children, for none were of the age of choice, from places in the northern mountains of this kingdom and brought them down to the river. He placed them in his boat and transported them along the river to the sea port at Loch Garman. There he sold them to slave ships which transported them beyond the seas. Yes, he sold these young girls into slavery.’
There was an icy silence in the hall, a sense of shock and horror at what the Chief Brehon was telling the people.
‘We heard from the witness Fial, one of the young girls who survived this ordeal, that Gabrán had sunk to the level of an animal and actually used his captives for his own sexual appetite. This he did, even though they were not of age.
‘We have heard that on the fateful trip, from which Eadulf became an innocent victim, Fial’s companion, a girl called Gormgilla, was taken by the drunken Gabrán, while his boat was tied up at the quay of the abbey here. We may guess the details. Gabrán raped the girl and she fought back. In a drunken rage, he strangled her. It was decided to put the blame on Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham. Those who thought up this evil scheme arrogantly presumed that he was merely a passing foreign pilgrim and that no one would notice if he were sacrificed to cover up the murder. They had been forced to find an explanation for the murder because of the arrival of the abbess and Mel before the body could be disposed of.
‘It was a wicked scheme but one which nearly worked. Luckily, they had not realised that Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham was not someonewhose death could be so lightly passed over. Their haughty presumption was their undoing.’
Barrán looked towards Fidelma.
‘I believe, Fidelma of Cashel, that you have some observations that you wish to make at this time?’
Fidelma rose in the expectant silence of the hall.
‘Thank you, Barrán. I have much to say for this matter cannot simply rest with the exoneration of Brother Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham.’
‘Why not?’ snapped Bishop Forbassach from across the hall. ‘That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? He has been compensated.’
Fidelma turned a glinting eye on him.
‘What I wanted from the outset was for the truth to be made known.
‘Do you now seek vengeance on our mistakes?’ demanded Forbassach. ‘Gabrán, the slave trader, is dead. That is surely vengeance enough?’
‘It is not that easy,’ replied Fidelma. ‘And while we have heard of Eadulf’s innocence, what of the innocence of Brother Ibar? What of the death of Daig? What of the innocence of Gormgilla and countless young girls whose lives are now beyond recovering? It is not vengeance that is needed to explain these tragedies but the truth.’
‘Are you saying that the death of Gabrán, the man who engineered this evil trade, does not satisfy you, Sister Fidelma?’ It was Abbot Noé who spoke. His tone was measured and it was clear that he shared Bishop Forbassach’s unhappiness with the developing situation.
‘I will be satisfied with the truth,’ she repeated. ‘Have you forgotten the testimony of the young girl Fial? It was not Gabrán who asked her to give the false testimony against Eadulf. He was drunk or knocked unconscious. Nor was it the boatman who was subsequently murdered on the following day. You will remember how Fial described what happened?’
There came a sigh of exasperation from Bishop Forbassach.
‘We do not have to rely on the word of a young murderess.’
Fidelma raised an eyebrow in quickening anger.
Abbot Noé spoke before she could. ‘The girl, Fial, obviously killed Gabrán and it is clear that she did so in a state of great emotional stress.We understand that and no blame is placed on her for it. My friend, Forbassach, does not mean to condemn her; nevertheless, it is the truth. Be content with that, Fidelma.’
‘This morning, before the Chief Brehon, we went through all the testimony that was heard in Coba’s hall,’ Fidelma returned. ‘I thought it was clear then that Fial had
Bishop Forbassach almost exploded with anger.
‘Another innocent for you to defend?’ he sneered.
Barrán leaned forward in his direction. His voice was flat and assertive.
‘I would advise you to be more considerate with your words and manner of using them, Brehon of Laigin. I remind you that this is my court and the rules of courtesy between those who plead before me apply.’
Fidelma glanced with gratitude towards Barrán.
‘I am willing to answer Forbassach. Indeed, Fial is another innocent — and I am ready to defend all who are innocent of crimes against which they are unjustly accused.’
‘If you are willing to state the truth, you will acknowledge that you only wish to defend Fial because you want to lay the blame on Abbess Fainder for the murder of Gabrán!’ Forbassach had risen angrily to his feet, his face flushed. The abbess, pale, tried to grab at his arm to pull him back to his seat.
‘Bishop Forbassach!’ Barrán’s voice cracked like a whip. ‘I have warned you once before. I shall not warn you again to moderate your behaviour towards a respected
‘As a matter of fact,’ intervened Fidelma mildly, ‘I have no wish to accuse the abbess of Gabrán’s murder. It is obvious that she did not carry out that killing. You seem determined to cloud the real issues here, Forbassach.’
Bishop Forbassach dropped back to his seat deflated and abashed. Fidelma continued: ‘The person who killed Gabrán was part of the slave-trade conspiracy and was ordered to do so because Gabrán had become a liability to that conspiracy. His increasingly corrupt behaviour was endangering the whole enterprise. Too many deaths were occurring around Gabrán and bringing unwelcome attention.
‘The rape and murder of a young girl on the abbey quay by Gabrán and the stupid attempt to shift the blame on an innocent passer-by was what led to the subsequent mayhem. The person for whom Gabránworked, the real power behind this evil enterprise, finally came to realise that it was time to dispense with Gabrán’s services — and in a permanent fashion.’
The silence in the hall was absolute. It was some moments before Abbot Noé decided to intervene.
‘Are you claiming that all the deaths are connected?’
‘The murder of the crewman followed in the wake of Gormgilla’s death. Now, what was Fial’s evidence which we listened to again this morning?’
Barrán turned to his scribe.
‘Correct me if the record speaks against me,’ he instructed. ‘As I recall, when she was taken from her confinement by one of the crewmen, in the next cabin she saw Gabrán unconscious either in a state of intoxication or having been rendered unconscious. There was a hooded figure in that ill-lit cabin dressed in the robes of the religious. This was the person who instructed her to identify the Saxon as the same who killed Gormgilla. Do I have it correctly?’
The scribe, who had been referring to some notes before him, muttered, ‘
Fidelma thanked Barrán for reminding them of the record.
‘The crewman who released Fial was actually the same man who was murdered the next day. I must make some conjectures now but they are threaded together by facts — information that Daig passed on to his wife. I acknowledge that no surviving witnesses can confirm each detail independently. May I do so?’
‘Providing it elucidates the mystery,’ Barrán said, ‘but I will not take conjecture alone as evidence towards convicting any individual.’
‘You do not have to. I would imagine that the crewman, who was, of course, of the same low morals as Gabrán, saw his involvement in the covering up of his captain’s crime as a great chance to make some extra money by blackmailing Gabrán. They had a row in the local inn — the Inn of the Yellow Mountain. The row was witnessed by Lassar, the innkeeper. She also saw Gabrán giving the crewman some money to keep him silent. Gabrán later explained this sum by claiming it was the man’s wages. The sum that was passed was a
