The Dove of Death

Chapter Nineteen

Bleidbara strode forward across the deck and clapped Eadulf on the shoulder with a big smile of satisfaction.

‘It was well done,’ he said approvingly.

‘Any casualties?’

‘A few minor cuts and scratches, that’s all. These scum are no match for real fighting men when it comes to a fair fight.’

Eadulf turned back to Hoel and Wenbrit and asked: ‘Are all the prisoners safe?’

‘We are,’ Hoel confirmed. ‘We were ordered to throw the bodies of Murchad and the others overboard while we were still at sea. We had to sail the ship here. Then we were placed in the hold. No one has harmed us since.’

Bleidbara was looking around with a frown.

‘Where is the lady Trifina?’ he asked.

Hoel looked blank.

‘A female,’ Eadulf said rather impatiently. ‘A woman of this country. Was she not in the hold with you?’

Hoel shook his head. ‘Since we were forced to enter this creek we have been battened down below decks and have lost count of the day or night. We know of no other prisoners.’

Bleidbara was making for the stern cabin and Eadulf, seeing the expression on his face, went quickly after him.

The door of the cabin that had once been used by Murchad, the captain of the Barnacle Goose, was not secured. Bleidbara thrust it open unceremoniously. As he did so, a dagger embedded itself in the jamb of the door.

Bleidbara started back with a curse. Then, recovering himself, he pushed inside with Eadulf at his shoulder. Trifina was pressed back in a corner with an expression of fear on her face. This dissolved into one of incredulity and then of joy, and she came rushing across the cabin and threw herself into Bleidbara’s arms.

‘At last! At last! I thought rescue would never come.’

Bleidbara remained stiff and unresponsive. After a few moments, Trifina felt his coldness and drew back with a puzzled frown.

‘What…what is it?’ she asked uncertainly.

‘Why aren’t you a prisoner on this ship like the others?’

She did not understand the implication. ‘But I am. I was.’

‘The cabin door was unlocked.’

She smiled uncertainly, still not understanding his point.

‘What matters? I could not leave the cabin and there were always guards outside to watch me.’

‘Yet all the other prisoners were confined in the hold.’

‘I could not help them. I was well treated, provided I kept to the cabin.’

‘Lady Trifina.’ It was Eadulf who spoke. ‘The circumstances look suspicious, especially when these cut-throats fight under the flag of your family.’

‘But I explained that to Fidelma. These people are out to destroy my family,’ protested the girl.

‘They will destroy nothing now,’ Bleidbara told her icily. ‘The Koulm ar Maro lies at the bottom of the sea and we have slain most and captured the rest of their crew. Now all that remains for us to do is to identify their leader.’

When Trifina turned her gaze to Bleidbara, Eadulf thought he saw in it an expression of sadness, before her features hardened.

‘Where is Fidelma?’ she demanded. ‘Am I now to be accused of being the leader of these raiders?’

It was Eadulf who answered.

‘Fidelma is at Brilhag, so far as I know. That is where we are heading now, before…’He hesitated and then turned to the stone-faced Bleidbara.

‘Then I demand to see her,’ Trifina said. ‘I was abducted and have been held a prisoner here.’

‘And Iuna?’ Bleidbara asked, his voice steady.

‘Iuna?

‘It was she who woke me and, with one of these ruffians, bound and gagged me and took me down to a boat. They killed one of the guards who saw us before he could raise the alarm. Iuna was in league with them all along.’ Trifina sounded bitter.

‘You ask us to believe that?’ replied Bleidbara. ‘How do you explain that Iuna was left poisoned in her chamber when you disappeared, while Ceingar was murdered? Yet you were abducted and put on this ship in comparative freedom.’

‘Iuna poisoned? Dead?’ Trifina cried, aghast.

‘Pray God that she is not.’

‘I do not know why you disbelieve me. I have spoken the truth. I was abducted by Iuna. I was placed on the boat and brought here, while she went back to the fortress.’

‘Who do you claim is this Koulm ar Maro then?’ demanded Bleidbara.

‘I met only with a thuggish man called Taran. He was the captain of the ship, the Koulm ar Maro. I saw no one else.’

Eadulf turned to Bleidbara. He realised it was no use pressuring the girl any further. Fidelma would surely know what to do.

‘We will leave things to Fidelma,’ he told Bleidbara. ‘Meanwhile, we’d best put one of your seamen on The Barnacle Goose to help the crew guide her through these unknown waters. I suggest we sail both ships back to Brilhag before we proceed further.’

Bleidbara turned without making any further acknowledgement of Trifina.

‘I’ll give the orders,’ he said shortly, over his shoulder.

Alone for a moment, Trifina regarded Eadulf angrily, and then her expression softened.

‘I am not the Koulm ar Maro,’ she said, and she sighed deeply. ‘I have told the truth.’

Eadulf had an instinct to believe, but then his instincts were sometimes wrong.

‘I saw this person once, this Dove of Death,’ he told her, ‘dressed all in white and masked. He or she was of a slight build and had a high-pitched voice — a man trying to sound like a woman…or a woman trying to sound like a man. I do not know.’

‘So you think it was me?’ Her voice was resigned. ‘Then the sooner we can get to Brilhag the better. Is it permitted that I go up on deck?’

Eadulf stood aside. ‘Of course.’

On deck he met with Wenbrit again. The boy was physically none the worse for his experience, but he was clearly unhappy.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Eadulf, as he found the boy sitting disconsolately on a step by the stern deck.

‘They killed Luchtigern.’

‘Luchtigern? The cat?’ Eadulf’s memory stirred. ‘No, they didn’t. We saw him at the Abbey of Gildas. Or rather, Fidelma did. He obviously came ashore. Did the boat put in near there?’

‘You saw him alive?’ The boy looked incredulous.

‘A lady called Aourken has been looking after him in the village near the Abbey of Gildas. The Barnacle Goose must have put in there.’

‘I do not know the abbey,’ the boy said. ‘One of the men who held us captive threw him overboard. He must have swum to shore.’

‘How was this? I thought cats didn’t swim.’

‘Luchtigern can. He’s a ship’s cat. But I didn’t think he made it to the shore.’

‘What happened exactly? Tell me from the moment the ship was captured.’

‘After you and the lady Fidelma jumped in the sea?’

‘Exactly so.’

‘They sent a skiff out after you but we saw you picked up by a sailing boat, which took you quickly out of reach. The wind turned and that man in the white clothing recalled the skiff. He told us to work the ship, with his men watching us to make sure we obeyed. We were ordered to dump the bodies overboard…Murchad, Gurvan, Menma, Lord Bressal. The one in white remained on board with his men, while his own ship followed us closely.’

‘Go on,’ encouraged Eadulf, when the boy hesitated.

‘The helmsman who took over headed for the coast. At least I thought so, but there was a wide gap between two headlands and suddenly we were in a strong current that propelled us at a fast speed between these two points of land. We were all surprised to find ourselves in a large inland sea dotted with islands. The Barnacle Goose was sailed round the eastern headland while the other ship held off. We were steered fairly close to shore and then the man in white and another man left our ship and rowed to the shore. That’s when Luchtigern was thrown overboard. He scratched this man and the man simply picked up Luchtigern and threw him over the side. I was held back so I could not see what happened.’

‘Well,’ Eadulf reassured him, ‘at least he managed to get ashore. That must have been on this peninsula they call Rhuis. What happened then?’

The boy shrugged. ‘The man in white disappeared, while the other, who had rowed him ashore, returned to the ship and we sailed on again until we came to this creek — and then we were all forced into the hold. We must have been held there for many days before you came. How did you find us? How were you saved? What…?’

Eadulf held up his hand to stem the flow of questions.

‘All in good time. Did you see or hear anyone since you have been here? Did the man in white return?’

Wenbrit shook his head. ‘No. They fed us once a day. Some of us could understand their speech for we have traded along these shores before, though no one knew of this inner sea — they call it the Little Sea, I am told. But even the knowledge of their speech did not help us because they refused to talk to us except to give us the food.’

‘And you heard nothing of any other prisoner being brought to the ship?’

‘As I say, Brother Eadulf, nothing did we hear until you came and opened the door to our prison. We did not even know there was a lady on board.’

Eadulf pursed his lips reflectively and glanced to where Trifina was standing by the railing, aloof and isolated. He then turned back reassuringly to the boy.

‘Well, all will be sorted out soon. And your cat was fine and healthy, last time I saw it.’

‘I suppose Hoel will be captain now that Murchad and Gurvan are dead?’

‘I suppose so. That is the crew’s decision. I think he was Gurvan’s assistant.’

‘Second mate,’ corrected the boy gently.

‘When we are ready, Hoel will have to sail us back to Aird Mhór.’

‘He’s a good seaman,’ said the boy solemnly.

The crew of the Barnacle Goose had cleared the deck of the bodies of the dead and transferred the prisoner to join the others on the Morvran. Buckets of water had been hauled up to wash away the blood and remove all signs of the recent conflict. Under Hoel’s instructions, the crew had also examined all the spars, sails and ropes to ensure that nothing had been tampered with and all was in working order.

Finally, Hoel came to inform them that the ship was ready.

Bleidbara smiled. ‘Excellent. I am leaving a couple of my best seamen to guide you out of here, and we’ll rendezvous off Brilhag.’ He turned to Eadulf. ‘I shall leave Trifina with you. Keep a careful watch on her…you know what I mean.’

He then addressed Hoel. ‘Our rowing boats can tow your ship stern first out of the creek. Once you have room to manoeuvre, then we’ll let you loose and it should be easy sailing.’ He gestured at one of his men. ‘This one is a good helmsman. You may put your trust in him to guide you through these waters to Brilhag.’

Bleidbara raised his hand, a quick gesture of farewell, and then followed Heraclius back over the side into the small boats.

The tow ropes were fixed and soon the ship, after the mooring ropes were cast off, was being pulled stern first into deep waters. Once clear of the shore they moved into a breeze that whispered against their sails. Ropes from the rowing boats were cast off and they could hear Hoel give the orders to hoist sail. With a crack of canvas they fell into place and the Barnacle Goose moved freely once again across the waters. Behind them, like a watchful guardian, came the sleek lines of the Morvran.

There had been consternation at Brilhag when the guards reported two ships moving into the bay below the fortress. But Fidelma recognised the first ship as the Barnacle Goose and her heart began to beat rapidly. Then she realised the escort was the Morvran and was filled with excitement and hope that Eadulf was alive and well. With a word of reassurance to King Alain, she raced headlong down to the small quay. Boric was about to launch a dinghy and readily agreed to take her out to the ships. She did not want anyone else from Brilhag to speak with Eadulf and Bleidbara before she had had a chance to hear their story.

Now, seated on the deck of the Morvran, where Eadulf had come to join her, she listened quietly to their story. At the end of it she peered across at the Barnacle Goose. She could see a boat being lowered.

‘Trifina has persuaded them to take her ashore already,’ she remarked. As Bleidbara stirred uncomfortably, she added: ‘Don’t worry. She will not be going anywhere other than Brilhag.’

‘But I believe she is involved in this,’ pointed out Bleidbara sadly. ‘Nothing else makes sense. Yet I do not want to believe it, lady. However, she did not appear to be a prisoner on the ship. And she has always felt that she should be the successor to her father. It all seems to fit together and yet…and yet…’

‘Yet you are in love with her,’ Fidelma finished for him. ‘Did she mention Iuna?’

‘Only to claim that it was Iuna herself who had abducted her. Trifina says that once she was placed in the boat, Iuna returned to the fortress. She also claims that she knew nothing about Ceingar being killed.’

‘How is Iuna — do we know?’ Fidelma asked.

‘When we passed Govihan, Heraclius went ashore to find out how she is, and promised to bring the news to Brilhag later.’

Fidelma stretched almost languidly, murmuring, ‘Well, I think all falls into place.’

Bleidbara frowned, puzzled, but his anxiety overcame the questions that rose to his lips.

‘We should be away soon, lady. We have to catch the tide to take us out into the Great Sea. We must get to the rendezvous at dusk to pick up the leader of the Koulm ar Maro — they will find the Morvran waiting for them instead.’

To their surprise, Fidelma gave a negative sign with her hand.

‘They will not be at that rendezvous. So there is no need for you to go.’

‘I don’t understand, lady,’ Bleidbara said. ‘How do you know this? Do you mean that because we have captured Trifina…?’

Fidelma rose and walked to the rail of the Morvran; she leaned forward, watching the dinghy bobbing on the waters away from the Barnacle Goose, making for the quayside below the fortress. They followed her gaze and could see the figure of Trifina in the stern.

‘The leaders of this intricate plot are now at Brilhag,’ Fidelma told them. ‘The culmination of the plan was due to happen here, before dusk, before they left to escape on their ship.’

‘Then you do know who they are?’ demanded Eadulf in astonishment.

There was a smile at the corner of Fidelma’s mouth.

‘Patientia vincit,’ she reproved with good humour. ‘We will have patience and allow our conspirators a little more slack rope. Don’t you agree, Bleidbara?’

The young warrior looked perplexed. ‘Whatever you say, lady. I will follow your orders.’

‘We will hold our investigation in the great hall at dusk. I have already asked permission of King Alain, who has now arrived. Also, the bretat that Brother Metellus sent for is here. Word has been delivered to those who need to attend, such as Barbatil. But now that the Dove of Death already realises that the plan is thwarted, that the ship is sunk and there is no escape, the next step is an uncertain one. Will they, at this late stage, attempt to carry out the final act to which these last two weeks have been leading?’

Bleidbara looked startled and Eadulf was just as bewildered.

‘The final act? What is that?’ he asked.

Her good humour banished, Fidelma looked grimly at each of them in turn.

‘Why, the assassination of the King, Alain Hir, by the family of the mac’htiern of Bilhag. An attempt to put a new ruler on the throne of the Bretons.’