Atonement of Blood by Peter Tremayne Read Free Book Online Page A

you been in the hut?’ Fidelma asked.
    ‘I came here just after dawn. I wanted to sleep.’
    ‘You were not here last night?’
    ‘I said as much, didn’t I?’
    ‘So you did. And if you came here just after dawn, where did you spend the night?’
    ‘I was walking, most of it,’ conceded the girl.
    ‘Walking through the night? Alone?’
    ‘Have you found anyone else with me?’ she sneered.
    ‘That does not prove you were walking alone during the night,’ Gormán said irritably. ‘Do you know who left this bag here?’
    ‘I did not even know it was in the hut. How many times must I tell you?’
    ‘Whether you knew or not, we have yet to discover. But you are in serious trouble.’
    For the first time the girl looked uncertain. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘There was an attempt on the life of the King last night. This is where the assassin sheltered. Now we find you here, and with his belongings,’ replied Gormán.
    Fidelma was watching the girl’s expression closely. There was a subtle change, a hint of fear as the girl seemed to realise the seriousness of her position.
    ‘That is nothing to do with me. I arrived here during the morning. There was no one here.’ The words were truculent but some of her confidence had gone.
    ‘And your name is … ?’ Fidelma asked sternly.
    The girl hesitated and gave in. ‘If you must know, my name is Aibell.’
    ‘And where are you from?’
    ‘From the west.’
    Fidelma smiled sceptically. ‘That is a large area.’
    ‘I came from An Mháigh, the River of the Plain.’
    ‘And that is a long river,’ murmured Eadulf.
    The girl glanced at him in annoyance. ‘I was born and raised by Dún Eochair Mháigh.’
    Gormán’s eyebrows rose a little. ‘That is the fortress on the ridge of the Mháigh. It is the principal fortress of the princes of the Uí Fidgente.’
    ‘So, what of it?’
    It seemed to Fidelma, watching her closely, that this Aibell was in constant battle with the world around her.
    ‘But the Uí Fidgente … Mungairit is not far,’ the young warrior protested.
    Fidelma’s glance was expressive enough to silence him. She turned back to the girl.
    ‘The attempted assassination of the King is a very grave matter, Aibell. It will go better with you if you tell us the complete truth.’
    ‘It is the truth.’
    ‘So you travelled through the night – all the way from the fortress of the Uí Fidgente?’
    Aibell saw Fidelma’s disbelieving look and bit her lip. ‘Not exactly.’
    ‘Then how …
exactly
?’
    ‘I left my father’s house there as soon as I reached the age of choice.’
    ‘When I asked you where you are from, I did not mean where were you born, or even where were you raised, but from whence you travelled last night.’ Fidelma spoke firmly.
    ‘Last night I met a merchant who was travelling here. He offered me a seat on his wagon. I accepted it.’
    ‘A merchant who was travelling at night?’ Gormán snorted. ‘That is unusual.’
    ‘He said he wanted to be at his destination by dawn.’ It was the first time Aibell had bothered to explain her short answers.
    ‘And where did you meet this merchant?’ Fidelma enquired.
    ‘I had reached the banks of a great river just west of here and had resigned myself to trying to sleep near a ford there when I saw this wagon crossing.’
    ‘Did you know the name of the ford?’ demanded Gormán.
    ‘I am a stranger here,’ she replied. ‘How would I know it?’
    ‘Tell us about this merchant, then. Did you find out
his
name?’
    ‘As a matter of fact, I did. It was a stupid name for a merchant – something about dignity and honour.’
    Fidelma wrinkled her brow in perplexity but Gormán’s eyes widened.
    ‘Ordan, lady,’ he said. ‘Ordan often trades in the west. “Dignity” indeed is the meaning of his name.’
    Aibell nodded confidently. ‘That was his name. Ordan. A fat, ugly man as far as I could see in the light of his lantern.’
    ‘He has that land just east of here,