‘That is true but Selbach’s wife chose that fate. She was loyal to her husband. However, if Gáeth has become a member of the community at Lios Mór, it means that he has freed himself from that stigma.’
Fidelma look at him curiously. ‘You did not insist that even as a member of the brethren he be regarded as a daer-fudir and be consigned to work as a field labourer?’
Uallachán uttered a short laugh. ‘Why would I do that? I thought the punishment given to his father was harsh enough at the time. Anything else is simply revenge.’
‘You did not inform the abbot that, even if Gáeth joined the abbey, he must remain a field worker.’
‘Doesn’t the law in some place say that every dead man kills his own liabilities?’
Fidelma smiled and nodded. ‘Thank you, Uallachán. Now, let us return to this matter between you and Cumscrad. This is my condition, and I will send Gormán here back to Cumscrad with a similar condition. I want you, Brother Temnen and a chosen warrior to go to a bruden, a hostel, on the Rian Bó Phádraig where it crosses the Abh Beag, the little river, south of Lios Mór. Do you know the place?’
‘I do,’ said the leader of the Uí Liatháin.
‘You will wait there until I send for you to come to Lios Mór at a time when I am ready to render judgement.’
‘And is Cumscrad to be there as well? How can I stay there if Cumscrad is there?’ he protested.
‘Cumscrad will be told to wait at another place, awaiting a similar message from me. You will not know where, and he will not know where you are. I do that for the protection of you both. I will send messengers to you at the same time, asking you both to come to the abbey, freely, without prejudice and with no warrior guards apart from your single bodyguard. Is that understood?’
‘I understand the terms, lady, but not the reason.’
‘You may have to await my message for several days but it will be sent and this matter resolved. A judgement shall be made about the tensions between your peoples. I begin to realise that there is a greater judgement to be made, of which your conflict is but a smaller part, although an important part — an attempt to distract me from reaching the truth.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was Brother Echen, the keeper of the stables, who greeted them as they rode through the gates of the abbey of Lios Mór early the following morning. They had spent a night at the hostel by the Abh Beag where they had left Uallachán and his companions to wait until Fidelma was ready to call them. It was a short ride. Gormán had been sent back to Fhear Maighe to see Cumscrad and give him similar instructions. Now Brother Echen came forward and he was clearly agitated as they swung down from their horses. He began to speak excitedly even before Fidelma reached the ground.
‘Glassán, the master builder, has been killed, Sister.’
‘When?’ demanded Fidelma.
‘His body was found only a short time ago.’
‘How was he killed and where?’ Eadulf asked.
‘Where else but on the building site?’ Brother Echen replied. ‘He has just been found by the little boy, his foster-son, as the builders were coming to start work.’
Before they could question the man further, Fidelma’s name was called from across the quadrangle. They turned. Brother Lugna was striding towards them.
They left Brother Echen attending their horses.
‘I presume that Brother Echen has told you the news?’ wasBrother Lugna’s opening question. His expression registered no emotion.
‘He has. What happened?’
‘An accident. One of the stones of the building fell on him.’
‘There seems to have been too many accidents on this building site,’ Eadulf commented drily.
‘Such things happen,’ replied the steward in a terse tone.
‘Let us see where this happened.’ Fidelma turned and made for the half-finished building.
The body still lay where it had fallen. Brother Seachlann was examining it and beside him was Saor, the carpenter and assistant master builder.
Abbot Iarnla looked relieved as he spotted their approach.
‘Thanks be that you have arrived back,’ he greeted Fidelma. ‘As you see, we have yet another tragedy on our hands.’
The group stood back while Fidelma moved forward to look down at the body of Glassán, the master builder. His body lay on its back under a small doorway amidst a pile of debris. Some large blocks of stone that had been dressed were nearby. One of them was stained with blood but there was no blood on the man’s face or the front of his body.
‘He has been moved,’ Eadulf said, stating the obvious.
Brother Seachlann nodded. ‘He was lying face down. A heavy stone crushed the back of his head. I turned him on to his back to see if he had any injuries to his front. As you can see, there are none.’
‘It is sad,’ offered Saor. ‘But it seems clear what must have happened. Glassán came here to inspect the work early this morning and a loose stone fell as he was passing this wall.’ He pointed upwards to where the wall was unfinished and some dressed stones seemed not to have been placed correctly. He shook his head. ‘These accidents can sometimes happen.’
‘Sometimes?’ Eadulf’s inflection was cynical as he bent downbeside the body. Then he raised his eyes to the physician. ‘With your permission, Brother Seachlann?’
‘I have finished my examination, Brother,’ the man answered with a shrug.
Eadulf turned the corpse on to its front and examined the back of the skull. They could all see the massive injury. There was little doubt how the master builder had come by his death. To Fidelma it seemed that Eadulf spent a longer time than necessary peering at the injury before standing up. Then she saw from his expression that he had noticed something.
‘Is it all right to remove the body now?’ asked Brother Seachlann.
Fidelma glanced at Eadulf who nodded.
‘I understand the foster-son, Gúasach, found the body,’ Fidelma said. ‘I will need to have a word with him.’
‘He is being comforted by Brother Donnán in the scriptorium,’ Abbot Iarnla told her.
Saor was helping Brother Seachlann lift the body of the master builder in order to carry it to the bróinbherg.
Brother Lugna looked on, still expressionless, as the two men began to carry the body out of the debris. He muttered a swift apology to the abbot and hurried after them.
Abbot Iarnla remained, looking helpless and undecided. ‘Is there anything that I should do?’ he asked.
‘Just tell me what you know,’ Fidelma suggested. ‘I am told that it was not long ago that young Gúasach came to the site, presumably to start work. He found his foster-father here, already dead. What then?’
‘I was not witness to this, Fidelma. I was in my chamber when Brother Lugna came to tell me the news.’
‘How was Brother Lugna told?’
‘I think the boy raised the alarm with Brother Seachlann. Then a passing member of the brethren told Brother Lugna. By the time I came here with Brother Lugna, I found the physician andSaor standing with the body. The physician had asked our scriptor to look after the boy. As we were contemplating the removal of the body, we saw your return to the abbey and Brother Lugna went to inform you of what had happened.’
Fidelma stood in thoughtful silence for a moment and then said, ‘Very well. You had better ensure that the brethren are not alarmed over this. A second death in the abbey will be disturbing. It would be best to carry on with your routines without interruption.’
Abbot Iarnla hesitated, a worried expression on his features.
‘You are right, of course … but surely there are no links between this accident and Brother Donnchad’s death, are there?’