The Second Death by Peter Tremayne

Author:Peter Tremayne [Tremayne, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Historical, General, Crime, Mystery & Detective, Traditional
ISBN: 9781472208347
Google: 0TAKswEACAAJ
Amazon: 147220834X
Publisher: Headline Book Publishing
Published: 2015-03-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

About the same time that Eadulf was taking the body of Rechtabra to deposit in the stone hut, Fidelma was halting her companions on a deserted stretch of the road just outside the river-port of Cill Cainnech.

‘As we are in Osraige,’ she said, ‘it might be best to remove our symbols of rank and office.’

‘Why so, lady?’ demanded Aidan. ‘Does not the Prince of Osraige pay tribute to Cashel?’

‘We might receive more cooperation when we ask questions,’ explained Fidelma, conscious of the need for diplomacy.

Aidan and Enda reluctantly removed their golden torcs, the symbols of the Nasc Niadh, the élite Bodyguard to the King of Muman.

‘Our presence ought to be greeted with respect,’ Enda muttered, irritably.

‘So it should,’ Fidelma consoled him, removing her own emblem. ‘However, reality is sometimes not what it should be. Our purpose is to obtain information and we must consider the best way to succeed in getting it. There is no need to remind you that there has been much hostility in Osraige towards Cashel.’

‘At least we should not conceal that we are warriors, surely?’ asked Aidan.

She was amused at his words. ‘There is no way of concealing that with you two,’ she replied mischievously. ‘The only thing I ask is that we should not be too overt about our roles and rank. Often people without rank respond better when they are not confronted by authority. We should be discreet.’

So they had hidden their emblems in their saddlebags and continued down the gently sloping hill into the township.

‘So where do we start, lady?’ Enda wanted to know.

‘We’ll start by finding food and shelter for the night as it will be dusk soon,’ she answered.

Along the banks of the broad river, An Fheoir, there were a number of wooden quays where boats loaded and unloaded goods. Alongside these stood a line of wagons, ready to deliver goods or transport them to various destinations. Of the two vessels presently at the quays, one surprised Fidelma, for it was a large ler-longa, a seagoing ship which could only navigate the river as far as this point. Most seagoing vessels anchored at the southern exit of the river, where it joined the rivers Siur and Barú in the deeper waters around Port Láirge. Such ships usually unloaded there so the goods could be transferred to smaller vessels. It seemed the captain of this ship had chanced the journey up to Cill Cainnech. The other vessel was one of the serrcinu, a barge which was taking on cargo, while a smaller river vessel sailed by. Fidelma knew something about the vessels, having studied the Muir-Brethe, the ‘sea laws’, for all matters pertaining to water travel were dealt with by the law.

What had astonished her, as she rode towards the river, was the sight of a newly built ferry landing linking the east and west banks of the river. She examined it for a moment and then made a decision. There was daylight enough to ask a few questions.

‘Aidan, you go along the quays and look for a suitable place where we can stay and eat.

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