Death of an Adept

"An interesting proposition," she said thoughtfully. "On the surface, at least, this does appear to be a classic Druid divination ritual of the old school. All the elements are there, as Peregrine's drawings clearly show. The bull was crowned with mistletoe and then sacrificed by having its throat cut, after which the auguries would have been read from its death struggles and the flow of blood and examination of the entrails. The Romans called the practice 'haruspicy,' from the Etruscan ha-ruspex, which was the name given to priests who performed this kind of divination; and in earlier times, the sacrificial victim would have been a man.

"Fortunately, our unknown perpetrators proceeded along less drastic and probably more efficient lines. The bull was flayed and a designated subject bound up in the animal's hide, probably with ligatures tied at wrists and ankles and upper arms, as Noel has suggested, to restrict blood flow and facilitate an altered state of consciousness. From what you say Harry reported, it appears that the subject was also given some hallucinogenic substance - probably something containing mistletoe, if they continued to follow traditional procedures. The man supervising all of this would appear to be wearing the accoutrements of an arch-Druid."

She singled out a detailed study of a hale, elderly man with luxuriant moustaches, a winged headdress in the form of a speckled bird, set above a high, domed forehead, and craggy features fixed in an expression of austere exultation. Peregrine's skill had endowed the portrait with the clarity of a photograph.

"That's the chap Harry called Taliere - if that's his real name," McLeod said. "His looks are distinctive enough. If he's got a police record, we shouldn't have much trouble coming up with a match."

Peregrine picked up a wider-angled drawing showing several white-robed and hooded figures crouched around a circle traced on the ground. The elderly Druid had his arms upraised in a posture of invocation above an anonymous form lying swaddled in bull hide on the ground at his feet, within the circle. The figure's head was turned away from the artist's point of view, but even if it hadn't been, that area of the sketch had the appearance of being somehow unfinished.

"Let's get back to the man in the bull skin," Peregrine said, tapping his finger on the figure. "He was Harry's contact, apparently through this piece of bull skin." He indicated the scrap of dried hide in the handkerchief. "If it is part of a ligature such as you've both described - and Harry's talent is triggered by physical contact - I suppose it's no wonder he got such a psychic jolt when he touched it.

"Unfortunately, this one sketch is the only view I was able to get of this man," Peregrine went on. "And even this one didn't show me his face. I kept trying, but something seemed to be obscuring it - almost like a veil being lowered between me and what I was trying to see."

"Probably some shadowy emanation of whatever was speaking through him," Julian observed. "And from Harry's impression, it would appear that the possession was rather more forceful than the subject was expecting."

"Aye, 'terrified' was the word Harry used to describe the feeling," McLeod said.

"There was probably good reason," Julian replied. "I would venture to guess, from the reaction, that the contact may not even have been human - or at least no longer human."

Peregrine shivered, and McLeod pulled a scowl.

"But there are several other points about what we've pieced together that give me cause for concern," Julian went on, moving several of Peregrine's drawings side by side, depicting successive stages in the ritual. "First is the use of a black bull instead of a white one. As Noel rightly noted, this may simply reflect the unavailability of a white bull; but it could also indicate an intention to connect with the darker aspects of one of the old gods."

"That symbolism seems a little obvious to me," McLeod muttered. "These people clearly had a pretty good idea what they were doing, and why they were doing it. I keep wondering why they took themselves off without making any effort to tidy up after themselves. It's almost as if they were inviting an inquiry."

"Why would they want to do that?" Peregrine asked.

"Maybe for the chance to make a statement of some kind," McLeod replied. "If some sort of cult is behind this, they may be out to glorify themselves in the eyes of the world - rather like some terrorist organizations who revel in media coverage because it highlights the importance of their activities. The phenomenon is well known in criminal psychology. Maybe this bunch is drumming up publicity in preparation for promoting their own particular political agenda. Modern Druidism has given rise to its share of schisms and fringe organizations, both here and in America."