Valley of Dry Bones (16 page)

Two youths began to beat drums with an ominous cadence, then stopped. From the shadows, a harpist began to play as he led another king, Darius, to the king’s chair. The choir began to sing the new king’s praises, and when the monk playing Darius reached the chair, the two young men with drums chased Belshazzar into a side chapel. Hidden from view, Brother John loudly announced that he had been killed.

Avelina whispered, “And so all wives must learn to turn their lords from evil before it is too late.”

As Eleanor bent to reply, the lady now clapped her hands together with delight. “Oh, how beautifully Daniel sings! Methinks he has the finest voice of all.”

The prioress nodded and looked down at the man, now standing before the king. This was the one who had come here for healing and then stayed to offer his skills as repayment for the miracle of renewed health. Brother John had heard him singing in the fields as he tilled the earth with the lay brothers. Although the man had not taken vows, the novice master chose him as the perfect Daniel, liege man of God, because he could reach notes of unusual purity. If only Brother Thomas returned before
Daniel
was performed again. She knew how much joy he would receive from this man’s voice.

“He must sing well for he is God’s voice on earth,” Eleanor quickly replied.

Once he was raised to high position, all knew that envy would bring Daniel and his grateful king down. The mood darkened as two monks, acting as the evil counselors, sang in high-pitched, nasal tones, of their plot to dupe the king and send Daniel to the lions.

Avelina slid back into her chair and groaned.

For just a moment, Eleanor feared the lady had become ill. She looked back at Sister Anne, but the nun shook her head. When the prioress leaned closer to Avelina, she realized the woman was so engrossed by the tale that she believed what she was watching was true. The sound of pain was nothing more. The performance was a success.

Only when Darius was fooled into signing a law that could be used against his beloved counselor, did Avelina frown and gesture for Eleanor to lend an ear. “I fear the queen might find that troubling,” she said to the prioress. “Does it not suggest that an anointed king can err when he creates laws?”

“All mortals do err, but God knows the difference between honest mistakes and evil hearts,” Eleanor whispered back. “This king is well-intentioned, and so God saves both Darius and Daniel as you will see. I doubt the queen would find offence in that.”

And it was then that the lions roared from the left chapel.

Avelina muffled a scream.

Eleanor touched her gently on the arm. “We have no such beasts here, and Brother John did warn me that the boys especially love this part. They roar like lions with all their might.”

Avelina gave her a very grateful smile.

The prioress hoped Brother John had offered the same reassurance to those below, although she had heard more than one man’s voice express horror at the sound. With a brief prick of hope, she wondered if one of those voices belonged to Father Eliduc. Then she caught herself asking if the man even owned a mortal heart. She prayed she be forgiven that unkind thought, even though she also knew she had meant it.

“As you will hear,” Eleanor whispered, “the lions turn quite meek when the door is slammed shut on Daniel in their den. Do be prepared for the time they next do roar. When they are given the wicked counselors, the boys have their finest moment as lions.”

Daniel was led to a side chapel. A monk appeared behind him, in the white robe of God’s angel, and raised his sword when the door was closed. The lions produced a fine imitation of loudly mewing kittens.

In the nave, Ralf and the man with the poultice applauded.

The moment Daniel was released and the malicious counselors were finally taken to the den, Avelina and Eleanor braced for the roar of delight from the eager lions.

When one of them screamed, however, Eleanor knew something had gone horribly wrong.

Chapter Thirty

The body of Kenard lay curled in a patch of shade outside the chapel door. An eager complement of flies circled and buzzed over the vomit, urine, and feces pooled around his corpse. As if taunting the dead man, an empty wineskin rested only a finger’s breadth beyond the reach of his outstretched hand.

Eleanor ordered two lay brothers to move the horrified onlookers back. “Do not come near. No one may touch him except on my command.”

Although the stench should have been enough to drive anyone away, the small crowd retreated with a collective sigh as if grateful she had thought to demand it.

Even Eliduc edged backward until checked by the stones of the chapel wall, his face revealing no less shock than other bystanders.

Ralf stood beside the prioress, his expression a mix of hope and anger as he stared at the priest.

The prioress searched the faces of those surrounding her. “Brother John?”

“I am here, my lady.” The choir master was close to the chapel door, kneeling next to a chalk-faced novice. Keeping a hand on the boy’s shoulder, he rose.

This lad must have discovered the corpse, she thought, and grieved that he had. Since her own mother died when Eleanor was six, she knew how soon children became acquainted with death and wished the knowledge came later. “Will you examine the body, Crowner? Although I would ask Brother John to help you, I think that boy needs the care of his novice master.”

Nodding, Ralf bent closer to her ear. “I may have many reasons to respect your monk, my lady, but Sister Anne was the better apothecary when they had their shop as husband and wife in the world. Might you call on her to examine…?”

Eleanor whispered, “I had left her with Lady Avelina in the nun’s gallery. The moment I recognized this man as the lady’s servant, I sent for them both. If you will begin the inspection of the corpse, Sister Anne will be here shortly. Meanwhile, I must talk to the boy who discovered the dead man.”

“Then I should be with you.” Ralf glanced at the child clutching a hand bell to his chest as if it were a talisman that would banish the horror of what he had seen. “The lad is terrified,” he said and shook his head with sadness.

“He must recover from the cruel shock of such a discovery. I will question him gently and report to you what he says. If further information is needed, might you speak with him later?”

Readily agreeing, the crowner walked away.

Eleanor signaled to Brother John that he should take the boy into the chapel. For a moment she watched as Ralf knelt by the corpse. Then she bowed her head and followed the novice master.

Inside, the dusty air was heavy with heat and pungent with the stink of fear.

The boy trembled as if a north wind had cut him with an icy lash. The novice master hugged him close. “Tell Prioress Eleanor what you saw, and that shall be the end of it,” he said.

At least the boy was young enough to shiver without the added pain of a man’s embarrassment, she thought, and prayed he would not suffer tormenting dreams. Glancing at the novice master, she saw he shared her fear and knew he would be kind.

“We were waiting for Brother John to give us the sign to roar, my lady. I was at the back, near the open door to the grounds, and heard a retching noise, then gurgling.” The lad’s voice cracked with remembered fright. “There was a dreadful reek.” He began to weep.

“He went to look, my lady,” Brother John said, “and saw the man’s body jerking as he died.” Caressing the lad’s head, he smiled down at him with evident pride. “Had he not shouted so loud to alert us, we might not have known about this.”

“Well done, lad!” Eleanor raised an eyebrow, suggesting many unspoken questions.

“If I may?” The monk looked down at the novice, then tilted his head toward the nave.

“Of course,” she replied.

Brother John led the child away.

When the monk returned, he was alone. “He just vomited. I sent him to the dormitory with a lay brother.” He glanced back with evident concern.

“Although there are answers to seek, I shall not keep you long, Brother. The boy needs you by his side for comfort and prayer.”

“What do you want to know, my lady? He told me little else.”

“I am interested in details other than the death the boy witnessed. Do you know why Kenard was here, rather than with the others in the nave?”

“As I was going over a few of the parts with the choir before the performance, he approached me and asked a kindness. He begged permission to listen to our singing and to watch from the chapel. I saw no good reason to deny him, especially when he added that he was interested in the way some of the effects were created. He swore not to distract the boys, and, since he claimed to be the servant to the Lady Avelina, I agreed.”

Eleanor gasped. “He
spoke
?”

“Aye.”

“Clearly?”

“Plainly enough.” The monk’s brow furrowed with confusion.

“Then you have witnessed a miracle, Brother. That servant was mute.”

Crossing himself, the monk looked thoughtful. “Most certainly he did speak, although his voice was hoarse.” He hesitated. “I wonder that God would grant him the mercy of this cure only to let him die so soon after.”

With relief she realized the novice master had not grasped that the death was possibly a murder. “We do not always know God’s intentions,” she said and quickly returned to her questions before he grew curious about matters she was not ready to discuss. “After you agreed to the man’s plea, what did he do during the performance? You may have been in the nave for a brief time, acting the part of a wicked king. For the most part, you were in the chapel. I ask to better comprehend the cause of his death.”

“There was nothing in his manner that suggested ill-health. His demeanor was most solemn. I assumed that was out of reverence for the story he was about to see enacted.”

“Where did he stand? Did he speak to the choir?”

Shaking his head, John grew pensive. “He stood near the door, saying he did not want to be in our way. After the
Play of Daniel
began, I believe he spoke to no one.”

“Only you, the men who sang the individual parts, and the novice choir were here?”

“That was all, and those are well-known to me.”

Although the novice master’s expression revealed that he now understood this death to be unnatural, Eleanor was grateful he had checked his curiosity. “No others, secular or religious, joined you in the chapel even briefly?”

“No one, and yet… This detail may mean nothing.” John chewed on a finger. “He carried a wineskin with him. Now that I think more on it, one lad did ask him for a drink to moisten his throat before singing. The man refused, offering some jest in reply. I thought little of it all, but, when I took up my scepter to follow the choir into the church, he drained the contents like a man with a punishing thirst. I did fear he would become drunk. When I returned, he was sitting quietly by the door and hunched over as if praying. I forgot my concern and he said nothing more. We were too busy with our roles to pay him further heed.”

Eleanor felt overwhelmed with surprises. Kenard had suddenly recovered his voice, if he had ever truly lost it. He had come to the chapel, wineskin in hand, like a Roman eager to be entertained by some pagan play. And he was far more interested in the details of the performance than most servants would be.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and hoped that the pain throbbing over her left eye did not herald one of her blinding headaches.

Although the servant had given a reason for wanting to watch from the chapel, and she agreed there had been no cause to deny him, she doubted he wanted to learn how boys roared to depict lions. There had to be another explanation for not joining the men in the nave. Was he a man who found tender boys sexually appealing? And why refuse to give a sip of wine to a young novice on a hot day? All but the most cruel or selfish would have granted the request gladly. How little she knew of this man. She was frustrated by too much ignorance.

“My lady?”

Feeling as if she had just been awakened from a deep sleep, she blinked and focused on Brother John’s face.

His cheeks were pale with worry. “The boy…”

“Go to him, Brother. I have kept you too long, and he needs your gentle comfort. Should I have more questions, I will summon you.”

When the monk ran off to tend his novice, Eleanor gritted her teeth, spun around, and went outside to see the corpse.

***

As the prioress emerged from the chapel, she saw Sister Anne bending over the body.

Touching first the neck and face of the corpse, the nun then knelt and sniffed at Kenard’s hands and mouth. Next, she studied his wide-open eyes. “Is there anything left in that?” She pointed to the wineskin on the ground.

Ralf reached down for the object and shook it near his ear. “Little enough. Do you want the thing?”

The sub-infirmarian stood up, stretched as if her back ached, and nodded.

Out of the corner of her eye, Eleanor saw Father Eliduc standing close to Avelina. Had the prioress not seen this woman before, she might have concluded she was more aged than she was. Bent and trembling, Avelina clenched her hands. She reminded Eleanor of a prisoner, facing the gallows, who was belatedly begging God for forgiveness.

When the priest saw Eleanor, he whispered something to the lady and rushed to the prioress’ side. “This is outrageous,” he hissed. “While you were absent, that nun has been circling the corpse like a common whore seeking custom. When I protested, she claimed you had given permission! Had a bishop witnessed this, he would have been shocked and ordered severe penance.”

“Forgive us, Father, but surely you would agree the circumstances are most unusual. We are not used to men dropping dead outside our chapels. Being but simple women, I fear the shock of this event has unsettled us, and we may have reacted in unseemly ways. Sister Anne is our sub-infirmarian and a trained apothecary, however, and I believe her guilty of nothing more than an ill-considered violation of modesty. I know the depth of her devotion to God and promise to counsel her.” Eleanor hoped that calmed the man. She most certainly did not want to reveal how often she let Sister Anne assist the crowner in matters of murder.

His face flushing slightly, he stepped back. “In the turmoil of the moment, I did forget the reputation of your talented sub-infirmarian.”

“I take responsibility for the failure to summon another to provide proper attendance in my absence. I was also alone here when we first discovered the body, a fault for which I shall demand a hard penance. You were both kind and wise to remind us that we must practice modesty and remember the spirit of our vows, even when we are forced to deal with worldly matters.” She bowed her head, sensing the man was backing down from further outrage.

Eliduc cleared his throat. “Surely the corpse can be removed from these rude stares.” He gestured at the small number remaining after the choir had been ordered back to their quarters. “The man was in the service of the Lady Avelina and owned a soul that belongs to God.”

She gestured to Crowner Ralf and said in a loud voice “Have you further need to examine the corpse here? We would take the body to the chapel.” Then she tilted her head at the priest.

Quickly, he glanced at Sister Anne who nodded consent. “I am done for the moment,” he replied. “I do beg permission to consult later on the nature of this death. Perhaps with Brother John?” A grin teased the corner of his lips.

Father Eliduc walked back to the Lady Avelina.

“We must speak in private, my lady.” Ralf watched the priest and kept his voice low.

Eleanor discreetly nodded agreement.

“Although I understand the need to move the body, I beg that it be placed where it can be guarded.”

“We shall provide that protection,” she murmured. “Brother Beorn will arrange to have it taken to the hospital chapel and assign responsible lay brothers to watch over it.” Then the prioress added, raising her voice so it would be overheard by anyone standing nearby, “Brother John once owned an apothecary shop in Norwich. Although Sister Anne is also a talented healer, she is a woman. We shall honor your suggestion that he examine the body later this evening when he is finished with his duties as novice master.”

“I am grateful,” Ralf replied. “I have some other matters to attend to now…”

A commotion at the edge of the tiny circle of onlookers interrupted further discussion.

A woman pushed forward.

“Lady Avelina,” Eliduc shouted, rushing to prevent her from moving closer to the corpse. “Return to your chambers, I beg of you! This is no place for you to…”

Ignoring him, she halted at side of the body, stared down at her dead servant, and began to moan.

Eleanor approached and laid a gentle hand on the woman’s arm. “It is truly Kenard,” she whispered. “I promise we shall find out how this happened. If there is any question of a violent death, the guilty will be brought to justice.”

Continuing to stare at the body, Avelina nodded. When she finally wrenched her gaze away and looked at the prioress, her eyes were awash in tears, her face ashen.

“I will ask a lay sister to take you back to your chambers.” Eleanor looked up to see that Sister Anne was already by her side. “And our sub-infirmarian will attend you as well. You must rest. She will make sure you are comfortable and have anything you need.”

Avelina shuddered; her eyes rolled back; her knees buckled, and she slid to the ground in a faint.