Dancing With Demons

we attacked their camp. He took the object and fled but we eventually caught up with him.’

‘So the wheel is still hidden somewhere?’ said Brehon Sedna.

‘It is not,’ Fidelma said with a quick gesture to Eadulf. The latter took a piece of sackcloth from his feet and removed something from it. There was a gasp around the Great Assembly as he held up a circular object, its bright silver reflecting the lights of the great hall. There was a solar motif in the centre and the edge of the object was engraved with many heads forming the outside circle. He placed it on the floor before Abbot Colmán.

Fidelma had been watching the faces of the witnesses as he did so.

‘Just for the members of this assembly, Bishop Luachan, can you confirm that this was the object that you presented to Sechnussach?’

The elderly bishop indicated it was.

‘Bishop Luachan’s visit to the High King in the dead of night was discovered by one of Dubh Duin’s fanatical conspirators. That was why the decision was made to strike at Sechnussach the next night. And that was also when things began to go wrong, for there was no synchronisation withthe person who had put these events in motion in the first place. That person, whom I have called the chief conspirator, had wanted Gormflaith to be in Tara when Sechnussach died; and he had wanted his lover — who was his co- conspirator — to be away from Tara. But Dubh Duin and his religious faction was not interested in these conspirators’ plans. They were true fanatics.

‘The plan, as I said, went wrong because someone was with Sechnussach when Dubh Duin entered his chamber; someone whose scream alerted the servants and guards and led to Dubh Duin turning the knife on himself.’

‘An interesting story,’ snapped Brehon Sedna. ‘But we want names.’

‘And names you shall have.’ Fidelma turned to the witnesses.

‘Dubh Duin was to be the assassin, as you know. Mer the Demented played some part, perhaps identifying the fact that Sechnussach had possession of what to them was a sacred wheel. Cuan’s role was to take a key to the High King’s chamber and get a smith to copy it. Then, on the night of the murder, he was to distract his fellow warrior, Lugna, to remove him from his guardpost at the doors of the royal house. That left one other conspirator who worked in the royal house and who passed the key of Sechnussach’s chamber to the assassin for him to enter. It was this same female servant who, as I have said, used her sexual favours to ensure Cuan’s role in the plot. She was one of the central figures in this conspiracy.’

‘Who is it?’ demanded Brehon Sedna.

Fidelma was grim. ‘Mer the Demented unintentionally told me her name before we even came to Tara. She referred to “the white one”. There is only one servant who bears the name — for what does Báine mean but “the white one”?’

Báine was sitting back with a sneer of derision making her pretty features ugly.

‘Very clever,’ she hissed, ‘but cleverness will not save you and your kind when the sacred wheel leads us back to the Great Cauldron of Murias which has been touched by the hands of The Dagda himself. You will tremble and sacrifice before Crom.’

Another cacophony of sound burst out in the Great Assembly chamber and it took several minutes before Abbot Colmán and Brehon Sedna could restore order.

‘So it was Báine who stole the key and gave it to Cuan to make a copy?’ asked Abbot Colmán. ‘It was she who persuaded Cuan to betray his warrior’s code.’

‘Yes. And Báine was the daughter of the priestess of Crom whose body now lies in a grave on Hag’s Mountain,‘added Fidelma. ‘It took Eadulf, Irél and I a while to recall where we had seen the features of the woman called the ceannard before. Báine is clearly the daughter of her mother.’

Báine sat back, her arms folded defiantly, and stuck her chin in the air as if she was no longer part of the proceedings.

Cuan stood up and said nervously: ‘If I confirm all this, lord, may I plead for clemency? She bewitched me, I swear it.’

Brehon Sedna scowled at him. ‘It is neither the place nor time to hear such pleas,’ he declared. Then, returning his gaze to Fidelma, he added: ‘Apart from Dubh Duin, Báine, Cuan and Mer, you have claimed — if I understand correctly — that there was a chief conspirator, someone motivated by power and not by religious fanaticism?’

‘I did. The person who thought they would succeed to the High Kingship — and I did not mean Cenn Faelad.’

‘And you will name him?’

‘He has named himself. He was the one who introduced Dubh Duin to Gormflaith, engaged himself in supporting Gormflaith’s relationship with him, and, knowing how he could win the support of Cenn Faelad to nominate him as tánaiste, promised Dubh Duin that when he took over as High King, after deposing Cenn Faelad sometime in the future, he would bring about the changes to recognise the Old Faith once more. Whether he would have done so, once firmly in power, I do not know. I doubt it. But promises are cheap. The Old Faith was his route to the High Kingship.’

All eyes in the Council had turned on the urbane figure of Brehon Barrán who had been sitting without any reaction to Fidelma’s recital.

Brehon Sedna looked troubled. ‘You deny this charge, of course, Brehon Barrán?’ he asked, albeit without conviction.

Brehon Barrán looked across to Fidelma. ‘I have seen this dálaigh presenting her cases several times before. I do not doubt that she can produce evidence in support of her claims.’

‘I would be the last person to remind you, Barrán, that the law-texts state how guilt may be judged other than by direct evidence,’ Fidelma said. ‘The law acknowledges that indirect or circumstantial evidence can be applied, provided it is strong. I think that Báine and Cuan will be persuaded to speak against you.’

‘To save themselves,’ Barrán sneered. ‘I suppose you feel that you have a strong case?’

‘Oh, I know I have a strong case, Barrán,’ replied Fidelma. She gestured at Báine. ‘I am sure that Báine will be persuaded to come forward as a witness to the conspiracy, especially when she understands that you had no intention of fulfilling your promises to Dubh Duin to recognise the old religion. You fully intended to betray him.’

‘Your saying so does not make it so,’ Brehon Barrán replied.

‘Then my saying so does!’ came Báine’s sharp tone. ‘I know the promises you made to us. I was with Dubh Duin when you made them. But it seems that it was all a plot just to prepare your path to power. You will be the first to suffer the wrath of Crom when we arise … Already the warriors of my mother’s people are raiding and destroy your churches, and soon they will sweep into Tara and destroy … My mother’s … ’

She suddenly dissolved into tears. Whatever else she was going to say was lost in her grief-stricken realisation of her mother’s death on Hag’s Mountain.

In the tumult that broke out in the Great Assembly, Irél had motioned to several of his warriors who, according to Fidelma’s prearranged instructions, had moved into various positions around the conspirators.

When order was restored, Fidelma stared across at Brehon Barrán, who now looked less confident.

‘I suggest that this crime is so heinous that it has to be retried before a court. I am sure that the members of this Great Assembly will agree,’ she said.

‘We can accommodate you on that,’ Cenn Faelad replied with satisfaction. ‘Is it the wish of this assembly that Barrán and Báine be tried as soon as arrangements can be made? And, at the same time, the lesser conspirator Cuan should be tried with them?’

The Great Assembly vocally signified its agreement.

It was Gormflaith who now rose and demanded to be heard again.

‘You are all forgetting one thing,’ she said.

A silence descended and Brehon Sedna turned a disapproving look on her.