word, perhaps, spoken by a stranger in passing—had worked away in him, sending its black roots deep, growing unseen until it burst forth like a noxious flower in full bloom. One moment, he had been standing before the butcher’s stall, haggling over the price of a rind of bacon, and the next his bandy legs were scuttling him back to his oratory to pray forgiveness for the thoroughly immoral idea that had so forcefully awakened in his ever-scheming brain.
“Oh my soul,” he sighed, shaking his head at the mystery of it. “The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?”
Although he had spent the night on his knees, begging both forgiveness and direction, as dawn came up bright in the east, that heavenly guidance was no more in evidence than the pope’s pardon. “If you have qualms, Lord,” he sighed, “stop me now. Otherwise, I go.”
Since nothing materialised to prevent him, he rose, washed his face and hands, strapped on his sandals, and hastened to consummate his scheme. It was not—and he was fiercely adamant about this part—for his own enrichment, nor did he desire any gain but justice. This was the heart of the matter.
Justice. For, as his old abbot had often said, “When iniquity sits in the judgement seat, good men must take their appeals to a higher court.”
Aethelfrith did not know how that appeal to justice might come about, but trusted that his information would give Bran all the inspiration he required to at least set the wheels in motion.
The shadows lengthened over the valley, and the road was not shrinking; with grudging reluctance, Aethelfrith stepped from the water, dried his feet on the hem of his robe, and continued on his way. The merchants’ van was well ahead of him now, but he dismissed the rude company from his thoughts. His destination was almost within sight. The Vale of Elfael stretched before him, its green fields spotted with slow-shifting cloud shadows. He doubted a more peaceful and serene dale could be found anywhere.
Buoyed by the beauty of the place, Brother Aethelfrith opened his mouth wide and began to sing aloud, letting his voice resound and echo out across the valley as he made his way down the long slope that would eventually bring him to Llanelli.
He was sweating again, long before reaching the valley floor.
In the near distance he saw the old fortress, Caer Cadarn, rising on its hump of rock overlooking the road. “May your walls keep you safe as Jericho,” Aethelfrith muttered, then crossed himself and hurried by.
The sun was touching the far western hills when he reached Llanelli—or what was left of it. The low wall of the enclosure had been taken down and most of the interior buildings either destroyed or converted to other uses. The yard had been enlarged to make a market square, and new structures—unfinished, their bare timbers rising from the builders’ rubble— stood at each corner. All that remained of the original monastery was a single row of monks’ cells and the chapel, which was only slightly larger than his own oratory. There seemed to be no one around, so he strode to the door of the chapel and walked in.
Two priests knelt before the altar, on which burned a single thick tallow candle that sent a black, oily thread of smoke into the close air. He stood in the doorway for a moment, then cleared his throat to announce his presence and said, “Forgive me, friends. I see I am interrupting your prayers.”
The nearer of the two priests looked around and then nudged the other, who quickly finished his prayer, crossed himself, and rose to greet the newcomer. “God be good to you, brother,” said the priest, taking in his visitor’s robe and tonsure. “I am Bishop Asaph. How can I be of service?”
“Greetings in Christ and all his glorious saints!” declared the mendicant. “Brother Aethelfrith, I am, come on an errand of some . . . ah”—he hesitated, not wishing to say too much about his illicit chore—“delicacy and importance.”
“Peace and welcome, brother,” the bishop said. “As you can see, we have little left to call our own, but we will help you in any way we can.”
“It is easily done and will cost you nothing,” the friar assured him. “I am looking for Bran ap Brychan—I have a message for him. I was hoping someone here could tell me where to find him.”