At this time the Lord and Lady of the Hyilavúna, Olverúno and Tithiánë, took thought for the Talyoran, for it was rightfully theirs; and they bent their thought upon it. They discerned that it was not in the keeping of Melyúnas, but on the Mountain of the Moon, under the guardianship of Astagant; and they wondered how that had happened. But they sent their skilful servant Silûnakánti to bring it back to Hyilavúna.
Silûnakánti made haste to the mountain, and came there after Melyúnas’s departure. Now Silûnakánti was the most ingenious of the Entellári. He studied all things and was renowned for the astuteness of his insight. As soon as he reached the top of the mountain, he felt himself drawn to the place where the Talyoran had been bestowed by Ingos. He wondered greatly at this, for it seemed to him that the Talyoran itself had the power of being found.
Then came forth Astagant the good Fellgiant and asked him why he had come to disturb his peace.
Then said Silûnakánti:
A jolly jewel that the gentle Lord
And Lady lent, and was lost for long
From the hallowed vaults of Hyilavúna
In another’s keeping, I come to find.
And Astagant said:
Thou saist the sooth. The sought-for gem
Take, and do well. But beware that thou
Be not overcome, like the other keeper.
And Silûnakánti picked up the Talyoran, and bore it away. But as he descended the mountain, he observed that the Talyoran was a jagged, many-sided crystal, with smooth surfaces, keen edges, and sharp points, yet not shaped by the hand of a jeweller; and that the light that passed through it seemed to emerge brighter and purer and stronger than it was as it went in. He said to himself (as Melyúnas had once said to himself, had Silûnakánti but known it), ‘Why should I not borrow this wondrous thing for a while, and use the time to study its properties? I shall go round about to bring it back to King Olverúno and Queen Tithiáne. They will not expect its return urgently, for they have many more important concerns.’
So Silûnakánti tarried in Thrâyeldim on his journey back to the courts of Olverúno and Tithiáne, and he studied the Talyoran, and he learnt some of its virtues, and he put it to use and found it altogether delightful.
Now, as Ingos had learnt, Melyúnas, by using his arts, could always ascertain where the Talyoran was. And so, by casting deep runes of searching, he perceived that its conveyance back to the Hyilavúna was delayed, and that it was still in the Midworld; and he guessed that only a single Entelláwa had been sent to take it, and that it was now working its attraction on him, just as it had on Melyúnas himself. So he set out to seek it.
And on a Spring day in the plains of Arkallumis, Silûnakánti was sitting in the sunshine, contemplating the beauty of the Talyoran that lay in his hand, and how the sun’s rays were dispersed powerfully hither and thither, when he looked up and beheld Melyúnas standing before him. He made to put the stone away, but Melyúnas said: ‘Nay, no need to hide it away, friend Silûnakánti; for I know what it is and how desirable it is; but I am no thief or deceiver. Enjoy your good fortune in having that wonderful stone in your keeping!’
‘In truth, Lord Melyúnas,’ replied Silûnakánti, ‘it is not mine; the Lord and Lady of the Hyilavúna have called for it, and I must render it up.’
‘But you are loth, my friend,’ said Melyúnas kindly, ‘I see it in your face. And I tell you this: the Talyoran is needed in the Midworld. In Ailindâl or in Féo Êlesti in the vaults of our great Lords and Ladies it would be but a jewel, doing no good and gathering dust. But here it can do great good, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Midworld. And the one who has it in his care will be the one who does that good — the one who receives praise and gratitude.’
Silûnakánti replied: ‘But the Lord and Lady can at any time bend their thought upon it, and discern where it lies; and they can send others or come themselves for it, and then I should have to render account for my tardy return of it.’
‘You are shrewd, and speak rightly, Silûnakánti, O wise one,’ said Melyúnas. ‘But let us suppose that you were detained by one stronger than yourself, and compelled to remain with him, and prevented by your master from rendering up the stone? Or rather, suppose that you sent a message to that effect to those whom you now serve, while perhaps the true state of affairs was a little different: namely, that you had entered the well rewarded service of a powerful one under whose protection you would have liberty to use the Talyoran for the benefit of Thrâyeldim and all its peoples — one with whom the Lord and Lady would not care to meddle.’
Then Silûnakánti perceived that the powerful one of whom Melyúnas spoke was of course no other than Melyúnas himself, and that in such a case he would soon wrest control of the Talyoran from Silûnakánti; and this thought was not to his liking. But he also saw that, as Melyúnas proposed, to place himself under the protection of some other mighty master would give him both the freedom and the excuse to retain the Talyoran, which was what he most wanted. So he resolved to seem to go along with Melyúnas but secretly planned to do otherwise.
Silûnakánti bowed in obeisance to Melyúnas, and Melyúnas was gratified, and the two set off together towards Ombros, the house of Melyúnas in the Northlands. As they journeyed, Silûnakánti listened respectfully, while Melyúnas told him many things: about his plans for Thrâyeldim, and about his secret arts, and even about the virtues of the Talyoran. They climbed up into the high passes of the northern mountains, and passed into the upper dales of the great river of the North, the Throndir, which flows by many falls and lakes until it reaches the icy seas far away. One day the weather was especially warm, and they came to the great lake Nassolin. From there it was but a short journey to Ombros, by way of the gorge Awérung. There they rested in the shade of some trees, and Silûnakánti, who was a great swimmer, said that he wanted to cool himself by bathing in the lake. To the surprise of Melyúnas, he dived in fully clothed, and began to swim strongly away from the shore; and as soon as he reached the middle, where the river’s current flowed most strongly northwards, he was borne away out of the sight of Melyúnas.
Melyúnas saw that Silûnakánti had tricked him, and had got away with the Talyoran; but he thought to himself: ‘While he and the Talyoran are together, I by my arts will know where he is.’ And he sat down and bent his thought, aided by runes of power, upon the Talyoran. But he saw nothing. For the stone’s virtue of being found was rendered void when it was placed in running water. And Melyúnas did not know this; but Silûnakánti, fosterling of the waterfolk, had found it out. And Melyúnas was mightily angry that the Talyoran had passed out of his ken.
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