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in the Faith returned to follow their own philosophies. Finally, after many years, the Emperor Theodosius and his wife, Flacilla, came to power supporting the Nicene Creed. They exiled all Arian bishops and published an edict that every subject of the Roman Empire should profess and swear allegiance to the Nicene Creed of the bishops of Rome and Alexandria or be handed over for punishment for not doing so.’
    Fidelma was shocked. ‘It sounds more like the Faith developed as a matter of political power than an appeal to the spirituality, morals and logic of the people.’
    Magister Ado sniffed in disapproval. ‘Sometimes people have to be shown the way.’
    ‘But not by force, surely?’
    ‘Oh, come.’ Magister Ado smiled broadly. ‘You are a lawyer in your own land. What is law but telling people how they should behave? And if they do not, aren’t they punished? Isn’t that forcing them to proceed on a moral path in their lives? You cannot appeal to spirituality and morals with those who are greedy and will let nothing stand in their way.’
    Fidelma acknowledged that the scholar had a point – although she would argue it was a point that was not without its own moral concerns. However, she decided that it was wise not to pursue the matter further. After all, the man had been attacked twice – apparently because of his adherence to his beliefs. He had a right to them. It was best to avoid being embroiled in theological argument. She was, after all, a stranger in a strange land. Her main desire was simply to see her former mentor, Brother Ruadán, and to bring comfort to the old man in his illness.
    Privately, she felt that she could understand why Arius argued that if there was one God Who was everlasting, and Christ was His only begotten son, then Christ, being begotten, must have been created by God. And didn’t the Gospel of John quote Christ as saying that His Father was ‘greater than I’? She was confused. Her own culture had always viewed the ancient gods and goddesses as being triune deities, each having three personalities and three outward appearances. So the Nicene Creed sat more comfortably in her people’s theology than monotheism. She wondered if she could find a copy of Arius’ book, the Thalia , to understand its philosophy more. She rode on, silently musing on the subject.
    Their journey proceeded without further incident for a while; through the beautiful valley, following the track alongside the river. Now and then they would stop to water the horses and the mule or take a drink themselves from the pure river waters, or taste some fruit recommended by Sister Gisa from the bushes or trees. Sister Gisa would check occasionally on Brother Faro’s wound. Albeit only a flesh wound, Fidelma knew that harm inflicted by an arrow could be dangerous. Fortunately, the young girl seemed to know how to handle injuries.
    It turned out that the two warriors accompanying them were not particularly talkative as they spoke only in the harsh accents of the Longobards and knew very little Latin. But the feeling of danger seemed to have evaporated in the bright warm sunshine, amid the comforting sounds of the splashing of the river and the soft bird calls emanating from the lush green surroundings. It was, Fidelma thought, idyllic as they walked their horses along the river bank.
    Just after noon Magister Ado called a halt. The two warriors set about catching some fish, which they were soon lifting with dexterous ease from the river. Sister Gisa went to gather some berries and fruits. A fire was lit over which the fish were cooked and they gathered around to eat and drink on the river bank. It seemed, as Fidelma rested in the sunshine, that they were a million miles from any other human being, least of all from any danger. She felt as if she could just drift – drift off into a relaxing sleep …
    The barking of a dog suddenly caused her to sit upright. A squarely built, wiry-coated animal burst through the