The Leper's Bell (15 page)

Fiachrae had joined them and moved close to the herbalist.

This is the sister of King Colgú, a
dálaigh
of the courts. Answer her questions in civil fashion or you may find that you will no longer be practising your art here,’ he said quietly.

The herbalist blinked, peering once again at Fidelma.

The dwarf did not suffer from leprosy,’ he said shortly.

‘So far as you could tell, has he ever done so?’

‘He has never done so. You do not, so far as I have knowledge, recover from of such a pestilence, even though some strangers claim such miraculous cures.’

Fidelma compressed her lips.

That is exactly what I wanted to confirm.’ Then she frowned. ‘What do you mean about strangers claiming cures?’

The old man sniffed in deprecation.

‘A day or so ago, a stranger came through here… his companion translated his words as he did not have much of our language. His companion told me that he was a healer in his own land. He claimed he knew of various herbs which might cure the disease. I knew none of them except burdock, but that I only know as a plant whose juices can be used to treat burns and sores.’

‘And we eat the young stalks in salads,’ added Eadulf, who, having spent some time studying the apothecary’s art, knew a little of such matters. ‘But what were the others that this stranger spoke of?’

The herbalist glanced at him in disfavour.

Things with strange foreign names. Not even the blessed Fintan of Teach Munna in Laigin was able to cure himself once he contracted the disease. I heard Bishop Petrán once argue that Fintan was cursed with the affliction because, during the great Synod of Magh Lene that was held when I was a young man some thirty-five years old, Fintan had argued against Rome’s authority. He went so far as to criticise some of the pronouncements of the Bishops of Rome, such as their approval of the Edict of Lyons when it was decreed that lepers should be cast out of society and go about ringing bells to warn others of their coming.’

Fidelma gave an intake of breath showing her impatience.

‘I am sure we are not interested in curses, apothecary, nor, at this moment, in the rights and wrongs of our culture and our church.’ She
glanced to where the body lay on the table on which the apothecary had conducted his investigation. It was now clothed in the robe again and laid out in a manner ready for burial. The small child-like form was a pathetic sight.

‘Very well,’ she said. ‘Herbalist, we need to take over your shop for a few minutes. Will you wait outside with my guard? Fiachrae, remain with me. Eadulf, ask Capa to tell the
crossan
to come in.’

Eadulf escorted the disgruntled herbalist to the door and looking out saw Capa and his men standing with a group of half a dozen small people in garish clothing who were obviously the gleemen.

‘Let them come in now,’ he called to Capa.

The warrior nodded and the gleemen moved forward curiously, passing Eadulf into the apothecary’s hut and peering about.

They had hardly set foot inside the door when a wail suddenly came from one of them, who had pointed towards the body on the table. A great outcry arose from the others, anguish and despair rending the air. Fidelma had no need to ask if they recognised the dead man.

One of them ran forward, tugging at the body as if to ascertain whether it was alive or not. Fidelma saw a strong likeness between his face and that of the corpse. Of the gleemen, he seemed the most distraught, and it was pitiful to see his distress.

She moved forward and laid a hand on his shoulder.

‘I am sorry to have done this without forewarning. I just wanted to know if you or any of your companions would recognise the body.’

The dwarf, blinking back tears, gazed up at her. His grief was plain.

‘Of course I recognise him. He was my brother and one of our company.’ He spoke as many of his companions did with a slight lisp in his speech.

‘And his name was Forindain?’

The dwarf stared at her for a moment and then shook his head.

‘His name was Iubdán. Forindain was a part that I played.’

Fidelma hid her bewilderment. ‘Your name is Forindain?’

‘I am known as such,’ replied the dwarf. ‘None of these are our real names. We use the names of the characters we play. I play Forindain in our little love tale of Bebo.’

‘You are not a religious, Forindain?’

‘That is the part of my character - Brother Forindain the Leper who betrays the Fay linn in the story. Why do you ask this…?’ The little
man’s eyes wandered to the body of his brother, taking in the costume he wore. ‘Ah, I see.’

Fidelma pursed her lips for a moment.

‘Which is more than I do. Forindain, I am sorry for the death of your brother. Believe me. But I am a
dálaigh
, and I am concerned to find out how and why he was killed…’

‘Was he murdered?’ demanded the dwarf, suddenly noticing the mark of the ligature round his brother’s neck. ‘Who would kill a
crossan
, a travelling player, who had no enemy in the world?’

‘That is what I must find out. Come with me to Fiachrae’s tent and let me discuss this with you and then, I promise, I will let you and your fellows mourn in peace.’

The
crossan
hesitated, glanced again at his brother’s body, and turned to his companions.

‘We must contain our grief for a moment. One of you must go and inform the people that we must cancel our play. Another must ask that the body of our friend, my brother, be wrapped in a
recholl
, a shroud, and we need someone to prepare the
fuat
, the bier, to bear him to his grave. I also need to speak to the chieftain, Fiachrae, and find out where he can be buried. Do these things, my friends, that I ask of you while I go and speak with this learned
dálaigh.
When they are done, then we, together, may start on the time of watching and make this coming night into day with the blaze of our torches while we raise our voices in the traditional
caoine
”

Fidelma was surprised by the intense cadences of his voice, the articulate phrases of his speech, until she realised that she had been overlooking the fact that the little man was a player, one of the
crossan.

Fiachrae led the small party back to the convention seat. Fidelma had despatched Capa and his men to refresh themselves until such time as they were called for. In the tent, Fiachrae indicated that everyone should sit, and called for an attendant to bring
corma.
To his obvious surprise everyone else refused it while he, himself, poured a liberal measure of the fiery alcohol into his mug.

‘You are in charge here, cousin,’ he said. ‘Handle it in your way.’

‘Thank you, Fiachrae,’ Fidelma replied solemnly. She had been prepared to do so anyway. She turned to the dwarf. ‘Now, how shall I address you? As Forindain?’

The
crossan
inclined his head. ‘Since I joined the travelling players,
it has become my name, Sister. My parents cast me out as soon as they could legally dispose of me … my brother and I, that is. We were fostered by an
obláire
, the chief of a company of players, and taught his skills so that we could use those attributes nature endowed us with for the entertainment of our fellows. You may call me Forindain as, after such a passage of time, I can answer to no other name.’

Thank you. You know this is Fiachrae, the chieftain of Cnoc Loinge, and this is Brother Eadulf of Seaxmund’s Ham, in the land of the South Folk beyond the seas.’

Forindain’s gaze swept them all before returning to Fidelma.

‘And you are a
dálaigh
, you say?’

‘My name is Fidelma, Fidelma of Cashel.’

Forindain blinked in recognition. ‘Are you sister to Colgú, king of Muman?’ he asked quietly.

‘I am. And you know of me?’

‘I have heard that you are a great
dálaigh!

‘Nothing else?’

The dwarf frowned. ‘Is there anything else that I should know?’ he countered.

Fidelma was silent for a moment. Then she said: ‘Let us speak of your brother, Iubdán. Tell me about him.’

‘Little to tell. His life paralleled mine until it was cruelly taken away. Since we were fostered by the
obláire
we have been among the same
crossan.
We ran our small company of players together.’

‘And when did Iubdán join you here at Cnoc Loinge?’

Forindain frowned momentarily. ‘Join us? He came with the company. I joined the company here and—’

He paused abruptly and stared at her. Then his face went pale and a hand came up to his throat.

‘What troubles you, Forindain?’ Fidelma asked, trying to read what he was thinking by the expression in his amber-coloured eyes. Then she suddenly made an intuitive leap.

‘You were the one who came here from Cashel and not your brother, weren’t you?’

‘I will tell you my story, Fidelma of Cashel,’ Forindain said slowly, ‘and now I should like that drink of
corma
, Fiachrae.’

Bewildered, Fiachrae rose and poured the drink. The dwarf swallowed it in one quick mouthful.

‘We were performing in Tailltenn, before the High King himself,’ he began reflectively. ‘We had planned a tour which took in the township by the abbey of Cluain Mic Nois and then that of Tír dhá Ghlas before we came here. We also planned to go to the town of Ros Cairbre and others, working our way east along the coast to Ard Mhór and then up to Cluain Meala and Cashel the capital itself.’

Fidelma sat back, regarding him thoughtfully.

‘And why tell us this itinerary?’

‘Our company set out from Tailltenn all together, but at Tír dhá Ghlas, the land of the two streams, where we played before the settlement around the monastery there, I left the company.’

‘Why?’

‘We have never played in Cashel and so I decided to visit it before the company went there. I wanted to know whether it was a suitable place. Unfortunately, I was late reaching there. It was late afternoon and already dark. I knew that I could only spare a short time the following morning to look at the township. There was some disturbance going on and I felt it better to leave with a band of pilgrims who were heading west. I merely glanced round the main area of the township and then joined them at the inn.’

‘And you travelled to Cashel in your guise of Brother Forindain the Leper?’

Forindain grimaced. ‘I often find it a useful method of travelling. It keeps people at a distance, as there are many in the land who think they can take advantage of one of my size. We do not dwell in a perfect world.’

‘True enough,’ agreed Eadulf, seeing the logic of the explanation.

‘Why was your brother clad in your costume?’ Fidelma asked the question with sudden sharpness.

Forindain blinked.

‘We were preparing for the performance later this afternoon,’ he replied after a moment’s hesitation. ‘We always perform stories of the Faylinn, the little people, as it suits the whimsy of our presentation. I always play Brother Forindain the Leper. Iubdán often likes to try his hand at other parts and, in this manner, we can insure if one or other of our company is ill. There is always someone who can step into his or her part. So, this morning, Iubdán took my robe and bell and went off into the woods to rehearse.’

‘And he paid with his life,’ Fidelma said quietly. ‘He was mistaken for you.’

Eadulf looked shocked. He had not reached that conclusion at all.

‘You have a quick mind, Sister … I mean, lady,’ the dwarf said slowly. It was obvious that the thought had occurred to him. ‘But I do not understand why he was killed - or, rather, why anyone would want to kill me.’

‘It was for something you did at Cashel,’ replied Fidelma.

The dwarf looked puzzled. ‘Nothing happened at Cashel.’

‘Think back. Something happened to you,’ pressed Fidelma.

‘Little of consequence, except that I earned myself a
screpall
and then slept in a barn before joining the pilgrims who were going to Imleach. I prefer to travel on my own but, as I said, with the fuss going on, I could become anonymous among the pilgrims. I utilised their company on the road to Imleach. Company, I should say, in the broadest sense for I walked a distance behind them with my bell to serve as warning should they come too close. It is amazing how quickly one can travel as a leper.’

‘Very well,’ Fidelma said. ‘Let us return to Cashel. How did you earn the
screpall?’

The dwarf shrugged. ‘I was simply asked to take a message to the palace - that would be the palace of your brother, lady. I was to find a woman called Sárait and convey the message that her sister needed to see her urgently. That was all.’

‘How was it that you were chosen to take this message?’

‘I was walking through the square of the township, it was dusk, and I had barely arrived in the place. There was little to see, so I went straight to the inn. I was approaching it when a hound bounded out at me.’ The dwarf sounded bitter. ‘It frequently happens. Often it is no accident. People can be cruel. They will release their hounds on purpose. Anyway, a woman called it off. She was standing in the shadows by the inn. Then she spoke to me. She offered me a
screpall
if I would take a message to the palace. I was to ask for a nursemaid called Sárait and tell her that Gobnat wanted to see her at once and urgently. I think it was her way of compensating me for the action of her hound. Well, it was too early for sleep, and I did not want to draw comment on myself by going into the inn at that time. Above all a
screpall
was a
screpall’

‘Did the woman see you were dressed as a leper?’

‘I’d given up that part for the moment as I wanted to eat in comfort in the inn.’

‘You say this woman was in the shadows of the inn?’

‘By the inn. Just outside.’

‘Did she tell you why she was unable go herself to the palace with the message?’

‘I did not ask when money was offered.’

‘How did you deliver this message?’