The Leper's Bell (14 page)

Eadulf sat back, disappointed.

There was a movement at the door. Fidelma entered, having washed and changed into dry clothing.

‘I am sorry to be so long, Fiachrae,’ she said, coming to the fire and taking her seat before Fiachrae could rise from his chair.

‘Do not worry, cousin. I have been entertaining our Saxon friend with stories of our history, and how it is that this small spot ensured the prosperity of the Eóghanacht.’

Fidelma grimaced. ‘The story of our ancestor Fiachrae son of Eóghan? The story of Cnoc Loinge and the siege is one of the sagas of our kingdom. I remember that you are fond of telling it.’ There was a sense of weariness in her voice as if Fiachrae and his storytelling were well known to her and not really appreciated.

The chieftain beamed a little and rose, moving to the side table.

‘Mead to keep out the cold after your immersion in the stream?’ he offered.

‘I do not wish to seem an ungracious guest, Fiachrae, but I had expected Capa and the others to have returned by now. Surely, the fair is not so large?’

‘It gets larger each year as our prosperity grows. But three pairs of eyes should have accomplished the task of finding a leper.’ His grin
broadened as he saw her frown. ‘We have had a long talk, Eadulf and I. He has told me of your quest. You have but to instruct me and if it is in my power, I will accomplish the task.’

Fidelma glanced towards Eadulf and then seemed to relax.

‘You are gracious, Fiachrae.’

‘As I was telling Eadulf here, I know of every stranger who has come to the fair. It is my duty. Your brother, our king, charged me with it after the victory at Cnoc Áine. No lepers are in attendance at the fair today. And the dwarfs are only
crossan?

The corners of Fidelma’s mouth turned down and she glanced disapprovingly at Eadulf.

‘Doubtless my
fer comtha
has been asking what strangers have been passing through your settlement and whether any carried babies.’

Fiachrae suppressed a chuckle.

‘Sharp as ever, cousin. He has.’

He had poured a second mug of mead for Eadulf without asking him and thrust it into his hand. Eadulf took it automatically.

‘And what was your answer?’ Fidelma asked coldly.

‘No one has passed through with a single baby that was not theirs.’

She was about to rise when one of Fiachrae’s men entered unannounced into the tent and hurried to up him. He seemed slightly breathless.

‘Fiachrae, there has been a killing,’ he said without preamble.

The chieftain’s brows drew together in surprise.

‘What? Who? Speak up, man.’

‘The Cashel warrior, Capa, sent me to inform you and the lady Fidelma that she should come at once. They have found a body on the far side of the fair ground.’

‘Capa? Is he hurt? Is he or one of his men involved?’ demanded Fidelma, rising immediately with Eadulf and Fiachrae.

The messenger shook his head. ‘No, lady, he and his men were not involved, other than that they found the body and now ask me to take you to them.’

‘Lead on, then.’

The messenger hurried forward with the three of them close behind, moving swiftly between the stalls and across a wooden plank bridge spanning the stream that acted as a border to the fair ground. After a short distance, on the far side, the forest of dark yews, holly and leafless
blackthorns began. One of Capa’s men, Caol, stood on the edge of the wood and waved to them immediately.

This way, lady,’ he called.

It was only a short distance along a narrow path before they came across Capa and Gorman, who was looking unnaturally pale.

By the side of the path was a small area where bushes of dogwood, still in its autumnal blood-red shoots and crimson leaves, grew among a number of ashwood stumps. Someone had obviously cut the ash trees in the past, for the stumps were old and covered with black crampballs of inedible fungus.

Capa pointed dramatically downwards.

‘We have found him, lady,’ he said simply.

There was no need to ask whom.

The body of a very short man with a large head, clad in a religious robe, lay flat on its back surrounded by a mass of orange peel fungus which seemed to lend a surreal quality to the image, making a bright frame for the dead little body.

There was no need to ask how the dwarf had met his death. The cord which had fastened his robe at the waist was still knotted in garrotte fashion round his neck. The features were distorted, the skin mottled and almost blackened, and the tongue protruding between the teeth.

Chapter Seven

Q
uiet!’ snapped Fidelma, as several voices began to speak at once. She moved forward and knelt by the side of the body. The dwarf had a young face in spite of the distortion of the garrotting. He had dark hair and there was no sign of a religious tonsure. The body was still warm to the touch. Not long dead. She noticed a piece of metal half hidden by the body and reached for it. It came away with a musical chime. It was a small bronze bell with a wooden handle. She looked at it for a few minutes before placing it on the ground beside her and then she carefully examined the hands and face of the body. As she did so a puzzled frown began to crease her brow.

To the surprise of the watchers, she began to pull open the robes, slowly and carefully, to reveal the flesh of the body. In silence they watched her make her examination, and then she replaced the robe over the little body and stood up.

‘Is there a physician here in Cnoc Loinge?’ she asked Fiachrae.

The chieftain had been watching her in bewilderment and now shook his head.

‘There is a herbalist and there is the man who dresses corpses for burial. The nearest physician resides in the abbey of Imleach.’

‘Have the herbalist take the body to a place where he can examine it thoroughly. I want his report within the hour.’

‘What is he to look for?’

‘He is to report whether this man had any afflictions.’

Fiachrae turned to the attendant who had brought them hither and repeated the order. The man went off at a trot.

Fidelma had turned back to the warriors.

‘Now, how was this body discovered?’

Gorman shuffled his feet awkwardly.

‘I discovered it, lady.’

‘How was that?’ asked Fidelma sharply. ‘This spot is well away from the fair ground, where you were asked to search. The body is hidden in this wood.’

‘Indeed. When you left us, Capa told us to separate to complete our search more quickly. I had been wandering through the fair for some time when Capa came to me and told me that a woman had reported that she had seen a dwarf in religious robes with a leper’s bell lurking in the woods in this direction. He sent me to see if there was truth in the report.’

Capa made to intervene but Fidelma raised her hand to silence him.

‘Go on, Gorman.’

‘I came here and began to look round. The body was not exactly hidden and so I came upon it quite easily.’

‘And was it in the position that I first saw it?’

‘Exactly so, lady. I touched nothing, but, ascertaining the little man was dead, and certainly not wishing to touch a leper, I ran back and found Capa who was still searching the fair with Caol. We came here and then Capa returned to the fair for a moment. He said that he had told a man to go to fetch you.’

Caol moved forward. ‘Capa and Gorman remained with the body while I waited on the edge of the wood for you.’

‘And so, Gorman, when you came upon the body, there was no sign of anyone else nearby?’

‘No, lady. As soon as I saw in what manner the little man had died, I looked quickly round, so far as my eyes could penetrate the wood, but saw no one nor any sign of anyone.’

Fidelma nodded slowly and turned her gaze on Capa.

‘I need to be clear in my own mind about the sequence of events. How did the woman know you were looking for a dwarf in religious clothing with a leper’s bell? If the woman told you that she had seen the dwarf lurking at the edge of the woods here, why did you not come to investigate yourself?’

Capa’s smiled was disarming.

‘I was asking some people if they had seen signs of the dwarf. I thought it might quicken our search if I did so. No one had seen him except this woman. I would estimate that she was some farmer’s daughter. She told me that she had seen this strange fellow while she was at the stream
drawing water for her animals. Almost immediately, I saw Gorman,’ he indicated the raven-haired young warrior, ‘and told him to investigate. I went on asking people … and, shortly after, Gorman returned. The rest was as he narrated it, lady.’

Fidelma sighed deeply.

‘Let us return to your tent, Fiachrae. Wait here,’ she added to Capa and his men, ‘for the coming of the herbalist. Impress upon him that I want a thorough examination of the body for sign of any affliction that he may have suffered from, and when it is done, one of you come to Fiachrae’s tent to report to me. Then I will come and speak to him. Make sure he is thorough in his examination.’

Capa raised a hand in acknowledgement and Fidelma, with Fiachrae and Eadulf at her side, walked back towards the tent of the chieftain.

‘I don’t understand, cousin,’ protested Fiachrae. ‘I don’t follow any of this.’

‘No reason why you should,’ Fidelma replied shortly.

Eadulf cleared his throat meaningfully. After all, this was Fiachrae’s village over which he had jurisdiction. Fidelma unbent a little.

‘I think this is the dwarf we were looking for. But I do not believe the dwarf was a leper.’

Eadulf’s eyes rounded a little. ‘He did carry a leper’s bell.’

‘That is why I have asked that the body be examined by someone who can confirm my suspicion.’

Back in the chieftain’s tent, Fiachrae went immediately to the jug of mead, pouring himself a large measure. Then he remembered his manners and turned, jug in hand, to Fidelma and Eadulf.

‘Will you join me?’

This time Eadulf shook his head while Fidelma accepted.

‘A small measure,’ she added when she saw that her cousin was prepared to be generous with his liquor.

‘This has put a black cloud in the sky of our fair, cousin,’ muttered Fiachrae. ‘Who is this little religieux and who killed him? The slaughter was done in my territory and I am responsible for finding the evildoer.’

‘As a
dálaigh
, even though just visiting your territory, I take responsibility in that matter, cousin,’ Fidelma assured him.

‘But who is he?’ demanded Fiachrae. His eyes widened as if a thought had suddenly struck him. ‘I nearly overlooked something. I’d better inform the
crossan
, the little gleemen, just in case they know this dwarf.’

‘Good for you!’ exclaimed Fidelma. ‘I was nearly forgetting … ask them to gather at the place where the herbalist is making his examination. But on no account let them enter until I have seen the herbalist.’

When Fiachrae left, Eadulf leant quickly forward to Fidelma.

‘I have formed a theory. The young warrior, Gorman - he had the ideal opportunity to kill the dwarf.’

She returned his gaze evenly.

‘Why would you think that, Eadulf?’

‘He was more than keen to accompany us. He admitted he was in love with Sárait and wanted vengeance. Those are good reasons.’ His eyes widened suddenly. ‘If Aona is right, why, Gorman might even have been responsible for the death of Sárait’s husband Callada, and—’

Fidelma interrupted him. ‘I think we are racing ahead without evidence. It is fascinating to speculate but as I have often told you, Eadulf, speculation without facts will take us nowhere. Why would he kill the dwarf? We have no knowledge that the dwarf killed Sárait, only that a figure, which Caol deemed a misshapen child, brought a message to her and she went out of the palace in answer to it. We are working on supposition.’

Eadulf looked glum. ‘I had forgotten it was Caol who saw the misshapen child that night. Perhaps he recognised the dwarf and…’

Fidelma shook her head. ‘Let’s stop speculating until we hear further,’ she said.

It was not long before Caol summoned them to the herbalist’s shop. It was a wooden hut hung with dried herbs and flowers and a fire smouldered in a hearth at one end, enhancing the thick aromatic atmosphere to the point where Eadulf started to cough and even Fidelma had to catch her breath. Even though it was still daylight, the interior was lit with lamps as the small windows let in hardly any light.

The herbalist was old and querulous.

‘Well, the dwarf is dead,’ he snapped as they entered, peering in shortsighted fashion at them. ‘Dead,’ he repeated. ‘Why am I bothered further?’

Fidelma moved forward to face the old man.

‘A fool can tell that he is dead. I instructed that you look for signs of any affliction.’

The herbalist stared myopically at her.

‘Of course he was afflicted,’ he snapped. ‘He was a dwarf, wasn’t he?’

‘Again that is obvious,’ replied Fidelma sharply. ‘Did he suffer from leprosy?’

‘Did he … what?’ The herbalist was even more irritable. ‘I am being asked to teach a class in basic medicine?’