Constable Porto Underhill had not seen or heard of anyone fitting Calamint’s description sneaking about in Combe recently, but he took the threat seriously and quickly summoned every watchman who had been on guard duty since Paladin Took and his family traveled through the village. Nobody had seen any strangers in Combe lately. It didn’t necessarily mean much, Delioron realized. Unlike Archet, Combe wasn’t surrounded by a palisade, so it was possible for anyone to sneak in and out of town, undetected by the watchers.
Outside again on the town square, Calamint and Delioron stood together breathing in the cold, still air. ”I think we have to go warn Paladin Took now”, Calamint said. ”It’s not safe for him to return to Bree under the circumstances. He has to stay with Willie Banks in Archet until this situation has been dealt with. I’ll have Thistlewood assign some of his men to guard the house, day and night.”
That was not what Delioron wanted to happen. What he wanted was to alert the Dúnedain. From Delioron’s perspective it would have been better to let the kidnapping scheme unfold as planned and the Rangers of the North to either save the hobbits or fail trying. If the hobbits remained guarded in Archet, the ruffians might call the plan off and he wouldn’t find the answers he was looking for. But there was no way of convincing Calamint to see it from his perspective – not if it meant putting the hobbits in harm’s way.
”Perhaps”, he said.
”No buts”, Calamint insisted. ”We will both return to Archet immediately to warn the Tooks of the danger they are in.”
It was still early afternoon when Delioron and Calamint arrived at Willie Banks’ house in Archet. A young, golden-haired boy with sharp, inquisitive eyes came to open the door for them. Pippin stared curiously at Delioron for a moment before nodding to them both in a way that seemed a little too grown-up for him.
”I am Pip… Peregrin Took”, the boy said, extending his hand for them. ”You came to see my father, I presume? He’s occupied at the moment.”
Calamint nodded and smiled, a little uneasy. He was never sure how to behave around small children. Calamint and his wife had not been blessed with any of their own.
”I’m sorry”, he said and nodded towards Delioron. ”This is Mr. Delioron. He’s… a Ranger.”
”A Ranger of the North?” Pippin repeated, eyes wide with wonder.
”Yes”, Delioron said. He was surprised by Calamint’s introduction; they had not discussed it on the way. However it was appropriate – in his robes and cloaks he even looked a little like a Ranger, at least to people who had never had close dealings with the Dúnedain before. ”I have some information that might interest your father. It’s about the attack in Staddle.”
Pippin seemed a little overwhelmed about that. He led them into a small living room. A sound of loud snoring came from another room in the back. Delioron found a chair and sat down.
”But he was killed, wasn’t he?” Pippin asked. ”The man who attacked my father?”
”Yes”, said Delioron.
Pippin stood and waited for more information. Annoyance clouded his eyes when the two men said nothing. He realized they must think him just a child.
”I’m afraid my father might be a while”, he said. ”He went to the market with mother, Pimpernel and Pervinca. And Willie is sleeping. You could try to wake him up, but Willie is quite a heavy sleeper. A collapsing roof wouldn’t disturb his afternoon nap. Would you care for anything, gentlemen? Some tea, perhaps?”
The two men shook their heads.
”Who was it then?” Pippin tried again. ”The man who attacked my father?”
”A thug and a ruffian”, Delioron said.
”Who is now dead”, Pippin concluded.
”Yes”, said Delioron. ”But he had friends. It’s not over. That’s why we have to talk to your father.”
”Delioron”, Calamint warned in a sharp voice. He wasn’t sure this conversation was suitable for the delicate ears of small children. The door opened in that moment and the rest of the Took family entered the house. The two daughters rushed into the living room giggling and prattling enthusiastically until they saw the two men sitting.
”Mother! Father! We have guests!” shouted the eldest of the daughters.
Paladin Took appeared at the door and frowned at his guests. ”Good afternoon”, he said, staring at Delioron.
”This is Mr. Delioron”, Pippin announced. ”He’s a Ranger of the North! Isn’t that exciting?”
”I see”, Paladin said. He glanced at his family and then looked back at his guests. ”Right. Let’s go for a little walk outside, shall we?”
Delioron and Calamint followed the elderly hobbit outside. The trio walked around the village in silence for a while as Paladin and Calamint loaded their pipes with pipe-weed. Yet another strange habit of the northern folk – inhaling smoke of a burning plant into one’s lungs through a long pipe. It did not look, smell or sound very healthy, and there was no doubt in Delioron’s mind that anyone who indulged in this smelly habit would not live very old.
”Have you found out the plot against the attack in Staddle then?” Paladin finally broke the silence.
”Two days before Staddle”, Delioron said, ”an elderly Ranger who had been living his last years mostly retired in Bree sent a warning to the north that there was a plot to kidnap Paladin Took and his family while they were touring in Bree-land.”
Calamint glared at Delioron. The Gondorian spy had not mentioned any of those things to him this morning. ’An elderly Ranger, living in Bree’. That could only mean old Hodhion. Calamint had not seen old Hodhion in a while, but that was not unusual for the mysterious old man. Hodhion may have been ’mostly’ retired, but sometimes he would still ride out of Bree into north and stay there for weeks, doing whatever it was these Rangers did out there. Calamint detected a glimmer of truth in the fabric of lies Delioron was so apt at weaving. The information about the kidnappers must have come from Hodhion.
”Our kinsman was murdered”, Delioron continued. ”Later there was the attack in Staddle. At first I thought that was the kidnapping plan our kinsman warned us about…”
”But you didn’t warn me.” Paladin peered at Delioron with his sharp, intelligent eyes.
”No”, Delioron admitted. ”I did not think the attempt would come about so quickly. Not in Staddle of all places.”
”But you were wrong”, Paladin remarked with a wry smile.
”I was not wrong”, Delioron said. ”Certain things have come into light that suggest the threat to you and your family still exists. There are people out there who want to take you as hostages.”
”What for, Mr. Delioron?”
”For ransom. It is my understanding that you are a very important man in the Shire, Mr. Took. And that your family is wealthy. I have some names but I still don’t know where and when they are going to act.”
”So why the botched attempt in Staddle then?” Paladin wanted to know. ”There was just one man, and when he attacked me I was nowhere near my family. And the thug was asking me about my gold, where I kept my gold, before he tried to strangle me. If the would-be kidnappers are equally dim-witted, I’m not sure if I need to feel too worried.”
”It is possible that the man who attacked you was just someone who had heard of the kidnapping plan and thought it was because you were carrying a lot of gold. Whatever it was about, it does not seem likely that the incident had been planned to happen. Somebody was acting out of bounds, and it could have spoiled the actual plan. Such things happen.”
”I see”, Paladin said. The hobbit didn’t sound convinced.
”It is certain they haven’t given up on their plan”, Calamint interjected. ”I spotted one of them at the Mad Badger Inn a couple of days ago.”
”And arrested him, I suppose?” Paladin said.
”Well, not exactly.”
”Oh really? And why in the world not, if you think he was out to get me?” Paladin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Calamint was wringing his hands. ”Well, sir, I didn’t know that exactly. Not until later. But he sure looked suspicious.” Calamint realized he was sounding foolish.
”Aah”, Paladin said. ”He looked suspicious.”
”And Mr. Delioron had heard about him too”, Calamint blustered. ”In Bree. He’s definitely connected with the kidnapping plan.”
”And which of the kidnapping plans you seem to believe in is this suspicious-looking person connected to?”
”I am not going to argue with you about it”, Delioron said. ”One of our own – a Ranger – is dead. This is not a game, Mr. Took.”
”So let’s assume for a moment that you are right”, Paladin said. ”What am I to do?”
”You must stay here, at Willie Banks’ house, where we can protect you!” Calamint said. ”I’ll have Thistlewood put a guard on the house, day and night. And all strangers will be barred from entering the town until this matter is resolved!”
”I see”, Paladin said, almost gently. ”So tell me then, exactly when the matter is resolved? When can I and my family return back home in the Shire?”
Calamint shook his head. ”I can’t say that. If you stay in Archet, you and your family will stay protected here forever if need be. They can’t even get in town, let alone close to Willie Banks’ house.”
Paladin raised an eyebrow at Calamint. ”Oh really? So are you planning to stay here in Archet to protect me forever? Am I to tell poor Willie that he’s to house me and my family for indeterminate time – possibly forever – because somebody attacked me in Staddle and some other suspicious-looking character has been seen sneaking about in Archet?
”Come now”, Paladin continued, ”even if you are right and we are in danger, how can you catch the crooks by keeping me under lock and key – like a prisoner, in fact! How long do you think you can keep guarding me and keeping the town closed from outsiders? A week? A month? A year? And what then? Sooner or later we have to go back and maybe those guys will still be waiting. I’m afraid I must decline this plan, Mr. Calamint and Mr. Delioron. I thank you for your information and your concern, and for the sake of my family I will welcome Thistlewood’s guard around Willie’s house. Let them stay here as Willie’s guests a while longer. But for me, why, I will be heading towards the Shire early tomorrow morning, exactly as planned. And you are welcome to company me if you’re so inclined, Constable, and assign more guards to protect me once we reach the Shire. Escort me all the way to the Bucklebury Ferry if you like. If it’s me they want, they will make their move some time between here and the ferry – and you will have the opportunity to catch them red-handed, Constable! And then I can have my family back home safely.”
Calamint tried to protest, but there was no turning the head of this stubborn hobbit once his mind had been made up. Calamint didn’t look pleased. Delioron was pleased, but tried not to show it. Staying in Archet would have been the safe option – safe for the hobbits. But Paladin was right in that if the hobbits were too well-protected, the kidnappers would not make their move, and Delioron had planned things to go differently. He had gotten his way without even trying, thanks to the stubbornness of a hobbit.
Suddenly the sky had changed and the afternoon seemed colorless, bleached like bones left in the dust.
