A fog began to roll in across the plains minutes after Alias left the campsite.阿莉亚丝离开营地几分钟后，雾气开始漫过平原。1
The swordswoman was uncertain whether she should thank Tymora for the weather or not.这位女剑士拿不准自己是否该为这样的天气感谢泰摩拉。2
On one hand, it would make spotting Dragonbait more difficult, but on the other hand, it would cover her approach to the mound.一方面，雾会让她更难发现龙饵；但另一方面，也能掩护她接近那座土丘。3
The soft glow of her tattoo was enough illumination to see the ground beneath her feet.她身上刺青发出的柔光，足以照亮脚下的地面。4
Their camp had only been a quarter of a mile to the base of the hill, but it was another quarter mile climb up to the wall.他们的营地离山脚只有四分之一英里，但从山脚爬到城墙还要再走四分之一英里。5
Alias avoided the roads into the city; there were plenty of footpaths up the slope, and she knew they’d be less patrolled.阿莉亚丝避开了通往城里的道路；山坡上有许多小径，她知道那里巡逻的人会少些。6
Twice she thought she heard someone following her and she waited on the path, hoping maybe it was Dragonbait tracking her scent, but no one appeared.有两次，她觉得似乎听见有人跟在身后，便停在小径上等候，希望那也许是龙饵正循着她的气味追来，可始终不见人影。7
The third time she backtracked quickly, thinking perhaps she was being stalked by a sentry, but still she discovered no one.第三次，她迅速折返，以为或许有个哨兵正在跟踪她，但依然什么人也没发现。8
Halfway up the hill, Alias emerged from the fog.爬到半山腰时，阿莉亚丝走出了雾层。9
She turned to survey the plains.她转身眺望平原。10
There was nothing to see though; all below her was whiteness.然而什么也看不见；她下方尽是一片白茫茫。11
Yulash was an island in the clouds.尤拉什如同云海中的一座孤岛。12
She climbed farther up the slope.她继续沿山坡向上攀登。13
The great walls that once ringed the cities were breached in more than a dozen places.那些昔日环绕城市的高大城墙，如今已有十多处缺口。14
She avoided the larger, more easily navigated breaks on the assumption that they would be guarded.她料想那些较大、更容易通行的缺口会有人把守，便避开了它们。15
She chose a hole that afforded her shoulder plates enough space to slip through.她选了一个洞口，宽度刚好够她戴着肩甲侧身钻过。16
The wreckage of the town spread out before her in all directions.城镇的废墟在她面前向四面八方铺展开来。17
Occasionally a section of wall remained braced by a door or corner, but there wasn’t a rooftop to be seen on any of the old buildings.偶尔还能看到一截靠门框或墙角支撑着的残墙，但那些古老建筑中，没有一座还留着屋顶。18
Ahead and a little to the east stood the fortifications of the old citadel, rebuilt by the Zhentil Keep soldiers trying to hold the region.前方偏东处矗立着旧要塞的防御工事，那是试图守住这一地区的散提尔堡士兵重建的。19
A campfire blazed in that direction, so Alias moved off to the western section of the city.那个方向燃着一堆熊熊的篝火，于是阿莉亚丝转而朝城市西区走去。20
A scraping noise came from back by the hole she had used to enter the city.她进城时穿过的那个洞口附近，传来一阵刮擦声。21
She whirled around, blade ready, expecting some assassin, wishing it were Dragonbait, but there was no one there.她猛地转身，剑刃已蓄势待发，以为会看到某个刺客，同时又希望来的是龙饵，可那里一个人也没有。22
Just loose rubble, she thought, disgusted with her nervousness.不过是松动的碎石罢了，她心想，对自己的神经紧张颇感厌烦。23
She continued west.她继续向西走去。24
Rather than walk in the streets, Alias picked her way over the razed walls.阿莉亚丝没有走街道，而是在被夷平的残墙上小心穿行。25
Anything that might have survived the dragon invasions, human armies, and looters had been carried off long ago.凡是从巨龙入侵、人类军队和劫掠者手中幸存下来的东西，早已被人搬得一干二净。26
If there was treasure to be found in the city, it was well-hidden.城里即便还有宝藏，也一定藏得十分隐秘。27
There was a jiggling of horse-rigging in the streets, and Alias crouched behind the wall.街上传来马具的叮当声，阿莉亚丝蹲下身，藏到墙后。28
A single rider approached.一名骑手独自策马而来。29
He held his reins in one hand and a hooded lantern in the other.他一手握着缰绳，另一手提着一盏带罩的灯笼。30
Enough light leaked from his lantern that Alias could see he wore a scarlet cloak and a silver helmet with a single plume jutting from the top, also scarlet.灯笼里漏出的光足以让阿莉亚丝看清，他身披猩红斗篷，头戴银盔，盔顶竖着一根同样猩红的翎羽。31
As she watched the rider pass, something across the street caught Alias’s eye.她注视着骑手经过时，街对面有样东西吸引了阿莉亚丝的目光。32
Reflecting the rider’s lantern light, lying in the rubble, was a familiar symbol—a fanged mouth gaping in the palm of a hand.瓦砾中躺着一个熟悉的标记，在骑手的灯光照耀下闪着光——一只手的掌心裂开一张獠牙森森的大嘴。33
Moander, at last, Alias thought with glee.终于找到莫安德了，阿莉亚丝欣喜地想。34
A third stroke of luck.这是第三次走运。35
Tymora must be favoring her.泰摩拉一定在眷顾她。36
She crept out from behind the wall, ready to dodge back into the shadows if the horse so much as nickered.她从墙后悄悄溜出来，随时准备退回阴影之中，哪怕那匹马只是轻嘶一声。37
The horse and rider continued down the street, eyes forward, oblivious to her presence.马和骑手继续沿街前行，目视前方，完全没有察觉她的存在。38
Alias scurried across the street, but when she reached the broken stone there was nothing there.阿莉亚丝飞快穿过街道，可等她赶到那片碎石旁时，那里却什么也没有。39
Was her mind playing tricks on her?难道是她的脑子在捉弄她？40
A mossy smell assailed her nostrils.一股苔藓的气味扑入她的鼻腔。41
She peered into the darkness, searching for its source.她凝视着黑暗，寻找气味的来源。42
The pile of rubble where she stood was part of a ring of collapsed wall.她脚下的这堆瓦砾，原是一圈坍塌围墙的一部分。43
Within the toppled stone was a broad pit.倒塌的石块之中有一个宽阔的深坑。44
At first, Alias thought it must just be the cellar of some collapsed building, but the darkness within the center was so complete that she realized it must be a very deep hole.起初，阿莉亚丝以为那不过是某座坍塌建筑的地窖，可深坑中央的黑暗浓得密不透光，她这才意识到，这个洞一定非常深。45
She spotted a narrow staircase winding around the edge of the hole’s interior.她发现一段狭窄的楼梯沿着洞内边缘盘旋而下。46
On the wall by the first few steps was another hand glowing blue.最上面几级台阶旁的墙上，还有一只泛着蓝光的手形标记。47
The glow of her tattoo was insufficient to illuminate the stairs so Alias risked pulling out the finder’s stone.她的文身发出的光不足以照亮楼梯，于是阿莉亚丝冒险取出了寻踪石。48
Its light seemed dimmer here, illuminating no more than four or five extra steps, but that was enough for Alias to make out a set of tracks preceding her into the pit, tracks made by something with three-toed feet, separated by a single groove, made by the heavy tail of a lizard.寻踪石的光在这里似乎暗淡了些，只能多照亮四五级台阶，但这已足以让阿莉亚丝看清，在她之前已有一串足迹通向深坑下方：那东西长着三趾脚，两行脚印之间还有一道沟痕，是蜥蜴般沉重的尾巴拖出来的。49
What do you know?谁能想到呢？50
Alias thought.阿莉亚丝心想。51
The finder’s stone did help me find someone who was lost.寻踪石还真帮我找到了一个失踪的人。52
She began her descent into the pit.她开始沿着阶梯下到坑里。53
Each step felt as if she were pushing against water, as if something were resisting her entry.每迈出一步，她都觉得自己仿佛在水中逆行，仿佛有什么东西在阻止她进入。54
The stairs were steep as well as narrow, and the rim of the pit soon rose over her head and swallowed her.阶梯既狭窄又陡峭，很快，坑沿便升到了她头顶上方，将她吞没。55
With total darkness around her, the yellow glow of the stone seemed to grow brighter, but Alias no longer needed it.四周陷入彻底的黑暗后，石头的黄色光芒似乎变亮了，但阿莉亚丝已经不再需要它。56
An azure aura sprang from beneath her right sleeve.一道蔚蓝色的光晕从她右边衣袖下亮起。57
Alias hesitated and wondered if she were walking into a trap.阿莉亚丝迟疑了一下，不禁怀疑自己是不是正走进一个陷阱。58
Of course, her arm was going to glow as she got nearer Moander’s temple, just as it had glowed in the presence of Cassana’s kalmari and the crystal elemental.当然，随着她越来越接近莫安德的神殿，她的手臂自然会发光，就像它在卡萨娜的卡尔玛里和水晶元素生物面前发过光一样。59
She didn’t know what she had to worry about.她不知道自己还有什么可担心的。60
Moander was locked up.莫安德被封禁着。61
According to the goatherd in Shadowdale, only someone unborn could free the ancient god.按照阴影谷那个牧羊人的说法，只有尚未出生之人才能释放这位远古之神。62
Since she knew she’d been born—she could remember the day quite clearly: the snoring of her mother, the cooing of the midwife, being sniffed at by the house cats—she had no fear she might accidentally unleash one of the evil elements responsible for her mutilation and lost memory.她知道自己已经出生过——那一天她记得清清楚楚：母亲的鼾声，接生婆的咕咕低语，还有家猫凑上来嗅她——所以她并不担心自己会意外释放出某股导致她遭受残害并失去记忆的邪恶力量。63
Alias could now discern pungent, all-too-human smells.阿莉亚丝此时已能闻到刺鼻而又太过人味的气味。64
The pit was used as a midden.这个坑被人当作了垃圾堆。65
The stench grew more powerful the deeper she went.她下得越深，恶臭就越浓烈。66
The steps grew damp and slick, and pockets of muck and slime collected in the depressions worn into the stairs by a millennium of visitors.阶梯变得又湿又滑，千年来无数访客踩出的凹陷里积着一摊摊污泥和黏液。67
Bits of green goo dripped from one step to the next.一滴滴绿色黏浆从上一级阶梯滴落到下一级。68
A stone bounced down from above, followed by a shower of small rocks.一块石头从上方弹跳着滚落下来，紧接着又落下一阵碎石。69
Alias looked up, expecting to see someone tossing a bucket of something foul over the rim of the pit, but only the dark sky hung over the darker hole.阿莉亚丝抬头望去，以为会看到有人正从坑沿往下倾倒一桶秽物，然而更显幽暗的坑洞上方，只有漆黑的天空。70
A stray soldier idly investigating the city, Alias guessed, and continued her descent until she came to a wide, stonework platform ringed with rubble.阿莉亚丝猜想，大概是个闲逛到此、随意探查城里的士兵，便继续往下走，直到来到一座宽阔的石砌平台上，四周尽是碎石。71
The staircase ended, though the pit continued down.阶梯到这里便到了尽头，深坑却还在向下延伸。72
The finder’s stone was unable to light the bottom of the stinking darkness.寻踪石的光照不到这恶臭黑暗的底部。73
Alias doubted if even the moon could do so were it to shine directly in.阿莉亚丝怀疑，即便月光直直照进来，也照不到底。74
There was no trace of Moander’s sigil.这里丝毫不见莫安德徽记的踪影。75
Alias studied Dragonbait’s tracks.阿莉亚丝仔细察看龙饵留下的足迹。76
The three-toed imprints wandered about the muck-covered platform, to the beginning of the blocked stairs, to the edge of the platform, to the wall of the pit, but there was no trace of them after that.三趾足印在污泥遍布的平台上四处徘徊，先是通向被堵住的阶梯起点，又到了平台边缘和坑壁前，可此后便再无踪迹。77
He wouldn’t have jumped over the edge, Alias puzzled.他总不会从边缘跳下去了吧，阿莉亚丝困惑地想。78
She lifted the finder’s stone and investigated the slime-encrusted walls.她举起寻踪石，仔细察看结满黏泥的墙壁。79
There was a faint vertical shadow from a line of moss buckled against more moss.一道苔藓挤压着另一片苔藓形成的缝线，投下了隐约的竖直阴影。80
The line continued above her head, running horizontally and then back down.那道缝延伸到她头顶上方，横向折去，又向下延伸。81
It was a door, recently opened and closed.这是一扇门，最近才被打开又关上。82
Reluctantly, Alias ran her fingers along the slimy moss and lichen, feeling for a catch to push, pull, or slide.阿莉亚丝不情愿地用手指沿着滑腻的苔藓与地衣摸索，寻找可以按动、拉动或滑动的机关。83
In the center of the door, at waist level, she discovered a hole.她在门的中央、齐腰高的地方发现了一个小孔。84
Mindful of finger guillotine traps set against intruders, she poked her smallest finger into the hole.她提防着专门对付闯入者的断指铡刀陷阱，把小拇指探进了孔里。85
No blade sliced at her digit, but a stinging charge of energy ran up her arm.没有刀刃削向她的手指，却有一股刺痛的能量沿着她的手臂蹿了上去。86
Her runes writhed and danced, but caused her no pain.她身上的符文扭动起舞，却没有给她带来任何痛苦。87
From behind the stone wall came the clattering of lock mechanisms tumbling and falling.石墙后传来锁具机关接连翻转落下的咔嗒声。88
When the azure sigils were still again, though still glowing, Alias withdrew her finger and stepped back.蔚蓝色的符记重新静止下来后，虽然仍在发光，阿莉亚丝还是抽出手指，后退了一步。89
The hidden door swung out silently.暗门无声地向外打开。90
A foot thick, it pivoted on an unseen post.门足有一英尺厚，绕着一根看不见的枢轴转开。91
Beyond the doorway, the smell of fresh waste and muck gave way to the older decay of ancient paper and bones.门道另一头，新鲜排泄物与污泥的臭味消退了，取而代之的是古老纸张与骸骨更为陈旧的腐朽气息。92
Warm, dry air blew from the passage.温暖干燥的空气从通道里吹来。93
The walls were carved with tiny, intricate, flowing designs.墙壁上雕满了细小、繁复而流畅的纹饰。94
They reminded Alias more of the tree sculptures grown and shaped by elves than of something wrought of dead stone.在阿莉亚丝看来，它们更像是由精灵培育塑形而成的树木雕塑，而不像是用死寂的石头雕琢出来的东西。95
Then she saw the three-toed footprints on the dusty floor.接着，她看见了积满灰尘的地面上那三趾足迹。96
The curiosity that had beckoned her this far now tried to drive her forward like a fire forcing wild animals through the woods.一路召唤她来到这里的好奇心，如今又试图驱使她向前，就像烈火迫使野兽穿过森林逃命。97
She was sure that not only Dragonbait, but the answers to all her questions lay at the end of the mysterious passage before her.她确信，不仅龙饵就在眼前这条神秘通道的尽头，她所有问题的答案也在那里。98
She wanted to rush right in, but her adventurer’s sense of caution asserted itself just in time.她恨不得立刻冲进去，但身为冒险者的谨慎本能及时占了上风。99
Stepping back on the platform, Alias grabbed a large, wedge-shaped rock from the pile of rubble and slipped its smaller edge beneath the door.阿莉亚丝退回平台，从那堆碎石中抓起一块楔形的大石头，把较窄的一端塞进门底。100
She found several others like it and shoved them beneath the door as well.她又找到几块类似的石头，也一并塞进门底。101
Then she shifted a pile of rocks to the edge of the door frame.随后，她把一堆石头挪到门框边上。102
Satisfied with her precautions, she entered the passage.确认防范措施妥当后，她走进了通道。103
About six paces down the corridor, she felt a stone beneath her foot shift nearly an imperceptible amount.沿走廊走出约六步时，她感觉脚下有块石头极其轻微地动了一下，几乎无法察觉。104
Behind her, the door jerked a hand’s span but was held fast by the rocks.身后的门猛地移动了一拃，却被石头牢牢卡住了。105
Something mechanical whined a high-pitched plea.某种机械装置发出高亢的哀鸣，仿佛在苦苦恳求。106
The whining grew louder as though the trap were crying out desperately to fulfill its only purpose in life.那哀鸣越来越响，仿佛陷阱正绝望地哭号，渴求完成它此生唯一的使命。107
Within a minute, the whine dropped in pitch and then was silent.不到一分钟，哀鸣声便低沉下来，随后彻底消失。108
The door was still.门纹丝不动。109
Smiling to herself and feeling smug, Alias continued down the corridor.阿莉亚丝暗自微笑，颇为得意地继续沿走廊前行。110
Her mood was soon quelled by the walls around her.然而，四周的墙壁很快便压下了她的好心情。111
They were carved with horrible bas reliefs interspersed with lines and lines of engravings of archaic runes.墙上刻满了可怖的浅浮雕，其间夹杂着一行又一行古老符文。112
The carved figures depicted heroes suffering deadly tortures at the hands of leering humanoids, torn apart by chaotic beasts, and fried, frozen, dissolved, and poisoned by dragons and beholders and other deadly creatures.雕刻中的英雄们有的遭狞笑的类人生物施以致命酷刑，有的被混沌野兽撕成碎片，还有的被龙、眼魔及其他致命生物烧焦、冻僵、溶解或毒死。113
The ugliness of the walls seemed to go on forever and, with each twisting and widening of the passageway, the scenes grew larger as well as more obscene and gory.墙上的丑恶景象仿佛永无尽头；通道每一次转折、每一处拓宽，画面都会变得更大，也更加淫秽血腥。114
Alias felt a growing revulsion which turned her stomach sour and tightened her throat.阿莉亚丝心中的厌恶愈发强烈，搅得她胃里发酸，喉咙发紧。115
She kept her eyes forward and tried not to look at the walls anymore.她直视前方，尽量不再去看两旁的墙壁。116
The passage widened further one last time before ending abruptly in a wall twenty feet ahead.通道在最后一次变宽后，陡然终止于二十英尺外的一堵墙前。117
This wall was completely different from the disturbingly carved stone passages Alias had come through.这堵墙与阿莉亚丝一路走来的那些雕刻得令人不安的石质通道截然不同。118
Constructed of blue glazed brick, it was bound together with a red-tinged mortar.墙由蓝色琉璃砖砌成，砖块之间黏合着泛红的灰浆。119
Down the center of the mortar work were great gouges, as if a giant claw had been scratching at it.一道道巨大的深痕沿着灰浆缝隙中央延伸，仿佛有一只巨爪曾在那里不断抓挠。120
At the base of the wall lay the crumbled figure of Dragonbait.墙脚下，龙饵瘫倒成一团。121
The swordswoman rushed forward and knelt at the lizard’s head, laying the finder’s stone on the ground.女剑士冲上前去，跪在蜥蜴头旁，把寻人石放在地上。122
“Dragonbait!“龙饵！123
Are you all right?” she asked.你没事吧？”她问道。124
She’d whispered the words, but the corridor caught and amplified them so that her echo boomed back at her.她说话时只是低声耳语，但走廊将她的声音捕捉、放大，震耳的回声轰然传回她耳边。125
As Alias knelt beside him, the lizard turned his head to look up at her.阿莉亚丝在蜥蜴身旁跪下时，他转过头，抬眼望向她。126
The change in him was horrifying.他身上的变化骇人至极。127
He was completely emaciated.他已经彻底瘦脱了形。128
His scaly flesh hung about his frame as if his muscles had been eaten away by months of starvation.覆着鳞片的皮肉松垮垮地挂在骨架上，仿佛他的肌肉已被数月的饥饿吞噬殆尽。129
Wear and exhaustion were etched deep into the lines of his face.损耗与疲惫在他脸上的纹路中刻下了深深的痕迹。130
His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth, and he panted heavily in the dusty air.他的舌头从嘴角耷拉出来，在满是尘埃的空气中沉重地喘息着。131
His eyes, normally a dead, yellow color, now looked even worse—their clear sparkle had turned to a murky gray.他的眼睛平日里便是死气沉沉的黄色，如今看起来更加糟糕——原本清澈的光彩已经化作浑浊的灰色。132
A deep, violet perfume rose from his body, something Alias had never noticed before.一股浓郁的紫罗兰香气从他身上升起，这是阿莉亚丝以前从未注意到的。133
Forgetting he could not really answer, she asked, “What happened to you?”她忘了他其实无法回答，开口问道：“你怎么了？”134
The lizard pointed his finger back down the way they’d both come, and he tried to push her away from him in that direction, but his shove was far too feeble to budge her.蜥蜴伸手指向他们两人来时的路，并试图将她从自己身边朝那个方向推开，可他这一推实在太过无力，根本无法让她挪动分毫。135
A low snarl escaped his lipless mouth.一声低沉的咆哮从他没有嘴唇的口中逸出。136
Alias stood up.阿莉亚丝站起身来。137
“All right, I’m going,” she agreed, understanding his signals perfectly.“好吧，我这就走。”她答应道，完全明白了他的示意。138
“But not without you.“但我不会丢下你。139
Come on, I’ll help you up.”来吧，我扶你起来。”140
Dragonbait pulled heavily on her arm and rose to his feet.龙饵使劲拽着她的胳膊，站了起来。141
His legs looked too spindly to support his weight.他的双腿看上去细弱得根本撑不住自己的体重。142
He leaned on his sword like an old man with a cane.他像个拄拐杖的老人一样倚在剑上。143
What could have done this to him?究竟是什么把他弄成了这样？144
Alias wondered.阿莉亚丝暗自思忖。145
She felt reluctant to leave without exploring this place, but she was too frightened by the lizard’s condition to delay getting help for him.她不大情愿就这样离开，不去探查这个地方，但龙饵的状况令她太过害怕，不敢再耽搁为他寻求救助。146
Maybe, she thought, I can find a cleric to heal him in one of the army camps.也许能在某座军营里找到一名牧师治好他，她想。147
Then she noticed that many of the backward-curved teeth at the end of his sword were damaged—chipped off or curled askew.这时，她注意到他剑刃末端那些向后弯曲的利齿有许多都已损坏——不是崩断了，就是歪歪扭扭地卷曲起来。148
Realizing the sword had caused the scratches in the brick wall, she joked, “If you wanted a slegehammer for a weapon, you should have asked back in Shadowdale.”她意识到砖墙上的刮痕是这把剑造成的，便开玩笑道：“你要是想拿把大锤当武器，早在阴影谷的时候就该开口。”149
Dragonbait tugged on her arm, anxious to hurry away.龙饵拽了拽她的胳膊，急切地想赶快离开。150
Alias had never seen him frightened before, but she had no wish to meet whatever had done this to him either.阿莉亚丝以前从未见他害怕过，但她也不想碰上那个把他弄成这副模样的东西。151
She stooped to retrieve the finder’s stone.她俯身捡起那块寻物石。152
As she stood up with the goatherd’s gift, Alias felt a throbbing curiosity about the blue and red wall.阿莉亚丝拿着牧羊人送的礼物站起身时，对那面蓝红相间的墙忽然涌起一股强烈的好奇。153
She reached out to stroke the blue-glazed bricks with her fingertips.她伸出手，用指尖轻抚那些覆着蓝釉的砖块。154
The wall glowed.墙壁亮了起来。155
For a single pulse of a human heart, the bricks shimmered and then became translucent.只在人的心脏搏动一下的短短瞬间，砖块微光闪烁，随即变得半透明。156
From behind the wall, a bright blue light shone, silhouetting the lines of red mortar and turning the passage where Alias stood an eerie aqua.一道明亮的蓝光从墙后透出，映亮了红色灰浆勾勒的线条，也把阿莉亚丝所在的通道染成了诡异的水绿色。157
Then the bricks returned to normal and the light faded.随后，砖块恢复了原状，光芒也随之消退。158
Alias stood, staring at the wall in amazement.阿莉亚丝站在那里，惊愕地凝视着墙壁。159
It was some moments before she became aware of the writhing sensation on her arm.过了片刻，她才察觉到胳膊上那股扭动的感觉。160
The sigils were wriggling and twisting like maggots nesting in her flesh, and the unholy sign of Moander seemed the most vibrant.那些符印如同在她血肉里筑巢的蛆虫般蠕动扭曲，其中莫安德的邪恶印记似乎动得最为剧烈。161
The fingers of the hand appeared to clench and flex, while the mouth in the palm snapped its fanged teeth open and closed.那只手的手指仿佛在不断握紧又伸展，而掌心里的嘴则一张一合，咬动着满口尖牙。162
Fascinated, Alias reached out to stroke the wall again.阿莉亚丝像着了迷似的，伸手又去抚摸那面墙。163
Dragonbait’s hand snatched at her wrist and pulled her back.龙饵一把抓住她的手腕，将她拉了回来。164
Then some pain forced him to release her and clutch at his chest.紧接着，一阵疼痛迫使他松开她，捂住了胸口。165
He fell forward, his sword clattering to the stone floor, making a ringing noise down the passageway.他向前栽倒，长剑当啷一声落在石地上，清脆的声响沿着通道回荡。166
“Dragonbait!“龙饵！”167
What’s wrong?”“你怎么了？”168
Alias gasped, kneeling again beside him.阿莉亚丝倒吸一口气，再次跪到他身旁。169
Then she saw it—a bright, blue light, pouring out between the weave of the lizard’s shirt, escaping even through the flesh of his hands held over his chest.接着她看见了——一道明亮的蓝光正从蜥蜴人衬衫的织纹缝隙间倾泻而出，甚至透过他捂在胸口的双手血肉渗了出来。170
“Gods!” the warrior whispered.“诸神啊！”女战士低声说道。171
“No. It can’t be.”“不。不可能。”172
She shook the lizard by the shoulders, dropping the finder’s stone to the floor.她抓住蜥蜴人的双肩摇晃起来，手中的探寻石也掉到了地上。173
“What’s on your chest?” she demanded.“你胸口有什么？”她厉声问道。174
Dragonbait took a deep breath and held his head up.龙饵深吸一口气，抬起头来。175
He untied the fastenings that held his shirt closed.他解开了系住衬衫前襟的扣结。176
Alias gasped.阿莉亚丝倒吸一口气。177
The same sigils.一模一样的符印。178
In a different shape, but the same sigils.排列成了不同的形状，但确实是同样的符印。179
The same blue, gemlike, writhing, azure-lit brands.同样湛蓝、如宝石般、不断蠕动、泛着天青色光芒的烙印。180
The scales over the pattern were translucent just as the flesh covering the pattern on Alias’s right arm was.覆盖在图案上的鳞片呈半透明状，就像覆盖在阿莉亚丝右臂图案上的皮肉一样。181
“Why?“为什么？”182
Why didn’t you tell me?“你为什么不告诉我？”183
Are you one of their pets, too?” she growled angrily.“你也是他们养的宠物吗？”她愤怒地低吼道。184
Dragonbait met her angry eyes with his own, but there was neither shame nor triumph in his look, only sadness.龙饵迎上她愤怒的目光，眼神里既没有羞愧，也没有得意，只有悲伤。185
Now he smelled to Alias of roses.此刻，阿莉亚丝闻到他身上散发出玫瑰的香气。186
It brought to her mind the morning in Shadow Gap when he’d buried the barbarian’s sword.这让她想起了在阴影峡谷的那个早晨，当时他埋掉了蛮族人的剑。187
The sword he’d used to destroy the kalmari.就是他用来消灭卡尔玛里的那把剑。188
“Oh, Dragonbait.“哦，龙饵。189
I’m sorry,” she whispered.对不起。”她低声说道。190
Of course he wasn’t an enemy or a traitor.他当然不是什么敌人，也不是叛徒。191
He was her friend and probably another victim like her.他是她的朋友，而且很可能也是一个和她一样的受害者。192
That had to be the reason she felt such a kinship with him.她之所以觉得与他如此亲近，一定就是这个缘故。193
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered gently, reaching up with her right hand to touch the markings that scarred his body.“你为什么不告诉我？”她轻声问道，同时抬起右手，去触摸他身上那些留下疤痕的印记。194
Energy crackled through her fingertips and over the lizard’s chest.能量噼啪作响，从她的指尖掠过蜥蜴人的胸膛。195
Dragonbait drew a deep breath.龙饵深吸了一口气。196
The lines smoothed from his face, his shoulders straightened, and his eyes widened in surprise.他脸上的皱纹舒展开来，双肩重新挺直，双眼也因惊讶而睁大。197
Alias gasped and drew back her hand, uncertain what she had just experienced.阿莉亚丝倒吸一口气，缩回了手，不明白自己刚才究竟经历了什么。198
She didn’t feel any weaker, so she didn’t think Dragonbait had sucked the energy from her.她并没有觉得虚弱，所以她不认为龙饵吸走了她的能量。199
But she couldn’t possibly have healed him.但她也绝不可能治好了他。200
She had no training as a cleric.她从未受过牧师的训练。201
Could the sigils know how to help someone else branded the same way?难道这些符印知道该如何帮助另一个被同样方式烙印的人？202
It didn’t seem likely, but Dragonbait’s awful condition had been corrected by the mere touch of her hand.这似乎不太可能，可龙饵那糟糕的身体状况，的确只因她的手轻轻一触便恢复了正常。203
Dragonbait retied his shirt fastenings and stood up easily.龙饵重新系好衬衫的扣带，轻松地站了起来。204
Shouldering his sword, he offered her his arm.他把剑扛上肩，向她伸出手臂。205
Alias accepted it with a smile and used it to balance herself as she rose to her feet.阿莉亚丝微笑着挽住他的手臂，借力稳住身体，站了起来。206
The warrior woman shifted her sword to her left hand as she reached down to scoop up the finder’s stone.女战士把剑换到左手，俯身捡起寻物石。207
Alias gasped.阿莉亚丝倒吸了一口气。208
Her fingers reached of their own volition, not for the light, but for the wall.她的手指不由自主地伸了出去，目标不是那道光，而是墙壁。209
She broke out in a sweat in her effort to pull her hand away from the blue bricks.她拼命想把手从那些蓝砖旁抽回来，浑身都冒出了汗。210
She hadn’t actually felt the wall this time; her hand seemed to pass through it as though it were an illusion.这一次，她其实并没有触到墙壁；她的手仿佛穿过幻象一般，直接伸了进去。211
The wall reacted in the same extraordinary way it had before.墙壁又像先前那样，产生了非同寻常的反应。212
Again, the bricks seemed to go clear and the passageway was bathed in blue light.那些砖块似乎再次变得透明，整条通道都沐浴在蓝光之中。213
The effect lasted a few moments longer this time.这一次，这种景象多持续了片刻。214
The sigils on her arm grew brighter.她手臂上的符印变得更加明亮。215
Dragonbait knocked her to the ground, away from the blockade, and whatever lay on the other side, beckoning her hand to turn traitor to her body.龙饵把她撞倒在地，让她远离那道障壁，也远离墙另一边那个不知是什么、正召唤她的手背叛身体的存在。216
Dragonbait stood over her, his muscles taut, ready to keep her from reaching out for the wall again.龙饵站在她身前，浑身肌肉紧绷，随时准备阻止她再次伸手去碰那面墙。217
The smell of violets wafted from his body even more strongly now, and Alias wondered if that was the scent of his sweat or his fear.他身上散发出的紫罗兰气味此刻更浓了，阿莉亚丝不禁猜想，那究竟是他汗水的气味，还是恐惧的气味。218
Out of nowhere came the chant of a magical spell, and a sparkling dart slammed into Dragonbait’s body.不知从何处突然传来一阵魔法咒语的吟诵声，一枚闪闪发光的飞弹猛然击中了龙饵。219
The lizard was propelled backward into the brick wall.那只蜥蜴被撞得向后飞去，砸在砖墙上。220
Alias gasped again.阿莉亚丝又倒吸了一口气。221
The wall remained solid and unaffected by contact with the lizard’s body.蜥蜴的身体撞上墙壁，墙壁却依旧坚实，没有受到丝毫影响。222
She leaped up and spun about, sword raised to defend against the attacker.她一跃而起，旋身转向身后，举剑准备抵挡袭击者。223
“Akabar!“阿卡巴！224
Have you taken leave of your senses?”你疯了吗？”225
The mage stood in the passageway, his invisibility negated by the casting of the magic missile he’d used on the lizard.法师站在通道里；他施放在蜥蜴身上的魔法飞弹解除了自己的隐形状态。226
He had had a lot of trouble coming down the staircase in the dark.他摸黑走下楼梯时，很是费了一番周折。227
He had turned the corner into this passage just in time to watch the lizard send Alias sprawling across the floor.他刚转过拐角进入这条通道，恰好看见那只蜥蜴把阿莉亚丝撞得摔倒在地。228
“Are you blind, woman?” the mage snapped.“你瞎了吗，女人？”法师厉声说道。229
“He just attacked you.”“他刚才袭击了你。”230
“You fool!“你这个蠢货！231
He was trying to help me—”他是在帮我——”232
“No. He’s one of them!“不。他跟他们是一伙的！233
And I can prove it!”我能证明！”234
Akabar shouted, leaping toward the lizard with his dagger drawn.阿卡巴大喊着，拔出匕首，朝蜥蜴人扑去。235
Dragonbait could have responded by raising his sword and letting the mage skewer himself, but instead, he held his arms out to grapple with him.龙饵本可以举起剑，任由法师自己撞上来送死，可他却张开双臂，试图抱住对方。236
Akabar was no weakling, and the lizard discovered too late that the Turmishman would not be so easy to shove away.阿卡巴可不是弱者，蜥蜴人发现图米什人没那么容易推开时，已经太迟了。237
Akabar slashed at the lizard’s shirt, ripping the ties so the garment fell open.阿卡巴一刀划向蜥蜴人的衬衫，割断系带，衣襟随即敞开。238
“Stop it!”“住手！”239
Alias shouted.阿莉亚丝大喊。240
She dropped her sword and rushed forward to pry Akabar loose from the lizard.她扔下剑，冲上前去，想把阿卡巴从蜥蜴人身上掰开。241
The two males shifted their weight, and Alias stumbled.两个男人重心一移，阿莉亚丝脚下踉跄。242
All three fell toward the wall, but while Akabar’s and Dragonbait’s shoulders hit the barrier with a thud, Alias’s hand and wrist plunged right through the brick and mortar.三个人全都朝墙上倒去；阿卡巴和龙饵的肩膀砰地撞上墙壁，阿莉亚丝的手和手腕却径直穿过了砖石。243
Only the lizard’s body kept her from falling in farther.全靠蜥蜴人的身体挡着，她才没有进一步栽进去。244
The bricks went transparent yet again and the hellish, blue light that filled the passage from the other side of the wall caused the sigils on her arm to perform an entirely new trick.砖块又一次变得透明，墙另一侧那充斥通道的地狱般蓝光，让她手臂上的符印玩出了全新的花样。245
They replicated miniature illusory copies of themselves which slipped from her flesh.符印复制出一个个微缩的幻影，从她的皮肉上脱离出来。246
The little daggers, rings, fanged palms, and the rest circled about her arm like angry hornets.小匕首、戒指、长着獠牙的手掌以及其余图案，像愤怒的马蜂一样绕着她的手臂盘旋。247
Alias tried to pull her arm from the wall, but it was mired fast, just as her legs had been trapped by the crystal elemental.阿莉亚丝试图把手臂从墙里拔出来，可它已经牢牢陷住，就像她的双腿先前被水晶元素困住一样。248
“No!” she screamed.“不！”她尖叫道。249
“I’m stuck!”“我卡住了！”250
Dragonbait, squished between her and the wall, let his sword drop and tried pushing her shoulders away.龙饵被挤在她和墙之间，松手扔下剑，试图推着她的肩膀把她推开。251
“No good” Alias groaned.“没用，”阿莉亚丝呻吟道。252
“You’re pulling my arm from its socket.”“你快把我的胳膊从肩窝里拽脱臼了。”253
Brought to a more reasonable state of mind by the new crisis, Akabar ceased struggling with the lizard.眼前的新危机让阿卡巴恢复了几分理智，不再与蜥蜴人扭打。254
“How did you do that?” he asked, amazed at her ability to pass through the wall.“你是怎么做到的？”他问道，对她能穿墙而过的本领惊诧不已。255
“It’s not me, you stupid Turmite.“不是我，你这个愚蠢的图尔米特人。256
It’s the arm.是这条胳膊。257
That’s why Dragonbait pushed me away from the wall.所以龙饵才把我从墙边推开。258
He must have known there was danger.”他一定知道这里有危险。”259
“He might have planned all this,” Akabar insisted.“这一切也许都是他计划好的，”阿卡巴坚持道。260
“To help capture you.“为的就是帮忙抓住你。261
He’s branded the same as you.”他身上烙着和你一样的印记。”262
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Alias snarled.“说点我不知道的，”阿莉亚丝咆哮道。263
“Like how to get my arm out of this wall!”“比如怎么把我的胳膊从这堵墙里弄出来！”264
“Try pushing forward a little and then jerking back,” the mage suggested.“试着往前伸一点，然后猛地往回抽，”法师建议道。265
Alias pressed forward up to her elbow, covering all the sigils, but she could not pull back a fraction of an inch.阿莉亚丝一直往前伸，直到手臂没入墙中至肘部，遮住了所有符印，可她连一丁点儿也抽不回来。266
“Great,” she growled.“太棒了，”她低吼道。267
“Now I’m stuck worse.”“现在我卡得更死了。”268
Instinctively she put her foot up to the wall to use it as leverage to pull herself out, but the foot slipped through the brickwork as well, all the way to her knee.她本能地抬脚抵住墙壁，想借力把自己拔出来，可那只脚也滑进了砖墙，一直没到了膝盖。269
“Any more bright ideas, Akash?”“还有什么高见吗，阿卡什？”270
Despite his awkward position, Dragonbait remained pressed against the wall, rather than risk losing Alias.尽管姿势别扭，龙饵仍紧贴着墙，不敢冒失去阿莉亚丝的风险。271
Pulled closer to him, Alias could smell the scent of roses again, mixed with the odor of violets.被拉得离他更近后，阿莉亚丝又闻到了玫瑰香，其中还混杂着紫罗兰的气味。272
Suddenly, it came to her—the rose smell always was present when he was sad.她突然明白过来——每当他悲伤时，总会散发出玫瑰的香气。273
He was mourning her already.他已经在为她哀悼了。274
“Don’t give up on me yet, chum,” she whispered to him.“先别放弃我，老伙计，”她对他低声说道。275
Dragonbait tried to smile, but it was meant for her benefit, not one he felt.龙饵努力挤出一个微笑，但那只是为了安慰她，并非发自内心。276
She was in too much danger.她的处境实在太危险了。277
Akabar ran his fingers along the wall.阿卡巴用手指沿着墙面摸索。278
He tapped on the brick and scratched at the mortar with his dagger.他敲了敲砖块，又用匕首刮了刮灰浆。279
“This is the most unusual brick I’ve ever seen,” he murmured.“这是我见过的最不同寻常的砖，”他低声说道。280
“But the grouting is common enough.“不过勾缝用的灰浆倒很普通。281
Mortar mixed with gorgon blood, or something similar.掺了蛇发女妖的血，或是类似的东西。282
It’s used to block the passage of beasts that can walk through walls.”这种灰浆是用来阻挡那些能穿墙而过的野兽的。”283
“Well, I can’t walk through walls.“可我又不会穿墙。284
Why isn’t it stopping me?”为什么它阻止不了我？”285
Alias said through gritted teeth.阿莉亚丝咬牙说道。286
Dots of perspiration formed at her brow.她的额头沁出了点点汗珠。287
“Precisely.“正是如此。288
It wasn’t made to stop people.它本来就不是用来阻挡人的。289
That’s what the brick is for, I presume.”我猜，砖块才是干这个的。”290
“The brick’s not stopping me either!”“砖块也没能阻止我！”291
Alias shouted.阿莉亚丝喊道。292
“Akabar, stop jabbering and do something!”“阿卡巴，别啰嗦了，快想想办法！”293
“All right, already.”“好了，好了。”294
The mage ran nervous fingers through his hair.法师紧张地用手指梳了梳头发。295
“I’m going to try to dispel the magic they must have cast on the wall while the mortar hardened.“他们一定是在灰浆凝固时对这堵墙施了魔法，我要试着把它驱散。296
It was undoubtedly cast by a more powerful mage than I, but if the spell dates back as far as the destruction of the temple, it may have decayed some over the centuries.”施法者无疑比我强大，但如果这道法术早在神庙毁灭时就已存在，那么历经几个世纪，它的效力或许已经衰退了。”297
“Cut the lecture.“少讲大道理。298
Just do it.”动手就是了。”299
Akabar stepped back and spread his arms out so as to encompass the entire wall in his field of disenchantment.阿卡巴后退一步，张开双臂，好让整面墙都笼罩在他的驱魔力场之中。300
He began preparing to cast his spell.他开始准备施放法术。301
Alias shrieked and began squirming furiously.阿莉亚丝尖叫起来，开始拼命扭动。302
Akabar had never heard Alias make such a noise before.阿卡巴以前从未听见阿莉亚丝发出这样的声音。303
The sound completely broke his concentration.这声音彻底打断了他的专注。304
Fortunately, he had not yet begun his spell, so it was not ruined and wasted.幸好他还没有开始施法，因此法术并未被毁，也没有白白浪费。305
“What’s wrong?” he shouted crossly.“怎么了？”他恼火地喊道。306
“There’s something,” Alias cried, her features distorted with terror.“有什么东西，”阿莉亚丝叫道，面容因恐惧而扭曲。307
She gulped air far too quickly.她急促地大口喘着气。308
“Something on the other side.“另一边有东西。309
It’s got my arm.”它抓住我的胳膊了。”310
What could terrorize a woman who’s stood up to dragons, earthly titans, and man-eating kalmari?一个敢于对抗巨龙、大地巨人和食人卡尔马里的女人，究竟会被什么东西吓成这样？311
Akabar wondered as he peered at the wall.阿卡巴一边凝视着墙壁，一边暗自思忖。312
The blue light had dimmed considerably.蓝光已经暗淡了许多。313
All the mage could make out beyond the translucent bricks was a vast shadow.透过半透明的砖块，法师只能辨认出一道巨大的黑影。314
As he watched, the warrior woman’s body lurched forward, dragged deeper into the wall by her arm.就在他注视时，女战士的身体猛地向前一冲，胳膊被拽着更深地陷入墙中。315
Now she was embedded to her right shoulder plate.此刻，她的身体已经没入墙内，直至右肩甲处。316
“Oh, gods,” Alias whined.“哦，诸神啊，”阿莉亚丝哀叫道。317
“Gods, gods, gods, gods,” she moaned over and over, as though she were pleading with heaven.“诸神啊，诸神啊，诸神啊，诸神啊。”她一遍遍呻吟着，仿佛在向上天哀求。318
“Hold her tight, Dragonbait,” Akabar barked.“抓紧她，龙饵！”阿卡巴厉声喝道。319
“I’m going to try to dispel now.”“我现在要试着解除魔法。”320
Akabar resumed his stance and began to intone his spell.阿卡巴重新摆好架势，开始吟诵咒语。321
The rise and fall of his voice became an eerie melody superimposed over the warrior’s panicked, repetitious rhythm.他的声音抑扬起伏，化作一段诡异的旋律，叠加在女战士惊恐而反复的呼号之上。322
Dragonbait strained between the trapped warrior and the wall.龙饵夹在被困的女战士与墙壁之间，拼尽全力拉扯。323
Even if his restored strength proved sufficient to counter the slow, steady force that sucked her through the barrier, Alias feared they might only end up tearing her in half.即使他恢复的力量足以抗衡那股缓慢而稳定、将她吸过屏障的力量，阿莉亚丝仍担心，他们最终或许只会把她撕成两半。324
Equally bad was the possibility she would end up the instrument that crushed the life from the lizard before he was willing to sacrifice her.同样糟糕的另一种可能是，在龙饵甘愿放弃她之前，她反倒会成为将这蜥蜴活活压死的工具。325
Akabar finished his disenchantment spell by unlacing his fingers with a flourish to scatter the magical energies across the surface of the wall.阿卡巴潇洒地松开交扣的手指，将魔法能量散布到墙壁表面，为他的破魔术收了尾。326
Sun-yellow motes sparkled toward the wall, which was now the dark blue shade of a sky about to rain.太阳般金黄的光点闪烁着飞向墙壁；此刻，墙壁已变成了雨前天空般的深蓝色。327
The motes struck the wall and hissed like sparks falling into water.光点撞上墙壁，发出如火星落水般的嘶嘶声。328
The blue light grew even dimmer as the bricks grew opaque.随着砖块变得不再透明，蓝光也越发黯淡。329
Alias managed to pull her leg completely free and her arm came out up to her elbow.阿莉亚丝总算把腿完全拔了出来，手臂也脱困至肘部。330
The half with sigils still remained buried.刻有符印的那一半仍埋在墙里。331
Dragonbait, unprepared for the success of Akabar’s spell, was dislodged from his position between Alias’s trapped foot and arm, and he stumbled to the floor.龙饵没料到阿卡巴的法术会奏效，顿时从阿莉亚丝被困的脚与手臂之间失去了支撑，踉跄着摔倒在地。332
He scrambled to his feet, grabbing her about the knees, but the entity on the other side gained the advantage with a sudden tug.他赶忙爬起来，一把抱住她的双膝，但另一边的那个东西猛地一拽，顿时占了上风。333
Alias gave one last inhuman scream before her boots slid from the lizard’s grasp and she fell through the wall like sand in an hourglass.阿莉亚丝发出最后一声非人的尖叫，靴子从那蜥蜴手中滑脱，她像沙漏里的沙子一样穿墙坠了进去。334
The wall went completely opaque, and the sigils on Dragonbait’s chest ceased radiating light.墙壁彻底变得不透明了，龙饵胸前的符印也不再发光。335
The lizard and mage were left alone, bathed in the now-feeble, yellow glow of the finder’s stone.只剩蜥蜴人与法师留在那里，沐浴在探寻石如今微弱的黄光中。336
Dragonbait picked up the glowing crystal and struggled to his feet.龙饵捡起发光的水晶，挣扎着站起身来。337
Tears streamed down the lizard’s cheeks.泪水顺着那蜥蜴人的面颊滚滚而下。338
Akabar stared at the wall in disbelief.阿卡巴难以置信地盯着墙壁。339
He ran up to it and pounded on it with his fists.他冲上前去，挥拳猛砸墙面。340
“Give her back!” he screamed.“把她还回来！”他嘶声大喊。341
The string of curses he began issuing rang down the corridors and echoed back, drowning out the ones he finished with.他开始连珠炮似的咒骂，声音沿着走廊传去，又化作回声荡了回来，甚至盖过了他后面骂出口的话。342
The wall remained smooth and hard.墙壁依旧光滑而坚硬。343
If Dragonbait’s sword had only managed to scratch its surface, Akabar’s bare hands weren’t going to bring it down.既然龙饵的剑也只能在墙面上留下一道划痕，阿卡巴的赤手空拳就更不可能把它砸塌了。344
“You!” the mage growled, turning to the lizard.“你！”法师转向那蜥蜴，低吼道。345
“This is your fault.”“这都是你的错。346
He hurled his words like a mad monk throwing shurikens.他把一句句话狠狠掷出，如同发狂的僧侣投掷手里剑。347
They spun with poisonous, deadly precision, unconcerned whether or not they caused harm.那些话带着致命的毒意精准飞旋，根本不在乎是否会伤人。348
“She came here after you.“她是追着你才来到这里的。349
You should have held on to her.你本该抓紧她。350
You lost her.你把她弄丢了。351
We could have saved her, and you lost her.我们原本可以救她，可你把她弄丢了。352
What kind of accursed beast are you?你究竟是什么该死的畜生？353
Who pulls your strings?”是谁在背后操纵你？”354
With each accusation, the mage took a step toward the exhausted, grieving lizard until he had backed him against the wall and was standing over him nose to muzzle.法师每发出一句指控，便朝那只精疲力竭、悲痛欲绝的蜥蜴逼近一步，直到将他逼到墙边，居高临下地与他鼻吻相对。355
Akabar screeched at the top of his lungs, “Answer me or, I swear, I’ll wear your hide as sandals!”阿卡巴扯着嗓子尖叫：“回答我，否则我发誓，我要把你的皮剥下来做成凉鞋！”356
He reached down to grab the creature by the shoulders.他伸手去抓那生物的双肩。357
He never got the chance.可他根本没有机会。358
Dragonbait used the finder’s stone to smack the mage on the side of the head.龙饵抡起寻物石，猛击法师的侧脑。359
The Turmishman staggered back and stumbled over the lizard’s sword.图米什人踉跄着后退，被蜥蜴的剑绊倒了。360
Dragonbait walked up to the mage and bent over him to retrieve his sword.龙饵走到法师身旁，俯身捡回自己的剑。361
Standing, he snarled down on him.他站起身，俯视着法师低吼。362
His unblinking lizard eyes narrowed as the mage began to intone a short, deadly spell.法师开始吟诵一道简短而致命的法术时，他那双一眨不眨的蜥蜴眼睛眯了起来。363
The Turmishman’s spell and the lizard’s leap to attack him were both interrupted when the ground shifted beneath them.图米什人的法术和蜥蜴扑向他的攻击，都被脚下突然挪动的地面打断了。364
Akabar forgot his spell and Dragonbait sprawled across the floor.阿卡巴忘了自己的咒语，龙饵则摔趴在地板上。365
They both looked back at the wall.两人都回头望向那面墙。366
The blue glazing from the bricks began to crack and flake away.砖块表面的蓝色釉层开始龟裂、剥落。367
The lizard rolled away from the cascading shards of brickwork while the mage crab-crawled backward, keeping his eyes on the destruction.蜥蜴翻滚着躲开倾泻而下的砖块碎片，法师则像螃蟹般手脚并用地向后退，双眼始终盯着那片崩毁之处。368
The glazing sloughed completely off, the brick beneath crumbled to dust.釉层彻底剥落，下面的砖块也碎成了粉末。369
The red-colored mortar remained suspended in air for a moment and then crashed to the floor in a cloud of dust.红色的灰浆在空中悬停了片刻，随后轰然坠地，扬起一团尘雾。370
In the light of the finder’s stone, it looked to Akabar as if a second wall stood just beyond the first, only this wall was composed of garbage, rotted plants, and turned earth.借着寻觅石的光，阿卡巴看到第一堵墙后面似乎还立着一堵墙，只不过这堵墙是由垃圾、腐烂的植物和翻起的泥土构成的。371
And bound in the center of the wall was Alias, her eyes closed, her body still.阿莉亚丝被缚在墙中央，双眼紧闭，身体一动不动。372
Her arms and legs were pinioned beneath coverings of moss and moist plant roots.她的四肢被苔藓和湿漉漉的植物根须层层缠住，动弹不得。373
Beneath the wet lichen covering her right arm, the runes pulsed like an evil, blue heart.她右臂覆着湿润的地衣，下面的符文如一颗邪恶的蓝色心脏般搏动着。374
Akabar cried out, but Alias did not stir.阿卡巴大喊一声，但阿莉亚丝毫无反应。375
She was unconscious.她失去了知觉。376
Just above the warrior woman’s head, in the garbage wall, a human eye opened.就在女战士头顶上方，垃圾墙里睁开了一只人眼。377
Then, to the left of Alias’s head, a feline eye opened, followed by a third eye above that, as large, milky, and deep as a dragon’s. A fanged mouth opened to the right of Alias’s right hand.接着，阿莉亚丝头部左侧睁开了一只猫眼，随后它上方又睁开了第三只眼睛，那眼睛如龙眼一般巨大、浑白而深邃。 阿莉亚丝右手的右边张开了一张长满獠牙的嘴。378
A sharp hyena bark filled the room.一声尖厉的鬣狗吠叫响彻房间。379
Tendrils shot out from the base of the wall-thing, and with these it began to drag itself forward, a rotting juggernaut.一道道卷须从那墙状怪物的底部激射而出，它用这些卷须拖着自己向前移动，宛如一头腐烂的巨兽。380
More tendrils oozed from slime-dripping pores, wet and thick tendrils, ending in mouths filled with sharp fangs.更多卷须从滴淌黏液的孔洞中渗出；这些卷须湿滑粗壮，末端都长着塞满尖利獠牙的嘴。381
The mage scrambled through the spells he had memorized.法师慌忙在脑海中搜寻自己记熟的法术。382
All he could think to try was another magic missile.他唯一想得到的办法，就是再施放一发魔法飞弹。383
He was struggling to calm himself so that he could begin chanting when a scaly arm grabbed the collar of his robe and dragged him down the passage and around the bend.他正竭力让自己平静下来，好开始吟唱咒语，一条覆满鳞片的手臂却一把抓住他的法袍领口，将他拖下通道，拽过了拐角。384
Akabar jerked away from the lizard’s claws and knocked his arm away.阿卡巴猛地挣脱蜥蜴的爪子，一把打开了他的手臂。385
“Was this your plan, beast,” he spat, “to sacrifice her to that thing?”“这就是你的计划吗，畜生，”他恶狠狠地说道，“把她献祭给那东西？”386
Dragonbait’s face twisted into a deep scowl, and Akabar thought the lizard was going to hit him again.龙饵的脸扭曲成阴沉的怒容，阿卡巴以为这蜥蜴又要揍他了。387
Instead, he pointed around the corner, back toward the living wall.可龙饵只是指向拐角另一边，指向那堵活墙。388
It had become a wave of pungent rot.它已经化作一道散发着刺鼻腐臭的浪潮。389
Fresh green shoots sprouted over it, and it moved with surprising speed, already having lumbered over the spot where Akabar had been standing only a moment before.鲜绿的嫩芽从它全身冒出，它以惊人的速度移动着，已经轰隆隆地碾过阿卡巴片刻前站立的地方。390
New taproots shot out every second, and brownish slime oozed from beneath its flowing bottom.每一秒都有新的主根窜出，褐色黏液则从它流动的底部下方渗出。391
Alias remained asleep, entranced, trapped against its leading edge.阿莉亚丝依然沉睡不醒，仿佛中了迷咒，被困在它向前推进的边缘上。392
“So, you’ve saved me,” Akabar shrugged.“这么说，是你救了我。”阿卡巴耸了耸肩。393
“How do we get Alias back?”“我们怎么把阿莉亚丝救回来？”394
Dragonbait scowled again and pointed up.龙饵又皱起眉头，指了指上方。395
Akabar had no better plan, so he allowed himself to be tugged back through the passages, looking behind every few yards to see if the wall of slime was still following them.阿卡巴也想不出更好的办法，只得任由龙饵拽着他沿通道往回走；每走几码，他便回头看看那堵黏液之墙是否还跟着他们。396
It was.它还在跟着。397
The wall lumbered along like a mastodon, its bulk filling the corridor, oozing into different shapes to fit the narrower corridors.那堵墙像乳齿象般蹒跚前行，庞大的身躯塞满了走廊，又渗流着变换成不同的形状，以挤过较窄的通道。398
Its multiple mouths were babbling now, each inhuman throat finding its voice, wheezing through rotted pipes too long ignored.它那一张张嘴此刻都在含混不清地咿呀作声，每一副非人的喉咙都找到了自己的声音，仿佛从久遭弃置的腐朽管道中喘鸣而出。399
The mage and the lizard finally reached the secret door from the stairs into the garbage midden.法师和蜥蜴人终于来到那扇暗门前，它连接着楼梯与垃圾堆。400
The stench of human waste was strong, but fresher and more alive than the dead-rot that followed them.人类排泄物的恶臭十分浓烈，却比身后追来的腐尸气息更新鲜，也更有生气。401
The door had resumed whining, trying to overcome the rocks Alias had jammed in its path.那扇门又开始发出呜呜声，试图克服阿莉亚丝卡在它行进轨道上的石块。402
Dragonbait began kicking the stones away.龙饵开始把石块一块块踢开。403
“No!”“不！”404
Akabar shouted, trying to push him away.阿卡巴大喊着，试图把他推开。405
“You can’t do that!“你不能这么做！”406
She’ll be trapped in there with that thing!”“她会和那东西一起被困在里面的！”407
The lizard shoved him across the platform toward the stairs and kicked the last stone from the door’s path.蜥蜴人把他推过平台，推向楼梯，随后一脚踢开了挡在门前的最后一块石头。408
The mossy barrier slammed shut.长满苔藓的屏障砰然合拢。409
“What have you done?”“你干了什么？”410
Akabar screamed.阿卡巴尖声叫道。411
Suddenly, Akabar gasped, breathless.突然，阿卡巴喘息一声，透不过气来。412
Sharp pains laced through his chest like needles running beneath his skin.尖锐的疼痛如同在皮肤下穿行的针一般，贯穿了他的胸膛。413
His lungs labored for air.他的肺艰难地汲取着空气。414
Dragonbait pointed upward and began climbing the stairs.龙饵指了指上方，开始拾级而上。415
“Damn you!” the mage shouted up the steps from the platform.“该死的！”法师站在平台上，朝楼梯上方喊道。416
“I may be a greengrocer, but I know better than to abandon a friend!“我或许只是个菜贩，但我还不至于抛弃朋友！417
I’ll die before I abandon her to that thing, you coward.”我宁死也不会把她丢给那东西，你这个懦夫。”418
Directly behind him, the wall with the secret door exploded and the great, oozing mass surged into the pit.就在他身后，藏着暗门的墙轰然炸裂，那团不断渗淌的庞然巨物猛地涌入深坑。419
The stone platform began to collapse under its great weight, but the corruption cascaded downward still babbling from innumerable mouths.石台在它巨大的重量下开始坍塌，但那团腐化之物仍从无数张嘴里喋喋不休，倾泻而下。420
Now, the squealing cries were chanting in chorus.此刻，那些尖厉的叫声齐声吟诵起来。421
In voices ranging from frog piping to deep, resonant tongues as ancient as the great elven forests, the word repeated over and over was Moander.那些声音有的如青蛙般尖细，有的低沉洪亮，仿佛与古老的精灵森林同样久远；它们反反复复念着同一个词：莫安德。422
The Turmish mage blanched and fled up the stairs.那名图米什法师脸色煞白，沿着楼梯逃了上去。423
点句末的编号，从那一句开始听