Murder in the Cloister by Tania Bayard

Author:Tania Bayard [Tania Bayard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2020-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-SEVEN

Note that the hoopoe is possessed of great virtue for necromancers and invokers of demons.

From a fifteenth-century manual of demonic magic, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Clm 849, fol. 17v

‘Come with me,’ the prioress said, and she led Christine out of the cloistered area to the priory entrance. There they found Henri.

‘Do you need my help after all?’ he asked.

‘I do,’ Mother Marie said. ‘But first I want to show you something.’

They went back to the priory and through many courtyards and passageways until they came to a shop where carpenters were at work repairing broken benches. The defaced refectory table had been brought there, and one of the men was examining the figure that had been carved into it.

‘Come and look at this, Henri,’ the prioress said. ‘It should interest you.’

Henri stepped up to the table and bent over the figure of the bird. He looked puzzled for a moment and then he began to laugh.

‘You must recognize this, Christine,’ he said.

‘I do not.’

‘Sorcerers love this bird,’ Henri said. ‘It’s not very well done, but it’s recognizable because of the big crown of feathers on its head. It’s called a hoopoe.’

‘Why would anyone carve the figure of this bird into one of our refectory tables?’ the prioress asked.

‘Isn’t Christine here to solve problems like this?’

‘Perhaps you can help, too, Henri.’

‘Christine should at least know about the superstitions surrounding the hoopoe. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that sorcerers sacrifice hoopoes when they summon demons?’

‘My mother doesn’t practice sorcery.’

‘Oh, well. The hoopoe is not always a symbol of evil. Some parts of the bird can be useful. Especially the eyes, if you carry them around in a little bag. Did your mother ever tell you that?’

She fought back the urge to lash out at him.

‘Perhaps the sorcerer could carry the eyes in one of Marion’s embroidered purses,’ Henri added.

Christine turned and was about to leave, but a look from the prioress held her there.

‘Tell us, Henri, how do the eyes help?’ Mother Marie asked politely.

‘They ward off evil spirits.’

‘What about the other parts of the bird?’

‘Put the powdered head of a hoopoe under your pillow, and you’ll dream of hidden treasure. If you have a hoopoe’s heart under there, too, you’ll see where to look for the treasure.’

‘Do you believe those things?’

‘I don’t. But most women do. Some women put hoopoe feathers on their heads to cure their headaches. I’ve even heard of a woman who thought she could make herself invisible if she mixed the blood of a hoopoe with—’

‘All right, Henri,’ the prioress said. ‘I’m sure you have a lot more of this nonsense to share with us, but that’s enough. That is not why I invited you here.’

‘Why did you invite me here?’

‘I wanted someone to identify this bird. Now that you’ve done that, I need to find out who carved it into the table.’

‘You know, Reverend Mother, your priory is not as cloistered as you think. Oh, yes, the nuns’ choir, the cloister, the chapter house, the nuns’ dormitory, and the refectory are off-limits to strangers, especially men.

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