‘Trust me,’ she reassured the girl. Then she pushed the table aside and opened the door.
Sister Lerben was standing at the far end of the corridor, some of her fellow novices were crowding behind her with lamps.
‘Are you safe, sister?’ demanded the young religieuse. ‘We were worried when we did not hear from you.’
‘What is the meaning of this unruly shouting? Disperse the sisters to their cells.’
‘The members of this community have come for the murderess. The slaughter of Sister Síomha cannot go unpunished. Bring out Berrach. Her sisters have decided that death shall be her only punishment.’
Chapter Ten
The young members of the community seemed almost possessed as they crowded at the end of the passage crying out Berrach’s name. Their hysteria was almost out of control and Fidelma felt anger as she realised that Draigen had done nothing to calm their fears. Lerben herself seemed to have fomented the illogical frenzy and now stood at the head of what was little more than a mob. There was no sign at all of the abbess.
‘The sisters have
Sister Lerben was emphatic. ‘The matter is now straightforward. The abbey has given refuge to a witch all these years, one who has repaid it by murder and pagan idolatry. She will receive just punishment. Your task is over.’
There was a murmur of assent from the religieuses crowding behind her. Fidelma saw that most of them were only frightened and out of their fearful state had come their hysteria. Sister Lerben had directed that overwhelming passion against Berrach. The sisters were barely controlled. They seemed about to surge forward. Fidelma planted herself firmly in the passage and held up her hand.
‘In the name of God, do you realise what you are doing?’ she shouted above their cries. ‘I am an advocate of the courts charged by your king and bishop to investigate this matter. Will you take justice into your own hands and commit a terrible crime?’
‘It is our right,’ retorted Sister Lerben.
‘Tell me how this can be so?’ Fidelma demanded. She reasoned that any dialogue was better than blind violence. ‘What is your right? You are just a novice in this abbey, without station. Where is Abbess Draigen? Perhaps she can explain your right?’
Sister Lerben’s eyes flashed angrily.
‘Abbess Draigen has retired to her chamber to pray. She has appointed me to act as
Fidelma was appalled at the young girl’s arrogance.
‘You are young, Lerben. Too young to take the responsibility of this office. What you are suggesting is contrary to the law of the five kingdoms. Now calm yourself and instruct your sisters to disperse.’
To her surprise, Lerben stood her ground.
‘Didn’t Ultan, Archbishop of Armagh, and Chief Apostle of the Faith in the five kingdoms, decree that our church should follow the laws of Peter’s Church in Rome? Well, we have judged our erring sister by that ecclesiastical law and found her guilty.’
‘By what law?’ Fidelma could hardly believe her ears. Surely someone had prompted this young novice, who now claimed to be steward of the abbey, to go against all the laws of the land. She felt that she was embroiled in an argument with someone who claimed that the colour of a day sky was black and the colour of a night sky was white. Where could she find a point of logical contact?
‘By the law of the Holy Word!’ replied Lerben, unperturbed by Fidelma’s authority. ‘Does it not say in Exodus: “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”?’
‘Has the abbess instructed you in this, Lerben?’ Fidelma challenged.
‘Do you argue with the Holy Word?’ replied the novice stubbornly.
‘Our Lord said, according to Matthew: “Judge not, that yebe not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”’ Fidelma threw back the quotation at Lerben and then turned to the suddenly subdued religieuses behind her. ‘Sisters, you are being misled. Calm yourselves and return to your dormitories. Berrach is not the guilty one.’
There was some muttering among the sisters. Sister Lerben tried to restore her authority. Her face was red and angry for she had clearly hoped to win the sisters’ unquestioned respect and allegiance by her knowledge.
‘Do you reject the dictums of Ultan?’ she demanded of Fidelma.
‘Certainly, if they disagree with truth and the law of this land.’
‘Draigen is abbess here, and her word is law!’ replied the girl.
‘That is not so,’ returned Fidelma sharply, knowing that she had to defuse the situation quickly. The longer it was left festering the easier it would get out of hand. She realised that her suspicion was right. Draigen must have encouraged Lerben in this attempt to whip up fear against Berrach. The only way she could stop this dangerous situation was to attempt to exert her own authority. She repeated clearly: ‘I am appointed ultimately by your High King. I have come here at the request of your king and bishop; by the authority of the abbot of Ros Ailithir, if you respect no other. If you harm Berrach in any way, you, and all who act with you, will be responsible for kin- slaying.’
There was a murmur of consternation among the sisters. They knew enough law to realise that the crime of kin-slaying was one of the most serious in the criminal code of the five kingdoms. It deprived even the High King of his honour price, it was a lawful cause for the driving out of a king from his rank and office. The crucifixion of Christ was considered by the Irish as the ultimate kin-slaying for the Jews were regarded as the maternal kin of Christ. All the laws andwisdom-texts from time immemorial stressed the horrendous nature of kin-slaying for the act struck at the very heart of the kin-based structure of society.
‘You would dare …?’ Sister Lerben began uncertainly. ‘You would dare accuse us of that?’ But already she was losing support for the argument.
‘Sisters,’ Fidelma now addressed those crowding uncertainly behind Lerben. Since she now held their attention, there was little point in appealing to the inexperienced and arrogant novice. ‘Sisters, I have examined Sister Berrach and I believe that she is innocent of killing Síomha. She stumbled on the corpse just as, a moment later, Abbess Draigen did. She is no more guilty of the crime than Draigen. Do not let fear guide your logic. It is so easy to turn destructively on that which you fear. Disperse to your dormitories and let us forget this as a moment’s madness.’
The sisters looked at each other, perhaps somewhat sheepishly in the gloom, and some began to disperse.
Sister Lerben took a step forward, her mouth thin and set firm, but Fidelma quickly decided to maintain her advantage. She caught sight of the anxious Sister Brónach newly arrived, at the rear of the group.
‘Sister Brónach, I want you to escort Sister Lerben to her chamber while I go to see the abbess. That is an order by virtue of my rank,’ she added when Brónach hesitated. Then she deliberately turned her back and re-entered Berrach’s chamber. She stood just inside the door, her eyes closed, her heart beating fast, wondering whether she had completely defused the situation. Would Lerben make a further attempt to rally her supporters again and seize Berrach? There was a murmuring and shuffling in the corridor and then silence. Fidelma opened her eyes.
The girl was sitting on the bed shivering uncontrollably.
Fidelma glanced quickly into the corridor. It was empty. She exhaled long and deeply.
‘It’s all right,’ she said, turning back into the chamber andseating herself on the bed next to Berrach. ‘They have dispersed.’
‘How can they be so evil?’ shuddered the girl. ‘They were going to take me out and kill me.’
Fidelma laid a hand on the girl’s arm in comfort.
‘They are not really evil. They are merely fearful. Of all the passions, fear weakens the judgment, especially
