‘Now and again,’ he admitted. ‘I am known only as a hunter in these forests. I knew nothing about the working of the mine until yesterday so if you are saying that I mentioned it to some merchant who then told these Uí Fidgente…’
‘I am not saying that,’ replied Fidelma. ‘I am not sure of the connection yet. There is something else which worries me. Accobrán says that the raiding party’s tracks were hard to follow. Suanach hears one of them telling his men to make it easy for Menma to track them. The idea was to be able to capture you. These two views do not balance each other.’
Menma looked genuinely puzzled.
‘Their tracks were easy enough to see. I suppose the tanist would like to make the chase sound more arduous and exciting than it was. We came on two sentinels waiting for us but Accobrán had them shot before they could raise an alarm.’
Fidelma said nothing for a moment and then: ‘We will leave you for a while. I would not mention anything of this conversation to anyone.’
‘Accobrán has already asked if I had overheard anything about the purpose of the raid,’ Suanach said.
‘And did you tell him what you told me?’
‘I was tired and not thinking. It is only now that you have asked me that those snatches of conversation have come back to me.’
Fidelma compressed her lips a moment. ‘In which case, I would say nothing further to anyone about this matter until I ask you.’
‘I do not understand. Sister, but I…we…will do as you ask. Is it not so. Menma?’
Her husband nodded a little morosely.
‘Then we will leave you in peace for the time being.’ Fidelma hesitated a moment. ‘Tell me, Menma, did you ever attend when old Liag was giving instruction in star lore?’
‘Of course, when I was younger. So did Suanach.’
‘Beccnat, Escrach and Ballgel also attended, I am told.’
‘Indeed, but not in my day. They were all far younger than I was.’
‘I think most people of the Cinél na Áeda learnt the ancient tales at the feet of old Liag,’ added Suanach. ‘He appears unfriendly and eccentric but he is really a nice old man.’
‘Even our fierce tanist used to attend,’ added Menma.
‘And these tales of Liag’s — were they no more than the folk stories associated with the ancient beliefs of what the moon and stars represented?’
‘Of course. Liag was very particular,’ Suanach replied at once. ‘He used to tell us that knowledge was power and to know the hidden names was to possess a very dangerous knowledge…’
She broke off and Fidelma was just quick enough to see a warning glance from Menma. She turned back to the door.
‘Thank you, Suanach. A special thanks for what you did for me. I am beholden to you. The Uí Fidgente are enemies of my blood and there is no need for me to say-’
‘No need,’ interrupted Suanach with an answering smile.
Outside, Eadulf was still puzzled. ‘What was all that about? Surely the raiders were not looking for this gold mine…?’
Fidelma turned to him and placed a finger to her lips. ‘No word of the cave to anyone yet, Eadulf.’
At that moment the door opened behind them and Menma came out, drawing it shut. He looked troubled.
‘I wanted to add something, lady,’ he said quietly. ‘I did not want Suanach to hear.’
They looked at the young hunter expectantly.
‘You realise that Accobrán took no prisoners from the Uí Fidgente?’
‘Indeed,’ agreed Fidelma. ‘I found that something hard to understand.’
Menma inclined his head. ‘Accobrán had the bloodmist on him.’
It was an old term meaning to lose all sense in battle. The old storytellers told how the mythical hero Cúchullain could be engulfed by a battle frenzy when fighting and become possessed of what was known as the ríastrad, such a fury, such a battle madness, that he might slaughter friend as well as foe. The word literally meant an act of contorting but had become applied to the loss of control that a warrior might suffer in a battle fever.
Fidelma gazed at Menma in surprise. ‘You mean that prisoners could have been taken from the Uí Fidgente?’
‘I mean just that, lady. I have not seen a man in the grip of the bloodmist before. He killed three of the Uí Fidgente while they were attempting to surrender.’
‘Thank you, Menma.’
The young man nodded and returned to join his wife.
Fidelma was quiet for a moment while Eadulf waited for her to comment.
‘It is not a good sign for a tanist to lose control in battle. Yet often one hears of warriors doing so, for battle is a terrible experience.’
‘But this was no battle,’ pointed out Eadulf. ‘To surround and capture less than a dozen men is not a task that should provoke such a condition in a trained warrior.’
‘We must bear that in mind,’ Fidelma agreed. ‘Becc should be made aware of the fault, as should his derbfhine if Accobrán is to succeed to the chieftainship. Now where were we? Ah yes, no mention of the cave to anyone unless I say so.’
‘Very well. But between you and me, what does it mean? Why would the Uí Fidgente be searching for that mine? They could not hope to work it and precious little gold would they be able to take before being discovered. I find nothing here that makes any sense at all.’
‘You are right, Eadulf. But we do not have all the facts as yet. Just a few major pieces are beginning to come together, though I believe that I begin to see some sort of pattern emerging.’
‘More than I do,’ sighed Eadulf.
‘Let us have something to eat. Then we will have to confront Brother Dangila and finally go in search of the wily Liag.’
Eadulf was in agreement. ‘I understand the path we are going to tread with Brother Dangila but, frankly, little else.’
After their meal they were riding along the track to the abbey of the Blessed Finnbarr when a small boy nearly ran across their path, causing them to rein in sharply. The boy was Síoda.
‘Hello, Sister.’ The boy halted and greeted Fidelma with a grin of recognition.
‘The very person I wanted to see.’ Fidelma smiled down at him. ‘How would you like to earn a screpall?’
The boy was definitely interested but regarded her with some suspicion.
‘What do I have to do?’ he asked dubiously.
She reached into her marsupium and pulled out the coin and held it up. ‘Answer a question. Do you remember telling us about that piece of gold that you found?’
The boy pouted. ‘The fool’s gold?’
‘I think that you told us that you found it on the hill near the Ring of Pigs?’
The boy nodded.
‘But Gobnuid said it was fool’s gold,’ he said.
‘He did,’ agreed Fidelma. ‘Can you be more precise as to where you found it? Was it in the cave that stands at the top of the hill, just above the Ring of Pigs?’
‘It was not,’ the boy replied.
Fidelma was disappointed. ‘Where was it, then?’
‘On the track. A little way down the old track that runs towards the abbey and past the Ring of Pigs.’ The boy glanced round surreptitiously. ‘Do not tell my parents that I was playing by the Ring of Pigs. I am not supposed to.’
‘On the track to the abbey?’ mused Fidelma.
‘Are you sure of the place?’ demanded Eadulf.
‘It was where the track passes the old rocks.’ The boy was scornful. ‘I know it well enough. It was where I saw Accobrán shouting at Beccnat back in the summer. That was when I found the nugget.’
Fidelma stared hard at the boy.
‘The place where you saw Accobrán shouting at Beccnat?’ she repeated slowly. ‘What was he shouting about?’
The boy shrugged indifferently. ‘You know the way grown-ups are. One minute shouting, the next minute being all sloppy and kissing.’
‘They were kissing?’
‘I said so, didn’t I?’