‘You’d better send someone to Cian’s cabin,’ she suggested. It was the obvious thing to do in the circumstances.
Just then, Murchad came along the passage; anxiety was etched all over his features. He overheard Fidelma’s directive.
‘I have already sent for Cian, lady. As soon as I heard the news, I knew that you would want to see him. However, he is no longer on board.’
‘What?’ Fidelma had never seriously thought that Cian would doanything stupid. Then she realised that she did not really know the depths of Cian’s mind, nor had ever understood the workings of his mind.
‘Drogon went to check his cabin. The man I placed on guard there was asleep. Bairne, who shares the cabin, says he did not hear him leave. I don’t think we can blame my crewman. We are not used to guarding prisoners.’
Fidelma was not interested in excuses.
‘We need to double-check,’ she said decisively. ‘Will you do that immediately, Gurvan?’
The mate moved off.
‘It seems pretty obvious what happened,’ Murchad muttered, glancing at Toca Nia’s body. ‘Cian killed his accuser and has fled ashore.’
It seemed the only logical explanation. Fidelma uttered a sigh of resignation.
‘It does look that way,’ she admitted. ‘Yet he must know that the island is not large enough for him to hide in. It is still an island. We will find him eventually. I’ll get dressed. We must go ashore and find Cian immediately.’
Murchad, Gurvan and Fidelma landed at the quay in the ship’s skiff. There was no one stirring in the grey, early morning light. They walked directly up the pathway towards the church, and were surprised when a figure left the shadows of the doorway and came forward to greet them. It was Father Pol. His expression was grave.
‘I know who you have come for,’ he greeted them.
Fidelma matched his solemnity.
‘Has he told you why he has fled here?’ she asked.
‘I know what he is accused of,’ replied the priest.
‘Do you know where he is? It would be helpful if you could tell us, rather than us spending time in searching the island for him.’
‘You do not have to, Sister. Nor would I permit such a search. Brother Cian is within the church.’
She was puzzled by the priest’s harsh tone, which was unlike that of the day before.
‘Then we shall take him back to The Barnacle Goose so that he may offer his defence.’
The priest frowned and held up his hand to stop them as they started forward.
‘I cannot allow it.’
Fidelma gazed with some surprise at Father Pol.
‘You cannot allow it?’ she echoed in amusement. ‘Yesterday, yousaid the situation with Cian was no business of yours. Now you say that you cannot allow us to take Cian back to the ship. What manner of logic is this?’
‘I have the right to stop you removing Cian.’
‘The crime was committed on board Murchad’s ship, not on your island. The jurisdiction is surely Murchad’s?’
The priest seemed puzzled for a moment and then folded his arms in an attitude of immovability.
‘In the first place, Brother Cian has sought the sanctuary of this place,’ he announced. ‘In the second place, this so-called crime of which he is accused took place five years ago and hundreds of miles away. You have no authority to hear such accusations on board your ship. You said as much yesterday.’
Murchad was scratching the back of his head and gazing at Fidelma as though to seek her guidance.
‘Sanctuary?’ he said, looking baffled. ‘I am not sure I understand …’
Father Pol interrupted.
‘Sister Fidelma will tell you that it is written in the Book of Numbers that the Lord God said, “You shall designate certain cities to be places of refuge, in which the homicide who has killed a man by accident may take sanctuary. These cities shall be places of refuge from the vengeance of the dead man’s next of kin …”.’
‘We know what is written in Numbers, Father Pol,’ Fidelma agreed in a quiet tone. She turned to Murchad in explanation. ‘This ecclesiastical sanctuary is compared with our own law of the Nemed Termann in which a person who is accused of an act of violence, even if he is guilty of it, can seek sanctuary for a time until his case is heard in a proper manner — but our law, Father,’ she turned to Father Pol, ‘also states that the guilty one in seeking sanctuary is not thereby enabled to finally escape from justice.’
Father Pol bowed his head in acknowledgment.
‘I understand this, Sister. However, we are not governed here by your laws of Eireann. The law is God’s law as given in His Holy Writ. Exodus says, “The slayer may flee to a place which I shall appoint for you”. He is allowed asylum in that place until such time as he can prepare a proper defence against those who would seek vengeance on him.’
‘Father Pol, we do not seek vengeance. But Brother Cian must come forward to defend himself against this crime.’
‘He has asked for asylum in the proper manner and been granted it.’
Fidelma thought quickly.
‘In a proper manner?’ she echoed.
She was trying to behave as a dalaigh should, acting without emotion and only with regard to the facts, but this was Cian they were talking about, not some stranger fleeing from the law. Cian! Whether she hated him now, she had been enamoured of him once. She had to ignore her emotional involvement, for she did not trust her feelings any more. She must think only of the law. The law was all that mattered now.
‘He asked for sanctuary in a proper manner?’ She repeated her question.
Father Pol chose not to reply, sensing she was about to make a point.
‘You quoted the law from Exodus just now, but you did not finish that quotation. The verse ends, “But if a man has the presumption to kill another by treachery, you shall take him even from My altar to be put to death”. Is that not so?’
‘Certainly. But what treachery was there in war? In war, killing may be done. A warrior may have a battle fever and lose his mind. If he did so, Cian will certainly answer for the consequences. But I doubt if you can claim that treachery was part of his act.’
‘We are not speaking of the crimes of which Toca Nia accused Brother Cian when he was a warrior,’ she replied slowly. ‘We are referring to the fact that Toca Nia was murdered in his bunk on board Murchad’s ship this morning at the same time that Brother Cian fled from it to seek sanctuary with you.’
Father Pol looked startled and dropped his hands to his side.
‘He did not say anything about that.’
Fidelma leaned forward like a hunter whose prey is in sight.
‘Then let me remind you of the law as given in Joshua. “When a man takes sanctuary … he shall halt at the entrance and state his case in the hearing of the elders …” Did he halt and state his case relating to the murder of Toca Nia?’
Father Pol was clearly troubled.
‘He did not speak of that. He sought sanctuary only for the crime of which Toca Nia accused him.’
‘Then, under the ecclesiastical code which you quote, he did not properly state his case, and cannot now claim asylum.’
Father Pol was in conflict. Finally he made up his mind and stood back with a gesture for them to precede him.
‘We shall put the matter to Brother Cian,’ he said quietly.
Cian was sitting in the shaded garden at the back of the church whenFather Pol led Murchad and Fidelma to him. He stood up, looking nervously from Fidelma to Murchad.
‘I have been granted sanctuary,’ he announced. ‘You can tell that to Toca Nia. I shall remain here. You and your laws cannot touch me.’
Murchad frowned and opened his mouth but Fidelma silenced him with a gesture.
‘What makes you think that Toca Nia will listen?’ she asked innocently.
‘You have a way with words, Fidelma. You can tell him about the law of sanctuary.’