The Leper's Bell by Peter Tremayne Read Free Book Online

tanist who answered.
    ‘I immediately thought of that possibility, Fidelma, and so I took it on myself to make a thorough check, but alas, cousin, it proved worthless. There were three boats that came up the River Suir, traders fromthe seaports. They unloaded their cargoes, waited to take on a return cargo and sailed back. My men searched those boats very thoroughly, and there were no children on board. Then there was a small group of pilgrims, a sad little group of disabled religious, who were taking the road to Imleach…’
    Ségdae, the bishop of Imleach, gave swift confirmation. They had heard that I was staying here at Cashel, so they came here to ask a blessing before they passed to the holy shrine of the Blessed Ailbe. They sought a balm for their afflictions, some born malformed and others disabled by terrible wounds in the wars. There were neither children nor babies amongst them when they arrived.’
    Finguine nodded agreement. ‘I went to the inn in the township where the pilgrims slept that night, and questioned them as to whether they had seen or heard anything amiss. Poor creatures. I hope their prayers and supplications are rewarded.’
    ‘I presume that they neither heard nor saw anything?’ pressed Fidelma.
    ‘Their leader, Brother Buite of Magh Ghlas, said he was disturbed by the noise of the guards and that must have been after the finding of Sárait. They could offer no information that would help us.’
    ‘And this band of pilgrims have now passed on to Imleach?’ queried Fidelma.
    ‘They left on the morning after Sárait’s body was found and would have reached Imleach some time ago,’ agreed Bishop Ségdae.
    ‘There were no women among them, no children and no babies,’ confirmed Finguine. ‘And they were the only strangers to pass through Cashel.’
    Capa suddenly contradicted him as if with an afterthought.
    ‘Apart from the northerner and the foreigner…’ Then he hesitated and shrugged apologetically. ‘But they passed here the day before Sárait was killed.’
    ‘What foreigner? What northerner?’ Fidelma quickly demanded.
    ‘The foreigner called himself a religious and a healer. He said he was from some distant land to the east.’
    ‘Persia,’ Colgú confirmed. ‘That was the land he said he came from.’
    Eadulf and some of the others were looking blank.
    Cerball, the bard, looked up from his transcription and smiled with the superiority of knowledge.
    ‘It is an ancient land that borders on Scythia. Herodotus, in his fourthbook, recounts how the Scythians repelled Darius, a king of Persia, who attempted to invade their land. And Justinian is likewise a witness to this history…’
    Colgú interrupted the bard’s lecture, waving him to silence.
    ‘I had almost forgotten him in view of what has happened since then. He stayed as our guest on the night before Sárait’s murder. A man of middle age, travelling, as he told me, in search of knowledge of these western lands. He spoke Greek and Latin and was accompanied by a young brother from Ard Macha who served him in the role of guide and interpreter during his travels. They travelled by horse and certainly had no child with them.’
    ‘In what direction were they heading when they left here?’ asked Eadulf curiously.
    ‘West. I think they said their destination was the abbey of Coimán,’ replied Colgú. ‘Anyway, they left before Sárait was killed. The day before, as Capa said.’
    Fidelma turned back to Capa. ‘Just to clarify things in my own mind, what were you doing while Finguine was checking the religious travellers and merchants? As commander of the guard, was that not your role?’
    Capa returned her gaze reproachfully for a moment or so. ‘I was searching for your baby, lady. I and three companies of my guards spread from Cashel and made a day’s travel in all directions but found no trace either alive or dead.’
    ‘I intended no criticism, Capa. I merely wanted to get a complete picture of