“You really don’t know, do you?”“你当真不知道，是不是？”1
Moander asked with Akabar’s tongue.莫安德借阿卡巴之口问道。2
Carefully it rearranged the merchant-mage’s face.它小心翼翼地调整着商人法师的面容。3
Placing a hand against his cheek, it dropped his jaw, mimicking a look of extreme shock.它把一只手抵在他的脸颊上，拉低他的下巴，模仿出极度震惊的神情。4
“I don’t know what?”“我不知道什么？”5
Alias asked, but even as she spoke, some notion stirred deep within her consciousness like a serpent that had slumbered heavily and was only now rising, rising quickly to strike at unwary prey—her.阿莉亚丝问道，可就在她开口时，某个念头已在她的意识深处翻动起来，宛如一条沉睡已久、直到此刻才苏醒的蛇，迅速昂首，准备扑咬毫无戒备的猎物——她自己。6
“You carry my sign,” Moander said in Akabar’s cheeriest voice.“你身上带着我的印记。”莫安德用阿卡巴最欢快的声音说道。7
“And you have done me a great service, so I should return the favor.“而且你帮了我一个大忙，所以我也应该回报你。8
It will help pass the time, and, I think, upset you.”这既能打发时间，而且我想，还会让你心烦意乱。”9
“First, understand this,” Moander said, using the formal words of a southern scholar.“首先，你得明白这一点。”莫安德用南方学者的正式措辞说道。10
It pointed one of Akabar’s fingers at her face.它伸出阿卡巴的一根手指，指着她的脸。11
“You are a made thing, no different than a clay pot or a forged sword or some creeping bit of gunk in an alchemist’s lab.“你是被造出来的东西，和陶罐、锻剑，或炼金术士实验室里某团蠕动的黏糊玩意儿没有任何区别。12
Is that clear?”听明白了吗？”13
“I don’t belie—” Alias began, but the serpent notion sank its fangs deep into her heart.“我不相——”阿莉亚丝刚开口，那个蛇一般的念头便将毒牙深深刺进了她的心。14
Beneath the mossy blankets her branded sword arm responded with a sympathetic ache.在覆满苔藓的毯子下面，她那条烙有印记的持剑手臂也随之隐隐作痛。15
“Yes, you do believe me,” Moander insisted.“不，你确实相信我，”莫安德坚持道。16
“Now that I have told you, you cannot resist the truth.“既然我已经告诉了你，你就无法抗拒这个事实。17
Golem.魔像。18
Homonculous.人造小人。19
Simulacrum.仿造物。20
Clone.克隆体。21
Automaton.自动傀儡。22
All these things come close to describing what you are.这些东西都多少能描述你是什么。23
But not completely.但又不完全准确。24
You are a new thing, for the moment unique.你是一种新造之物，眼下举世无双。25
A fake human, but to all appearances the real thing.一个假人，却怎么看都与真人无异。26
You are an abomination cloaked in the manner and dress of the everyday.”你是个披着寻常举止与装束的可憎之物。”27
As a mage and scholar, Akabar would no doubt have recognized the words Moander used to describe her, but to Alias most of them were gibberish.身为法师兼学者，阿卡巴无疑能够听懂莫安德用来描述她的那些词，但对阿莉亚丝来说，其中大多数都不知所云。28
She had a notion they involved arcane rituals of the type that made her not only non-born, but inhuman as well.她隐约觉得，那些词都与某种秘法仪式有关；正是这类仪式使她不仅并非天生，而且也不再是人。29
“Now, know this,” it demanded.“现在，你要明白这一点，”它命令道。30
“Your spirit is enslaved in the prison of that body, and that body is a puppet.“你的灵魂被奴役在那具身体的牢笼里，而那具身体只是一具傀儡。31
A puppet made of meat, you might say, in much the same way as is the body I use to speak with you.”你可以说，那是具血肉制成的傀儡，与我用来同你说话的这具身体大致相同。”32
To dramatize its point, Moander lifted Akabar’s elbow into the air, leaving his forearm and hand to droop, and slouching his other shoulder downward so he resembled a marionette supported only by a single invisible thread.为了更形象地说明这一点，莫安德将阿卡巴的手肘抬到空中，任由他的小臂和手垂落，同时把另一边肩膀向下塌去，使他看起来像一具仅由一根无形丝线吊着的牵线木偶。33
Alias’s mouth opened and closed, but she could think of no retort.阿莉亚丝的嘴张了又合，却想不出一句反驳的话。34
Moander continued its lecture without acknowledging her distress.莫安德对她的痛苦视若无睹，继续说教。35
“Now, golems and automatons follow a set pattern, invested into their make-up at their creation.“魔像和自动傀儡会遵循一套固定模式，那是它们在被创造时便已编入其构造之中的。36
These patterns are usually very rigid, no more complicated than ‘guard this room,’ or ‘kill the first man to enter.’这些模式通常极为死板，无非是‘守住这个房间’，或是‘杀死第一个进来的人’之类的简单指令。37
Useless rot, entirely too limited.没用的废物，局限性太大。38
No creativity or resourcefulness or initiative.毫无创造力、应变能力或主动性。”39
“But you,” his tone lowered with pride, “you were built differently.“但你不一样，”他的声音低沉下来，透着一股自得，“你的构造方式与众不同。40
It took many hands to create you.创造你，需要许多人共同出力。41
My followers allied with mages, thieves and assassins, a daemon of great power, and … well, the other hardly matters.我的追随者与法师、盗贼和刺客联手，还有一个力量强大的魔族，以及……唔，另一个是谁几乎无关紧要。42
With your deceptive appearance you can allay suspicion and travel at will until you have fulfilled your patterns—traveled all the paths set before you.”凭借这副具有欺骗性的外表，你可以消除旁人的疑心，来去自如，直到你完成所有既定模式——走完为你铺设的每一条道路。”43
“Paths?” said Alias.“道路？”阿莉亚丝说道。44
Her chest felt tight, as though she were being crushed by the mad god’s words.她胸口发紧，仿佛正被那疯神的话一点点压垮。45
Each claim it made struck a resonant chord inside her, leaving her unable to deny what the god said.它的每一句断言都在她心中激起共鸣，使她无法否认那神所说的话。46
She choked back her screams, determined not to show this monster her helpless rage.她拼命忍住尖叫，决意不让这个怪物看出她那无助的愤怒。47
“Yes, paths or patterns, whose eventual outcome will be the accomplishment of some goal set by each of your makers.“不错，道路，或者说模式；每一种模式最终都会让你完成某位创造者为你设定的目标。48
Rather than simply issue you some rigid order, we set you on a course whereupon you would achieve these goals without knowing what they were, or even, once they were achieved, that you had done so.我们没有简单地给你下达某种死板的命令，而是让你踏上一条既定的道路，使你在不知道目标是什么的情况下达成它们，甚至在目标已经达成之后，你也不知道那是自己所为。49
You could commit theft, espionage, sabotage, murder, and never know why or for whom, not always remembering, other times believing it to have been your own idea.”你可以犯下盗窃、刺探、破坏乃至谋杀，却永远不知道缘由，也不知道是为谁效力；有时事后毫无记忆，有时则会以为那原本就是你自己的主意。”50
They’ve made me a damned thing, Alias thought, like the bowl that carries poison or the sword that deals a death blow.他们把我变成了一件该死的东西，阿莉亚丝心想，就像盛放毒药的碗，或是挥出致命一击的剑。51
She pressed her nails into her palms and once again began breathing too fast.她把指甲深深掐进掌心，呼吸再次变得急促起来。52
“The goal set for you by my last few followers was to seek my prison and release my Abomination form so that my spirit could return to this world.“我最后那几个追随者为你设定的目标，就是寻找囚禁我的地方，释放我的憎恶体形态，好让我的灵魂重返这个世界。53
It was my life energy, summoned and collected by my followers, that brought you to life, you see, so that you, the non-born child, could free me.”你要明白，正是我的追随者召唤并收集起来的生命能量赋予了你生命，好让你这个未经出生的孩子能够释放我。”54
“I’m not a child,” Alias snapped.“我不是孩子。”阿莉亚丝厉声说道。55
“But, of course you are.“可你当然是。56
It was the first day of Mirtul when my followers summoned my life energy and you began breathing.米尔图月第一天，我的追随者召唤出我的生命能量，而你也在那一刻开始呼吸。57
Only a month and a few days.至今不过一个月零几天。58
So you see, you are but a child.所以你看，你还只是个孩子。59
Yet even so, you are my greatest servant, my liberator, an honor many before you have died for.可即便如此，你仍是我最伟大的仆从，是解放我的人——在你之前，已有许多人为了这份荣耀献出了生命。”60
“At first, when the lizard arrived, I nearly perished with despair.“起初，那只蜥蜴到来时，我几乎绝望得要死。61
(Well, not really, just a figure of speech.)（好吧，其实也没那么严重，只是个比喻。）62
When I saw his markings and sensed his determination to pass through the wall, I thought he was you.当我看见他身上的斑纹，又感觉到他决意穿过那面墙时，我还以为他就是你。63
I sucked his life energy nearly dry trying to pull him through the wall.为了把他拉过那面墙，我几乎吸干了他的生命能量。64
But I suppose being hatched counted as being born to the cursed elves who imprisoned me.不过我想，对那些囚禁我的该死精灵而言，孵化出壳大概也算出生。65
He could not pass through the wall, and hence he could not help me pass through it.他无法穿过那面墙，因此也无法帮助我穿过去。66
I thought all my plans had failed utterly.”我以为我的所有计划都彻底失败了。”67
Akabar tilted his head, an action Alias suspected was Moander’s way of sifting through the mage’s mind.阿卡巴歪了歪头，阿莉亚丝猜想，这是莫安德梳理那名法师思绪的方式。68
The gray swirls in his eyes thickened and circled more quickly.他眼中的灰色旋涡变得更加浓重，旋转得也更快了。69
“Of course.“当然。70
That’s what the saurial was doing there.原来那个蜥蜴人当时是在做这件事。71
Omniscient gods, indeed.还真是‘无所不知’的神明啊。72
Your magical friend has figured it out for me.你的法师朋友已经替我想明白了。73
He really is so amazingly useful.他实在有用得惊人。74
The last step in your manufacture was never completed.制造你的最后一道工序从未完成。75
It required the blood sacrifice of a pure soul to secure the shackles on your spirit.那道工序需要以一个纯洁灵魂的鲜血为祭，才能锁牢你灵魂上的镣铐。76
Those bumblers down in Westgate chose the saurial, got careless and let it escape, and it took you with it.西门城那帮笨手笨脚的家伙选中了那个蜥蜴人，却一时大意让他逃了，还让他把你也一起带走了。77
You’ve been wandering around ever since, a great spell primed to explode, requiring only the last enabling component—the death of the saurial.从那以后，你就一直四处游荡，如同一道蓄势待发的强大法术，只差最后一个启动要素便会爆发——那个蜥蜴人的死亡。78
Those incompetent idiots!那群无能的蠢货！79
I can tell mankind needs me desperately.”我看得出来，人类迫切需要我。”80
“Saurial?”“蜥蜴人？”81
Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。82
She was not certain who Moander meant, but she had an uncomfortable suspicion.她不确定莫安德指的是谁，心里却隐隐有了一个令她不安的猜测。83
“The lizard your mage friend thinks of as Dragonbait.“就是你的法师朋友称作龙饵的那只蜥蜴。84
The creature was marked, just like you were.那生物也被打上了印记，和你一样。85
That explains what it was doing trying to pass through the elven wall that imprisoned my body.这就解释了它为什么会试图穿过那道囚禁着我躯体的精灵之墙。86
The saurial was following your patterns.那个蜥人一直循着你的印记。87
And you’ve been able to draw on its independence, because the two of you are linked until its death.而且你一直能借用它的独立意志，因为在它死去之前，你们两个始终彼此相连。88
But don’t worry, we’ll take care of that shortly.”不过别担心，我们很快就会处理掉它。”89
Another wave of anger swept over Alias, anger now mixed with anguish.又一股怒火席卷了阿莉亚丝，此刻其中还夹杂着痛苦。90
Then I’ll be damned for sure.那么，我肯定要下地狱了。91
Something created by the evil sacrifice of my friend.一个由邪恶献祭我的朋友而造出的东西。92
Of my friends, she amended, realizing that not only Dragonbait’s life was forfeit.是我的朋友们，她在心里纠正道，因为她意识到，要被牺牲的并不只有龙饵的性命。93
Akabar was almost as good as dead.阿卡巴也几乎等同于死了。94
I’m not even human, she thought.我甚至都不是人类，她想。95
I had no right to their aid and friendship, and now I’ve doomed them.我根本无权接受他们的帮助和友谊，如今却害得他们厄运临头。96
“Oh, Akabar,” she whispered to his body, hoping some part of his mind was aware of what she said.“哦，阿卡巴，”她对着他的身体低声说道，希望他的意识中还有某个部分能听见她的话。97
“I’m so sorry.“真的很对不起。98
I should never have let you get into this mess.”我根本就不该让你卷进这场祸事。”99
But if the mage could hear her, he gave no indication.但即使这位法师能听见，也没有流露出任何迹象。100
Moander’s control over him was complete, and at the moment Moander wasn’t even paying attention to her.莫安德已经完全控制了他，而此刻莫安德甚至没有留意她。101
The god was using Akabar’s form to stare at the line of trees that they were fast approaching.这位神正借阿卡巴的双眼凝视着他们迅速逼近的那排树木。102
Already the mound of refuse, now quite dusty and grass covered from its passage through the plains, was pitching and weaving from running over small trees and bushes near the edge of the prairie.那座垃圾堆穿越平原后，如今已是尘土蒙蒙、杂草遍布；此刻它正碾过草原边缘的小树和灌木，一路颠簸摇摆。103
As it engulfed and absorbed this green matter, the Abomination grew into a small hill, already as high as the trees on the fringes of the Elven Wood.随着它吞没并吸收这些绿色草木，憎恶体膨胀成了一座小山，已经与精灵森林边缘的树木一般高。104
Apparently satisfied that the Abomination could control the forest, Moander used Akabar to return his attention to his prisoner.莫安德显然认定憎恶体足以掌控森林，便借阿卡巴之身重新把注意力转向他的俘虏。105
“The most amazing thing is that, despite your premature debut into society, most of your patterns still held.“最令人惊奇的是，尽管你过早踏入了这个世界，你身上的大多数行为模式依然有效。106
You attacked a man who sounded like the king of Cormyr, no doubt a goal of the Fire Knives.你袭击了一个声音酷似科米尔国王的人，这无疑是火刀会的目标。107
And then you came all the way north, just to free me.”然后你一路北上，只为解救我。”108
Akabar’s finger stroked her cheek.阿卡巴的手指抚过她的脸颊。109
“When you are returned and fully tamed, you will be my perfect servant.”“等你被送回去，彻底驯服之后，你将成为我最完美的仆人。”110
Alias kicked and struggled futilely in her bindings.阿莉亚丝又踢又挣，却怎么也挣不脱束缚。111
She knew she could not escape, but like a bird beating against the bars of a cage, instinct made her frantic.她知道自己逃不了，可就像一只扑打笼栏的鸟，本能令她陷入了疯狂。112
What Moander suggested was worse than slavery.莫安德所暗示的命运比沦为奴隶还要可怕。113
The god and its followers and allies would turn her into an unthinking mechanism, with only the illusion of life and the sketchy memories of some woman.这个神和他的追随者与盟友会把她变成一具没有思想的机关，只留下生命的假象，以及某个女人模糊零碎的记忆。114
Where had they gotten the history she thought had been hers?他们究竟是从哪里弄来那段她一直以为属于自己的身世？115
Fairy tales?童话故事吗？116
Or was there an original Alias who lived her life before, then died to become her?又或者，世上曾有过一个真正的阿莉亚丝，先活完了她的一生，随后死去，变成了现在的她？117
Alias stared at the vine-draped form of Akabar, and oddly enough, the crudeness of the god’s method of control soothed her anguish and helped her regain her composure.阿莉亚丝凝视着藤蔓缠身的阿卡巴；说来也怪，那个神粗陋的控制手段竟缓解了她的痛苦，令她重新镇定下来。118
Moander could never have created me, she thought.莫安德绝不可能创造出我，她想。119
Neither could the blundering Fire Knives, not even with the help of the mages who created the kalmari and the crystal elemental.笨手笨脚的火刀会也不可能，就算有那些创造了卡尔马里和水晶元素的法师相助也一样。120
They’re all quite powerful, but despite all their claims, none of them could have made my mind or my spirit or my personality.他们全都力量强大，但无论他们如何声称，也没有谁能创造出我的心智、我的灵魂或我的个性。121
She shoved back the horrible weight of evidence.她强行推开那些可怕证据带来的沉重压力。122
The Abomination is lying, she decided.憎恶体在撒谎，她断定。123
After all, isn’t that what abominations do best?毕竟，撒谎不正是憎恶体最擅长的事吗？124
When she had ceased struggling again, Moander continued.她再次停止挣扎后，莫安德继续说道。125
“Telling you all this has been most amusing.“告诉你这一切，实在太有趣了。126
The news makes you unhappy, doesn’t it?这个消息让你很不开心，对不对？127
Of course, the others will want to purge your memory of everything I’ve said.当然，其他人会想把我说过的一切都从你的记忆中清除。128
After all, the best assassin is one who does not know she is a weapon, since she, or you, could then withstand all manner of telepathic prying.毕竟，最出色的刺客并不知道自己是一件武器，因为这样一来，她——或者说你——就能经受住各种心灵窥探。129
You do not register as a constructed creature, and after the sacrifice of the saurial, the runes on your limb will be hidden from view so that no one, not even you, will ever suspect your … eh?你不会被察觉是人造生物，而等那个蜥蜴人献祭之后，你肢体上的符文也会被遮住，谁都看不见，所以永远不会有人怀疑你的……呃？130
What’s that?”那是什么？”131
They reached the tree line, and Moander’s now fungous form began uprooting the nearest trees, plowing them under and adding their mass to its own.他们抵达树林边缘时，莫安德如今这具真菌般的躯体开始将附近的树木连根拔起，碾压吞没，把它们的体量纳入自身。132
But what drew the attention of the god was the huge shadow that blocked the high-noon sun. Akabar’s head jerked upward just as a bolt of fire shot from the heart of the darkness.然而，引起这位神祇注意的，是那片遮住正午烈日的巨大阴影。就在一道火焰从黑暗中心激射而出的同时，阿卡巴猛地抬起了头。133
The flame tore a huge gouge in the mound’s side, instantly igniting the fresh timber Moander had recently accumulated.火焰在那座巨丘侧面撕开一道巨大的沟壑，瞬间点燃了莫安德不久前刚刚吸收的新鲜木料。134
Akabar screamed and pitched forward into muck next to Alias.阿卡巴惨叫一声，向前栽倒在阿莉亚丝身旁的烂泥里。135
His cry was joined by a chorus of hundreds of fanged mouths which suddenly opened in the mucky hillside, all piping the same horrendous scream.泥泞的山坡上骤然张开数百张长着尖牙的嘴，与他的叫声汇成一片，齐声发出同样可怖的尖啸。136
Alias gagged on the smell of the smoke from burning offal.燃烧的内脏散发出的烟味呛得阿莉亚丝一阵干呕。137
The shadow dove below the tree line for a moment and then circled back.那片阴影一度俯冲到树梢线以下，随后又盘旋折返。138
Now able to watch it without the sun in her eyes, Alias could tell that the shadow was a dragon—one of the great red wyrms reputed to haunt the north country.此刻没了阳光刺眼，阿莉亚丝终于看清，那片阴影是一条龙——传说中出没于北方地区的巨型红龙之一。139
As it closed in for its second attack, the swordswoman spotted two riders mounted atop the beast, one on its head, the other a greenish lump between its wings.那头巨兽逼近，准备发动第二次攻击时，女剑士看见它背上骑着两个人，一个骑在它头顶，另一个则像团绿乎乎的东西，伏在它双翼之间。140
It can’t be.不可能。141
Can it?真的是他们吗？142
Alias wondered, not daring to believe her eyes.阿莉亚丝心中暗想，简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。143
But they saw true.可她的眼睛没有骗她。144
Her friends rode atop the red dragon, and the red dragon looked strangely familiar.她的朋友们正骑在那条红龙背上，而那条红龙看起来也有种异样的熟悉感。145
“Here comes the rescue party!” shouted the high, childlike voice of Olive Ruskettle, as Mist dropped down to strafe the Abomination yet again.“援兵来啦！”米斯特再次俯冲下来扫射憎恶体时，奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔用她那高亢而稚嫩的嗓音喊道。146
Akabar stood up again and focused on the dragon.阿卡巴再次站起身来，将注意力集中在巨龙身上。147
His eyes glowed a burning coal white, though his face wore a calm, deadened expression.他的双眼闪着燃煤般炽白的光，脸上却是一副平静而麻木的神情。148
From the mage’s mouth came a low-pitched muttering interspersed with the sharp gutturals and clicks of magic words summoning power to the speaker.法师口中响起低沉的喃喃念诵，间或夹杂着尖锐的喉音和咔嗒声——那是召来力量、为施法者所用的魔法词句。149
Alias tried to kick at Akabar’s form, hoping to knock him from the mound or at least spoil his spell, but the Abomination had not been so wounded that it loosened its tight hold on her.阿莉亚丝试图踢中阿卡巴，希望把他踹下土丘，至少也能扰乱他的法术，但憎恶体伤得还没重到会松开对她的紧紧钳制。150
Her struggles were useless.她的挣扎毫无用处。151
The mage’s body wheeled about, keeping the dragon in view just as she began making her second pass.法师的身体随之转动，始终把巨龙保持在视野之中；此时，她正开始第二次俯冲。152
A blinding flash of energy sprang from Akabar’s fingertip and caught the wyrm in the belly.一道刺眼的能量闪光从阿卡巴指尖迸出，击中了巨龙腹部。153
The dragon jerked her head back and bellowed, almost knocking Ruskettle from her head.巨龙猛地仰起头，发出一声咆哮，险些把拉斯凯特尔从头顶甩下去。154
At the same time, great vines shot up from the surface of the Abomination, with great force as if fired from concealed ballistae.与此同时，粗大的藤蔓从憎恶体表面猛然蹿起，力道之强，仿佛是由暗藏的弩炮发射出来的。155
At the ends of the vines rode the decaying forms of the Red Plume mercenaries whom Moander had consumed.藤蔓末端载着被莫安德吞噬的红羽佣兵们正在腐烂的躯体。156
Some still wielded their weapons, while others tried to grapple the dragon’s with their bare hands.有些尸体手中仍挥舞着武器，另一些则试图赤手空拳抓住巨龙。157
Most of the arching vines fell short of their mark, and the sickening thuds of dead flesh hitting hard ground sounded through the forest.大多数划着弧线飞起的藤蔓都没能触及目标，死肉撞上坚硬地面的恶心闷响传遍了森林。158
Two vines succeeded in entangling the dragon, one in the middle of the neck, the other near the base of the right wing.两根藤蔓成功缠住了巨龙，一根缠在脖颈中段，另一根缠在右翼根部附近。159
Akabar muttered another spell, and a trio of magic missiles sizzled through the sky with unerring precision, striking the purplish plates over the beast’s heart.阿卡巴又喃喃念出一道法术，三枚魔法飞弹嘶嘶作响地掠过天空，分毫不差地击中了怪兽心脏上方的紫色甲片。160
The former Red Plumes closed on the dragon’s passengers as the tendrils they had ridden upward spun about the beast like spider’s silk entrapping a fly.那些昔日的红羽佣兵逼近巨龙背上的乘客，而载着他们升空的卷须则像困住苍蝇的蛛丝一样，一圈圈缠上巨兽。161
Dragonbait skewered the man approaching him.龙饵一剑刺穿了向他逼近的男人。162
The god-possessed corpse thrust itself farther onto the lizard’s sword and grabbed at Dragonbait’s shoulders, attempting to knock him off balance.那具被神祇附体的尸体任由蜥蜴人的剑刺得更深，同时伸手抓向龙饵的肩膀，企图令他失去平衡。163
Dragonbait lashed out with a powerful kick, removing his sword, and sending the corpse spiraling down to the ground.龙饵猛力一脚踹出，顺势抽回长剑，将尸体踢得旋转着坠向地面。164
The lizard chopped loose the vine entangling the dragon’s wing.蜥蜴人挥剑斩断了缠住巨龙翅膀的藤蔓。165
The dead man that had arrived on the vine about Mist’s neck crawled toward the halfling.那个乘着缠绕米斯特脖颈的藤蔓而来的死人，朝半身人爬去。166
The vine began dragging the dragon closer to the mound of refuse.藤蔓开始把巨龙拖向那座垃圾堆成的土丘。167
Mist bucked, almost dislodging her passengers, but did not succeed at tearing the binding about her throat.米斯特猛力腾跃，险些将背上的乘客甩落，却没能挣断勒住她喉咙的束缚。168
With her wings she began sweeping the air before her in great gusts.她开始扇动双翼，在身前掀起一阵阵猛烈的狂风。169
The loose matter atop Moander spun away in a whirlwind of stinking rot, and the puppet Akabar was driven to his knees, the spell in his throat spoiled by the assault.莫安德顶部松散的物质在一股恶臭腐物的旋风中四散飞去，傀儡阿卡巴也被狂风压得跪倒在地，喉中的咒语被这番冲击打断。170
More tendrils trailed up the single, thick root that bound the dragon like a hangman’s noose.更多卷须沿着那根如绞索般勒住巨龙的粗大藤根向上攀来。171
Moander turned Akabar’s body around to face Alias.莫安德操纵阿卡巴的身体转过身来，面对阿莉亚丝。172
“Say good-bye to this puppet, servant,” Akabar’s voice instructed.“向这个傀儡道别吧，仆人。”阿卡巴的声音命令道。173
“I can afford to lose this tool, but not you.”“我损失得起这件工具，却不能失去你。”174
The mossy ground began to rise around Alias, as the supporting roots beneath her withdrew.阿莉亚丝脚下起支撑作用的根须纷纷抽离，长满苔藓的地面开始在她四周隆起。175
She struggled as she sank into the heart of Moander.她一边挣扎，一边沉入莫安德的腹地。176
She screamed when the leaves and rotting fungus began covering her, but another porous, spongy mat of moss covered her mouth.树叶和腐烂的菌类开始将她掩埋，她尖叫起来，但另一层多孔而松软的苔藓覆住了她的嘴。177
She gasped for air and pungently scented vapors flowed into her lungs.她大口喘息，气味刺鼻的蒸气涌入了她的肺里。178
Within moments she was asleep.片刻之后，她便沉沉睡去。179
Dragonbait, alerted by the warrior woman’s shout, and seeing that she would soon be beyond reach, leaped from the dragon’s back.龙饵听见女战士的呼喊，又见她很快就要落到无法触及之处，便从巨龙背上一跃而下。180
Fifty feet separated the dragon from the oozing god, and a number of fanged mouths at the end of tendrils had finished their snaking climb up the tether about the great wyrm’s neck.巨龙与那尊渗着黏液的神祇相隔五十英尺；数条卷须末端长着尖牙的嘴已经沿着缚住巨龙脖颈的根索蜿蜒爬了上来。181
Olive was trying to fend off these horrid little maws and dodge past the rotting soldier’s corpse that blocked her attempts to cut the tether.奥利芙一边竭力抵挡这些骇人的小嘴，一边设法绕过那具腐烂的士兵尸体；尸体挡住了她，让她无法割断根索。182
A fall from fifty feet to hard ground would have snapped even Dragonbait’s legs, but where he landed on Moander, over the spot where Alias had disappeared, all was soft muck.从五十英尺高处摔到坚硬的地面上，就连龙饵也会摔断双腿；但他落在莫安德身上，正是阿莉亚丝消失的地方，那里尽是松软的烂泥。183
Akabar turned to face him, but hesitated for a moment.阿卡巴转身面对他，却迟疑了片刻。184
Tendrils were already beginning to twist upward to ensnare the lizard-creature.卷须已经开始向上盘绕，想要缠住这个蜥蜴般的生物。185
Akabar spat out the guttural words of another spell.阿卡巴吐出另一道法术的低沉咒语。186
Unaccountably the spell dissolved, but Moander did not waste energy registering its confusion on Akabar’s face.不知为何，法术自行消散了，但莫安德并未浪费精力，让困惑之色显现在阿卡巴脸上。187
The tendrils wrapping around the lizard hesitated, unsure about attacking the creature with the same markings as their valued prisoner.缠向那蜥蜴生物的卷须犹豫起来，拿不准是否该攻击这个身上有着与它们珍视的俘虏相同印记的生物。188
Without Moander’s command, they were unable to come to any conclusion, and Moander’s attention was elsewhere.没有莫安德的命令，它们无法作出决定，而莫安德的注意力正在别处。189
Meanwhile, the bard was losing her battle at the dragon’s head.与此同时，吟游诗人在巨龙头顶的战斗中正渐渐落败。190
The mouths had succeeded in taking several little bites out of her, she could not get past the corpse of the Red Plume mercenary, and Moander continued drawing in the great flying wyrm with a slow, inexhaustible force.那些嘴已经成功从她身上咬下了好几小块肉；她绕不过那名红羽佣兵的尸体，而莫安德仍以缓慢却无穷无尽的力量将那条会飞的巨龙拉向自己。191
Already the distance between dragon and god had been halved, and white flecks of spittle dotted the dragon’s lower whiskers.巨龙与神祇之间的距离已经缩短了一半，巨龙下颌的须髯上也沾满了星星点点的白色唾沫。192
Olive was reminded of halfling children fishing for bats with light, durable twine and live moths as bait.这让奥利芙想起半身人孩子用轻巧结实的细线钓蝙蝠的情景，活蛾子就是他们的诱饵。193
For some fool reason, this halfling is on the bat’s side, she thought, even though the bat is losing.不知犯了什么傻，这个半身人居然站在蝙蝠一边，她心想，尽管蝙蝠眼看就要输了。194
Mist twisted her head so that her chin rested along the thickening vine.米斯特扭过头，将下巴搁在那根不断变粗的藤蔓上。195
Opportunistic tendrils immediately laced themselves into the dragon’s whiskers, then began trying to crawl into the wyrm’s mouth to suffocate her.那些伺机而动的卷须立刻钻进巨龙的须髯，交错缠绕起来，随后又试图爬进巨龙嘴里，将她活活闷死。196
Dragonbait faced the possessed Akabar.龙饵面对着被附身的阿卡巴。197
A sea of tendrils ebbed and flowed around the lizard, still waiting for Moander to direct them, but Moander’s mind was fully occupied with controlling Akabar and dealing with the dragon.触须如潮水般在蜥蜴人周围起伏涌动，仍等着莫安德驱使；但莫安德一心都扑在控制阿卡巴和对付巨龙上。198
Rivulets of sweat poured from the mage’s face, and his robes were drenched and rotting from his contact with Moander’s innards.汗水从法师脸上汩汩淌下，他的长袍也因接触莫安德的内脏而湿透腐烂。199
His head tilted to the right as Moander sorted through his thoughts for a way the mage might deal with the lizard.他的头向右一歪——莫安德正在翻检他的思绪，寻找能让这法师对付蜥蜴人的办法。200
But there was only one weapon left in Akabar’s repertoire.然而，阿卡巴能使的武器只剩下一件。201
The mage’s hand drew out his curved dagger.法师伸手拔出了弯刀。202
“Kill me, or die yourself,” Moander challenged with Akabar’s voice, now a gasping death-rattle.“杀了我，否则你自己就得死。”莫安德用阿卡巴的声音挑衅道，那声音如今已成了濒死的喘息嘶鸣。203
“You lose in either case, don’t you, pure one?”“不管怎样你都输了，不是吗，纯洁者？”204
Dragonbait crouched, then leaped, using his overlong sword as a vaulting pole.龙饵蹲下身，随即以那柄过长的剑作撑杆，纵身跃起。205
As he sailed over the mage’s head, Akabar’s dagger caught in the side of his leg and remained there, twisting out of its wielder’s hand.他从法师头顶飞掠而过时，阿卡巴的弯刀扎进了他的腿侧，留在了那里，同时从持刀者手中拧脱。206
Wounded, the lizard made a sloppy landing.蜥蜴人负了伤，落地时踉踉跄跄。207
The scaly flesh around his eyes crinkled in pain, but he spun his oddly shaped, toothed sword over his head and sliced at Akabar from behind.他眼周的鳞肉因疼痛而皱紧，但他仍将那柄形状奇特、带有锯齿的剑抡过头顶，从背后劈向阿卡巴。208
The outer diamond tip of his sword struck at the back of the mage’s neck right where the sucker-tendrils clustered in a main bundle before they trailed back in a thick vine to Moander’s heart.长剑外侧的菱形剑尖击中了法师后颈，那里正是吸盘触须聚成主束之处；这束触须随后汇入一根粗藤，一路连回莫安德的心脏。209
Most of the cluster was severed neatly without a scratch on the mage’s scalp.那簇触须大半被利落斩断，法师的头皮却连一道划痕也没有。210
Dragonbait put his foot against Akabar’s back to keep him in place and yanked the remaining vine-bundle from Akabar’s head.龙饵一脚抵住阿卡巴的背，不让他移动，随后将剩余的藤束从阿卡巴头上猛扯下来。211
Just then, Mist breathed a mighty exhalation of flame and brimstone that caused her belly to flex deeply inward.就在这时，米斯特猛然喷出一大口烈焰与硫黄，腹部因此深深凹陷下去。212
The fire traveled down the side of the tether about her neck and turned the side of the god into a jungle inferno.火焰顺着缠在她颈间的系藤一侧向下蔓延，将这神祇的一侧化作烈焰肆虐的丛林。213
The wet vegetable flesh alighted again, and the outer layers of the snare vine were reduced to ash.湿漉漉的植物血肉再次燃起，缚藤的外层顷刻化为灰烬。214
Akabar’s and Moander’s mouths screamed, but their voices were no longer in hellish synchrony.阿卡巴与莫安德的嘴同时发出尖叫，但他们的声音已不再以地狱般的节奏同步。215
They were separate entities.他们已经成了彼此分离的两个存在。216
Akabar fell to his knees, gasping, his hands clutching the wounds made from the sucker that had been ripped away.阿卡巴跪倒在地，大口喘息，双手捂着吸盘被扯走后留下的伤口。217
The tendrils surrounding him and Dragonbait wavered and then closed in.围绕着他与龙饵的触须摇摆了一阵，随即向他们合拢。218
The lizard grabbed the mage by the arm and yanked him to his feet.蜥蜴人一把抓住法师的胳膊，将他猛拽起来。219
He lopped off a few more tendrils on the living mound, tugged the mage with him, and jumped.他又砍断活体巨丘上的几根触须，拽着法师一起纵身跃起。220
Warrior and Turmishman tumbled down the slope, resisting the impulse to stop their fall by grabbing hold of the overhanging vines and tree stumps that stood out from Moander’s lower flanks.战士和图米什人翻滚着摔下斜坡，强忍住不去抓那些从莫安德下侧伸出的垂藤和树桩，以免借此止住坠势。221
They fell in a heap at the base of the monster.两人在怪物脚下摔作一团。222
Moander burned and crackled.莫安德燃烧着，噼啪作响。223
Plumes of acrid smoke billowed up from his body.一股股刺鼻的浓烟从他身上滚滚升起。224
Moander tired of this battle—it was dangerously exhausting his life energies.莫安德厌倦了这场战斗——这场战斗正危险地耗尽他的生命能量。225
The Abomination desired a retreat, but if he loosed the dragon, the beast might yet find the strength to breathe again and destroy the god’s earthly form.憎恶体想要撤退，但若是放开巨龙，那头野兽或许还能找回喷吐龙息的力气，摧毁这位神祇在尘世的形体。226
The tendril snaring the dragon was almost burned through.缠住巨龙的藤蔓几乎已经被烧断。227
Moander had to damage the wyrm first, and damage her badly.莫安德必须先重创这条巨龙，而且要让她伤得极重。228
The god played out an additional length of the tether vine.这位神祇又放出了一截作为缆绳的藤蔓。229
Mist felt the line slacken and, believing in her exhaustion that the line had finally broken, pulled back with a frantic beat of her wings.米斯特感觉缆绳一松，精疲力竭之下以为它终于断了，便疯狂地拍打翅膀向后挣去。230
She succeeded in snapping the line even more taut.结果，她反而把缆绳绷得更紧了。231
Moander gave one last great pull, and the weakened vine snapped apart.莫安德最后猛拽了一下，已经脆弱不堪的藤蔓应声断裂。232
Mist, with the halfling clutching for dear life to her ears, pitched over backward and crashed among the trees.米斯特向后翻倒，一头撞进树林里；那名半身人则死死揪住她的双耳保命。233
The huge god-hill, burning and mostly blind, shifted one way then another before plunging deeper into the forest.那座庞大的神祇之丘燃烧着，几乎什么也看不见，先朝一边挪动，又转向另一边，随后一头扎进森林深处。234
Smaller trees were plowed underneath, but now Moander flowed between the larger trees, unable to snap them.较小的树木被碾在身下，但莫安德此刻只能从大树之间流过，无法将它们折断。235
Dragonbait pulled Akabar from the Abomination’s path.龙饵把阿卡巴拖离了憎恶体前进的路线。236
The mage oozed blood in scarlet ponds from half-a-dozen shallow head wounds.法师头上六处浅浅的伤口不断渗出鲜血，在地上积成一摊摊猩红的血泊。237
He moaned softly and began to cry.他低声呻吟起来，随即哭了。238
Dragonbait pulled the mage’s curved dagger from his scaly calf and examined the gash.龙饵从自己覆着鳞片的小腿上拔出法师的弯匕首，查看那道裂伤。239
His hands glowed softly in the dim woods, and the cut grew less deep but did not close completely.昏暗的树林中，他的双手泛起柔和的光芒；伤口随之变浅，却没有完全愈合。240
His healing ability exhausted, Dragonbait tore his ragged new shirt in two to use as bandages.治疗能力已经耗尽，龙饵便把身上那件崭新却已破烂不堪的衬衫撕成两半，用来充作绷带。241
Akabar sat in a shocked silence as the lizard bound his head wounds.蜥蜴为阿卡巴包扎头上的伤口时，他只是惊愕地坐在那里，一声不吭。242
He did not respond to the warrior’s touch or his tug on his robes or his prodding.无论战士碰他、扯他的长袍，还是推搡他，他都毫无反应。243
He would not move.他就是不肯动。244
Dragonbait slung his sword over his shoulders, hefted the Turmishman in both his arms as if he were a child, and began moving in the direction of the dragon’s crash.龙饵把剑挎到肩上，双臂抱起图米什人，仿佛他只是个孩子，随后朝巨龙坠落的方向走去。245
The time had come to regroup his forces, such as they were.是时候重新集结他手头那点兵力了——姑且算得上兵力的话。246
点句末的编号，从那一句开始听