"Did he know he had a watchdog?" I was remembering how my father and my Uncle Varrus had done the same to Uther and me, when we first rode out on patrol.
"I don't think he suspected," Ambrose murmured. "Certainly, if he did, he cloaked it admirably."
"Good. How long has young Morag been here?" The young couple were now lost from my sight and I swung the door shut again.
Ambrose cocked his head towards Tressa. "How long, Tress, three weeks?"
"Almost four. They arrived the week after you and Arthur came back." She moved close to me again, slipping her arms about my waist.
We spoke for a while about the situation in Cambria, and decided that we would send spies out into Cornwall throughout the coming winter, to learn all we could about Ironhair and his plans for the future. Connor contributed little to the conversation now, and I asked him how long he would be staying. He stood up and stretched, balancing himself precariously upon his one foot and his wooden peg, and said he would leave the following morning.
'And what about your brother?"
"Brander? What about him?"
"He's been waiting to talk to me and, according to Ambrose here, what he has to say will not take long. Then he'll be leaving, too. He has affairs of his own to be about. You two might be able to travel together to the coast, if I can conclude our business tonight."
"Aye," Connor agreed. "Then if we can, we will. Now I'm going to go and sleep for a while. I think I'm growing old. If I do not appear by dinner time, send someone to wake me, will you?"
I sat with Brander and his wife at dinner that night, and as it transpired, we had no need to meet further than that. As Ambrose had said, Brander's sole concern was to arrange for Liam Twistback to renew his tenancy of Huw Strongarm's southern lands, for a minimum of three more years and a maximum of five. They had quickly discovered that the very young bloodstock they were attempting to breed needed better pasturage and did not take kindly to the harshness of the northern winters. Huw's assent to Liam's return was scarcely in doubt, since the relationship they had formerly shared had been a mutually advantageous one and Liam had ingratiated himself with the southern Pendragon, who could be less than cordial when they chose to be. And now I was able to reassure Brander that Huw had survived the war in Cambria, and that the arrangement could be secure. The new king nodded benignly, finally convinced that he could return home and begin gathering his stock together with confidence in their future safety.
The brothers agreed that they would leave together on the day following the one ahead. As I listened to them, I began to think about how this second parting might affect Arthur , and I glanced about me, looking for him in the body of the refectory. He was sitting among his friends Bedwyr, Gwin and Ghilly, all of them listening closely to Dedalus. Ded was regaling the whole table with some tale either of war and great events, or of nonsense and dark, ironic humour, the latter being much more likely. Sure enough, no sooner had I thought the thought than the entire table exploded into raucous laughter, the boys laughing just as loud and hard as the veteran troopers whose board they shared. Leaning forward then, I peered along the table to my right, where Morag sat beside her mother, her lovely face turned towards the noisy group. That Arthur would be made unhappy by her departure was beyond dispute. His new adventure into Cambria was, I decided, the best thing I could wish for. With the resilient energy and curiosity of youth, he might be able him to bury his grief in the challenges ahead. I resolved, then and there, to pack him off quickly.
Tressa's right elbow dug into my ribs as she laid her left hand over mine. "You are staring at another woman, Caius Merlyn. Should I be jealous?"
I started and turned towards her, reaching up to touch her cheek. "Forgive me, love, I didn't think you'd notice." Then I smiled and shook my head briefly. "I was wondering about Arthur, how he'll behave when Morag leaves again."
She glanced towards Arthur. "It will be different this time," she said quietly. "That first time, they had barely met, only to lose each other immediately. This time, they have had weeks together. Although they've been inseparable, they have known from the first that they had but little time, and that your return would see them parted again. They will have made their plans to meet again. You'll see, my love. There will be no anger at this parting. Sorrow, perhaps, but no anger."
She was very close to me, and I could smell the fragrant scents of her clean hair and the aromatic herbs she carried in a tiny, sweet smelling bag upon her breast. Filled with warmth and love for her, I dropped my hand to her thigh, beneath the table, but withdrew it hastily after a single squeeze of the soft, pliant fullness. This evening was not yet over, and if I were to come through it successfully, I needs must keep my mind distracted from the pleasures so tantalizingly close at hand. She noticed the withdrawal and smiled at me.
"Be patient, love. How much more talk must you indulge in after dinner?"
I exhaled noisily. "Little, I hope. I may speak with Bishop Enos for a while, but the Northumbrian envoys I will meet tomorrow. So, Bishop Enos first, for a short time—and then I have affairs to bring to your attention. Grave matters of a compelling urgency, with which I hope you will help me to deal smoothly and quickly."
Her smile grew wider. "Quickly? Well, perhaps at first. Smoothly? That I can promise you. But you had best reserve some large amount of time for all, Commander Merlyn. I promise you, I intend to detain you at my pleasure... and at yours."
She picked up my nerveless hand and gently kissed the back of it, pressing it against her pouted lips to let me feel and know their fullness. I cleared my throat loudly and pushed back my chair, stooping to bring my mouth against her ear as I did so, my whole awareness filled with the warm, sweet smell of her.
"This is intolerable," I whispered. "More than flesh can bear. If you will give me leave, I'll speak to Bishop Enos now, in the hope that what he has to say to me might be brief enough to let me turn immediately to... this."
She inclined her head, smiling gently, and I made my way immediately to where the venerable bishop sat among his peers.
Enos saw me approaching and began to rise, but I waved him back to his seat. I came up behind him mid laid my hand on his shoulder, conscious of the curiosity in the eyes of all the other bishops, who took stock of me before turning away to make pretence, at least, of leaving us alone to speak in private.
The old man bent his body to the side and sat gazing up at me, his face at repose in a gentle, welcoming smile as he waited for me to speak.
"Forgive me, Bishop Enos, if it seemed I was neglecting you. I know you have information for me—"
He cut me short, raising one hand to stem my words as his smile widened. "It is I, it would appear, who should be asking your forgiveness, Caius Merlyn. My tidings are for you alone, that is true, but there is no looming urgency that you should leave your table and come seeking me like this. I regret that you should have been given any impression otherwise. You are fresh home, to fresh responsibilities, and your time is precious. Believe me when I say there is no need for haste between you and me. You have kings and men of high position here, waiting upon your pleasure, and you must fit your timing to their needs. You are but one solitary man, and their requirements must be more than mine. I merely bring you greetings, but I promised him from whom they come that I would deliver them into your ears and your hands." I made to speak again, but he denied me with a single, gracious motion of his head. "I tell you nothing more than simple truth, Caius. I bring you greetings, and no more—no urgencies, catastrophes or pains."
"You have word from Germanus?"
"I do, from Gaul. We have just returned from there, charged with a new duty he has laid upon us. He looks upon you as one of the few fast friends he has in Britain. You will be happy to know that he is well, although careworn and overworked. I have a letter for you from him."
"I am delighted, but also curious. What duty could the Bishop of Auxerre have allocated to bishops in Britain? Surely what happens here is beyond his jurisdiction?"
Enos nodded. "That would be true, were we but dealing with the world of men, but when the matter at hand deals with men's immortal souls and their relationship to God, then earthly jurisdictions lose significance. Our friend is yet charged with responsibility for combating the teachings of the heresiarch Pelagius."
That startled me, and in my desire to learn more I asked the bishop on Enos's left to move along the bench a bit, so that I might sit. There was a whispered colloquy around the table and everyone squeezed closer to his neighbour to make room. I muttered thanks to all of them before turning back to focus my attention upon the old man.
"Pelagius? Again? I thought all that was settled?"
"So did we, when last we dealt with it. The debate was lengthy, as you might recall. Not all of the findings were resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but the conclusions reached were clear and the final dispositions were absolute; Pelagius was declared heretical and his teachings anathema. No spiritual cost or punishment would be applied to those who accepted the error of their ways and sought to correct their lives thereafter. Schools were established where the word was to be taught in clarity, according to the rules established by the Fathers of the Church. Bishops who defied the rule aid continued in the way of Pelagius were, ipso facto, excommunicate, banished from the communion of the Church and from receiving or dispensing its Sacraments. "
I made no attempt to conceal my perplexity. "I remember all of that; it was all clearly established and agreed to by the bishops in convocation. They might not have been happy with the outcome, but they all agreed, and so they bound themselves to act in accordance with the tenets of the Fathers. I was there. I may not have understood all that was going on, but I clearly recall the outcome of it all, since Germanus himself explained it to me. It was final. Whence, then, and what, this new difficulty?"
Enos looked down to the wooden platter that lay before him on the table and I followed his glance. The platter was clean and bare, save for a few small bones from the wing of some fowl and a scattering of breadcrumbs. He had eaten lightly. Now he reached out and pressed one finger on a few crumbs, transferring them into his mouth. It was a slow, contemplative gesture. Finally he sighed and looked at me again.
"Do you remember Agricola—the bishop, not the soldier?"
I frowned, searching my memory and thrusting aside all thoughts of Julius Agricola of antiquity. "Bishop Agricola? Aye, I met him, I believe, in Verulamium, in Vortigern's encampment, if my memory is not playing tricks. The two were friends, although not close. Is that the man you mean?'
"It is. He was—and remains—foremost among the teachers of the Pelagian belief. Vortigern, who sympathized with the teachings although he never openly espoused the creed or became a Pelagian himself, permitted Agricola to live and teach within his lands He had a close confidant and colleague, Fastidius. Did you meet him?"
"No, I don't believe so. Why?"
"Both Agricola and Fastidius were students of Pelagius in their youth. Aged men now, both of them, they still cling to those beliefs they absorbed from him as youths and teach his tenets in defiance of all else. "
"But that is infamous. They are men of God and they swore, publicly, to accept the decree of the convocation in Verulamium. Revoking that acceptance would open diem to charges of perfidiousness and hypocrisy. They would certainly suffer excommunication. "
I was aware now that the other bishops about me were listening openly to what we were saying, and Enos looked across the table to one of them and sighed, shaking his head. As he did so, a fresh noise broke out towards the front of the hall, where a group of Connor's musicians had entered and were tuning their instruments, preparing to present an entertainment. Enos stretched out his hand and took my wrist, an expression upon his face that I could read only as resignation. He nodded once again and indicated the musicians.
"You have brought me thus far, Caius Merlyn, so now I must accompany you for the remainder of the way. Will you walk outside with me? In a few more moments it will be impossible to talk in here. "
I rose and followed him out into the yard, winking and smiling to Tress as I passed by and indicating with a wave of my hand that I was leaving but that she should wait for me.
Once we had left the noisy hall and entered the cool silence of the empty courtyard, Enos led me over to a long, low bench against the northern wall, where he seated himself and spread his robes, wrapping his outer cloak across his shoulders to ward off the slight chill of the autumn evening.
"Now, " he said, settling himself. "Where were we? You were speaking of the absurdity of a so called man of God defying his beliefs and disregarding the threat of excommunication"
"Yes. It seems ridiculous."
"And so it is." He looked at me speculatively, his head cocked slightly to one side. "I hope you will forgive me if I seem to speak in ignorance, Caius Merlyn, but we do not know each other well, we two. I was your aunt Luceiia's confessor and confidant before her death, but you and I had little to do with each other. I know you met my saintly brother Germanus on the way to Verulamium, where you helped him win his impressive victory over the pagan forces who opposed him, but I suspect you know little of Pelagius or his teachings. Am I correct?"
"About Pelagius, you are. I know little of him. But I know even less about this impressive victory you describe. What are you talking about? When we first met, Germanus and his people had been trapped by raiders in an abandoned farmyard. We drove them off, fortunately without great loss to ourselves. But that was a skirmish, not a victory of any kind. After that we had no trouble anywhere, other than a minor confrontation with some would be bandits in Verulamium itself. So what is this victory you speak of?"
'The Alleluia Victory, men call it."