Atonement of Blood(123)

‘One of them was the apothecary who had nursed Suanach, the survivor of the attack on Menma’s rath. His name was Lachtine, as Gláed will know because he killed him a few days ago. We will come to that in a moment.’ Gláed made no response and Fidelma continued: ‘The other lover of Liamuin was a young man, the son of a neighbouring farmer and his wife, who heard the story of her death from the lips of the sole survivor and witness. He was told that the man who led that raid wore the golden collar of the bodyguards of the King of Cashel. Further, he was also told of the particular device on the shield of the warrior who led the attack. He did not know what it meant – but brooding with his grief and anger, the Fates had it that he came to this abbey to work among the copyists. Here he fell into the hands of the conspirators. He was told what the shield device meant – and so was groomed to become the assassin of my brother.’





CHAPTER NINETEEN





The silence that followed was one in which only the quickened breathing of those gathered could be heard.

‘I am speaking about Maolán,’ Fidelma finally announced.

Abbot Nannid let out a startled exclamation. ‘Maolán the copyist! He was a farmer’s son – a talented copyist, but hardly a conspirator!’

‘I said he was the tool of conspirators, not one of them,’ Fidelma replied.

‘He came to study and work in our abbey library …’ The abbot’s voice trailed off as he began to assess the consequences of the accusation.

‘He was not one of the brethren,’ said Brother Cuineáin hurriedly. ‘He took no vows; he remained a layman.’ The steward was clearly trying to point out that the abbey would not be legally responsible for someone who was not one of the brethren.

Fidelma ignored him and continued, ‘Curiously, he came here to recover from his grief. Maolán was the archetypal rejected lover: he had convinced himself that, had Liamuin lived, he would have eventually won her favour.’

‘Maolán was the young scribe I mentioned,’ Brother Lugna said excitedly. ‘He and Brother Ledbán often spoke together.’

‘But Maolán could not have betrayed the fact that Liamuin was hiding at Menma’s rath to anyone in this abbey,’ pointed out Eadulf quickly. ‘He only arrived at the abbey after the attack in which Liamuin was killed. Someone else betrayed where Liamuin was hiding long before Maolán came here.’

Fidelma glanced at Eadulf with appreciation before she continued. ‘Once Maolán’s story became known, it was realised that he was in the right emotional state to be manipulated. With his hatred festering of the warrior whom he thought had killed Liamuin, he was told about the shield and that it belonged to none other than King Colgú of Cashel. Maolán needed little persuasion to go to Cashel and attempt to kill Colgú, even if it cost him his own life. He was well schooled with information, doubtless gained by the treacherous merchant Ordan. Ordan passed on the information of the location of a hut in the woods where he could change his clothes and leave his equipment and horse ready if he was able to escape from Cashel. He was even told that the woman on whose land he could leave his horse, possessed a dog.’

Gormán’s eyes widened. ‘Of course, my mother’s dog was sedated.’

‘It could have been worse. The dog could have been poisoned, but Maolán was a farmer’s son. He cared about animals. That is why he did not turn his horse loose in the forest, as doubtless he had been advised. But he decided to leave it in Della’s paddock, safe from any ravening wolves.’ Fidelma glanced at Conrí. ‘If you’ll forgive the choice of words.’

‘Except that he had no chance of escaping alive from Cashel after the manner of attack that you described to me earlier,’ Conrí replied.

‘That poor frenzied creature had no wish to live. Once he had killed the person whom he thought had destroyed the woman he loved, he was prepared to give his own life. It was a suicidal attack.’

‘Maolán …’ Abbot Nannid was muttering. ‘He had been with us for several years, working as a copyist. He never joined the religious. But I was told that he left the abbey over a week ago to go east …’

‘Maolán was told lies that made him into a tool of conspiracy. He was sent to assassinate my brother.’

‘You spoke of Lachtine,’ interrupted Conrí. ‘We know that Gláed, in his disguise as Adamrae, killed him – but why?’

‘You remember what Sitae, the inn-keeper, told us?’