The Haunted Abbot

‘I see. So your cousin was known to Aldhere?’

‘And to you also, gerefa. Have you forgotten that I come from Seaxmund’s Ham also?’

Eadulf was not following his logic and said so.

‘Why, my cousin is … was,’ Wiglaf corrected with a droop of his mouth, ‘Botulf.’

Eadulf sat up in surprise, jerking slightly at the reins of his mule which snorted in protest.

‘Botulf was your cousin?’ he asked incredulously.

‘Did I not say so?’ replied the thief with humour.

Eadulf was furiously trying to remember back to his youthful days in Seaxmund’s Ham. Vague memories did come back then, of course. Botulf had spoken of his cousin who had been disowned by the family. Wiglaf had been brought up on a farmstead outside the tiny village and did not enter it much.

‘You know that I was Botulf’s close friend, don’t you?’ Eadulf said after a while.

‘He spoke often of you, gerefa, and wished that you had not left the land of the South Folk in your journeying.’

‘Did you know it was because of him that I have returned?’

‘I do. It was I who took his message on the first stage of its journey to you at Canterbury. Botulf was pleased when he heard that you were there. I took the message to the port at Domnoc’s s Wic and entrusted it to a sea captain I knew.’

‘So you knew that it was urgent? You were told that Botulf’s need to see me was imperative?’

‘That’s a long word that I have no understanding of, gerefa. But I knew that he wanted to see you urgently, if that is the meaning of it. I knew that he also wanted to see Aldhere. I brought the message to Aldhere from him. Botulf did not confide everything to me. Of that which he told me, I remember little.’

‘But why did he want to see Aldhere? Why did he want to see me?’ cried Eadulf in frustration.

‘If I knew that, there would be no mystery. He did say this, and you must interpret it as you like — he said that there was great danger to the kingdom lurking in the abbey. He said that it was an evil which had to be confronted before we all perished.’

Eadulf frowned. ‘An evil?’ It was that word ‘evil’ again that caused a shiver of apprehension to go through him. ‘And danger to the kingdom — to Ealdwulf’s kingdom? From whom?’ He sighed in his frustration. ‘This is more baffling than ever.’

They rode on in silence for a while as darkness began to descend across the marshes.

‘Not far now, gerefa. Soon you will see the river and to the right the dark shadows of Aldred’s Abbey.’

It was as they were rounding a bend in the road that they came upon a figure hurrying in their direction. It suddenly appeared out of the gloom before them, startling their mounts, and by the time Eadulf had brought his mule under control the figure had scrambled from the roadside. It was lost among the dark trees to their left, away from the low, flat marshlands. Eadulf could hear the panting scramble and breaking of twigs as it progressed through the growth.

‘In the name of …!’ he exclaimed.

He retained an image of a slim figure, a woman, long hair and no more.

Wiglaf was chuckling to himself.

‘What do you find amusing?’ demanded Eadulf. ‘Who was that?’

‘That was Lioba. She’s a … a friend of Aldhere and others, if you know what I mean.’ He chuckled lewdly. ‘A local girl.’ He paused for a moment and then continued. ‘As I was saying, we are not far from the abbey now.’

Eadulf nodded absently. His mind immediately returned to their conversation. He wanted to pursue it further before he bade farewell to Wiglaf.

‘When did you last see Botulf?’ he asked as they set off again.

‘A few days ago. I was Aldhere’s intermediary and would take messages to and from the abbey. But my cousin was no fool. He kept his own counsel in these matters. I was just a messenger. As I have told you, all I know is that he felt there was danger in the abbey.’

‘But you must have had some idea of what was happening at the abbey?’ Eadulf pressed. ‘Your cousin is dead, Wiglaf, and I desire to bring his killers to justice.’

‘I understand that. I do not think that you have to come out of the gates of the abbey to find his killer.’

‘Do you mean that you think it was the abbot who killed your cousin?’

‘Abbot Cild is a ruthless man, and if he suspected Botulf of being in league against him …’ He ended with a shrug.

‘But he must have known that Botulf was in touch with Aldhere? That much is obvious.’

Wiglaf did not reply. It was now too gloomy to see each other’s faces clearly. It was going to be a dark night, cloudy, with no stars nor moon to reflect off the white carpet of snow and provide some illumination.

‘It will snow before daybreak,’ remarked Wiglaf absently. Then he added: ‘I don’t think Cild knew that Botulf was in contact with Aldhere. That was not the reason for their enmity. There was something else. What it was I am not certain.’

‘Last night, at the funeral, Cild was claiming to have been a close friend of Botulf and lamenting his passing. Do I understand that you are saying his statement was far from the truth?’

Wiglaf gave a sardonic bark of laughter which answered Eadulf’s question.

‘Are you sure there is nothing you can suggest that might shed a light on these matters?’ Ealdulf asked desperately.

‘A word of advice, gerefa. There is a saying that a habit does not make the religious-’

Wiglaf stopped short and Eadulf, seeing the tension that suddenly filled his body as he stared out across the flat marshlands, also halted and glanced in the same direction.

Several hundred yards away across the gloomy white-carpeted marshland he could see a strange fluorescent glow. At its centre was a blue light which dispersed across an area of ground, flickering now faintly now brightly.

Eadulf felt a chill run through him and quickly crossed himself.

Wiglaf caught sight of his action and guffawed.

‘No need to seek the protection of the Almighty, gerefa,’ he said. ‘That is only-’

‘I know what it is,’ snapped Eadulf in annoyance. ‘Ignis fatuus …’

‘Aye, fool’s fire. We call it firedrake.’

‘I said, I know what it is. But can you explain why it is?’

‘The marsh dwellers have many tales to tell about firedrake.’ Wiglaf smiled. ‘I believe none of them. If I did, I would neverventure into the marshlands at all, far less ride them in dead of night. Look, it has already vanished.’

Eadulf shivered and nearly crossed himself again but he did not want to give his companion the opportunity to mock him. In his youth the ignis fatuus was called corpse fire for it was said that the spirit of the troubled dead rose in the form of a blue flame to appear to those from whom it wished to seek justice. Indeed, at this very time, the beginning of the feast of Yule, the gods and goddesses allowed wronged spirits to visit their vengeance on the living.

‘Anyway,’ Wiglaf was saying, ‘from those trees ahead you will see the lantern outside the gate of the abbey. A short ride, that is all. Have courage, gerefa!’

Eadulf opened his mouth to chide the insolence of the thief, but Wiglaf turned his horse and went trotting back along the track into the darkness.

Eadulf glanced again across the marshes but saw no sign of the blue fluorescent light. He felt another shiver course down his back as he urged the mule forward. It seemed to sense that it was nearing home for it trotted at a speed with amazed him, coming up to the trees from which he caught sight of the river before spotting, a little way ahead, the dark walls of the abbey. There was the lantern flickering by the gates. He felt a wave of relief come over him. It was still only very early evening. If he estimated the hours correctly, it was not even time for the