Chalice of Blood

arrogance. ‘I cannot understand why you must waste my time with such questions. I am a qualified liaig, a physician, and am to be treated with respect and not summoned to answer questions that have no need of an answer.’

Eadulf waited for the explosion. It did not come.

‘Brother Seachlann,’ Fidelma spoke very softly, ‘so far no one has treated you with disrespect. I am a dálaigh, an advocate of the courts, qualified to the level of anruth. I accept that you are a qualified physician. As such, you ought to know enough of the law to realise that you must respond to my questions. Failing to provide satisfactory answers to me can result in censureship and a fine. I have the power to take away your echlaisc. So I hope you will save me the trouble of having to drag from you every little piece of information that I want. Do I make myself understood?’

What Fidelma meant by taking away his echlaisc was that she could have him disbarred from medicine. A doctor usually went to visit his patients on horseback and thus an echlais, a horsewhip, had become the symbol of a physician.

Brother Seachlann flushed, swallowed and glanced at Brother Lugna, who stared expressionless before him.

‘Brother Donnchad was stabbed twice in the back. He died from those wounds.’ The information was given almost between clenched teeth.

Fidelma ignored his apparent petulance.

‘Eadulf, come here and stand in front of Brother Seachlann with your back to him. Good. Now, Brother Seachlann, can you show me where these two wounds were?’

The physician leaned forward and tapped Eadulf under theribcage on the left-hand side of the back and then again on the left-hand side of the neck, just at its base.

‘Can you say anything more about the wounds?’ pressed Fidelma.

‘The lower one was struck in an upward manner and the one at the neck was struck downwards.’

‘And was there much bleeding?’

‘There was blood over the bed and floor.’

‘Do you have any further comment about the wounds?’

‘Only that they caused his death.’ Brother Seachlann barely concealed his contempt.

‘Eadulf, what do you say?’ Fidelma asked.

‘The vital organs are fairly well protected by the bones in the back, according to Galen’s works on anatomy,’ he began. ‘There are many bones covering the back. It occurs to me that the upward thrust and the downward thrust are indicative of someone who has a rudimentary if not expert knowledge of such matters. They knew they had to find soft tissue between the bones to strike at a vital organ that would result in death, and instantaneous death at that. A warrior would know that or a good physician.’

Brother Seachlann’s irritation increased. ‘And what would you know of such matters, Saxon?’ he snapped. ‘I am the expert here.’

‘Eadulf spent some time at our great medical school of Tuaim Brecain,’ replied Fidelma sharply, before Eadulf could respond. ‘It seems that his eye is much more discerning than your own, physician.’

The physician swallowed hard. Again, a tinge of red came to his cheeks.

‘I am fully qualified in all the healing arts and no one has questioned me before in this manner. I am qualified to the level of-’

‘I heard you the first time,’ interrupted Fidelma with emphasis. ‘Where were you qualified?’

‘I am of the … I studied at Sléibhte.’

‘Well, Seachlann of Sléibhte, I have never heard that the people of the Kingdom of Laighin were disrespectful to their Brehons.’

The physician glanced uneasily towards Brother Lugna as if expecting him to say something.

‘Brother Seachlann has only recently joined our community,’ the steward belatedly intervened. ‘We have found him an excellent physician.’

‘Then he should also know how to give evidence to a Brehon,’ replied Fidelma.

Brother Seachlann seemed flustered. He said nothing.

‘Tell me, physician,’ Fidelma spoke slowly and deliberately, ‘having seen the wounds that caused the death of Brother Donnchad, would you agree with my husband, Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham? Do you concur that they were delivered by someone whose intention was to kill and were delivered with some foreknowledge of where to strike a death blow? Or do you argue that they were delivered in a frenzied attack born of anger or some other emotion?’

Brother Seachlann seemed to consider the matter and then he said sullenly, ‘I would say that the blows were struck with some foreknowledge. The person knew that striking upwards, under the ribcage or downwards into the neck, would produce the desired result.’

‘And being made in the back, this was done in stealth? The victim was unaware that he was about to be attacked?’

‘That is beyond my conjecture but it would seem to be the case,’ agreed the physician, ‘otherwise Brother Donnchad would have swung round to face his attacker in order to defend himself.’

‘Could the blows have been struck as he lay asleep, face down, on the bed?’

‘They could not.’

‘Why?’

‘I do not think there would be enough power behind either blow if the victim were prone. Not enough power to achieve the damage inflicted. He had to be standing upright, his back to his assailant. Further, I would say the blow to the neck was received while he was sinking to the floor, or else the assailant was a very tall person.’

‘Yet the body was found lying on its back on the bed.’

‘I was told that was how the abbot and Brother Lugna found it. They told me that they had not moved it.’

‘Except that I lifted the body a little to discover the wounds and blood,’ added Brother Lugna pedantically. ‘But I made sure the body went back into the position I found it in.’

‘Just so,’ said Fidelma. ‘So what did you make of that, Brother Seachlann?’

‘That Brother Donnchad, must have fallen to the floor, having received the wounds standing up. But given their nature, he could not have raised himself on to the bed of his own accord.’

‘People can do astonishing things in the moments before death, but I agree it seems unlikely he had such a capability,’ said Fidelma solemnly. ‘Once the knife had plunged downwards into his neck, he would probably have been dead before he reached the floor. Which means …?’

‘That the killer must have then lifted the body on to the bed and placed it so that it was in a position of repose,’ finished Eadulf. ‘Would you agree, Brother Seachlann?’

‘That would be a logical deduction but, of course, I could not swear to it,’ replied the physician.

‘Of course not,’ agreed Fidelma. ‘Nevertheless, as you say, from your medical knowledge, it is a logical deduction.’

‘It is.’

‘Then we have no need to detain you further, Brother Seachlann. You see, it was no hard task to answer the questions of a dálaigh, was it?’

The physician hesitated as if to say something but then decided against doing so and turned for the door.

When he had gone, Brother Lugna shifted his weight uncomfortably and appeared apologetic.

‘We have found our new physician a little …’ he paused, searching for the right word.

‘A little lacking in social graces?’ suggested Fidelma. ‘Well, his rudeness is a little mystifying — there must be a reason for it. Yet it is of no consequence for the moment. We will discover what ails the man later.’

‘Have you seen all you wanted?’ asked the steward, indicating the chamber.

After a quick glance at Eadulf, Fidelma nodded. ‘We have, but tell me, Brother Lugna, we are in the last room on this level, so who has the cell directly next to this?’

‘No one,’ replied the steward. ‘In fact, three of the cells on this floor are not even allocated as yet.’

‘And directly below?’