Tilyh was exhausted. She had stayed in the house for four days now. She had not been able to sleep more than a couple of hours a night. She had told them everything she knew on the first night.
Now it was night again. The house was dark.
Pharazbalak sat on a bench with a sword on his lap. Delioron was looking out the window. There were assassins lurking in the shadows outside. Delioron had spotted at least two of them, possibly three. He could not tell whether they knew Tilyh was in the house or not.
”What are you going to do?” Meldis asked in her fragile voice as she returned from the servants’ quarters where she had taken Tilyh to sleep.
”I have to leave during the late watches. You will not see me after that.”
”Why did you give your sword to Pharazbalak?”
”Ask Pharazbalak.”
”He will not tell me. You are breaking the rules of your parole by handling a sword, Pharazbalak.”
Pharazbalak grinned. His teeth shone in the dark. ”No big deal, Lady Meldis.”
Pharazbalak felt alive again. He had been dead for so long, ever since his capture by the Gondorian Navy four years ago. Lady Meldis meant well, but she was difficult to get along with. Pharazbalak kept his head down and tried to stay out of her way. He thought that Gondorian women were very peculiar.
”Did you force him to take the sword, Deli?”
”Come on, Meldis! If you want to retire for the night, do not let me hold you up.”
”What is happening?”
Delioron did not turn away from the window. When he spoke, his voice was monotonous, sincere. ”They have found me. As far as I can see I have no chance to survive. Not in the long run. Pharazbalak will protect you. He needs a sword in case they try to come after you. Tilyh became a real problem. I did not expect her so soon. Would you consider leaving Pelargir for a while, Meldis? To Arnach?”
”Why Arnach?”
”I have an old friend there. For Tilyh. It might be safer for her there. Temporarily. While I arrange some matters.”
”What matters?”
”My funeral. I have to write my will, and something else besides.”
Delioron smiled at Meldis.
”Do not joke about such matters!” Meldis said, aghast.
”Look, Meldis, I am not kidding. Not this time. They have pursued me for half a year. If they want me that badly, they will get me in the end. We will play a little game of cloaks and daggers. They will get me, I will get some of theirs. A trade-off, you see.”
”Who are ’they’?”
”Sauron’s people. I told you already.”
”I will not let them kill you.”
Delioron turned to look at her. ”Why, Meldis? What does it matter anymore?”
Meldis walked across the dark hall. She spoke across the years. ”It does matter, Deli. It matters to me. It always has. I have loved you, even though you never understood it. I have loved you. I love you even now. I would give up my life for you. Only you matter, not me.”
Delioron said nothing. He kept watching out of the window. For a moment Meldis felt like she had seen something in his hard face. A momentary melting.
”I am sorry, Meldis.”
What did he mean by that? Had he ever said those words before? Why now?
It did not matter. Delioron turned to face the window again, away from her.
”Pharazbalak, you have to take Tilyh away from here before dawn. You can take my horse from the city stables. Take the saddle too.”
”I go nowhere!”
”There is a place in Arnach. She will be safe there. Stay with her for a few days. Until I have arranged some matters.”
”I cannot leave…”
”Meldis will have to take her chances. Someone will come here before dawn. Someone I knew a long time ago. To protect Meldis.”
”Not you, Deli?”
”Not me. I will have to leave. I will not be coming back.”
”Just like that cat that left us when it was sick. Do you remember?”
”That’s what I told you. But it never left. I knew it was sick, I knew it was dying. I knew what had to be done. You would not have stomached the truth.” Delioron spoke in a low, flat tone. ”You have always insisted that all your projects must succeed. But they never do. You tried your best, Meldis.”
”I cannot accept that.”
Delioron smiled faintly in the shadows. ”You keep insisting, Meldis. But there is nothing left to win.”
”What if they come…”
”Do not open the door. Someone will come tonight, before Pharazbalak and Tilyh leave. He will knock on the door and announce his name.” Delioron said a name. ”You can trust him.”
”I could ask Lord Nodron here to keep me company.”
”Leave him out of this! This is not one of those games you play with him.”
”I need money”, said Pharazbalak.
”Give him money, Meldis!”
”Sure”, she said. ”What about you? Do you need anything?”
Delioron turned to face her. ”I hated you for a long time. But it went away long ago.”
”I know. It broke my heart”, she said.
Delioron was silent for a moment. ”Mine too.”
”Poor Deli!”
”Not anymore. I will be alright. Until I have arranged things. Then they can take me.”
”No!” Meldis’ voice was so sharp they both turned to stare at her. ”Do not just give up like that!”
”I am tired, Meldis. The enemy is getting closer.”
”No!” she repeated. But then there was nothing else left to say.
