crimes, the very idea that Eadulf could have been accused of raping a twelve-year-old girl and then murdering her was abhorrent. How could Eadulf have been adjudged guilty of such a thing? It was something so alien to the nature of the man she knew.
In the courtyard of the fortress, Fidelma, waiting until there were no Laigin warriors within earshot, turned to Dego, Aidan and Enda.
‘I need one of you to ride to Tara and seek out the Chief Brehon, Barrán,’ she said quietly. ‘It will be a dangerous journey through hostile Laigin territory, but needs to be done with all speed.’
Aidan stood forward immediately.
‘I am the best rider here, lady,’ he said simply. It was not a boast and neither Dego nor Enda wasted time by disagreeing with him. Fidelma accepted the truth of his statement without further ado.
‘I need you to persuade Barrán to return with you immediately, Aidan. Explain the situation so far as you know it. Plead in my name if you have to. And, Aidan … be very careful. There may be people who would not want you to reach Tara, let alone return here with Barrán.’
Aidan was confident.
‘I understand and will have a care, lady. It will not take me long to reach the territory of the southern Uí Néill. They are no friends to the Laigin and as soon as I am there, I shall be safe enough. With good fortune I shall return within a few days.’
‘All that falls to me is to prevent this execution tomorrow. Then hope that you can return in time with Barrán to hear what mystery lurks here,’ she said.
Aidan spoke hesitantly. ‘Are you sure that there is a mystery to be uncovered, lady? I mean, could it be …?’ He lapsed into silence under her disapproving scrutiny.
Dego intervened; he was anxious.
‘If you expect Aidan to leave here in broad daylight, lady, it will not give him much of a chance if, as you appear to believe, Laigin warriors will be watching our movements.’
‘We will give them something to watch then,’ Fidelma replied with a sudden burst of her old confidence. ‘We will go into the township to find accommodation for our stay here. Once among the crowds of the town, Aidan will leave us. If he rides west for the Slaney, it might appear as if he is simply heading back to Cashel. There are woods enough near the river and he can use the cover of them to strike north. Agreed?’
‘Agreed,’ Aidan confirmed. Then he paused: ‘I am sorry, lady, that I questioned …’
Fidelma reached out a hand and laid it on his arm.
‘You have a right to be suspicious, Aidan. The unthinkable might even be true — Eadulf could be guilty; let us not prejudge matters. But also let us remember that we know the man.’
Dego exchanged glances with his companions.
‘We are with you, lady. Shall we leave now?’
‘At once. Let us walk our horses from the gate, slowly and casuallydown the hill and once we are in among the houses, hidden from the eyes in this fortress, then Aidan can mount up and ride westward.’
They ordered their horses from the stable and the guard commander came forward as the stable boys were leading them out.
‘Are you not staying here, lady?’ he enquired in surprise. It was usual for visiting dignitaries to be offered hospitality at the King’s court.
‘We will find accommodation within the town,’ she assured him. ‘It is better that I and my escort do not impose ourselves on the hospitality of your King.’
The man looked perplexed. It was unusual but he knew something of the enmity between Fearna and Cashel and put their departure down to this reason.
‘Very well, lady. Is there any further service that I can render?’
‘Perhaps you could recommend an inn in this town.’
The guard commander replied immediately. ‘There are several, lady. I have a sister who runs the Inn of the Yellow Mountain just beyond the main square. It is named after the place we came from, seven kilometers north- east of here. Her place is clean and quiet. She allows no rowdiness there.’
‘We shall look out for it then,’ Fidelma assured him with a smile of gratitude.
‘She is called Lassar. Tell her that her brother recommended the inn.’
The four of them, reins held over their arms, walked their horses through the fortress gate and down the sloping path to the sprawl of buildings below. It was midday and the streets were thronging with people. There was a market in the main square around which everything centred, crammed with food stalls selling all manner of fish, poultry and meats as well as fruit and vegetables. The noise of the traders trying to outbid each other in attracting custom made an ear-splitting cacophony of sound to rise over the township.
Fidelma led the way through the crowded square and across to the entrance of a side street, where she glanced round. They were out of sight of the sentinels’ posts on the fortress and she turned to Aidan.
‘You know now what you must do?’
The young man grinned and sprang up into his saddle. ‘I will see you here within a few days and bring Barrán with me, lady. If I do not return, it will be because I am dead.’
‘Then make sure that you return.’
He raised a hand in salute and dug his heels into the sides of his horse.
They watched him move along the street as rapidly as the people allowed. Then he disappeared beyond the buildings. Fidelma sighed deeply and turned to her two remaining companions.
‘Where to now, lady?’ asked Dego. ‘Will we go to the abbey to find Brother Eadulf?’
‘Firstly, we should take up the suggestion of the commander of the guard and find his sister’s inn,’ smiled Fidelma. ‘Then I shall go to the abbey.’
‘Isn’t that a dangerous thing? I mean, going to an inn recommended by a Laigin warrior?’ Enda asked.
‘Perhaps not. The connection might prove useful. I do not think that the recommendation was made through any guile. I believe the man was honest.’
‘A Laigin warrior … honest?’ Dego sounded as if he doubted such a thing could be so.
Fidelma did not expand on her opinion but instead hailed a passerby with an enquiry as to where the Inn of the Yellow Mountain might be found. It turned out to be but a street away, just off the main square but protected from the hubbub of sound by other buildings. The Inn of the Yellow Mountain announced itself by a signboard bearing the image of a yellow triangular shape which was clearly meant as a mountain. The inn was large; a two-storey wooden structure with its own yard and stables. It seemed popular for there were several people coming in and out of it.
They led their horses into the yard and Dego took Fidelma’s reins as she moved forward to the door of the inn. A large woman came bustling out as Fidelma approached. She had a kindly face and Fidelma could see some resemblance between her features and those of the guard commander.
‘Rooms for the night?’ greeted the woman. ‘We have the best prices in Fearna, Sister. And you will certainly do better here for comfort and food than seeking free lodgings at the abbey …’
She broke off with a frown as she suddenly recognised the accoutrements of the two warriors as being those of Muman.
‘Are you Lassar?’ asked Fidelma pleasantly, claiming her attention once more.
‘I am.’ The woman turned back, a look of suspicion on her face as she scrutinised her questioner.
‘It was your brother, the warrior at the fortress, who recommended your inn to us, Lassar.’
The woman’s eyes widened with some respect. ‘You have been to Fianamail’s fortress?’
‘My business brought me here to speak with Fianamail,’ Fidelma confirmed. ‘Have you rooms for my companions and myself?’
Lassar glanced dubiously at the warriors again before turning back to Fidelma.
‘I have a room that they can share and a small room that you can use on your own — but it will cost more than sleeping in a shared room,’ she added defensively.
‘That is no problem.’
Lassar raised a hand and, as if from nowhere, a stable boy appeared and took charge of their horses. Dego retrieved the saddlebags from the steeds before they were led away.
The fleshy-faced woman gestured them inside. ‘So, Mel recommended the inn, eh?’
‘Mel?’
