‘I was just looking at the herb garden. What is it?’ She noticed that he seemed excited.
‘You will never guess who I have just seen here in the villa,’ he began.
Fidelma gave a sudden yelp of pain. ‘Something has bitten me,’ she said.
Eadulf hurried forward, glanced down and swore in his own language. Then he reached forward and pulled her out of the shrubbery onto the path.
‘An adder!’ he cried. ‘Quick.’ He was undoing the belt at his waist. As she watched, puzzled, Fidelma began to experience numbness around her ankle. A pain was creeping up her leg. She felt her heart beginning to thump wildly and a sick and dizzy feeling overcame her.
Eadulf was strapping something around her leg and drawing it tight. Then she seemed to be falling to the ground. A moment later she was dimly aware that he had lifted her in his arms and was hurrying along the path. She tried to speak, and then all seemed to go black.
Abbot Ségdae saw Eadulf first as he came around the side of the villa into the main garden, carrying the inert form of Fidelma.
‘What has happened?’ he demanded, running forward. Several other Hibernian delegates came crowding round.
‘We must get her to an apothecary!’ cried Eadulf. ‘She has been bitten by a poisonous snake. An adder.’
Bishop Leodegar, followed by Lady Beretrude, came elbowing his way through the throng. He had heard what Eadulf said.
‘Bitten by an adder, you say?’
‘Take her into my villa, and I will send for my apothecary,’ instructed Lady Beretrude.
Eadulf shook his head. ‘We’ll take her back to the abbey to Brother Gebicca,’ he said firmly.
‘But that will take time,’ protested Lady Beretrude. ‘She’ll be much better off here. I will personally look after her. If the poison isn’t treated quickly it could be dangerous…fatal even.’
‘I know that,’ Eadulf snapped. ‘I have some knowledge. Someone guide me back to the abbey. Quickly!’
At once several of the Hibernian delegation, including Ségdae, volunteered to accompany him. Eadulf managed, with their help, to hoist Fidelma on his back and he, without another word, began to hurry forward in a trot surrounded by the Hibernian clerics; those in front and either side seemed to clear the way. For a moment it looked as though the warriors of Beretrude would halt them at the gates but Lady Beretrude made a signal to indicate they should be allowed to pass. She stood, without emotion, watching their departure with Bishop Leodegar at her side.
Head down, with the weight of Fidelma on his back, Eadulf gritted his teeth and hurried as fast as his burden would allow him. He was exhausted and sweating by the time they came into the great square before the abbey. One of the clerics had run forward to alert the physician. Brother Chilperic appeared in the anticum.
‘Let me take her, Brother,’ he said, observing Eadulf’s panting and fatigued features.
‘Just lead me to Brother Gebicca,’ grunted Eadulf.
He was bent forward now so that he could see only the lower part of Brother Chilperic’s legs, the heels hurrying before him, guiding him through the anticum and out into the main interior courtyard, crossing to the apothecary’s house. He was aware of doors opening and then hands were removing his burden and he straightened to see Fidelma being laid on a bed among the almost suffocating odours of the apothecary’s room.
‘What exactly happened?’ asked Brother Gebicca.
‘She was bitten on the ankle by an adder. A poisonous snake.’
‘Are you sure?’ demanded Brother Gebicca.
‘It was a black snake. I’ve seen them before.’
The apothecary turned back to Fidelma who was breathing rapidly and with a shallow motion. She appeared in a comatose state.
‘You did not try to cut the wound and suck out the poison?’
Eadulf shook his head.
‘That is good. The venom is inserted into the blood directly under the skin and so it is useless to try any way of extracting poison after this time. I see you tried to restrict the flow of blood. That is not much good,’ as he spoke he was removing Eadulf’s tourniquet. ‘What is good, however, is that you have kept the limb, where the wound is, at the lowest part of the body. Now go and let me do my work.’ He turned to the clerics crowding in. ‘Go! I will call you if there is a need.’
Reluctantly, Eadulf allowed himself to be dragged away from the apothecary by Abbot Ségdae and guided to the calefactorium. Someone brought in a jug of good strong corma and mugs were produced.
‘How did it happen?’ asked Abbot Ségdae.
‘It was in the herb garden,’ Eadulf said shakily. ‘The viper was among the shrubbery and she was bitten by it.’
‘Let us pray that Brother Gebicca knows how to treat the poison.’
At that moment, Bishop Leodegar entered the room, having followed them from Lady Beretrude’s villa.
‘How is she?’ he asked.
‘We are awaiting word from your apothecary,’ replied Eadulf.
‘The Lady Beretrude has offered to send healing herbs to our physician should he need them,’ the bishop continued. ‘She feels responsible, for she was showing the garden to Sister Fidelma just before it happened.’
‘It is thoughtful of Lady Beretrude,’ Abbot Ségdae acknowledged when Eadulf made no response.
‘Is there anything I can do?’ asked the bishop.
‘Until Brother Gebicca informs us of the situation, there is nothing,’ Eadulf replied.
An age passed by in which no one spoke, but the corma was handed silently around as they sat waiting. Then Brother Gebicca entered and peered around in search of Eadulf. The latter sprang to his feet and moved towards him.
‘What news?’
‘She has a strong heart and a good constitution. Her pulse is normal. She will have a painful swelling on the leg for a day or two but, after a good night’s rest, she will start to mend.’
‘The venom has dispersed?’ demanded Eadulf, scarcely believing the news.
Brother Gebicca nodded affirmatively. ‘I have seen worse cases. The effect in her case has been like a powerful bee-sting; painful and causing irritation. But in a strong adult, with a good constitution, the body recovers.’
‘Can I see her?’ Eadulf asked.
Brother Gebicca shook his head. ‘She is sleeping now. Sleep is always a good curative in such matters. Let her rest and we will see how she is in the morning. I will sit up with her to ensure there are no complications during the night.’
He left with a nod that encompassed everyone in the room.
There were murmurs of congratulation from many while Abbot Ségdae clapped Eadulf wordlessly on the shoulder. Eadulf paused for a few moments before, as the abbey bell tolled, following the example of the others as they moved to the refectory for the evening meal.
The next day, after morning prayers and the ritual breaking of the fast, Eadulf went directly to Brother Gebicca’s apothecary.
Fidelma was sitting up and sipping at a hot broth that Brother Gebicca had prepared from various herbs. That it was unpleasant in its taste was obvious from her expression. She looked up in relief as Eadulf entered.
Brother Gebicca turned to him with a look of satisfaction.
‘All is as I said, Brother. She has a painful swelling on the leg but nothing worse.’ He turned back to Fidelma. ‘I was asking, how it was that you did not recognise the poisonous serpent to avoid it? They do not attack unless they feel threatened.’
‘We do not have such serpents in Hibernia,’ Fidelma answered simply. ‘I have not seen such a poisonous reptile before.’
‘It is true,’ Eadulf confirmed, seeing Brother Gebicca’s look of disbelief. ‘There are no reptiles of that sort in the five kingdoms.’
‘Yet I have heard that they exist in the island of Britain, so why not in Hibernia? Are they not in close proximity? Is the warning of hidden danger not international-latet anguis in herba-a snake lies concealed in the grass? How can it be a warning if there is a country without snakes?’