‘One more question, since you come from Canterbury. Did you ever meet the Venerable Victricius of Palestrina there?’
Brother Bosa’s reaction was immediate. ‘The Venerable Victricius?’ he gasped.
‘So you do know him?’
Brother Bosa was staring at him with suspicion moulding his features. ‘Is he here?’ he demanded slowly, adding: ‘He was the elderly man mentioned by Bishop Arwald.’
Eadulf decided to stick to the truth. ‘We had a report that such a man was attacked and killed on the river just south of here.’
‘Who attacked him?’ demanded the scribe in a fierce tone.
‘Bandits,’ replied Eadulf.
‘Bandits?’ There was dismay in his expression. ‘He was robbed? Were his belongings taken?’
‘The bandits took what they did not destroy,’ Eadulf said, being frugal with the truth. ‘You knew him then? We understood he was a senior cleric from Canterbury.’
Eadulf was not prepared for the man’s next response. Brother Bosa began to chuckle and then quickly regained his composure. ‘I knew of a man named Victricius in Canterbury, but he was neither a senior cleric nor anyone who would be entitled to such a prefix to his name. I am not even sure he was entitled to the name Victricius either.’
Eadulf tried to suppress the uneasiness that was welling in him. ‘Who was he then, this Venerable Victricius?’ he asked quietly.
‘I suppose he could pass as a “venerable”,’ sneered Brother Bosa. ‘He was old enough. When I saw him in Canterbury, he was tied to a whipping post and being flogged.’
‘What had he done?’ Eadulf closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Gormán’s description of the healed lacerations on the back of the corpse.
‘When I saw him he also wore a tonsure — the tonsure of Rome. He was passing himself off as a religious. I doubt that he was one. He was certainly a thief. He had stolen gold and silver plate from the new Abbey of Menstre — and was lucky not to be hanged. He was saved because he managed to convince the Princess that he was a Roman.’
‘Menstre? Princess?’ Eadulf was unable to hide his ignorance.
‘Last year, the Princess Domneva, of the Royal House of Kent, became abbess of a foundation that she set up near Ypwines fleot, which is now called Menstre, the monastery. She caught this thief and sent him to Egbert at Canterbury for punishment. He was a thief, not a “venerable” of the Church. Are you sure that he and his party are dead? Are you quite certain that his belongings were stolen?’
The eagerness in the scribe’s voice put Eadulf on the alert.
‘I am told that a band of outlaws attacked the boat he had hired to bring him upriver. His boatmen were killed and his belongings were taken or destroyed.’ Eadulf made no reference to Egric.
Returning to his chambers, Eadulf had barely finished relating the conversation to Fidelma when there was a tap on their door and one of the King’s young attendants stood framed quivering in the portal.
‘The King requests your immediate attendance in his council chamber,’ the young boy intoned breathlessly to Fidelma.
‘My attendance?’ asked Fidelma.
‘Both of you, lady, if it please you,’ the boy stammered, before turning and hurrying off.
Fidelma and Eadulf exchanged a glance.
‘Now what?’ Eadulf wondered.
When they reached Colgú’s council chamber, they found not only the King but Abbot Ségdae with Brother Madagan. Gormán was on guard outside the doors and showed them in.
Colgú glanced up with relief as they entered. ‘I have need of both your talents,’ he greeted them shortly.
‘What has suddenly caused this?’ Fidelma asked, taking the seat her brother had indicated.
‘It seems our friend Eadulf has spoken to Brother Bosa and prompted a response from the Venerable Verax.’
‘I have?’ Eadulf was startled.
‘As I understand it, you were trying to find out some information from Brother Bosa.’ Colgú raised his hand as Eadulf was about to justify himself. ‘Brother Bosa must have passed this on to his masters. So I think your questions have produced a result.’
Fidelma bent close to Eadulf: ‘I suspect it was your news about Victricius,’ she whispered.
‘The Venerable Verax has sent a message to me saying he now appreciates our concerns at wanting to know the purpose of this visit,’ Colgú said. ‘He is prepared to explain things.’
‘He is prepared?’ Abbot Ségdae echoed disdainfully.
‘He has offered to go through it before the meal begins, for a welcome feast would not be the correct place to discuss such matters. He has said that he personally will explain it to me and my bishop, meaning Ségdae here and his steward. I have said that I cannot accept this unless my legal adviser and my adviser on the Saxon matters are also in attendance. That is you, Fidelma, and Eadulf.’
‘He agreed?’ asked Fidelma with surprise.
‘He agreed,’ confirmed her brother.
‘Then by all means, let us hear what the Venerable Verax has to say,’ Fidelma urged. ‘Then we can alleviate some of the tension for tonight.’
Gormán was sent to inform the Venerable Verax that they were ready. The warrior left and returned in hardly any time, escorting the austere figure of the Venerable Verax of Segni. The prelate’s glance encompassed the assembly before coming to rest on the face of the King.
‘You may be seated, Venerable Verax.’ Colgu motioned to a chair. ‘You have come to volunteer the reasons why your party has come here to Cashel?’
‘I have, and you will pardon our initial reticence as we are strangers in a strange land and were much perturbed by the killing of our emissary, Brother Cerdic, while under your protection in this palace.’
Colgú shifted uncomfortably. ‘I have assured you that this death is being investigated and when the culprit is found, they will be subject to our laws and punishment.’
‘I now understand this.’
‘So, what is the purpose of your coming here?’
The Venerable Verax considered for a moment. ‘Let me tell you in my own way.’
‘Then let us all be seated,’ the King invited with a gesture of his hand.
After everyone was seated, the Venerable Verax leaned back and cleared his throat for a moment. ‘There have, as you know, been many problems in Christendom. One of these problems concerns the spreading of the true word of the Faith to the far reaches of the earth. Certain people believe that they alone have the true interpretation of that word.’
Abbot Sédgae spoke up at this point to say: ‘So far as we know, Rome has held many councils at which new interpretations of the Faith and new teachings have been offered. We here, in the west, maintain the Faith as it was originally brought to us.’
The Venerable Verax was equal to this. ‘The Faith was first brought to you by whom? I can name a dozen different interpretations that were being taught — Donatism, Pelagianism, Iconoclasm, Priscillianism, Arianism. . Oh, the list is endless. It is Rome’s ambition that all these different interpretations may one day be united.’
‘Under Rome,’ muttered Abbot Ségdae, quietly but audibly, ‘And how will Rome succeed in this? There are many who claim to be of the Faith, who believe in the teachings of Jesus. Yet some say he was just a man who adopted the title “Son of God”, meaning that we are all the children of God.’
‘That teaching was condemned by the Council of Antioch many years ago,’ stated the Venerable Verax.
‘Then there are many who say that they believe Jesus was a man — but that his soul was divine.’
‘And that was condemned by the Council at Constantinople.’