is no mystery there,’ suggested Eadulf. ‘It might have been his habit to lock the chamber door and remove the key to the bedside.’

Fidelma glanced round the room again before speaking.

‘I have seen enough. Now I can, at least, visualise where and in what manner this crime was committed. I think we may now begin to examine the witnesses.’