The Subtle Serpent

‘Is this some kind of amusement for Abbot Brocc?’ she asked coldly. ‘Am I to be insulted thus?’

Fidelma shook her head tiredly.

‘I do not think my cousin,’ Fidelma paused for a fraction of a second, allowing the pause to emphasise the word, ‘I do not think my cousin, the abbot, is given to amusing himself in such a manner.’

The abbess’s expression began to twist into a sneer but Ross, feeling it time to intervene as captain of the ship, stepped quickly forward.

‘Allow me, abbess, to introduce Sister Fidelma who is an advocate of the courts. She holds the qualification of anruth.’

The abbess’s eyes widened imperceptibly while Adnár abruptly ceased to chuckle. The qualification of anruth was only one degree below the highest that the universities and ecclesiastical colleges of Ireland could bestow.

There was a pause before the abbess asked slowly: ‘What did you say your name is?’

‘I am Fidelma, currently of the community of Kildare.’

The abbess’s flashing eyes narrowed again.

‘Of Kildare? Kildare is in the kingdom of Laigin. Yet you say that you are related to Abbot Brocc of Ros Ailithir. What does this mean?’

Fidelma savoured the moment.

‘My brother is Colgú, king of Cashel.’ Fidelma could not help her eyes flickering in the direction of Adnár to gauge his reaction. She was rewarded by his open mouth and staring eyes. He looked, for a moment, like a fish as it is taken from the water. ‘I serve the Faith, which is not encompassed by the boundaries of earthly kingdoms.’

The abbess gave a soft sigh before holding out her hand to Fidelma. Her imperiousness seemed to have evaporated a little. Her face was moulded into an expression of contrite apology. Whether it was genuine or not, Fidelma could not be sure.

‘Let me bid you welcome to our community, sister. I am Abbess Draigen, superior of the foundation of The Salmon of the Three Wells.’ She waved a hand towards the shore as if toindicate her community. ‘I am sorry for my churlish greeting. These are trying times. I had expected that Brocc would have sent someone with some practical expertise in, in …’

Fidelma smiled gently as she hesitated.

‘In the solution of crimes of violence? In the solution of mysteries? Have no fear on that matter, mother abbess. There is a proverb — usus le plura doceit. Experience teaches many things. I have acquired some aptitude for the task you have in mind by my experiences as an advocate of the courts.’

There was a grunt as Adnár came forward. He tried hard to resume his confident posture but his eyes fell momentarily before Fidelma’s twinkling green ones. His head hung a little in his obvious embarrassment.

‘Welcome, sister. I am Adnár.’

Fidelma examined him closely. She was not sure that she liked what she saw. The man was handsome, true enough, but she was always uneasy when she was confronted by good-looking, confident men.

‘Yes. I have heard. You are the bó-aire of this territory,’ Fidelma’s voice was icy. In fact, she enjoyed the man’s apparent discomfiture, mentally rebuking herself for her enjoyment of another’s chagrin. It was against the teaching of the Faith but she was only human.

‘I did not mean, that is, I …’ began Adnár.

‘Yet you wanted to see me?’ Fidelma pressed innocently.

Adnár glanced in annoyance at Abbess Draigen. He seemed to have the need to choose his words carefully when he addressed Fidelma.

‘Sister, I am bó-aire here. I am magistrate and judge of the courts under the jurisdiction of my chieftain, Gulban. There is no need for anyone in this territory to require outside assistance in the matter of law. However, this is not the time nor place to discuss such a matter. There you see my fortress,’ he waved his hand. ‘I would bid you welcome to feast with me this night.’

Abbess Draigen smothered an exclamation of protest by coughing.

‘You are expected at the abbey this evening, Sister Fidelma, in order that I can explain more fully why you were sent for,’ she said hastily.

Fidelma gazed from the abbess to the chieftain and then firmly shook her head.

‘It is true that my first duty does lie at the abbey, Adnár,’ she told the chieftain. ‘However, I will come tomorrow morning and break my fast with you.’

Adnár flushed, glancing in annoyance towards the abbess whose features had formed into a smile of satisfaction. He nodded curtly to Fidelma.

‘I shall look forward to it, sister,’ he spoke reluctantly. He was about to move away but he hesitated and stared across to the Gaulish merchant ship as if becoming aware of it for the first time. ‘You keep odd company, Ross. What ails this ship that its captain asks you to tow him into this harbour?’

Ross shifted his weight.

‘I am not sure that I understand your meaning by odd company?’

‘You keep company with a Gaulish ship. I saw your tow rope as you entered our harbour. What is wrong with the captain? Can he not sail himself? No matter, I will row across and have a word with him.’

‘You will not find him aboard,’ replied Ross.

‘Not on board?’

‘That is so,’ Fidelma confirmed. ‘The ship was discovered abandoned off the coast here.’

Once more an expression of astonishment crossed Adnár’s face.

‘Then we will have two matters to discuss when you come tomorrow.’ With a brief nod to the abbess and to Ross, he went quickly over the side to his boat. They heard his men slap their oars into the water and watched silently as the boat pulled away back to the shore.

‘An irritating man, that one,’ sighed the abbess. ‘Still, you have made the right decision, sister. Let me row you across to the abbey and I will explain everything.’

Her handsome face showed surprise when Fidelma shook her head.

‘I will come to the abbey this evening for the evening meal, mother abbess. There are other matters that I must attend to before that.’

‘Other matters?’

There was a dangerously querulous note to Abbess Draigen’s voice.

‘I will come ashore this evening,’ Fidelma repeated but did not enlighten her further.

‘Very well,’ Abbess Draigen sniffed sourly. ‘You will hear our bell ring for the evening Angelus. We sit down to eat following the prayers. A gong sounds twice for the meat to commence.’

She left, without another word, climbed over the side of the barc and clambered down into her boat.

Ross grimaced, leaning on the rail and watching the sisters rowing their abbess back across the inlet.

‘Well, sister, I do not think that you have evoked much affection either in the heart of the abbess or that of the bó-aire.’

‘It is not my task to evoke affection, Ross,’ replied Fidelma softly. ‘Now let us return to the Gaulish merchant ship.’

Fidelma, together with Ross, spent two hours searching the Gaulish ship once again from top to bottom without discovering any further indication of what had happened to her crew and her cargo. Apart from the dried blood stains, there was nothing to suggest why the crew and cargo of the vessel had simply vanished. Only Odar, the steersman, had come up with a further piece of information. He had approached Fidelma and Ross almost as soon as they had come aboard the Gaulish vessel.

‘Begging your pardon, captain, but there is something you might like to see …’ he began, hesitantly.

‘Well?’ Ross’s voice was not exactly an encouragement to continue but Odar did so.

‘I heard you and the sister here,’ he gestured to Fidelma, ‘remarking about how neat and tidy everything is aboard this ship. Well, there are two things out of place.’

Fidelma was interested at once.