Song of the Saurials

“Hear what you’ve denied the Realms, what you’ve denied yourselves,” the prisoner muttered as he raised the chordal horn to his lips.“听听你们不肯给予诸界、不肯给予自己的东西吧。”囚犯低声说道，将和弦号角举到唇边。His breath flowed through the instrument’s chambers with the steady force of a trade wind, and his fingers danced gracefully over the horn’s holes and keys.他的气息以信风般稳定的力道流过乐器的各个音腔，手指则轻盈地飞舞于号角的音孔与按键之上。Sweet music filled the prison cell, slipped through the iron bars set in the cell door, swirled down the hallways of the Tower of Ashaba, and entered, unbidden, into the courtroom.美妙的乐声充满牢房，穿过牢门上的铁栅，沿阿沙巴塔的走廊盘旋而下，又不请自来地飘进了审判庭。

The tune echoed along the bare stone walls of the chamber and danced about the Harpers’ courtroom.曲调在厅堂光秃秃的石墙间回荡，翩然萦绕于竖琴手同盟的审判庭中。There, seated at a table before a tribunal of three Harpers, sat Elminster the Sage, about to offer his own counsel concerning the prisoner.智者伊尔明斯特正坐在三名竖琴手同盟成员组成的审判席前，准备就那名囚犯提出自己的意见。Elminster paused before beginning his opening statement and closed his eyes to listen to the tune.伊尔明斯特没有立即开始陈词，而是闭上眼睛，聆听那支曲子。It took him only a moment to catch the gist of the spell it was meant to weave.他只花了片刻，便领会了曲中意图编织的法术大意。Ah, Nameless, will ye never change? he thought.唉，无名者，你就永远不肯改吗？他心想。A penitent man would plead for his freedom, a righteous man demand it.悔罪之人会恳求自由，正直之人会要求自由。Is seduction all ye knowest?难道你只懂得诱惑这一套？

Morala of Milil, the eldest of the three judges, scowled at the musical interruption.三名法官中最年长的米利尔的莫拉拉因这阵乐声的打扰而沉下了脸。Her eyes nearly disappeared in the wrinkles that creased her face.她的双眼几乎消失在满脸的皱纹之中。A lock of her snow-white hair fell forward, and she shoved it impatiently back into the gold hairnet at the nape of her neck.一绺雪白的头发垂到面前，她不耐烦地将它塞回脑后颈窝处的金色发网里。She, too, recognized the spell wrapped within the melody, and when she caught Elminster’s eye, she folded her frail arms across her chest and smiled coldly.她也认出了旋律中包裹的法术；当她与伊尔明斯特目光相接时，便将瘦弱的双臂抱在胸前，冷冷一笑。

Elminster smiled back, as if oblivious to the ancient priestess’s hostility.伊尔明斯特也报以微笑，仿佛全然没有察觉这位年迈女祭司的敌意。He thought with some annoyance, Why did the Harpers have to choose thee for this tribunal?他有些恼火地想：竖琴手同盟为何偏要选你来参加这次审判？Ye could hardly be considered unbiased.你怎么也算不上公正无偏。Ye never liked Nameless.你从来就不喜欢无名者。

Morala had been one of the judges who had sentenced Nameless at his first trial.无名者第一次受审时，莫拉拉便是判决他的法官之一。Of course, Elminster knew that was exactly why she was here now.当然，伊尔明斯特知道，这也正是她如今会在这里的原因。Someone had to represent the past, someone who knew the Nameless of old and recognized his tricks, tricks such as the one Nameless was engaging in at this very moment.总得有人代表过去，有人熟知昔日的无名者，也能识破他的伎俩——比如无名者此时此刻正在施展的这一招。

“It wouldn’t kill thee to enjoy the melody, Morala,” the sage muttered under his breath.“欣赏一下这支曲子又不会要你的命，莫拉拉。”智者低声咕哝道。“A mere tune could hardly corrupt a pillar of stone like thyself.”“区区一支曲子，怎么可能腐化你这样一根石柱。”

Morala gave the sage a harsh glare, as if she’d heard his remark.莫拉拉狠狠瞪了贤者一眼，仿佛听见了他的嘀咕。Uncertain just how good her hearing was, Elminster shuffled a stack of scrolls across the table as if he were preoccupied with his defense and did not hear the music.伊尔明斯特拿不准她的听力究竟有多敏锐，便在桌上来回翻动一摞卷轴，装作正全神贯注地准备辩护，根本没有听见音乐。When he sensed that Morala had turned her attention away from him, the sage sneaked a glance at the other two judges.察觉莫拉拉的注意力已经从自己身上移开后，贤者偷偷瞥了另外两位审判官一眼。

Not surprisingly, Breck Orcsbane, the youngest of the three judges, seemed delighted with the music.毫不意外，三位审判官中最年轻的布雷克·奥克斯班似乎听得兴高采烈。The ranger’s head bobbed in time with the music, setting his long plait of yellow hair swaying like a pendulum.游侠的脑袋随着音乐打着拍子，带动他那条长长的金黄色发辫如钟摆般来回晃荡。Elminster half-expected the brawny woodsman to get up and dance a jig.伊尔明斯特几乎以为这个壮硕的林中汉子会站起来跳一曲吉格舞。Morala had already expressed her displeasure that someone of Breck’s simplicity had been chosen for the tribunal, but Elminster was relieved to discover that at least one of the judges knew how to enjoy life.莫拉拉早已表达过不满，认为像布雷克这样头脑简单的人不该被选入审判庭，但伊尔明斯特发现审判官中至少还有一个懂得享受生活的人，不禁松了口气。

Only the bard, Kyre, displayed a completely neutral reaction to the music.唯有吟游诗人凯尔对这音乐表现得完全无动于衷。The beautiful half-elven woman tilted her head to listen, but Elminster suspected that her technical analysis of the tune precluded experiencing it on any emotional level.这位美丽的半精灵女子侧过头聆听着，但伊尔明斯特怀疑，她对曲调纯粹从技法层面的分析，令她无法在情感上产生任何感受。The sage wished he could tell what she thought of it.贤者真希望自己能看出她对此有何想法。He wished he could tell what she thought of anything.他真希望自己能看出她对任何事有何想法。Kyre was so remote and stiff whenever he addressed her that Elminster felt as if he were speaking with the dead, an experience with which he was not unfamiliar.每当伊尔明斯特与凯尔说话时，她总是那么冷漠而拘谨，令他觉得自己仿佛是在同死人交谈——而这种经历，他并不陌生。As if to compensate for her reserved nature, Kyre wore a vivid red orchid in her lustrous black hair.凯尔乌黑亮泽的头发上戴着一朵鲜红的兰花，仿佛是为了弥补她那含蓄内敛的性情。Tb bloom in this climate, the sage realized, the orchid had to be enchanted, but who, he was left to wonder, was she trying attract with it?贤者意识到，兰花要在这种气候下盛开，必定受过魔法加持；可他不由得纳闷，她究竟想用这朵花吸引谁？

“Heth,” Morala said, addressing the tower page assigned to the Harpers.“赫斯，”莫拉拉对被派来侍候竖琴手同盟的塔楼侍童说道。“Request the captain of the guard to do something about that noise,” she commanded, “and close the door on your way out.”“请卫队长设法处理一下那噪音，”她命令道，“你出去时把门关上。”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Breck said.“哦，那就不必了，”布雷克说道。“The music’s not half bad.”“这音乐还不赖。”

Heth hesitated at the doorway.赫斯在门口迟疑了。

Morala’s eyes narrowed as she looked to Kyre for support.莫拉拉眯起眼睛，望向凯尔，想得到她的支持。

Kyre shrugged, indifferent to the priestess’s annoyance.凯尔耸了耸肩，对女祭司的不悦毫不在意。

“The sound does not disturb me,” the half-elf said flatly.“这声音并没有打扰我。”半精灵语气平板地说道。

“Elminster?“伊尔明斯特？Aren’t you distracted by the noise?”这噪声不会让你分心吗？”Morala asked, hoping the sage would at least have the decency to admit the inappropriateness of the music at the trial.莫拉拉问道，希望这位贤者至少还识趣，肯承认在审判时奏乐并不合宜。They had already agreed that Nameless should not appear before the tribunal.他们早已一致同意，不该让无名者出现在审判庭上。Morala feared he might charm the younger Harpers with his wit, while Elminster feared he might disgust them with his ego.莫拉拉担心他会用机智迷住那些年轻的竖琴手同盟成员，伊尔明斯特则担心他的自负会令他们厌恶。It certainly did not seem appropriate to the priestess that the man’s music should be heard.在女祭司看来，让众人听见那人的音乐显然也不合适。It was just such music that Nameless had used to justify his crimes, and the Harpers had not yet repealed their original judgment that all the prisoner’s music be banished from the Realms.无名者当初正是用这样的音乐为自己的罪行辩解，而竖琴手同盟尚未撤销最初的裁决：将这名囚犯的所有音乐逐出诸界。

“I’m sorry, Morala,” Elminster replied.“抱歉，莫拉拉，”伊尔明斯特答道。“My hearing’s not what it once was.“我的耳朵不如从前了。Didst ye ask if I heard boys?”你方才是问我有没有听见男孩子吗？”

Morala let her breath out in a huff.莫拉拉气呼呼地吐出一口气。She motioned the page to sit.她示意侍童坐下。“Please, continue with your argument, wise Elminster,” Morala prompted.“请继续陈述你的论点吧，睿智的伊尔明斯特。”莫拉拉催促道。

Having gained the upper hand with Morala on so small a matter, Elminster hesitated before moving on to the more important issue at hand.在这样一件小事上压过莫拉拉一头后，伊尔明斯特迟疑了一下，才准备转入眼下更为重要的问题。Do I really dare speak on Nameless’s behalf? he wondered.我真的敢为无名者说话吗？他心想。Nameless’s ordeals don’t seem to have humbled him any.无名者经历的那些磨难似乎丝毫没有让他变得谦卑。Is he any wiser for all his suffering?受了这么多苦，他是否变得更有智慧了？The sage sighed to himself and shook his head in an attempt to clear away his doubts.贤者暗自叹了口气，摇摇头，试图驱散心中的疑虑。He had said he would speak on the prisoner’s behalf, so he would.他既然说过会为这名囚犯说话，就一定会说到做到。He could only hope that the collective decision of the tribunal would prove at least as wise as his own uncertain counsel.他只能寄望于审判庭的集体裁决，至少会和他自己这番犹疑不定的意见一样明智。

The sage rose to his feet and cleared his throat.贤者站起身来，清了清嗓子。“At my request,” he explained, “the Harpers have agreed to reconsider the case of the Nameless Bard.“应我的请求，”他解释道，“竖琴手同盟已同意重新审议吟游诗人无名者一案。They have chosen ye from among their ranks to represent them and serve on this tribunal.他们从同盟成员中选出了诸位，代表同盟参加这次审判。For the benefit of Kyre and Breck Orcsbane, who were not yet born when Nameless was first tried, I will review the circumstances of his trial and the outcome.凯尔和布雷克·奥克斯班在无名者初次受审时尚未出生，为了让他们了解情况，我会回顾一下当时审判的缘由和结果。If it please thy grace,” the sage said, nodding politely in Morala’s direction, “feel free to add to or correct me at any point.若阁下不介意，”贤者朝莫拉拉礼貌地点点头，说道，“请随时补充或纠正我的话。Ye knew Nameless as well as I.”您和我一样了解无名者。”

Morala nodded politely in return, but Elminster realized it was unlikely she would interrupt him.莫拉拉也礼貌地点头回应，但伊尔明斯特明白，她不大可能打断他。His report would be scrupulously accurate, and Morala was astute enough to know she would only look like a fussy old woman if she began correcting him.他的陈述必定会准确得无可挑剔，而莫拉拉也足够精明，知道若是开口纠正他，只会显得自己像个吹毛求疵的老妇人。

Elminster began his tale.伊尔明斯特开始讲述往事。“The Nameless Bard was born three hundred and fifty years ago in a small village in one of the northern nations, the second son of local gentry.“吟游诗人无名者出生于三百五十年前，故乡是北方某个国家的一座小村庄，他是当地一户乡绅人家的次子。At an early age, he completed his training at a renowned barding college and graduated with highest honors.他年纪轻轻便在一所著名的吟游诗人学院完成了学业，并以最优等成绩毕业。He chose the life of a wandering adventurer, and his songs became popular wherever in the Realms he roamed.他选择了四处漂泊、闯荡冒险的生活；无论他游历到诸界的何处，他的歌谣都会广为传唱。While he relished his fame, he also put it to good use, attracting other young adventurers to help in any cause he felt worthy.他固然享受自己的盛名，却也善加利用，吸引其他年轻冒险者前来，为任何他认为值得的事业效力。Thus he and his companions became the founding fathers of the Harpers.就这样，他和同伴们成了竖琴手同盟的创立者。

“With the blessings of his gods and such aid as magic can give, he lived well beyond the natural span of years given to a human, yet there came a time when his mortality began to prey greatly on his mind.“凭借诸神的赐福和魔法所能给予的助力，他活过了远远超出人类自然寿数的岁月；然而终有一天，死亡的阴影开始沉重地压在他的心头。The bard became obsessed with preserving his songs for posterity.这位吟游诗人开始执迷于要将自己的歌谣留传后世。He was never satisfied with any other person’s performance of his works, so he would not settle for the tradition among most bards of passing the work on orally or leaving a written record.他从不满意任何其他人对自己作品的演绎，因此不肯像大多数吟游诗人那样，只靠口耳相传来传承作品，或是留下文字记录。He began to experiment with magical means of recording his work and thus created a most marvelous piece of magic—the finder’s stone.”他开始尝试用魔法手段记录自己的作品，由此创造出了一件无比奇妙的魔法物品——寻路者之石。”

Elminster paused a moment and glanced at Morala, wondering if she would object to his mentioning the name of the magic device.伊尔明斯特停顿片刻，瞥了莫拉拉一眼，心想她会不会反对他提起这件魔法器物的名字。Morala, however, chose to ignore Elminster’s mischief and waved her hand impatiently for him to proceed.然而，莫拉拉选择无视伊尔明斯特的促狭，只是不耐烦地挥挥手，示意他继续。

“The stone was originally a very minor artifact that would serve any person as a compass of detection.“这块石头最初只是一件效力很小的神器，任何人都可以把它当作探测目标的罗盘使用。Basically its wielder needed only to think of a person, and the stone would send out a beam of light indicating a path to that person,” the sage explained.简单来说，持有者只需想着某个人，石头便会射出一道光束，指出通往那个人所在之处的路径，”贤者解释道。“It also protected itself from theft as well as it could with a blinding light spell.“它还会用一道致盲强光法术尽可能保护自己不被偷走。Occasionally it was known to direct its wielder without instruction, as if it had a mind of its own, so that the stone was said to help the lost find their way.有时，它甚至会在没有指令的情况下为持有者指引方向，仿佛拥有自己的意志一般，因此人们都说，这块石头能帮助迷途者找到方向。”

“The Nameless Bard experimented with altering the artifact’s nature, something only the most skilled or the most foolish magic-wielder would dare to try.“无名者诗人曾试图改变这件神器的本质，只有技艺最高超或最愚蠢的施法者才敢作此尝试。Into the crystal’s heart he inserted a shard of enchanted para-elemental ice.他在水晶的核心嵌入了一块附魔的准元素冰碎片。Having survived such a risky undertaking, Nameless reaped a great reward.无名者从这场危险的尝试中幸存下来，并获得了丰厚的回报。In his hands or those of his kin, the stone acted as a rechargeable wand holding those spells Nameless had acquired.在他或他的亲族手中，这块石头就如同一根可以反复充能的魔杖，储存着无名者掌握的那些法术。Like the blank pages of a journal, the stone could store other information as well.如同一本日志里的空白书页，这块石头也能储存其他信息。Nameless claimed it could recall for him an entire library of tomes.无名者声称，它能替他记住整整一座图书馆的典籍。It could also recall his songs and ‘sing’ them, as it were, in Nameless’s voice, exactly as he sang them.它也能记住他的歌，并且可以说是用无名者本人的声音把歌‘唱’出来，唱得与他一模一样。He added other enchantments so it could project the illusion that he was actually sitting there, singing the song.”他还加上了其他魔法，让它能够投射出幻象，仿佛他本人当真坐在那里唱着那首歌。”

“A little stuck on himself, wasn’t he?”“他有点太自恋了，是不是？”Breck noted with a grin.布雷克咧嘴笑着说道。

Morala huffed in agreement.莫拉拉哼了一声，表示赞同。

“More than a little, good ranger,” Elminster replied, smiling at Breck.“可不只是有点，游侠先生。”伊尔明斯特微笑着望向布雷克，答道。The sage was pleased that the young man wasn’t afraid to speak out and even more pleased that the failings of others amused rather than annoyed the ranger.年轻人敢于直言，令贤者颇感欣慰；更令他高兴的是，旁人的缺点只会逗乐这名游侠，而不会使他恼怒。“Despite all that he had accomplished,” Elminster went on, “Nameless still was not satisfied.“尽管取得了这一切成就，”伊尔明斯特继续说道，“无名者仍不满足。The stone’s illusion of himself needed to be commanded when to sing and told what to sing.石头幻化出的他必须有人命令才会开口歌唱，而且还得有人告诉它唱什么。It had no vital force to sing of its own will, or judgment to choose a song appropriate to the moment, or ability to gauge an audience’s reaction and build upon their emotions.它没有生命力，无法凭自己的意愿歌唱；没有判断力，不能选择适合当下情形的歌曲；也没有能力揣摩听众的反应，顺势激发他们的情绪。So Nameless abandoned the stone as a failure.因此，无名者认定这块石头是个失败之作，将它弃置一旁。He planned next to build a powerful simulacrum of himself.他接下来打算制造一个强大的自己的人造复制体。The creature was to have Nameless’s own personality as well as all the knowledge Nameless had placed in the finder’s stone.这个生物不仅要拥有无名者本人的性格，还要掌握无名者存入寻人石中的全部知识。So that none would shun it as an abomination, Nameless researched ways to make it indistinguishable from a true human.为了不让任何人把它视为怪物而排斥它，无名者钻研了如何使它与真正的人类毫无区别。Finally, he intended to give it immortality.”最后，他还打算赋予它永生。”

Breck gave a low whistle of amazement.布雷克惊叹地低声吹了个口哨。The priestess Morala shuddered, even though she was already familiar with the story.女祭司莫拉拉打了个寒战，尽管她早已听过这个故事。Kyre’s expression remained neutral—interested, but emotionless.凯尔神情依旧平静——虽有兴趣，却不露丝毫情绪。The tune from the prisoner’s cell swelled into a bold fanfare.囚室中传来的曲调渐渐高昂，化作一段豪迈的号角曲。

Elminster continued.伊尔明斯特继续讲了下去。“Having found it useful in his alterations of the finder’s stone, Nameless obtained another shard of para-elemental ice for the heart of the simulacrum.”“无名者发现准元素冰在改造寻觅者之石时很有用，于是又弄来一块，作为拟像的核心。”The sage paused.贤者停顿了一下。It was easy enough for Elminster to speak of Nameless’s brilliance and daring, and even his obsession and vanity, but the sage’s heart ached to recall the bard’s crime.谈起无名者的才华与胆识，甚至他的执迷与虚荣，对伊尔明斯特来说并不困难；然而一想到这位吟游诗人犯下的罪行，贤者便心痛不已。

It was better he should tell it, though, than let Morala give the account.不过，由他来讲述，总比让莫拉拉来说要好。“Yet, for all his brilliance and natural ability with magic,” Elminster explained, “Nameless was a bard, not a trained magic-user.“然而，尽管无名者才华横溢，又有施展魔法的天赋，”伊尔明斯特解释道，“他终究是个吟游诗人，而不是受过训练的施法者。He recognized his own limitations and tried to enlist the aid of several different wizards, but without success.他清楚自己的局限，曾试图请几位不同的法师相助，却都没有成功。There were not many people whom he had not offended with his arrogance.很少有人不曾被他的傲慢冒犯过。Among those mages he counted as friends, many thought his project silly, a waste of time and energy.即使在那些被他视为朋友的法师中，也有许多人认为他的计划十分愚蠢，只是在浪费时间和精力。Some did not believe it would even work.有些人甚至不相信它能成功。Others thought the creation he proposed to be a heinous act.另一些人则认为，他打算创造这种东西，是一种令人发指的行径。A few pointed out that the creation could be copied and used by malicious beings for evil purposes.还有少数人指出，这种造物可能会被复制，并被心怀恶意者用于邪恶目的。They tried to convince him that he should be satisfied with the finder’s stone’s recreation of his music.他们试图说服他，要他满足于寻觅者之石对他音乐的再现。Whatever their opinion, every mage he spoke with told him the project was too dangerous.无论看法如何，所有与他谈过的法师都告诉他，这个计划太危险了。It would prove fatal to himself or some other.”它最终会害死他自己，或是其他什么人。”

“He went ahead and did it anyway, didn’t he?”“可他还是一意孤行，把它造出来了，对不对？”Breck asked, as eager as a child to hear the outcome of Elminster’s story.布雷克问道，他像个急着听到故事结局的孩子一样迫不及待。

The sage nodded.贤者点了点头。“Yes, he did.“是的，他还是那么做了。With the aid of his apprentices, he built the simulacrum’s body in his own home.在学徒们的帮助下，他在自己家中造出了拟像的躯体。As he began casting the spell that would animate the creature, however, something went wrong.然而，就在他开始施展法术、准备赋予这个造物生命时，出了岔子。The para-elemental ice exploded.准元素冰爆炸了。The simulacrum was destroyed, and one apprentice died instantly.拟像被摧毁，一名学徒当场身亡。Another lost her voice, and all attempts to heal her failed.”另一名学徒失去了声音，而所有治愈她的尝试都失败了。”

“She killed herself later,” Morala interrupted with a trace of anger.“后来她自杀了。”莫拉拉打断道，语气中带着一丝怒意。

“Yes,” Elminster admitted, then hastily added, “but that was after the time of which I speak.“是的，”伊尔明斯特承认道，随即又赶忙补充，“但那是在我所说的这件事之后。When Nameless summoned help for his wounded apprentice, he freely admitted how she had sustained her injuries.无名者召人来救治受伤的学徒时，坦然承认了她是如何受伤的。The other Harpers were appalled that he had risked his own apprentices in so dangerous a task, all for the sake of his obsession with his music.竖琴手同盟的其他成员无不骇然：他竟为了自己对音乐的痴迷，让亲手培养的学徒冒险执行如此危险的任务。They summoned him to judgment and found him guilty of slaying one apprentice and injuring another.他们召他前来受审，判定他杀死一名学徒、伤害另一名学徒，罪名成立。They determined a punishment to fit his crime.他们为他定下了与其罪行相称的惩罚。

“His music and his name were to be banished from the Realms.“他的音乐和名字都要从诸界放逐。To keep him from thwarting them in this goal, and also to keep him from trying his reckless experiment again, the Harpers removed the bard’s own name from his memory and banished him from the Realms, exiling him to a border region of the positive plane of life, where, due to the nature of that region, he would live in good health and relative immortality.为了防止他阻挠这一目标，也为了防止他再次进行那场鲁莽的实验，竖琴手同盟从这位吟游诗人的记忆中抹去了他自己的名字，并将他逐出诸界，流放到生命正能量位面的一处边缘区域；由于那里的特性，他将一直身体康健，近乎不朽。He was condemned, however, to live in complete solitude.”然而，他也被判永远孑然一身，与世隔绝。”Elminster paused again.伊尔明斯特再次停顿下来。

Nameless’s tune switched to a plaintive minor key as Morala, Orcsbane, and Kyre sat contemplating their fellow Harper’s crime and his punishment.无名者奏出的曲调转入哀婉的小调，莫拉拉、奥克斯班和凯尔则坐在那里，思索着这位同为竖琴手的同伴所犯的罪及其受到的惩罚。It almost seemed as if Nameless was aware of what point in his story Elminster had reached.无名者仿佛知道伊尔明斯特已经讲到了他故事中的哪一段。Morala glanced suspiciously at the sage, but he seemed not to notice the tune at all.莫拉拉狐疑地瞥了这位贤者一眼，但他似乎完全没有留意那曲调。

Actually Elminster’s attention at the moment was attracted to a fluttering shadow behind the tribunal.其实，此刻吸引伊尔明斯特注意的，是审判席后方一道晃动的影子。The sage made no sound or movement to call attention to the small figure he spotted skulking along the courtroom wall.贤者没有发出任何声音，也没有做出任何动作，以免引人注意那个正沿法庭墙边鬼鬼祟祟潜行的小小身影。It was only the halfling, Olive Ruskettle.那不过是半身人奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔。Elminster could see no harm in her unauthorized presence.伊尔明斯特觉得，她未经许可出现在这里也没什么坏处。After all, she knew Nameless’s story already.毕竟，她早已知道无名者的故事。The sage made a mental note, though, to chide Lord Mourngrym about the quality of the tower guard.不过，贤者还是暗自记下，要就塔楼守卫的素质训斥莫恩格林领主几句。In the courtroom, the halfling was nearly impossible to spot, adept as she was at hiding in the shadows, but she should not have been able to pass through the tower’s front gate in broad daylight unchallenged by the guards.在法庭里，这个半身人几乎无人能够察觉，因为她极善于藏身阴影之中；但她本不该能在光天化日之下穿过塔楼正门，而不受守卫盘问。

Unaware she had been observed by the sharp-eyed sage, the halfling sneaked out of the courtroom and down the corridor toward the prisoner’s cell.那半身人并不知道自己已经被目光锐利的贤者发现，偷偷溜出法庭，沿走廊向囚犯的牢房走去。

If ye have plans to visit thy friend Nameless, ye little sneak thief, ye are in for a surprise, Elminster thought, suppressing a grin.你这小毛贼，若是打算去探望你的朋友无名者，保准有个惊喜等着你，伊尔明斯特暗想，强忍住笑意。He focused his attention again on the judges.他再次将注意力集中到几位审判者身上。“Two hundred years have passed since the exile of the Nameless Bard—”“自无名吟游诗人被流放以来，已经过去了两百年——”

“Excuse me, Elminster,” Kyre interrupted, “but are we to continue calling this man Nameless throughout this hearing?“抱歉，伊尔明斯特，”凯尔打断道，“难道整场听证会期间，我们都得称这个人为无名者吗？Surely we can be trusted with his name.他的名字总该可以放心告诉我们吧。It would simplify things, would it not?”这样事情也会简单些，不是吗？”

“No!”“不行！”Morala objected.莫拉拉反对道。“It is we who made him Nameless.“是我们让他成了无名者。Nameless he will remain.”他也将继续做无名者。”

Elminster sighed at the old priestess’s vehemence.见老女祭司态度如此激烈，伊尔明斯特叹了口气。“It is the purpose of this tribunal to decide not only whether or not to free Nameless, but whether or not Nameless’s name should be restored to the Realms.“这个审判庭不只要裁定是否释放无名者，还要裁定是否应当让无名者的名字重现于诸界。Morala and I have both taken an oath not to reveal the name unless the Harpers decide otherwise.莫拉拉和我都曾立誓，除非竖琴手同盟另有决定，否则绝不透露那个名字。So we must continue to refer to him as Nameless, at least until the end of this trial.”所以我们必须继续称他为无名者，至少在这场审判结束前如此。”

“I see,” Kyre replied, nodding her head slightly.“我明白了，”凯尔微微点头答道。“Excuse my interruption.”“请原谅我打断了你。”

Elminster nodded and once again began the second half of his tale.伊尔明斯特点点头，再次讲起了故事的后半部分。“Nameless remained in exile for two centuries.“无名者被流放了整整两个世纪。Then certain evil powers deliberately sought him out and freed him from his place of exile.”后来，某些邪恶势力蓄意找到他，将他从流放之地释放了出来。”

The tune coming from the bard’s prison ceased abruptly.吟游诗人牢中传出的曲调戛然而止。Morala’s lips curled ever so slightly in satisfaction while Elminster stroked his beard thoughtfully, wondering just what Nameless was up to now.莫拉拉的唇角因满意而极轻微地翘起，伊尔明斯特则若有所思地捋着胡须，暗自揣测无名者这会儿究竟在搞什么名堂。

In his prison cell, Nameless lowered the chordal horn and glared at his cell door.囚室里，无名者放下和弦号角，怒视着牢门。Something was jiggling in the lock.有东西正在锁孔里晃动。Elminster had given the guards specific instructions to show the prisoner every courtesy possible, including always knocking before opening his door.伊尔明斯特曾明确吩咐守卫，要尽可能以礼相待，包括每次开门前都必须先敲门。The prisoner scowled in anticipation of delivering a scathing reprimand to whichever guard had been so foolish to interrupt him in the middle of his composition.囚犯皱起眉头，准备狠狠训斥那个愚蠢到在他作曲途中打扰他的守卫。

The door swung open slowly.门缓缓打开了。A female halfling stood in the doorway.一个半身人女子站在门口。Her hazel eyes sparkled, and she winked conspiratorially as she slid a copper wire into her russet hair.她那双淡褐色的眼睛闪闪发亮，一边心照不宣地眨了眨眼，一边把一根铜丝插进赤褐色的头发里。“Nice ditty,” she quipped.“小曲不错嘛，”她打趣道。“Has it got any lyrics?”“有歌词吗？”

“Naturally,” the prisoner replied, relaxing his angry face.“当然有，”囚犯回答，脸上的怒容缓和了下来。“Would you like me to write them down for you, Mistress Ruskettle?” he asked.“要我把歌词替您写下来吗，拉斯凯特尔女士？”他问。

“That’d be great,” the small woman said, stepping into the cell.“那太好了，”小个子女人边说边走进牢房。She pushed the door almost, but not quite, closed behind her.她把身后的门推得几乎关上了，却又留了一条缝。Her furry bare feet padded silently across the plush wool Calimshan carpeting.她毛茸茸的赤脚踩过柔软的卡林珊羊毛地毯，悄无声息。She slipped off her knapsack and her wet cloak and checked to be sure the back of her tunic and pants were dry before seating herself on a tapestry-covered footstool.她脱下背包和湿斗篷，又确认了一下束腰外衣和长裤的后面都是干的，这才在一张蒙着织锦的脚凳上坐下。

The Nameless Bard lay the chordal horn down on the table.无名吟游诗人把和弦号放在桌上。“Come in, Mistress Ruskettle.“请进，拉斯凯特尔女士。Have a seat and make yourself at home,” he said, though he knew sarcasm was wasted on halflings in general and on Olive Ruskettle in particular.请坐，别拘束，”他说，尽管他知道，挖苦对一般的半身人毫无作用，对奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔尤其如此。

“Thank you, Nameless,” Olive replied.“谢谢你，无名者，”奥利芙答道。“Nice quarters you have here,” she said as her eyes inspected the polished furniture, the velvet drapes, the brass-bound clothes chest, the silk bedspread, the gold candelabrum, the crystal wine decanter, and all the other luxuries Nameless’s captors had provided for his cell.“你这住处可真不错，”她说道，目光逐一扫过抛光的家具、天鹅绒帷幔、黄铜包边的衣箱、丝绸床罩、金烛台、水晶醒酒瓶，以及无名者的囚禁者为这间牢房提供的其他种种奢侈品。“You’re looking well,” she added, grinning at the fine silken shirt, fur-trimmed tunic, wool pants, and leather boots he wore.“你气色也不错，”她又说，望着他身上的精美丝绸衬衫、毛皮镶边的束腰外衣、羊毛长裤和皮靴，咧嘴笑了起来。

Nameless grinned back as he seated himself cross-legged on the bed.无名者也咧嘴一笑，盘腿坐到床上。He never could remain annoyed with Olive for long.他对奥利芙的恼火从来维持不了多久。She had, after all, rescued him from the dungeon of the cruel sorceress Cassana and also helped him free his singer, Alias, from Cassana.毕竟，她曾把他从残酷女术士卡萨娜的地牢中救出来，也曾帮他将自己的歌手阿莉亚丝从卡萨娜手中解救出来。It wasn’t just gratitude, however, that made him fond of the halfling thief; Olive’s brash nerve amused him.不过，他喜欢这个半身人女贼并不只是出于感激；奥利芙那股胆大妄为的劲头总能逗乐他。It reminded him of himself.那让他想起了自己。

“What have you been up to?” the bard asked.“你最近都在忙些什么？”吟游诗人问。“It’s been over a year since I’ve seen you last.”“我上次见你，已经是一年多以前了。”

“Yes.“是啊。Sorry about that.对不住了。This summer’s been rather chaotic, as you’ve probably heard.这个夏天乱得很，你大概也听说了。I was staying with friends in Immersea, who talked me out of traveling until the trouble died down.我一直住在伊默海的朋友家里，他们劝我等乱子平息后再出门旅行。If I’d known you were wasting away in prison, I would have come sooner,” the halfling said.要是知道你在牢里受苦，我早就来了。”半身人说道。From a silver bowl piled with fruit, she plucked a large, juicy plum and ate the delicacy in several dainty, but quick, bites.她从一只堆满水果的银碗里拈起一颗硕大多汁的李子，斯斯文文却又飞快地几口吃掉了这美味。

“My imprisonment is a mere formality until the new trial is over,” Nameless said.“在新的审判结束之前，关押我不过是走个形式。”无名者说道。“That door wasn’t even kept locked until that old bat Morala arrived and caused a stink.”那个老巫婆莫拉拉来这里大闹一场之前，这扇门甚至都不上锁。”

“She’s the priestess of Milil?”“她就是米利尔的女祭司？”Olive asked.奥利芙问道。“The one who has it in for you?”“就是那个处处针对你的人？”

“You’ve met?”“你见过她？”Nameless asked.无名者问道。

“I’ve seen her around.”“我在附近见过她。”

“Have you seen Alias?”“你见过阿莉亚丝吗？”

“Actually, I came to see you the moment I hit town,” Olive said.“其实，我一进城就马上来看你了。”奥利芙说道。The halfling didn’t care much for Alias.这个半身人并不怎么喜欢阿莉亚丝。Olive realized, however, that Nameless thought of the singing swordswoman as a daughter, so in an effort to be polite, she asked the bard, “How is dear Alias?”不过，奥利芙知道无名者把那位会唱歌的女剑士当作女儿，于是出于礼貌，她问吟游诗人：“亲爱的阿莉亚丝近来怎么样？”

“I don’t know,” Nameless huffed.“我不知道。”无名者气呼呼地说道。“She and Dragonbait arrived in Shadowdale a day after Morala, and Morala won’t allow me any visitors.“她和龙饵比莫拉拉晚一天到达阴影谷，可莫拉拉不准任何人来探望我。How did you get past the guard at the tower gate?”你是怎么通过塔楼门口的守卫的？”

“You know,” the halfling said, pulling out a silver pin from her cloak pocket, “it really is amazing how much respect the local constabulary has for this silly harp-and-moon symbol, even when it’s pinned to the breast of a short person with no visible weapons.”“你知道吗，”半身人一边说，一边从斗篷口袋里掏出一枚银别针，“当地治安官居然这么敬重这个傻乎乎的竖琴与月亮标志，实在令人惊讶——哪怕它别在一个身上看不见任何武器的矮个子胸前也一样。”

Nameless grinned at the irony.无名者想到其中的讽刺意味，咧嘴笑了。He’d given the halfling thief his old Harper’s pin.他把自己那枚旧竖琴手徽针给了这个半身人女贼。According to custom, Olive would need him to vouch for her until she was accepted by the other Harpers, but he was a disgraced Harper.按照惯例，在奥利芙获得竖琴手同盟其他成员接纳之前，都需要由他为她担保，可他却是个名誉扫地的竖琴手。Now she’d used the pin to break a rule made by Morala—a Master Harper.如今，她却用这枚徽针违反了莫拉拉定下的规矩——而莫拉拉是一位竖琴手大师。There was nothing like the chaos a halfling—or a woman—could cause, Nameless thought, and Olive is both.无名者心想，再没有什么比一个半身人——或一个女人——更能制造混乱了，而奥利芙两者皆是。“You realize,” Nameless asked aloud, “you’ll have some problems being accepted by the Harpers until I have reestablished myself?”“你明白吧，”无名者开口问道，“在我恢复自己的地位之前，你想得到竖琴手同盟的接纳，恐怕会遇到些麻烦？”

“You realize,” Olive retorted, “that I’ll have some problems accepting the Harpers if they don’t get off their high horses and forget this banishment business.“你也明白吧，”奥利芙反唇相讥，“要是竖琴手同盟还不肯放下架子，把放逐这回事抛到脑后，我要接受他们也会遇到些麻烦。”In the meantime, you can’t stay in this dump.“眼下，你不能待在这个破地方。”I’ve got a horse and provisions for you hidden at the edge of town.”“我在镇子边上给你藏了一匹马和一些补给。”

“Why, that’s awfully thoughtful of you, Mistress Ruskettle.”“哎呀，你可真是体贴周到啊，拉斯凯特尔女士。”

“So let’s go,” Olive said, hopping up from the footstool and standing beside the bed, tapping her foot in mock impatience.“那我们走吧。”奥利芙说着，从脚凳上一跃而起，站到床边，装出不耐烦的样子用脚点着地。

Nameless leaned forward, reached out a hand, and stroked her hair.无名者俯身向前，伸出一只手，轻抚她的头发。Ordinarily Olive couldn’t stand having humans patting her on the head, but Nameless hadn’t actually patted her, and she liked him more than any other human she’d ever met, so she could forgive him a good deal.通常，奥利芙最受不了人类拍她的脑袋，可无名者其实并没有拍她，而且她喜欢他胜过自己遇见过的任何一个人类，所以许多事她都可以原谅他。She looked up at him, puzzled that he’d even touched her at all.她抬头望着他，不明白他怎么会突然碰她。

“Oh, Olive,” he said with a rueful smile.“唉，奥利芙。”他带着苦笑说道。

“What’s wrong?” she asked, not failing to note he had used her given name, something he’d never done before.“怎么了？”她问道，同时敏锐地注意到，他用了她的名字——这是他以前从未做过的事。

“Did you think me incapable of arranging my own escape, Olive?”“你以为我连自己的逃跑都安排不了吗，奥利芙？”Nameless asked.无名者问道。

“You’re still here, aren’t you?”“可你不是还在这里吗？”Olive pointed out, growing annoyed.奥利芙指出，心里渐渐恼火起来。

“Yes, but not due to any lack of skill with locks,” Nameless said, holding out his hand and presenting the halfling with the copper wire he’d just slipped from her hair.“是的，但可不是因为我不擅长开锁。”无名者说着摊开手，把刚从半身人头发里抽出的那根铜丝亮给她看。Dexterously he twirled the shining metal strand through his fingers, then made it vanish so quickly that Olive couldn’t be certain if he’d flipped it away or slipped it up his sleeve.他灵巧地让那根闪亮的金属丝在指间旋转，随即又快得令人眼花地让它消失了，以至于奥利芙无法确定他究竟是把它弹开了，还是藏进了袖子里。

“All right, I’m impressed.“好吧，我服了。”Can I have my pick-bone back?” the halfling asked.“能把我的开锁骨针还给我吗？”半身人问道。

“It’s in your hair, Olive, right where you put it,” replied Nameless.“就在你头发里，奥利芙，还是你原来放它的地方。”无名者答道。

Olive ran her fingers through her hair and found the wire lodged behind her ear exactly where she’d put it.奥利芙用手指梳过头发，果然在耳后找到了那根细丝，正是她先前放的位置。“An illusion, right?” she guessed.“是幻术，对吧？”她猜道。

Nameless did not reply.无名者没有回答。Instead, his eyes twinkled with mischief.相反，他眼中闪烁着顽皮的光芒。

“I hate it when you do things like that,” Olive huffed.“我最讨厌你玩这种把戏了。”奥利芙气呼呼地说。

“You love it when I do things like that,” Nameless countered.“你明明最喜欢我玩这种把戏。”无名者反驳道。“You just hate that you can’t do them yet.”“你只是讨厌自己还不会罢了。”

“All right.“好吧。So you didn’t need my help to escape.这么说，你根本不需要我帮忙也能逃出去。Why are you still here?” she demanded.那你为什么还待在这里？”她追问道。

“Because I have no desire to become a hunted fugitive when I don’t have to.“因为没必要的话，我可不想变成一个遭人追捕的逃犯。The Harpers will come to their senses and release me.”竖琴手同盟会清醒过来，放我走的。”

“That’s what you thought when you turned yourself over to them two hundred years ago,” Olive argued.“两百年前你向他们自首时也是这么想的。”奥利芙争辩道。“What makes you think this trial’s going to end any different from the first one?”“你凭什么认为这次审判的结果会和第一次有什么不同？”

“Elminster is speaking in my defense this time,” Nameless replied confidently.“这一次，伊尔明斯特会为我辩护。”无名者自信地答道。

“You put a lot of store in that old coot.”“你还真把那个老家伙当回事。”

“The Harpers have grown accustomed to abiding by Elminster’s counsel.”“竖琴手同盟早已习惯听从伊尔明斯特的忠告了。”

Olive sniffed.奥利芙哼了一声。“And you expect them to forgive all, to take you back into their fold and restore you to your position as a Master Harper?“所以你指望他们既往不咎，重新接纳你，还让你恢复竖琴手大师的职位？”

“Naturally,” the bard said coolly.“当然。”吟游诗人淡淡地说道。

“What then?”“然后呢？”Olive snapped.奥利芙厉声说道。“Engagements at all the royal courts?“受邀前往各国王廷献艺？A few noble titles granted in honor of your talents?凭你的才华获封几个贵族头衔？Wizards begging for your secrets?让威世智求着你吐露秘法？Flocks of apprentices ready to serve under you?”再来一大群学徒，争着拜入你的门下？”

“Why should it be any different than it was before?”“为什么不能和从前一样？”Nameless asked with a cocky grin.无名者带着自负的笑容问道。

“You’re dreaming, pal!”“你在做梦呢，老兄！”Olive shouted, completely frustrated with his vanity and unrelenting certainty.奥利芙大喊道，他的虚荣与固执己见让她彻底忍无可忍。“Wake up and smell the bacon!“醒醒吧，闻闻培根味儿！Not even the great Elminster is going to bring Morala around.就算是伟大的伊尔明斯特，也说服不了莫拉拉。As for the other two, the ranger might take pity on you, but that half-elf bard’s got all the compassion of an iron golem.至于另外两个，那个游侠或许会可怜你，可那个半精灵吟游诗人的同情心，跟铁魔像不相上下。You need—” Olive halted, alarmed at the way her voice echoed through the cell and annoyed that this stupid human had made her lose her self-control.你得——”奥利芙猛然打住。她的声音在牢房里回荡，令她心中警铃大作；而这个愚蠢的人类竟害她失去自制，也让她恼火不已。“You need a contingency plan,” the halfling whispered.“你得准备个应急方案。”半身人低声说道。“Just in case I’m right and you’re wrong.”“以防我是对的，而你是错的。”

“I have too much to lose if I flee now and you’re wrong,” Nameless retorted heatedly.“要是我现在逃走，而你又错了，我会失去太多东西。”无名者激动地反驳道。

“You have too much to lose if you don’t. Security isn’t going to get any more lax if they condemn you, you know.“要是你不逃，也会失去太多东西。你要知道，一旦他们判你有罪，守卫可不会比现在更松懈。Since you’ve already broken out of the Citadel of White Exile, they’ll have to find some place even worse—if you can imagine any place worse than that.”既然你已经从白色流放堡逃出来过一次，他们就只好另找一个更糟糕的地方关你——如果你能想象出还有什么地方比那里更糟的话。”

Nameless fought to control a tremor in his lip.无名者竭力控制着嘴唇的颤抖。For two centuries, he’d lived in the Citadel of White Exile, able to scry on the happenings in the Realms but completely unable to participate.整整两个世纪，他都生活在白色流放堡，虽能用魔法窥探诸界发生的一切，却完全无法参与其中。It had been torture for him, but he could imagine worse things.那对他而言无异于酷刑，但他想象得出更糟糕的事。He had other objections to trying to escape, though.不过，他反对尝试逃跑还有别的理由。“You forget we’re talking about the Harpers,” he said.“你忘了，我们说的可是竖琴手同盟。”他说。“They’ll have no trouble tracking me down.”“他们要追踪到我，根本不费吹灰之力。”

“You’re a Harper yourself,” Olive pointed out.“你自己不也是个竖琴手吗？”奥利芙指出。“If you weren’t so eager to rest on your laurels, you could keep a step ahead of them.“你要不是这么急着躺在功劳簿上睡大觉，本可以一直领先他们一步。I’ve got a place where you could hide, too—somewhere you’ll be welcome, and no one would ever be able to detect you magically.”我还有个地方能让你藏身——在那里你会受到欢迎，也绝不会有人能用魔法探测到你。”

“You want me to hide behind Alias’s shield,” Nameless replied, referring to the misdirection spell cast on the swordswoman, a spell which made her and anyone she traveled with completely undetectable by magical means.“你想让我躲在阿莉亚丝的庇护之下。”无名者答道，指的是施加在那名女剑士身上的误导法术；这个法术能让她以及与她同行的任何人彻底避开魔法探测。“Forget it,” Nameless said vehemently.“想都别想。”无名者语气激烈地说。“I’m not getting her involved in this.”“我不会把她牵扯进来的。”

“I wasn’t talking about Alias,” Olive said.“我说的不是阿莉亚丝。”奥利芙说。“Give me credit for some sense.“你总该相信我还有点判断力。She’s too obvious.她太显眼了。I wasn’t talking about a magic dead zone, either.我说的也不是什么魔法失效区。That’s too obvious, too; besides, there’s too much riffraff in places like that.那也太显眼了；再说，那种地方的乌合之众也太多。I have someplace even better in mind.我想到的是一个更好的地方。With any luck, the Harpers will waste their time checking out Alias and the dead zones and miss us altogether.运气好的话，竖琴手同盟会把时间浪费在搜查阿莉亚丝和那些魔法失效区上，彻底漏掉我们。The Harpers aren’t perfect.竖琴手同盟并非完美无缺。They make mistakes.他们也会犯错。Why do you give them so much power over you?”你为什么要让他们对你有这么大的影响力？”

“Because,” Nameless hissed angrily, “they have my name.”“因为，”无名者愤怒地嘶声说道，“他们掌握了我的名字。”

Olive shrugged her shoulders and helped herself to another plum.奥利芙耸了耸肩，又拿了一颗李子吃。“Big deal.“那又怎样。So do I. It’s Finder.我也知道。是芬德。Finder Wyvernspur, from the clan Wyvernspur of Immersea, in Cormyr,” she said nonchalantly.芬德·飞龙刺，出身科米尔伊默海的飞龙刺家族。”她若无其事地说。She stifled a mock yawn before adding, “Your older brother was Gerrin Wyvernspur.她故意打了个哈欠，又强忍住，接着说道：“你的哥哥是杰林·飞龙刺。Your mother’s name was Amalee Winter, and your father was Lord Gould.你的母亲名叫阿玛莉·温特，父亲是古尔德勋爵。Your grandfather was the Paton Wyvernspur.你的祖父是佩顿·飞龙刺。Sound familiar?”听着耳熟吗？”

The bard leaned back against the wall, staring at the halfling with undisguised amazement.吟游诗人向后靠在墙上，毫不掩饰地惊讶地盯着半身人。Silently, with his eyes closed as if he were reciting an oft-repeated prayer from childhood, the bard mouthed the names Olive had given him.吟游诗人闭着眼睛，仿佛在默诵一篇从小念惯了的祷文，无声地翕动嘴唇，重复着奥利芙告诉他的那些名字。

“Surprised?”“很惊讶？”Olive asked, unable to keep from grinning.奥利芙问道，忍不住咧嘴笑了起来。

The bard looked at the halfling and nodded, still dumbfounded.吟游诗人看着半身人，点了点头，仍旧目瞪口呆。

“I’ve got something else for you, Finder,” Olive said, pulling something from her cloak pocket.“我还有样东西要给你，芬德。”奥利芙说着，从斗篷口袋里掏出一件东西。She laid it down on the bed in front of the bard.她把它放在吟游诗人面前的床上。“Recognize this?”“认得这个吗？”

Finder looked down at the halfling’s gift.芬德低头看着半身人送来的礼物。It was a sparkling yellow crystal, multifaceted and roughly egg-shaped, somewhat larger than a hen’s egg.那是一块闪闪发光的黄色水晶，表面有许多切面，形状大致如卵，比鸡蛋稍大一些。The bard gasped.吟游诗人倒吸了一口气。Then he whooped once with pleasure, leaped from the bed, snatched Olive up in the air, and swung her around, laughing with delight.接着，他欣喜地欢呼一声，从床上一跃而起，一把将奥利芙举到空中，抱着她转起圈来，开怀大笑。“You stole the finder’s stone!“你把芬德之石偷来了！”You incredible halfling!“你这个了不起的半身人！”I could kiss you!”“我真想亲你一口！”

“Well, I suppose I deserve it,” Olive said, turning her head and pointing to her cheek.“嗯，我想这是我应得的。”奥利芙说着，转过头，指了指自己的脸颊。Finder pressed his lips against her flushed face.芬德把嘴唇贴在她泛红的脸颊上。Then he laughed and spun around again, with Olive still in his arms.随后他大笑起来，抱着奥利芙又转了一圈。

“I’ll lose that plum I just ate if you don’t set me down,” Olive threatened.“你再不放我下来，我刚吃的那颗李子可就要吐出来了。”奥利芙威胁道。

Finder lowered the halfling gently to the bed.芬德轻轻地把半身人放回床上。Olive bounced once on the mattress and snatched up the crystal.奥利芙在床垫上弹了一下，一把抓起水晶。“Is this thing still loaded with magic?” she asked, tossing the stone to the bard.“这东西里面还有魔力吗？”她问着，把石头抛给吟游诗人。

Finder caught the crystal with one hand.芬德单手接住了水晶。He sang a short, clear G-sharp and peered into the stone’s depths.他唱出一个短促清亮的升G音，凝视着水晶深处。“Yes!” he announced.“还有魔力！”他宣布道。“I don’t believe it.“真不敢相信。Elminster didn’t give this to you, did he?这不是伊尔明斯特给你的，对吧？You did steal it, didn’t you?”是你偷来的，对不对？”

Olive grinned.奥利芙咧嘴一笑。“No and no. Elminster gave it to Alias last year.“都不是。去年，是伊尔明斯特把它送给阿莉亚丝的。Maybe he felt she had some right to it, seeing how she’s related to you.也许他觉得，既然她和你有亲缘关系，她也算有资格得到它。We lost it outside of Westgate, but I ran into the man who found it and convinced him to part with it.”我们在西门城外把它弄丢了，不过我碰巧遇上了捡到它的那个人，还说服他把它让了出来。”

“And my name?“那我的名字呢？Who parted with that?”又是谁把它透露出去的？”Finder asked.芬德问道。

“That’s a longer story.“那说来话长。Why don’t we save it for later?不如留到以后再说？Let’s go, huh?”我们走吧，好不好？”

Finder sat down on the footstool.芬德在脚凳上坐了下来。“There’s no hurry now,” he insisted.“现在不必着急了，”他坚持道。“We can leave anytime.“我们随时都能离开。There’s a teleport spell in the crystal.”水晶里有一道传送法术。”

“Which won’t work if Elminster’s cast some sort of anti-magic shell around this cell,” Olive argued.“可要是伊尔明斯特在这间牢房周围施了某种反魔法护罩，那法术就不会生效，”奥利芙反驳道。

“The finder’s stone is an artifact.“芬德之石是一件神器。Not even Elminster’s magic can stop spells cast from it,” Finder declared.就连伊尔明斯特的魔法也阻止不了用它施展的法术。”芬德断言道。He picked out a plum from the bowl and took a bite, slurping noisily.他从碗里挑出一颗李子，咬了一口，吃得啧啧有声。“I want to give Elminster the chance to argue my case before the Harpers as he should have done the first time.“我想给伊尔明斯特一个机会，让他在竖琴手同盟面前为我申辩——他第一次就该这么做。If he fails to convince them to pardon me, then we’ll leave.”如果他说服不了他们赦免我，我们再走。”

“I have a bad feeling about this, Finder.“我对此有种不祥的预感，芬德。Let’s go now, please,” Olive pleaded.求你了，我们现在就走吧。”奥利芙恳求道。

“Relax, Olive.“放松点，奥利芙。I have everything under control.一切都在我的掌控之中。Here, have another plum.”来，再吃颗李子。”Finder held out the silver fruit bowl toward Olive.芬德把银果盘递到奥利芙面前。

Olive crossed her arms, determined not to encourage her friend’s indifference to his own peril.奥利芙抱起双臂，决意不再纵容朋友对自身危险满不在乎的态度。

Finder waved the bowl enticingly under her nose.芬德把果盘放在她鼻子底下，诱人地晃了晃。Unable to resist the smell, the halfling chose a second plum.半身人抵挡不住果香，又挑了一颗李子。

“Finder.“芬德。Such a proper name,” the bard mused as he set the bowl back on the table.真是个恰如其分的名字。”吟游诗人一边沉吟，一边把果盘放回桌上。The halfling suppressed an unexplainable shiver and bit into her plum.半身人莫名地打了个寒战，却强忍住了，随后咬了一口李子。

While Olive Ruskettle was trying her best to convince the Nameless Bard that Elminster might fail to get him freed, the sage himself was explaining to the Harpers how the alliance of evil beings that had freed Nameless had managed to trick the bard into building a new version of his simulacrum for them.奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔正竭力想让无名者吟游诗人相信，伊尔明斯特未必能让他获释；与此同时，这位贤者本人正在向竖琴手同盟解释：那群释放了无名者的邪恶生物究竟是如何哄骗吟游诗人，让他为它们制造出一个新版拟像的。

Morala shook her head and bit her tongue, but she could no longer hold back her annoyance.莫拉拉摇了摇头，强忍着没有开口，但她再也压不住心中的恼怒了。“This is just what I warned him would happen when he was planning the first simulacrum.“这正是他筹划制作第一个拟像时，我警告过他会发生的事。Evil cannot disguise itself from good unless good looks the other way.除非善良选择视而不见，否则邪恶无法在善良面前隐藏自己。Nameless’s own arrogance blinded him to their nature.”是无名者自己的傲慢蒙蔽了他的双眼，让他看不清它们的本性。”

“That may be, thy grace,” Elminster replied, “but he did not hesitate to act against these evil beings when he finally recognized their true nature.“或许如此，大人，”伊尔明斯特答道，“但当他终于认清这些邪恶生物的真面目时，并未迟疑，立刻采取行动对付它们。He did his best to keep them from gaining control of the simulacrum.他竭尽全力阻止它们控制那个拟像。He freed her so that she and her companions were able to return and destroy all of the members of the consortium, the sorceress Cassana, the lich Prakis, the Fire Knives Assassins Guild, the Tarterean fiend Phalse, and even Moander the Darkbringer.”他释放了她，使她和同伴得以回来，将这个邪恶联盟的所有成员尽数消灭：女术士卡萨娜、巫妖普拉基斯、火刀刺客公会、来自塔尔塔罗斯的邪魔法尔斯，甚至还有黑暗使者莫安德。”

“She?“她？You mean the simulacrum?”你是说那个拟像体？”Breck asked.布雷克问道。

“He succeeded in animating it, then?”“这么说，他成功让它动起来了？”Morala asked with a defeated sigh.莫拉拉挫败地叹了口气，问道。

“Actually, she’s more than animated.“其实，她可不只是动起来了。She’s very much alive and possessed of her very own soul and spirit.她真真切切地活着，拥有完全属于自己的灵魂和精神。Not even ye, thy grace, could tell she was unborn.”就连您，殿下，也看不出她并非由母体所生。”

“Impossible!” the priestess declared.“不可能！”女祭司断言道。

“Impossible for Nameless and the evil beings who backed him, but not impossible for a god.”“对无名者和那些支持他的邪恶存在而言，这是不可能的，但对神祇来说却并非如此。”

“Moander is the Darkbringer.“莫安德是黑暗使者。He could not give her a soul,” Morala insisted.他不可能赋予她灵魂。”莫拉拉坚持道。

“I did not speak of Moander,” Elminster said.“我说的不是莫安德。”伊尔明斯特说道。

“What god, then, Elminster?”“那是哪位神，伊尔明斯特？”Kyre asked.凯尔问道。

“I’m not certain.“我不确定。The fiend Phalse kidnapped a paladin from another world to supply the simulacrum with a soul, but the paladin still lives.恶魔法尔斯从另一个世界绑架了一名圣武士，想用他的灵魂赋予拟像体灵魂，但那名圣武士依然活着。Somehow his soul doubled, and a shard of his spirit broke off.不知怎的，他的灵魂一分为二，一片精神碎片也从他身上剥离了下来。Both grew inside Nameless’s creation.两者都在无名者的造物体内成长。It is possible one of the paladin’s gods made this possible.或许是那名圣武士所信奉的诸神之一促成了这一切。I also suspect that the goddess of luck, Tymora, may have interfered in the creation.我还怀疑，幸运女神泰摩拉可能也干预了这次创造。Nameless still invokes her name on occasion, and the simulacrum seems to have an affinity for Lady Luck.无名者至今仍偶尔呼唤她的名字，而那个拟像体似乎也与幸运女士颇为投缘。Perhaps it was a joint effort of these gods.也许这是这些神祇联手所为。Whatever the case, the woman lives.”无论如何，那个女人活着。”

“Why did Nameless make this creation a woman?”“无名者为什么要把这个造物塑造成女人？”Breck asked.布雷克问道。

“For her own vile reasons, the sorceress Cassana insisted it be made in her image,” the sage explained.“出于她自己那些邪恶的缘由，女术士卡萨娜坚持要让这个造物以她的形象塑成，”贤者解释道。“Perhaps that was for the best.“也许这样反而最好。Nameless gave the simulacrum much of his personality, but in an effort to make her a more ‘ideal’ woman, in his own view, he created in her a tender and nobler side Nameless himself had never displayed.无名者赋予了这个拟像许多自己的性格，但为了依照他自己的看法，把她塑造成一个更‘理想’的女人，他在她身上创造出了温柔而高尚的一面，而这是无名者本人从未展现过的。She has already made a name for herself as a brave and clever sell-sword.她已经凭借勇敢与机智的雇佣剑客身份闯出了名声。The paladin I mentioned before, a noble saurial known here in the Realms as ‘Dragonbait,’ travels in her company, totally convinced of her goodness.”我刚才提到的那位圣武士，是一名高贵的蜥蜴人，在诸界这里被称为‘龙饵’；他与她结伴同行，并且深信她生性善良。”

Breck gasped.布雷克倒吸了一口气。“You don’t mean Alias of Westgate!”“你说的该不会是西门城的阿莉亚丝吧！”

“The very same, good ranger,” Elminster replied.“正是她，善良的游侠，”伊尔明斯特答道。“You have met the lady, then?”“这么说，你见过这位女士？”

“Well, not exactly,” Orcsbane admitted.“唔，也不算真正见过，”奥克斯班承认道。“I’ve seen her down at The Old Skull tavern, though, and listened to her sing.“不过我在老骷髅旅店见过她，还听过她唱歌。She has a voice like a bird—sings some of the most moving songs I’ve ever heard.”她的嗓音宛如鸟鸣——唱的那些歌，是我听过最动人的曲子之一。”

“She sings!”“她唱歌！”Morala shouted angrily.莫拉拉愤怒地喊道。“She sings his songs, doesn’t she, Elminster?“她唱的是他的歌，对不对，伊尔明斯特？And you’ve done nothing about it!”而你居然什么也没做！”

“What could I do, thy grace?“我又能做什么呢，尊驾？She is a free woman who has committed no crime.她是个自由之身的女人，又没有犯下任何罪行。The people of Shadowdale consider her a hero.阴影谷的百姓视她为英雄。The time is long past when the Harpers could intimidate ordinary folk into obedience, let alone demand it of heroes.”竖琴手同盟可以恫吓普通人、迫使他们服从的时代早已过去，更不用说要求英雄服从了。”

Elminster could tell Morala was struggling to control her rage.伊尔明斯特看得出，莫拉拉正在竭力压制怒火。The priestess was breathing deeply, with her eyes closed and her jaw set.女祭司双眼紧闭，牙关紧咬，正深深地呼吸。The sage had no desire to anger Morala, but he would not be reprimanded for behaving in a civilized fashion.贤者无意激怒莫拉拉，但他不会因为自己以文明的方式行事而甘受斥责。

“Perhaps we should meet this woman,” Kyre suggested calmly.“或许我们应该见见这位女子。”凯尔平静地提议道。“Will she speak with us if she is summoned forth?”“若是把她召来，她会同我们谈吗？”

Elminster nodded.伊尔明斯特点了点头。“She is eager to speak if there is a chance it will help Nameless.”“只要有机会帮助无名者，她很愿意开口。”

“Ah-ha!”“啊哈！”Morala cried.莫拉拉叫道。“She is his creature indeed.”“她果然是他的人。”

“No, Morala,” Elminster snapped back, fighting hard to keep his own anger in check.“不，莫拉拉，”伊尔明斯特厉声反驳，竭力压住自己的怒火。“She is her own creature.“她只属于她自己。She is fond of Nameless, though, as any generous and good woman would be of a father who nurtured her as best he could.”不过她确实很喜欢无名者；任何慷慨善良的女子，都会喜欢一个尽己所能将她养育成人的父亲。”

Morala looked down at her hands, fearing that she had aroused the sage’s wrath.莫拉拉低头看着自己的双手，担心自己惹恼了这位贤者。As old as she was, Elminster was many years her senior, and he was the Harpers’ most powerful ally and advisor.尽管她已年事甚高，伊尔明斯特却还要年长她许多，而且他还是竖琴手同盟最强大的盟友与顾问。“We should hear her speak,” she agreed softly.“我们应该听听她怎么说。”她轻声赞同道。

Kyre signaled the page and ordered him, “Find Alias of Westgate and request that she come before this tribunal.”凯尔向侍童示意，命令他道：“去找西门城的阿莉亚丝，请她到审判庭来。”

Heth stood up, bowed before the tribunal and hurried out of the courtroom to fetch the Nameless Bard’s singer, Alias.赫斯站起身，向审判庭鞠了一躬，随即匆匆走出法庭，去请无名者吟游诗人的歌手阿莉亚丝。

The patrons of The Old Skull applauded enthusiastically as the singer finished her song.老骷髅旅店的客人们在歌手唱完一曲后，热烈地鼓起掌来。Even the innkeep, Jhaele Silvermane, paused a moment from her duties at the bar to show her appreciation.就连旅店老板杰尔·银鬃也暂且放下吧台后的活计，停下来表示赞赏。The singer bowed once to her audience and then to the songhorn player who had accompanied her.歌手先向听众鞠了一躬，又向为她伴奏的歌号乐手鞠了一躬。

The rustic common room was full of farmers who only half an hour ago had been grumbling and cursing the rain that kept them from the season’s haying.这间乡野气息浓厚的公共大厅里挤满了农夫；就在半个小时前，他们还在抱怨、咒骂这场雨，害得他们无法收割当季的干草。Now, instead of nursing their first drink for two hours and worrying about how they were going to feed their livestock all winter on moldy hay, the farmers were ordering their second pint and cheering for the singer to give them another song.如今，农夫们不再一杯酒慢慢啜饮两个钟头，也不再发愁该如何靠发霉的干草喂养牲口熬过整个冬天，而是纷纷点起第二品脱酒，欢呼着要歌手再唱一曲。

The singer, the sell-sword Alias of Westgate, also known as Alias of the Azure Bonds, smiled gratefully.这位歌手是来自西门城的雇佣剑客阿莉亚丝，人称“碧蓝枷锁的阿莉亚丝”；她感激地笑了。She sang to keep herself occupied, since the Harpers would not let her visit her father, the Nameless Bard, and she sang to defy the Harpers, who had tried to wipe out the bard’s music.她唱歌是为了让自己有事可做，因为竖琴手同盟不许她探望父亲无名者诗人；她唱歌也是为了反抗竖琴手同盟，因为他们曾试图将那位诗人的音乐彻底抹去。Mostly, though, she sang because she knew the bard would want her to, no matter what happened to him.不过最主要的是，她知道，无论那位诗人遭遇了什么，他都会希望她继续歌唱。Secretly, though, she was struggling to think of a graceful way to decline singing any further this day.然而，她暗地里正绞尽脑汁，想找个得体的办法推辞，不再继续唱下去。

“Please, Alias,” the songhorn player whispered to the singer.“求你了，阿莉亚丝，”歌号乐手低声对歌手说道。“They need something to keep their minds off this weather.”“他们需要有点什么，好让自己别再惦记这鬼天气。”

“Han, I …“汉，我……”I think I’m losing my voice,” Alias whispered back.“我觉得我的嗓子快不行了。”阿莉亚丝也低声答道。

“Your voice sounds just fine,” Han insisted.“你的嗓音听起来好得很。”汉坚持道。

“One more at least,” a deep voice rumbled from a table beside the musicians’ platform, “or I’ll have to have the watch haul you off for denying the happiness of the good people of Shadowdale.”“至少再来一首，”乐手台旁的一张桌边响起一个低沉洪亮的声音，“否则，我只好让守卫把你抓走，罪名是剥夺阴影谷善良百姓的欢乐。”

Alias laughed good-naturedly at the threat.阿莉亚丝听了这番威胁，爽朗地笑了起来。The speaker was Mourngrym Amcathra, lord of Shadowdale, and the swordswoman counted him among her friends.说话的是阴影谷领主莫恩格林·阿姆卡斯拉，这位女剑士一直把他视为朋友。She tossed her red hair behind her shoulders and flapped the bottom of her green woolen tunic in an effort to cool off.她把红发甩到肩后，又扇动绿色羊毛束腰衣的下摆，想让自己凉快些。“Then I suppose I’d have to sing for the watch, wouldn’t I?”“那我想，我就得给守卫们唱歌了，对吧？”Alias asked Mourngrym.阿莉亚丝问莫恩格林。

“That’s right,” Mourngrym replied with a twinkle in his eye.“没错。”莫恩格林眼中闪着笑意，答道。“And then,” he added, “I’d have to sentence you to sing lullabies to my son for a year.”“然后，”他补充道，“我就得判你给我儿子唱一年的摇篮曲。”His lordship bounced the aforementioned baby on his knee and asked him, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Scotty?”领主大人让刚才提到的那个婴儿在自己膝上颠了颠，问他：“你会喜欢的，对不对，斯科蒂？”

Although he was far too young to understand the question, Mourngrym’s heir responded to his father’s enthusiastic tone of voice by laughing and clapping his hands.莫恩格林的继承人虽然年幼得根本听不懂这个问题，却被父亲兴致勃勃的语气感染，笑着拍起手来。

“A fate worse than death,” Alias said with mock terror.“那可真是比死还惨。”阿莉亚丝装出惊恐的样子说道。

The farmers laughed and Scotty shrieked happily.农夫们笑了起来，斯科蒂也开心地尖叫着。Still Alias hesitated.阿莉亚丝却仍在犹豫。She’d been singing at the Old Skull for three days in a row, and the audiences loved every song she sang.她已经连续三天在老骷髅旅店唱歌了，而台下听众喜爱她唱的每一首歌。Four times since spring, however, she’d lost control of her voice and had begun singing strange words and changing Nameless’s melodies.然而，入春以来，她已有四次控制不住自己的嗓音，开始唱出奇怪的词句，还改动了无名者的旋律。She was sure it was only a matter of time before it happened again.她确信，这种事迟早还会发生。Here in Shadowdale, though, she risked more than shocking her listeners.可是在阴影谷，她冒的风险不仅仅是吓到听众。If Nameless heard about it, he would be greatly displeased with her.要是无名者听说了这件事，一定会对她大为不满。

From the back of the room, she caught Dragonbait’s eye.她望向房间后面，与龙饵目光相接。The saurial paladin motioned encouragingly with his hands.那位蜥蜴族圣武士用双手做出鼓励的手势。Alias sighed inwardly.阿莉亚丝暗暗叹了口气。Nothing’s going to go wrong, she told herself.不会出什么岔子的，她对自己说。Stop being such a ninny and face the music.别再这么胆小了，该唱的总得唱。

Trying to focus her thoughts on her audience, Alias chose a farming song, the lyrics of which were an old folk rhyme that Nameless had set to music.阿莉亚丝努力把心思集中在听众身上，选了一首农耕歌，歌词是一首古老的民谣，曲子则是无名者谱的。Han knew the rhyme, but he was unfamiliar with the tune, so he stood silently beside Alias, listening carefully, hoping he could pick up the melody with his horn by the second or third verse.汉知道这首民谣，却不熟悉它的曲调，于是默默站在阿莉亚丝身旁，仔细聆听，希望到第二或第三段时，能用号角跟上旋律。Alias sang out clear and strong:阿莉亚丝清亮有力地唱道：

“We till the soil, we spread the grain, We shoo the birds, we pray for rain.“我们翻泥土，我们撒谷种；赶飞鸟，祈求雨水降。The rain comes down, the shoots spring out, But so do weeds, and then comes drought.雨水落下，嫩芽破土；野草也长，接着又逢旱苦。We haul the water till our backs are sore; The weeds grow richer, but the crop stays poor.挑水挑得腰酸背痛；野草越肥，庄稼越穷。Then one day Chauntea ends our strife, And our grain takes root in the river of life.终于有天裳禔亚解了苦难，让谷物扎根在生命之河畔。“The river of life, the river of life: Every woman’s man, every good man’s wife.“生命之河，生命之河：每个女人的男人，每个好男人的妻子。We should all drink deep from the river of life.我们都该开怀畅饮生命之河。

“The river of life, the river of life: Every woman’s man, every good man’s wife.“生命之河，生命之河：每个女人的男人，每个好男人的妻子。We should all drink deep from the river of life.”我们都该开怀畅饮生命之河。”

Everyone joined in singing the repeat of the chorus.副歌再次响起时，所有人都加入进来齐声歌唱。Han played softly, not wanting to spoil anything should he guess a note wrong, as Alias began the second verse:汉轻轻吹奏着，生怕猜错一个音而坏了整首歌；这时，阿莉亚丝开始唱第二段：

“We scythe the grains, we pluck the fruits, We gather the nuts and dig up the roots.“我们挥镰收谷，伸手摘果，采集坚果，掘出根茎。The days grow cool, the birds fly away, The beasts grow fur, the pastures turn gray.天气渐凉，群鸟远飞，百兽长出厚毛，牧场一片灰暗。We eat our fill and store what’s left, Then the snow comes down and the fields rest.我们饱餐一顿，储起余粮，而后白雪降下，田野安眠。The darkness grows inside our souls, And our labor’s turned to evil goals.”黑暗在我们的灵魂中滋长，我们的劳作也转向邪恶的目标。”

Han fumbled with his fingering.汉的指法顿时乱了。The songhorn player had never heard the last two lines before.这位歌号乐手从未听过最后两句。The version he knew told of preparation for midwinter revels.他所熟悉的版本唱的是为仲冬狂欢做准备。But something disturbed Han even more than the unfamiliar words Alias sang.然而，比阿莉亚丝唱出的陌生歌词更令汉不安的，是另一件事。The young singer had suddenly switched to a new, eerie-sounding key.这位年轻歌手突然转入了一个阴森诡异的新调。Then, without a repeat of the chorus, the swordswoman launched into a third verse with still more lyrics Han did not recognize.接着，女剑士没有重复副歌，便径直唱起第三段，其中又有更多汉从未听过的歌词。

“We hack the vines, we cut the trees, We trample the roots and burn the seeds.“我们砍断藤蔓，伐倒树木，践踏根系，焚烧种子。When the rain comes down, the soil washes away, Leaving barren rock and heavy clay.雨水倾泻，泥土随之流失，只留下贫瘠的岩石与沉重的黏土。We wear chains of green till our bodies rot; The corpses still move, their minds without thought.我们身披绿色锁链，直到肉身腐烂；尸体仍在行动，心智却已荡然无存。Soon the great dark will devour the Realms; Death is the power that overwhelms.”无边的黑暗很快便会吞噬诸界；死亡是压倒一切的力量。”

At the first four lines, the farmers began scowling and muttering among themselves.听到头四句时，农夫们开始皱起眉头，彼此低声议论。This certainly wasn’t farming as they practiced it.这显然不是他们所奉行的农耕之道。It might be the way of those in lands under the sway of evil, like those to the north, controlled by the Zhentarim, but here in the dales they tried their best to live in harmony with the land.在那些受邪恶势力支配的土地上，或许会采用这种做法，比如北方由散塔林会控制的地区；但在这片谷地，人们总是尽力与土地和谐共处。At the last four lines, the farmers shifted nervously in their chairs and peered into their ale, confused by the direction the song had taken.听到最后四句时，农夫们不安地在椅子上挪动身体，又低头望向自己的麦酒，不明白这首歌为何会变成这样。

Although Alias had failed to note that Han had ceased accompanying her, she recognized now that she no longer held her audience’s attention.阿莉亚丝虽然没有留意到汉已停止为她伴奏，却终于意识到，听众的注意力已经不在她身上了。She knew all too well what was wrong, and her voice failed.她太清楚问题出在哪里，声音顿时哽住了。Oh, gods, she thought, shaking with fear.天哪，她浑身因恐惧而颤抖，心想。I’ve twisted this song the same way I twisted the others.我又把这首歌扭曲了，就像我扭曲其他歌曲一样。

She felt Han’s hand on her shoulder.她感觉到汉把手放在了她的肩上。“Alias, are you feeling well?” the songhorn player asked quietly.“阿莉亚丝，你还好吗？”歌号乐手轻声问道。

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.“对不起。”她低声说道。“I’m so tired.“我太累了。I’ve forgotten the words,” she lied.我把歌词忘了。”她撒谎道。“I think I’d better go sit down.”“我想我最好去坐一会儿。”

Han squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and patted her on the back as she walked away.汉安慰地捏了捏她的肩膀，又在她走开时拍了拍她的背。Anxious to spare her from the stares that followed her, Han raised his horn back to his lips and began playing a reel to distract the audience.汉不愿让她承受那些追随着她的目光，便重新把号角举到唇边，吹起一支里尔舞曲，好转移听众的注意力。

Equally protective of the singer’s feelings and eager to break up the unpleasant atmosphere the song had created in the common room, Jhaele nudged her son Durgo and whispered for him to get up and dance with his sister Nelil.杰尔既想顾全歌者的感受，又急于打破那首歌在大厅里造成的不快气氛，便轻推了一下儿子杜尔戈，低声叫他起身和妹妹内利尔跳舞。Durgo, a middle-aged farmer with little sense of rhythm, had as much love of dancing as he had of crows and weevils, but he was a dutiful son.杜尔戈是个上了年纪的农夫，毫无节奏感可言；他对跳舞的喜爱，和对乌鸦与象鼻虫的喜爱不相上下，但他是个孝顺的儿子。He grabbed Nelil’s hand and tugged her to her feet.他抓住内利尔的手，把她拉了起来。The other farmers shook off their uneasiness and began clapping to the beat.其他农夫也摆脱了心中的不安，开始跟着节拍拍手。A few joined Durgo and Nelil in the energetic dance.有几个人加入了杜尔戈和内利尔，跳起了那支欢快有力的舞。

As Alias threaded her way through the tables to the back of the common room, she kept her eyes on the floor, too embarrassed to look at anyone.阿莉亚丝穿过桌椅间的空隙，朝大厅后方走去，一路盯着地板，窘迫得不敢看任何人。She wanted to rush up the stairs to her room and lock herself inside, but before she could get past the table where Dragonbait sat, the saurial paladin grabbed her wrist.她真想冲上楼梯，回到自己的房间，把自己锁在里面；可她还没来得及经过龙饵坐着的那张桌子，那名蜥蜴人圣武士便一把抓住了她的手腕。He pulled her toward him, slowly but firmly.他缓慢却坚定地把她拉向自己。Alias yielded to his strength and sat down heavily beside him.阿莉亚丝屈服于他的力气，重重地坐在了他身旁。

“That’s the fifth time this has happened,” she growled through her clenched teeth, made angry by her own fear.“这已经是第五次了。”她咬紧牙关低吼道，因为自己的恐惧而恼火不已。“I’m not singing again.“我再也不唱了。You shouldn’t have encouraged me.”你本来就不该鼓励我。”

Ordinarily the pair communicated with a sign language that Alias had taught Dragonbait.平时，两人用阿莉亚丝教给龙饵的一套手语交流。It was a variant of the thieves’ hand cant, which the swordswoman had learned magically from the assassins who had helped create her.那是盗贼手势暗语的一种变体；女剑士曾通过魔法，从那些参与创造她的刺客那里学会了这种暗语。The visual language was capable of conveying quite complex ideas, but it still was inadequate when the paladin needed to comfort the swordswoman.这种视觉语言能够表达相当复杂的意思，可当圣武士需要安慰女剑士时，它依然力有不逮。Dragonbait reached out and stroked the inside of Alias’s sword arm with his scaly fingers.龙饵伸出手，用覆有鳞片的手指轻抚阿莉亚丝持剑手臂的内侧。It was far easier to remind her how much he cared for her by touching the magical blue brand on her forearm—the brand which had bound his life to hers.触碰她前臂上那道魔法蓝色烙印，要远比手语更容易让她想起他有多么在乎她——正是那道烙印，将他的生命与她的生命系在了一起。

Alias felt her brand tingle at the paladin’s touch, and her irritation subsided somewhat.圣武士触碰之处，阿莉亚丝的烙印泛起一阵酥麻，她的烦躁也稍稍平息了。His touch there always filled her with the paladin’s own inner calm.他每次触碰那里，都会让她感受到圣武士内心的宁静。Alias laid her fingertips on the front of Dragonbait’s tunic, where a similar brand scarred his chest scales beneath it.阿莉亚丝把指尖放在龙饵短袍的胸前；在衣料下方，他胸口的鳞片上也留着一道相似的烙印。Alias knew that, despite the layer of fabric, he would experience the same tingling sensation she felt.阿莉亚丝知道，尽管隔着一层布料，他也会感受到与她一样的酥麻。Considering the misery she still felt, though, she couldn’t help but worry that her touch would only disquiet him.然而，想到自己心中仍是如此痛苦，她不禁担心自己的触碰只会让他不安。

“What’s wrong with me, Dragonbait?” she whispered, struggling to keep from crying.“我到底怎么了，龙饵？”她低声问道，竭力忍住眼泪。“Why can’t I sing a simple song without ruining it?”“为什么我连一首简单的歌都唱不好，非得把它毁掉不可？”

The saurial paladin shook his head.蜥蜴人圣武士摇了摇头。He didn’t know.他也不知道。

Alias sniffed and caught a whiff of the odors the saurial emitted in response.阿莉亚丝抽了抽鼻子，嗅到了蜥蜴人随之散发出的气味。The sell-sword smiled ruefully.女佣兵苦涩地笑了笑。She knew the scent of honeysuckle was Dragonbait’s expression of tender concern.她知道，忍冬花香是龙饵表达温柔关切的方式。The honeysuckle scent, however, was intermingled with the tang of baked ham, an odor that indicated the saurial was worried.然而，忍冬花香中还夹杂着烤火腿的浓烈气味，这表明蜥蜴人正在担忧。Like a human’s body language, the saurial’s odors often gave away more of his true feelings than he would have chosen to reveal.就像人类的肢体语言一样，蜥蜴人的气味常常会泄露比他自己愿意表露的更多真实感受。

Someone nearby coughed politely, and the sell-sword and her companion looked up.附近有人客气地咳嗽了一声，女佣兵和她的同伴抬起头来。Lord Mourngrym stood before their table with his son squirming under one arm.莫恩格林领主站在他们桌前，一条胳膊下夹着不停扭动的儿子。His lordship looked down at Alias quizzically and asked, “Is something wrong, Alias?”领主疑惑地低头看着阿莉亚丝，问道：“出什么事了吗，阿莉亚丝？”

“Nothing important, your lordship,” Alias said hastily.“没什么要紧的，大人。”阿莉亚丝连忙说道。“I’m sorry I spoiled the song.“很抱歉，我把这首歌唱砸了。I’ve just got a lot on my mind, I guess.”我只是心事太多了，大概是吧。”

Mourngrym would not be put off so easily, however.然而，莫恩格林可没那么容易被敷衍过去。Alias looked pale and frightened.阿莉亚丝脸色苍白，神情惊恐。With Nameless in jail and no one to care for her but the peculiar lizard-man, his lordship felt protective of the sell-sword.无名者身陷牢狱，除了那个古怪的蜥蜴人又无人照料她，领主大人不禁对这名佣兵剑客生出了保护之心。He sat down beside her, balancing Scotty on the table before him.他在她身旁坐下，把斯科蒂稳稳地放在面前的桌上。“I’m the one who insisted you sing,” Mourngrym reminded her.“是我非要你唱的。”莫恩格林提醒她。“I’m the one who should apologize.“该道歉的人是我。Now, show that you forgive me and tell me what’s wrong,” he said, patting her hand.现在，证明你原谅我了，告诉我到底出了什么事。”他说着，轻轻拍了拍她的手。

“I don’t know,” Alias said, trying to hide her fear with a shrug of her shoulders.“我不知道。”阿莉亚丝耸了耸肩，试图掩饰自己的恐惧。“Sometime this spring I just started to sing strangely.“今年春天的某个时候，我唱歌突然变得很奇怪。I can sing a few songs just fine, and then one song suddenly turns into something about death and decay and darkness.有几首歌我能唱得好好的，可唱着唱着，某一首突然就会变成关于死亡、腐朽和黑暗的歌。I don’t even know I’m doing it until … until people start to stare at me as if I’m a monster.我甚至不知道自己在那么唱，直到……直到人们开始盯着我看，仿佛我是个怪物。I thought I might be cursed or possessed, but three different priests told me there was nothing wrong with me—except that I was arrogant, headstrong, and disrespectful.”我以为自己可能中了诅咒，或是被什么东西附了身，可三个不同的祭司都说我没有任何问题——除了傲慢、任性和目无尊长。”

Mourngrym smiled.莫恩格林笑了。“Well, they got that part right,” he teased.“嗯，这一部分他们倒是说对了。”他打趣道。

Scotty reached out and grabbed a lock of Alias’s shiny red hair.斯科蒂伸出手，一把抓住阿莉亚丝一绺闪亮的红发。The swordswoman picked the child up off the table and helped him stand on her thighs.女剑客把孩子从桌上抱起来，扶着他站在自己的大腿上。Scotty bounced up and down, chortling with delight.斯科蒂上下蹦跳，开心得咯咯直笑。

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Alias said quietly.“我不知道该怎么办。”阿莉亚丝轻声说道。“What will Nameless think?”“无名者会怎么想？”

“Alias, it wasn’t a bad song,” Mourngrym argued.“阿莉亚丝，那首歌并不难听。”莫恩格林辩解道。“Just, um … different.”“只是，呃……有点不一样。”

Alias lowered her eyes guiltily.阿莉亚丝心虚地垂下了眼睛。“I was upset that the Harpers wouldn’t let me see Nameless, but to tell the truth, I was a little relieved, too.“竖琴手同盟不肯让我见无名者，我很难过，但说实话，我也有一点松了口气。I’m afraid the next time he asks me to sing for him, I’ll change the song, and he’ll be upset.我怕下次他让我唱歌给他听时，我又会改掉那首歌，惹他不高兴。He doesn’t like the least little change in his songs.”他不喜欢自己的歌有哪怕一丁点儿改动。”

“Alias,” Mourngrym replied, “you can’t spend the rest of your life doing everything exactly the way Nameless wants you to.“阿莉亚丝，”莫恩格林回答道，“你不能一辈子都事事完全按照无名者的意愿去做。You have to live your own life.”你得过自己的人生。”

“I know that,” Alias said unhappily, “but I don’t want to disappoint him by ruining his songs.“我知道，”阿莉亚丝闷闷不乐地说，“可我不想毁掉他的歌，让他失望。If I was improving them, I could argue with him about it, but I’m only making the songs ugly and grotesque.”如果我是在改进那些歌，我还可以就此和他争辩，可我只会把歌变得丑陋又怪诞。”

Despite her claim to the contrary, his lordship didn’t believe Alias understood his advice.尽管阿莉亚丝嘴上那么说，领主大人却不相信她真正听懂了自己的劝告。The bard’s enchantment of her went deeper than any magic.那位吟游诗人对她的迷惑，比任何魔法都更深入骨髓。She loved Nameless, and she sang to please him.她爱无名者，唱歌也是为了取悦他。Trying to reassure her, Mourngrym said, “Sometimes we need frightening songs, whether we like them or not.莫恩格林试图宽慰她，说道：“有时候，我们需要令人恐惧的歌，不管我们喜不喜欢。They remind us what we stand for or against and give us the incentive to take action.”它们会提醒我们拥护什么、反对什么，并激励我们采取行动。”

“But I don’t know even know what these new songs are about, even though they’re coming out of my own head,” Alias objected.“可这些新歌明明是从我自己的脑子里冒出来的，我却连它们唱的是什么都不知道，”阿莉亚丝反驳道。“How am I supposed to take action?“那我该采取什么行动？Against what?”又该对付什么？”

Mourngrym had no answer.莫恩格林无言以对。These were questions for sharper minds than his own.这些问题得由比他更聪明的人来回答。“Have you discussed any of this with Elminster?” he asked.“你跟伊尔明斯特谈过这些事吗？”他问道。

Alias shook her head.阿莉亚丝摇了摇头。“I don’t want to bother him until he’s finished helping Nameless.”“在他帮完无名者之前，我不想去打扰他。”

Mourngrym shook his head.莫恩格林摇了摇头。Alias was losing control of her voice, something that obviously frightened her, but she was more concerned about Nameless’s plight.阿莉亚丝正渐渐失去对自己声音的控制，这显然令她害怕，可她却更担心无名者的困境。His lordship wanted to tell Alias to forget Nameless for once, but he knew the sell-sword would not heed his words.领主大人很想告诉阿莉亚丝，哪怕只有这一次，也别再想着无名者了，可他知道，这个雇佣剑士不会听从他的劝告。

Dragonbait chirped and pointed toward the doorway.龙饵啾啾叫了几声，指向门口。Alias turned to see a group of travelers entering the inn.阿莉亚丝转身望去，看见一群旅客正走进旅店。There were a dozen or more of them, pulling off their rain-drenched cloaks and shouting requests for drinks and food and rooms to the inn’s staff.他们有十几个人，纷纷脱下被雨淋透的斗篷，高声招呼旅店伙计送来酒菜，并为他们安排房间。From their clothing, Alias guessed they were merchants and caravan guards from Cormyr.从衣着来看，阿莉亚丝猜他们是来自科米尔的商人和商队护卫。One man, however, had to be from much farther south.不过，其中有个男子显然来自遥远得多的南方。His skin was the dusky hue of a southerner.他的皮肤带着南方人特有的黝黑色泽。He wore silken red-and-white-striped robes, and a golden cord banded his curly brown hair.他身穿红白条纹的丝绸长袍，一条金带束着棕色的鬈发。He stood taller than the other merchants and many of the guards.他比其他商人和许多护卫都要高大。

“It can’t be,” Alias muttered.“不可能。”阿莉亚丝喃喃道。She craned her neck impatiently until the man turned around.她焦急地伸长脖子，直到那男子转过身来。In the manner of a Turmishman, he sported a square beard, and to indicate he was married, he wore a blue sapphire in his earlobe.他依照图米什人的习俗蓄着方形胡须，耳垂上还戴着一颗蓝宝石，表明自己已经成婚。The three blue dots on his forehead indicated he was a scholar of reading, magic, and religion.他额头上的三个蓝点则表明，他是一位精通阅读、魔法与宗教的学者。But these things hardly registered on Alias now.可此刻的阿莉亚丝几乎没留意这些。It was the familiarity of the man’s face that excited her.真正令她激动的，是那张无比熟悉的脸。“It’s him!” she gasped.“是他！”她倒吸一口气叫道。“Dragonbait, it’s Akabar!“龙饵，是阿卡巴！He’s come back to us!”他回到我们身边了！”

Alias rose to her feet, thrusting Scotty back at his surprised father, and ran to the door of the inn, crying out the Turmishman’s name.阿莉亚丝一跃而起，把斯科蒂塞回他那惊讶的父亲怀里，随即奔向旅店门口，高声呼喊着那个图米什人的名字。

A few heads swiveled to see who the swordswoman was calling to, but most of the inn’s occupants kept their attention on Han’s songhorn music and the dancers on the floor.有几个人转头去看这位女剑士在呼唤谁，但旅店里的大多数人仍专注于汉用歌号吹奏的乐曲和场中起舞的人们。

Akabar Bel Akash held his arms out to greet the sell-sword in a traditional handclasp, but Alias threw herself into his arms and embraced him like a long-lost brother.阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什伸出双手，准备按传统的握手礼迎接这位佣兵，阿莉亚丝却一头扑进他怀里，像拥抱失散多年的兄弟一样紧紧抱住了他。From where he sat, Mourngrym could tell from the look of surprise on the Turmishman’s face that Akabar hadn’t expected quite so warm a reception.莫恩格林坐在原处，从那个图米什人脸上的惊讶神色便看得出，阿卡巴没料到自己会受到如此热情的欢迎。

Mourngrym exchanged glances with Dragonbait.莫恩格林与龙饵交换了一个眼神。The saurial shrugged and turned back to watch the newcomers.这名蜥蜴族人耸了耸肩，又转头观察那些新来的人。His scaly brow knit with concern when he spied a woman standing behind Akabar.当他瞥见站在阿卡巴身后的一个女人时，覆着鳞片的眉头担忧地皱了起来。

Tugging on the southerner’s arm, Alias led Akabar back to her table.阿莉亚丝拉着这个南方人的胳膊，把阿卡巴领回了自己的桌边。She didn’t seem to notice the heavily veiled woman who followed several paces behind them.她似乎没有注意到，那个蒙着厚厚面纱的女人正落后几步跟着他们。Mourngrym did, however, and he rose to his feet with Scotty seated in the crook of his arm.不过，莫恩格林注意到了；他站起身来，臂弯里还坐着斯科蒂。

“Mourngrym, you remember Akabar bel Akash?”“莫恩格林，你还记得阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什吗？”Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。“He was a member of my party when I first visited Shadowdale.”“我第一次来阴影谷时，他是我的同伴之一。”

“The ‘mage of no small water,’ ” Mourngrym said, recalling the phrase Akabar had often used.“那位‘绝非浅水之流的法师’。”莫恩格林说道，想起了阿卡巴常挂在嘴边的说法。

Akabar bowed low.阿卡巴深深鞠了一躬。“I’m honored you remember me, your lordship,” the Turmishman said.“您还记得我，实在令我不胜荣幸，领主大人。”这个图米什人说道。

Mourngrym grinned.莫恩格林咧嘴一笑。In his experience, it was seldom that a mage lived long enough to prove his boasts.依他的经验，很少有法师能活得足够久，好证明自己的夸口。Alias had told his lordship the story of how the Turmishman had defeated the evil god Moander.阿莉亚丝曾把这个图米什人如何击败邪神莫安德的故事讲给莫恩格林大人听。Akabar was indeed a ‘mage of the first water,’ as his people would say.照阿卡巴族人的说法，他的确是一位“第一等水色的法师”。“And who is the lady?”“那么，这位女士是谁？”Mourngrym asked, finally drawing Alias’s attention to the woman standing behind Akabar.莫恩格林问道，这才终于让阿莉亚丝注意到站在阿卡巴身后的女人。

Akabar stepped to one side.阿卡巴往旁边跨了一步。“Your lordship, Alias, Dragonbait,” Akabar said, “may I present, Zhara, Priestess of Tymora.”“领主大人，阿莉亚丝，龙饵，”阿卡巴说道，“请允许我介绍扎拉，泰摩拉的女祭司。”

Zhara took a step forward.扎拉向前走了一步。She was as tall as Alias, but her green eyes and slender brown hands were the only parts of her body not covered by the blue robes of her calling or the long blue and white veil draped across her face.她和阿莉亚丝一样高，但除了一双绿眼睛和一双纤细的棕色手掌外，全身都被象征其神职的蓝色长袍以及覆在脸上的蓝白长面纱遮住了。“I am honored to meet you,” Zhara said softly.“很荣幸见到各位。”扎拉轻声说道。She curtsied low, but she did not remove her veil.她深深屈膝行礼，却没有摘下面纱。

Mourngrym bowed and Dragonbait nodded, but Alias eyed the priestess with annoyance.莫恩格林鞠了一躬，龙饵点了点头，阿莉亚丝却恼火地打量着女祭司。She didn’t like clerics or priests.她不喜欢牧师，也不喜欢祭司。Dragonbait was always trying to convince her that she felt this way because Cassana and the swordswoman’s other evil makers had enchanted her, but Alias rejected that idea.龙饵总想说服她，让她相信自己之所以会有这种感觉，是因为卡萨娜和其他创造她的邪恶之徒对她施了魔法，但阿莉亚丝不接受这种说法。She didn’t like members of the clergy because, as far as she was concerned, they were a nearly useless bunch of fools—even those who served Tymora, Lady Luck, the goddess of adventurers.她不喜欢神职人员，因为在她看来，他们是一群几乎毫无用处的蠢货——就连那些侍奉幸运女士泰摩拉、冒险者女神的人也不例外。Why in the world is Akabar traveling with a priestess? she wondered.阿卡巴到底为什么会和一个女祭司同行？她暗自纳闷。

As if he read her mind, Akabar explained, “Zhara is my third wife.”阿卡巴仿佛看穿了她的心思，解释道：“扎拉是我的第三位妻子。”

Anger and disappointment stabbed at the pleasure Alias had felt at seeing Akabar again.阿莉亚丝重见阿卡巴的喜悦顿时被愤怒与失望刺痛。A moment ago, she had imagined their reunion would be just like old times, but the presence of one of his wives put a damper on that hope.片刻之前，她还以为他们这次重逢会像从前一样，可他的一位妻子在场，顿时给这份期待蒙上了阴影。With the exception of Dragonbait, Akabar was the swordswoman’s oldest friend in the world.除了龙饵之外，阿卡巴是女剑士在这世上结识最久的朋友。He had helped Alias on her quest to discover her origins, but if Alias had had her way, she’d have never met this woman.他曾帮助阿莉亚丝踏上探寻身世的旅程，但若能由阿莉亚丝做主，她宁愿自己从未见过这个女人。

Tb avoid just such a meeting, Alias had once claimed that she was unable to stand the heat of the south and declined an invitation to accompany Akabar to his home in Turmish.正是为了避免这种会面，阿莉亚丝曾声称自己受不了南方的炎热，婉拒了随阿卡巴前往他在图米什的家中的邀请。The swordswoman hadn’t wanted to face the scrutiny of his wives.女剑士不愿面对他那些妻子的审视。Though she’d never been south, Alias had heard how insufferably proud southern women were of the way they lived: their modest dress, their subservient soft speech, their efficient households and businesses, their innumerable children.尽管从未去过南方，阿莉亚丝却听说过，南方女人对自己的生活方式骄傲得令人难以忍受：她们衣着端庄，说话轻声细语、恭顺温婉，把家务和生意都打理得井井有条，还生养了数不清的孩子。They were all greengrocers, Alias’s term for boring nonadventurers, and Alias couldn’t imagine them welcoming a wandering sell-sword with no real family.她们全都是“菜贩子”——这是阿莉亚丝对那些无聊的非冒险者的称呼——而阿莉亚丝无法想象，她们会欢迎一个没有真正家人的流浪佣兵。Even more unbearable than the thought of their disapproval had been the thought of sharing Akabar’s company and attention with women he was closer to than he was to her.比想到她们会不认可自己更令人难以忍受的，是想到她不得不与那些同阿卡巴比她更亲近的女人分享他的陪伴与关注。

“I was under the impression that southern women didn’t travel away from home,” the sell-sword said coolly as she sat down at the table and motioned for Akabar to take the seat beside her.“我还以为南方女人是不会离家远行的。”佣兵冷冷地说道。她在桌边坐下，示意阿卡巴坐到她身旁。

“My sister-wives, Akash and Kasim, have charged me to protect our husband from the barbarians of the north,” Zhara replied matter-of-factly, slipping herself into the chair that Alias had intended for Akabar.“我的姐妹妻子阿卡什和卡西姆嘱咐我，要保护我们的丈夫，免受北方蛮族的伤害。”扎拉就事论事地答道，同时轻巧地坐进了阿莉亚丝原本留给阿卡巴的椅子。Akabar seated himself between Zhara and Dragonbait.阿卡巴在扎拉与龙饵之间坐了下来。

Uneasy because of the tension he sensed, Lord Mourngrym turned toward the door of the inn.莫恩格林爵士察觉到气氛紧张，心中不安，便转身望向旅店门口。“If you’ll excuse me,” his lordship said, “I think I’d better head back home before the rain starts falling harder.“请恕我失陪，”爵士说道，“我想我最好趁雨还没下得更大，先回家去。I’ll leave you to rehash old times.”你们留下来好好叙叙旧吧。”He bowed once again to Akabar’s wife, then strode off, with Scotty balanced on his shoulder.他再次向阿卡巴的妻子鞠了一躬，随后让斯科蒂稳稳待在自己肩头，大步离去。

Akabar sighed inwardly as he glanced from Alias to Zhara.阿卡巴的目光从阿莉亚丝移到扎拉身上，暗自叹了口气。He hadn’t expected Alias to get along with Zhara.他本就没指望阿莉亚丝能和扎拉融洽相处。Although the sell-sword was too proud to admit it, he believed she was jealous of his wives.那个雇佣剑客虽然骄傲得不肯承认，但他相信她是在嫉妒他的妻子们。He hadn’t expected Zhara to show jealousy, though, but then Alias was special to him, and Zhara knew that.不过，他倒没料到扎拉也会表现出嫉妒；但阿莉亚丝对他而言毕竟很特别，而扎拉也清楚这一点。At least the women’s coolness toward one another would give him time to explain about Zhara to Alias.至少，这两个女人彼此间的冷淡能给他一些时间，让他向阿莉亚丝解释扎拉的事。

Akabar glanced at Dragonbait, who was watching Zhara curiously.阿卡巴瞥了龙饵一眼，只见他正好奇地打量着扎拉。The saurial paladin gave Akabar an inquiring look.那位蜥蜴人圣武士向阿卡巴投去询问的目光。He can smell what Zhara is, the Turmishman thought.他能嗅出扎拉究竟是什么，图米什人心想。Will he have the wisdom to keep it to himself? he wondered.他会有足够的智慧守口如瓶吗？阿卡巴不禁怀疑。

Dragonbait shrugged and looked down at his teacup.龙饵耸了耸肩，低头看向自己的茶杯。Akabar, he realized, thought Alias loved him and would become enraged with jealousy if she knew all that Zhara was.他意识到，阿卡巴以为阿莉亚丝爱着自己，如果她知道扎拉的全部真相，就会妒火中烧。The paladin knew Alias far better than the merchant-mage, and he knew that Alias did indeed love Akabar, but not the way Akabar thought she did.这位圣武士远比那名商人法师了解阿莉亚丝；他知道阿莉亚丝确实爱着阿卡巴，却不是阿卡巴以为的那种爱。

Despite Alias’s adult body and brilliant mind, Dragonbait had come to understand that her emotions were no more mature than a child’s. The paladin suspected that the Nameless Bard, who denied his own emotions as a matter of pride, had been unable to give Alias skill controlling her feelings when something upset her.尽管阿莉亚丝有着成年人的身体和聪慧过人的头脑，龙饵却渐渐明白，她的情感并不比一个孩子成熟。 圣武士怀疑，无名者吟游诗人出于骄傲而否认自己的情感，因此没能教会阿莉亚丝在受到刺激时如何控制情绪。Like a child, Alias grew jealous easily, and it wasn’t easy for her to accept that she couldn’t always be the center of attention.阿莉亚丝像个孩子一样很容易嫉妒，也很难接受自己不能永远成为众人关注的中心。Akabar was right to worry about her reaction when she learned of Zhara’s true nature.阿卡巴担心她得知扎拉真实本性后的反应，并非没有道理。What the merchant-mage did not realize, however, was that Alias wouldn’t react as a woman but as a child.然而，那名商人法师没有意识到的是，阿莉亚丝不会像个女人那样作出反应，而会像个孩子。

Still, it would be bad to put off explaining about Zhara, the paladin thought.不过，圣武士心想，关于扎拉的事还是不宜拖延解释。He would give Akabar a day to work up to it, but no more.他会给阿卡巴一天时间，让他做好开口的准备，但最多也只有一天。

From the unpleasant, but fortunately weak, stench of brimstone that wafted from Dragonbait, Alias could tell there was something about Akabar’s wife that interested the saurial.从龙饵身上飘来的那股难闻却幸而微弱的硫黄臭气，阿莉亚丝看得出，阿卡巴的妻子身上有什么东西引起了这名蜥蜴人的注意。Nevertheless, Alias ignored Zhara and focused all her attention on Akabar.尽管如此，阿莉亚丝还是对扎拉不予理会，把全部注意力都放在了阿卡巴身上。“So what brings you this far north so late in the year?” she asked the Turmishman.“一年都这么晚了，你怎么会跑到这么北边来？”她问那名图米什人。

Instead of answering Alias’s question, Akabar asked one of his own.阿卡巴没有回答阿莉亚丝的问题，反而问了她一个问题。“Have you been well since I saw you in Westgate last year?”“自从去年在西门城见过你以后，你一直过得好吗？”

Alias’s brow knit in puzzlement.阿莉亚丝困惑地蹙起眉头。“Of course.“当然很好。Why shouldn’t I be?我怎么会不好？Akabar, what’s wrong?阿卡巴，出什么事了？Why are you here?”你为什么会在这里？”

Akabar drew a deep breath.阿卡巴深吸了一口气。“I came to Shadowdale to seek Elminster’s advice.“我来阴影谷，是为了向伊尔明斯特请教。I also hoped to find you here, in order to warn you.”我也希望能在这里找到你，好向你示警。”

“Warn me?”“向我示警？”Alias asked, more confused than alarmed.阿莉亚丝问道，困惑多于惊慌。“What about?”“警告我什么？”

“The return of the Darkbringer,” Akabar said.“黑暗使者回来了。”阿卡巴说。

“The Darkbringer!“黑暗使者！You mean Moander?”你是说莫安德？”Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。

Akabar nodded.阿卡巴点了点头。

“Akabar,” Alias reminded the mage, “after you destroyed Moander’s body, most of its worshipers killed themselves.“阿卡巴，”阿莉亚丝提醒这位法师，“你摧毁莫安德的躯体后，它的大多数信徒都自尽了。Cassana had the Fire Knives assassinate those who didn’t, so she wouldn’t have to share me with them.卡萨娜让火刀刺客公会刺杀了那些没有自尽的人，免得她还得同他们分享我。Dragonbait and I spent the past two summers checking out all the Darkbringer’s temples.过去两个夏天，龙饵和我查遍了黑暗使者所有的神殿。They’ve all been abandoned.那些神殿全都废弃了。Without worshipers in the Realms, it could be centuries before Moander can regain enough energy to make a new body and return here from the Abyss.”诸界中没有了信徒，莫安德可能得过上几个世纪，才能重新积聚足够的力量，造出一具新的躯体，从无底深渊返回这里。”

“I have been troubled by nightmares of late,” Akabar explained.“最近我一直被噩梦困扰，”阿卡巴解释道。“Zhara tells me they are warnings from the gods of light.”“扎拉告诉我，那些梦是光明诸神发出的警告。”

Alias sighed in exasperation.阿莉亚丝恼火地叹了口气。“Akabar, after all Moander put you through, of course you’re going to have nightmares about it for a while.“阿卡巴，莫安德害你受了那么多苦，你当然会有一阵子一直做关于他的噩梦。It’s only natural.这再自然不过了。The gods don’t have anything to do with it.”这事跟诸神毫无关系。”

“The dreams did not begin until this past spring, nearly a year after Moander’s death,” Akabar countered.“那些梦直到去年春天才开始，那时莫安德已经死了将近一年。”阿卡巴反驳道。

Alias shrugged.阿莉亚丝耸了耸肩。“Spring is when you destroyed Moander.“你是在春天消灭莫安德的。Maybe the weather just reminded you of him,” she suggested.也许这天气只是让你想起了他。”她猜测道。

“Spring weather in Turmish is nothing like spring weather in the north or even in Westgate, where Moander died,” Akabar persisted.“图米什的春日天气，跟北方的春天毫无相似之处，甚至也不像莫安德丧命之地西门城的春天。”阿卡巴仍不肯罢休。

Dragonbait rapped on the table for attention.龙饵敲了敲桌子，要大家注意他。Alias watched the saurial’s paws flutter about the tabletop, then move to his lips.阿莉亚丝看着这个蜥蜴人的双爪在桌面上飞快比画，接着又移到他的嘴唇边。Finally he pointed at her and Akabar.最后，他指了指她和阿卡巴。

Alias shook her head.阿莉亚丝摇了摇头。“They’re not related at all,” she told the paladin.“这两件事根本毫无关系。”她对圣武士说道。

“What’s he trying to say?”“他想说什么？”Akabar asked curiously.阿卡巴好奇地问道。

“Nothing important,” Alias said.“没什么要紧的。”阿莉亚丝说。

Dragonbait shoved his elbow into Alias’s side.龙饵用手肘猛撞了一下阿莉亚丝的腰侧。The sell-sword glared at her lizard companion, and Dragonbait glared right back at her.女佣兵怒视着她的蜥蜴人同伴，龙饵也毫不退让地瞪了回去。The contest of wills lasted only a few moments, but it astonished Akabar.这场意志较量只持续了片刻，却令阿卡巴惊讶不已。He’d never seen Dragonbait challenge Alias before.他以前从未见过龙饵公然顶撞阿莉亚丝。When the mage had traveled with the pair, Dragonbait had been as submissive to Alias as a Turmishwoman was to her husband in public.从前这位法师与两人同行时，龙饵对阿莉亚丝百依百顺，就像图米什女子在外人面前顺从自己的丈夫一样。Obviously the relationship between the saurial and Alias had changed in the past year.显然，在过去一年里，这个蜥蜴人与阿莉亚丝之间的关系已经发生了变化。Alias looked away from Dragonbait, muttering, “All right.阿莉亚丝把目光从龙饵身上移开，低声嘟囔道：“好吧。Think what you want, but you’re wrong.”随你怎么想，反正你错了。”

“What is it?”“怎么回事？”Akabar demanded.阿卡巴追问道。

“Dragonbait thinks I should tell you that it was last spring when I started singing strangely.”“龙饵觉得，我应该告诉你，我是从去年春天开始唱得不对劲的。”

“Singing strangely?“唱得不对劲？”I don’t understand,” Akabar said, his eyebrows arching.“我不明白。”阿卡巴扬起眉毛说道。

“Somehow the melody and the lyrics of songs I was singing came out twisted.“不知怎么，我唱出来的歌曲，旋律和歌词全都走了样。And I didn’t even realize I was doing it,” Alias explained, obviously disturbed.而且我自己根本没意识到。”阿莉亚丝解释道，显然对此深感不安。

“Do you have dreams about Moander?”“你会梦见莫安德吗？”Akabar asked.阿卡巴问道。

“I wouldn’t know,” Alias replied.“我怎么知道。”阿莉亚丝回答。“I never remember my dreams when I wake up.“我醒来以后从来都不记得自己做过什么梦。Dreams are for sleeping.”梦是睡觉时才有的东西。”

“You remembered the dream you had about Nameless in Shadow Gap,” Akabar reminded her.“可你还记得在阴影隘口梦见无名者的那个梦。”阿卡巴提醒她。

“That was different.“那不一样。That was a magical dream caused by the witch Cassana, sent in order to distract me from the ambush she was laying.”那是女巫卡萨娜用魔法制造的梦，目的是分散我的注意力，好让我落入她设下的埋伏。”

Akabar stroked his beard thoughtfully, then suggested, “Since you do not remember your dreams, it could be that the gods are trying to warn you through your songs.”阿卡巴若有所思地抚着胡须，随后说道：“既然你不记得自己的梦，也许诸神正试图通过你的歌声向你示警。”

“Akabar, why should the gods go to all the trouble to send you dreams and ruin my songs when they could just send a letter?”“阿卡巴，诸神要是能直接寄封信来，又何必大费周章，既给你托梦，又毁掉我的歌呢？”Alias asked skeptically.阿莉亚丝满腹狐疑地问道。

“If you do not believe Zhara and you do not believe me,” Akabar said, “you certainly would not believe a letter, Alias.“如果你既不相信扎拉，也不相信我，”阿卡巴说道，“那你肯定也不会相信一封信，阿莉亚丝。The gods know the way to your heart is through your music.”诸神知道，要打动你的心，唯有通过你的音乐。”

Alias sighed.阿莉亚丝叹了口气。She’d known, of course, that Akabar was a scholar of religion, but this sudden devout belief that the gods were speaking to him and her made her uneasy.她当然知道阿卡巴是个宗教学者，但他突然如此虔诚地相信诸神正在对他和她传话，还是令她感到不安。It was this new wife’s influence, she was sure.她确信，这都是他那位新婚妻子的影响。“Well, if the gods are causing me to sing this way,” Alias said, “they certainly have lousy taste in music.“好吧，如果真是诸神让我这样唱，”阿莉亚丝说道，“那他们的音乐品味可真够差的。And they could work on making their lyrics a little less obscure, too.”而且他们也该下点功夫，把歌词写得别那么晦涩。”

Zhara, who had been silent for a long time, spoke out suddenly, with anger and passion.沉默了许久的扎拉突然开口，语气中满是愤怒与激昂。“You cannot expect the songs of the gods to be of the same simple sort you northern barbarians delight in,” she said.“你不能指望神灵之歌也像你们北方蛮子爱听的那些歌一样浅白简单。”她说道。

Alias glared at the priestess.阿莉亚丝怒视着女祭司。“My songs are the best in the Realms,” she growled.“我的歌是诸界最好的。”她低吼道。

“They are nothing compared to the words spoken by the gods,” Zhara replied heatedly.“与神灵说出的话相比，那些歌根本算不了什么。”扎拉激动地反驳道。“Our prayers to them are the most suitable music we can make.”“我们向神灵献上的祈祷，才是我们所能奏出的最合宜的乐声。”

Realizing that it was futile to argue with a religious zealot, Alias turned her attention back to Akabar.阿莉亚丝意识到，跟一个宗教狂热分子争论毫无意义，于是将注意力重新转向阿卡巴。“I don’t suppose the gods have given you any details about what you’re supposed to do about this return of Moander,” she said.“我想，神灵大概没告诉你该怎么应对莫安德这次归来吧？”她说道。

“Yes, they have, as a matter of fact,” Akabar replied, and his face looked suddenly haggard.“事实上，他们告诉我了。”阿卡巴答道，脸色突然显得十分憔悴。“I must find Moander’s body in the Realms and destroy it again.“我必须在诸界找到莫安德的躯体，再次将它摧毁。Then I must find its body in the Abyss and destroy it there.然后我必须在无底深渊找到它的躯体，并在那里将它摧毁。Only then will Moander be destroyed forever,” he explained.只有这样，莫安德才会被永远消灭。”他解释道。

Alias looked at her friend with astonishment and fear.阿莉亚丝又惊又怕地望着朋友。He was absolutely serious.他是完全认真的。He meant to fight the god again.他打算再次与那个神祇交战。If Dragonbait hadn’t recruited the help of an ancient red dragon, who had died battling Moander, she and Akabar would still be under the god’s domination now, unable to fight the abomination’s awful power to control their minds.当初若不是龙饵请来一条远古红龙相助，而那条红龙最终在与莫安德的战斗中丧生，她和阿卡巴如今仍会受那个神祇支配，根本无力抵抗那邪物操控他们心智的可怕力量。Now Akabar not only wanted to fight Moander in the Realms, but also in the Abyss, where it would be surrounded by numbers of powerful minions.现在，阿卡巴不仅想在诸界与莫安德交战，还要前往无底深渊与它交战，而在那里，它身边将簇拥着众多强大的爪牙。The swordswoman was sure the mage couldn’t have come up with such a dangerous idea on his own.女剑士确信，法师绝不可能独自想出如此危险的主意。She glared across the table at Akabar’s new wife, and as she so often did, she channeled her fear into anger.她隔着桌子怒视阿卡巴的新婚妻子，并像往常一样，将恐惧化作了愤怒。

“This is all your doing, isn’t it?”“这全是你搞的鬼，对不对？”Alias snarled at Zhara.阿莉亚丝冲扎拉怒吼道。“You lousy priests are always trying to convince some nice, noble soul to go out and get killed trying to destroy some great evil that no one in their right mind would want to run into.“你们这些混账祭司总是想说服某个善良高尚的人，让他跑去送死，试图消灭某种任何神志正常的人都不愿碰上的巨大邪恶。Not even the mighty elven kingdom of Myth Drannor, in the height of its powers, could destroy Moander.就连强大的精灵王国迷斯卓诺，在国力最鼎盛的时候也无法消灭莫安德。You softened Akabar up with sweet talk and then start blowing his nightmares out of proportion.你先用甜言蜜语哄得阿卡巴放松戒心，然后又开始把他的噩梦夸大得不可收拾。I’ll bet you even used your priestly magic to set him on this stupid quest, didn’t you?”我敢说，你甚至还动用了祭司的法术，怂恿他踏上这场愚蠢的征途，对不对？”

Alias looked back at the Turmishman.阿莉亚丝回头看着那个图米什人。“Don’t be a fool, Akabar,” she pleaded.“别犯傻了，阿卡巴，”她恳求道。“You’ve done more than your share.“你做的已经远远超过了自己的本分。You should never have married this priestess.你根本就不该娶这个女祭司。She doesn’t care about you.她根本不在乎你。She’s only interested in what you can do for the glory of her goddess.”她只关心你能为她那位女神的荣耀做些什么。”

Akabar’s jaw trembled and his face went livid.阿卡巴的下巴颤抖起来，脸色一片铁青。Instinctively Alias backed her chair away from him.阿莉亚丝本能地把椅子往后挪，离他远了些。Zhara laid one of her slender hands on her husband’s arm and said something in Turmish that Alias didn’t understand.扎拉将一只纤细的手搭在丈夫的手臂上，用图米什语说了句阿莉亚丝听不懂的话。Akabar closed his eyes and calmed his temper with several long, slow breaths.阿卡巴闭上眼睛，缓慢地深呼吸了几次，平息了怒火。

Beneath the table, Dragonbait’s tail slapped warningly at Alias’s knee.桌子底下，龙饵的尾巴警告似的拍打着阿莉亚丝的膝盖。The swordswoman shot an angry glance at the paladin.女剑士愤怒地瞪了圣武士一眼。Dragonbait was rubbing his chin.龙饵正摩挲着下巴。He was asking her to apologize to Zhara, but Alias remained adamant.他是在示意她向扎拉道歉，但阿莉亚丝依旧固执己见。She didn’t care how Akabar felt about Zhara.她才不在乎阿卡巴对扎拉是什么感情。Zhara was obviously using him.扎拉显然是在利用他。

A youth dressed in a page’s uniform, his hair dripping wet from the rain falling outside the inn, interrupted the uneasy silence that had settled over the table.一名身穿侍从制服的少年打破了笼罩在桌边的尴尬沉默；客栈外正下着雨，他的头发湿漉漉地滴着水。“Excuse me, lady,” the boy said timidly.“打扰了，女士，”男孩怯生生地说道。

Alias looked up.阿莉亚丝抬起头。She knew the boy.她认识这个男孩。His name was Heth, and he was one of Lord Mourngrym’s pages.他名叫赫斯，是莫恩格林领主的侍从之一。She smiled to put the boy at ease.她微微一笑，好让男孩放松下来。“Yes?“怎么了？What is it, Heth?”有什么事，赫斯？”

“Alias of Westgate, the tribunal of Harpers requests that you come come before them,” Heth said formally.“西门城的阿莉亚丝，竖琴手同盟的审判庭请你前去出席，”赫斯一本正经地说道。

Alias started.阿莉亚丝吃了一惊。For a short while, she’d forgotten her anxiety about Nameless.有那么一会儿，她忘记了自己对无名者的担忧。Now it returned with double force.此刻，那份忧虑又加倍袭来。Her face went pale and her lips trembled.她脸色煞白，嘴唇微微颤抖。Nameless’s fate was in her hands.无名者的命运掌握在她手中。If she said or did the wrong thing, they would exile him again, send him away from the Realms, away from her.如果她说错了话或做错了事，他们就会再次放逐他，把他赶出诸界，赶到远离她的地方。

“What tribunal?”“什么审判庭？”Akabar asked.阿卡巴问道。

“The Harper tribunal that is rehearing Nameless’s case,” Alias said, rising to her feet.“重新审理无名者一案的竖琴手同盟审判庭，”阿莉亚丝一边说，一边站起身来。“I asked to speak to them on his behalf.”“我请求去替他说情。”

Despite his offended pride and the insult she had just delivered to his wife, Akabar couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the warrior woman.尽管自尊受了伤，而且她刚才还冒犯了他的妻子，阿卡巴仍不由得同情起这位女战士。Alias had always had difficulty trusting other people and growing intimate with them, but she had accepted Nameless as her father.阿莉亚丝一向很难信任别人，也很难与人亲近，但她已经把无名者当成了自己的父亲。Akabar didn’t like to think of the grief she would suffer should the Harpers be so merciless as to recondemn the bard.阿卡巴不愿去想，若竖琴手同盟冷酷无情到再次给那位吟游诗人定罪，她将承受怎样的悲痛。

“I would have thought the Harpers had taken care of that last year,” Akabar said.“我还以为竖琴手同盟去年就已经把这件事处理好了，”阿卡巴说。“What’s taken them so long?”“他们怎么拖了这么久？”

“It took Elminster all last year to convince them that they should rehear the case,” Alias explained.“伊尔明斯特花了整整一年，才说服他们重新审理此案，”阿莉亚丝解释道。“Now I have to go.”“现在我得走了。”

Akabar stood up in front of the sell-sword.阿卡巴站起身，挡在这名雇佣剑士面前。“I’ll go with you,” he said.“我跟你一起去，”他说。“I, too, will speak on his behalf, for he saved my life.”“我也要替他说情，因为他救过我的命。”

The page looked confused for a moment, uncertain how to respond to this stranger.那名侍童一时显得有些困惑，不知道该如何回应这个陌生人。

“Heth,” Alias explained to the page, “this is my friend, Akabar bel Akash.“赫斯，”阿莉亚丝向侍童解释道，“这是我的朋友，阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什。”He knows all about Nameless.“他知道无名者的一切。”May he come with me?”“他可以和我一起去吗？”

“He is welcome to accompany you, lady,” Heth replied, “but I do not know if the tribunal will hear him.”“欢迎他陪您同行，女士，”赫斯回答道，“但我不知道审判庭是否愿意听取他的陈述。”

“Then I shall speak very loudly,” Akabar said.“那我就说得非常大声。”阿卡巴说。

Alias looked up at Akabar with a grateful smile.阿莉亚丝抬头望着阿卡巴，感激地一笑。At least Zhara’s influence was not so complete that the Turmishman could not spare time from his insane quest to help a friend.至少，扎拉对他的影响还没有彻底到让这个图米什人连从那疯狂的追求中抽出时间帮助朋友都做不到。

Dragonbait chirped, and Alias turned her head to watch him sign.龙饵啾啾叫了几声，阿莉亚丝转头看他打手势。“Dragonbait says he’ll look after Zhara for you,” she explained to Akabar.“龙饵说，他会替你照看扎拉。”她向阿卡巴解释道。Though I’m sure the shrew can handle herself, she thought, but she managed to resist saying so aloud.不过我敢肯定，那个悍妇完全能照顾好自己，她心想，但还是忍住了，没有把这话说出口。She wished the paladin would come along with her instead of remaining with Zhara, but she didn’t want to argue with him in front of Akabar.她希望这位圣武士能跟她一起去，而不是留下来陪扎拉，但她不想当着阿卡巴的面同他争辩。

Akabar motioned for the page to go ahead.阿卡巴示意侍童在前面带路。Alias went to speak to Jhaele for a moment, then grabbed her cloak from a hook and joined Akabar and Heth at the door.阿莉亚丝去同杰尔说了几句话，随后从挂钩上取下斗篷，在门口与阿卡巴和赫斯会合。The swordswoman and the Turmishman followed the boy from the inn out into the drizzling rain.女剑士和图米什人跟着男孩走出旅店，踏入蒙蒙细雨之中。They walked in silence down the main road that led west toward the Tower of Ashaba.他们默默地沿着大路向西走去，前往阿沙巴塔。Over the tops of the trees, they could make out the tower’s peculiar off-center spire, which gave it the nickname “the Twisted Tower.”越过树梢，他们可以看见那座塔位置奇特、偏向一侧的尖顶，也正因如此，它得了“扭曲塔”这个绰号。

Despite its notoriety, Shadowdale was a small town, but the Tower of Ashaba was a massive and impressive structure nonetheless.阴影谷虽然声名赫赫，却只是个小镇，但阿沙巴塔依然是一座庞大而雄伟的建筑。It served as a home to not only the Lord of Shadowdale and his family, but also to most of his court and household staff, not to mention numerous adventurers friendly to his lordship.那里不仅住着阴影谷领主及其家人，还住着他宫廷里的大多数人和府邸仆役，更不用说那些与领主交好的众多冒险者了。Mourngrym had invited Alias to winter there, but Alias could only think of the tower as Nameless’s prison, and she had declined.莫恩格林曾邀请阿莉亚丝去塔里过冬，但阿莉亚丝一想到那座塔，便只会想到无名者的监牢，于是婉拒了。She wouldn’t have accepted at any rate.无论如何，她都不会接受。As much as she liked Mourngrym, becoming his guest would have meant giving up some of her independence.尽管她很喜欢莫恩格林，可一旦成为他的客人，就意味着要放弃一部分独立自主。She felt more comfortable paying Jhaele for a room at the inn.她还是觉得付钱向杰尔租住旅店里的房间更自在。

As they passed Elminster’s tower, Akabar glanced sidelong at Alias.经过伊尔明斯特的塔楼时，阿卡巴侧眼看了看阿莉亚丝。She looked nervous.她显得很紧张。Having already swallowed his anger at her earlier behavior, the mage was determined to reestablish their friendship.法师已经压下了对她先前所作所为的怒气，决心与她重修旧好。He began with what northerners called “small talk.”他先从北方人所谓的“闲聊”开始。

“Have you heard anything of Mistress Olive Ruskettle since she took her leave of us in Westgate?” the Turmishman asked.“奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔女士在西门城与我们告别之后，你可曾听到过她的消息？”图米什人问道。

Alias looked at Akabar and grinned.阿莉亚丝看着阿卡巴，咧嘴一笑。Olive, at least, was something the two of them had always agreed upon.至少在奥利芙这件事上，他们俩的看法向来一致。The halfling thief had attached herself without invitation to their adventuring party the previous year, only to make a tremendous nuisance of herself, betraying them to Alias’s enemies and only at the last moment helping to rescue them from fates worse than death.去年，那个半身人女贼不请自来地加入了他们的冒险队伍，结果给他们添了天大的麻烦：她把他们出卖给了阿莉亚丝的敌人，直到最后一刻才出手相助，把他们从比死亡更可怕的命运中救了出来。Olive hadn’t actually taken her leave of them at the end of their adventure.冒险结束时，奥利芙其实并没有向他们告辞。She’d left in the middle of the night with a good deal more than her share of the treasure they’d taken from the sorceress Cassana’s dungeon.她在半夜悄悄离开了，还带走了远超她应得份额的财宝——那些财宝是他们从女术士卡萨娜的地牢里夺来的。To the halfling’s credit, she at least left them all the gold and silver coin, preferring the more portable gemstones and jewelry for herself.不过值得肯定的是，这个半身人至少把所有金银币都留给了他们，自己只挑了更便于携带的宝石和首饰。

“I believe she’s in Cormyr,” Alias said.“我想她在科米尔，”阿莉亚丝说。“Travelers who have passed through there speak of a halfling bard who sings some of the best songs they’ve ever heard and who claims to have been the mastermind behind the destruction of the Fire Knives assassin guild, the Darkbringer, a red dragon, a lich, an evil sorceress, and a fiend from Tarterus.“有些途经那里而来的旅人提起过一个半身人吟游诗人，说她唱的歌是他们平生听过最动听的几首，还声称摧毁火刀刺客公会、黑暗使者、一条红龙、一个巫妖、一个邪恶女术士，以及一个来自塔尔塔罗斯的邪魔，全是由她一手策划的。She was aided, naturally, by her faithful assistants, an anonymous southern mage, a little-known northern sell-sword, and a mysterious lizardman.”当然，她也得到过几名忠实助手的帮助：一个籍籍无名的南方魔法师，一个鲜为人知的北方佣兵，还有一个神秘的蜥蜴人。”

“That sounds like our Olive Ruskettle, all right,” Akabar agreed.“没错，听起来就是咱们的奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔，”阿卡巴表示赞同。

“I almost wish she were here now,” Alias said.“我现在倒真有点希望她在这里了，”阿莉亚丝说。“If anyone was able to talk her way around this Harper tribunal, it would be Olive.”“要说有谁能凭一张嘴应付过这场竖琴手同盟的审判，那一定是奥利芙。”

Akabar chuckled, “Remember the saying, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ ” He sensed the nervousness in her voice, and made an effort to reassure her.阿卡巴轻笑一声：“记住那句老话：‘许愿可要当心。’”他听出了她声音中的不安，便努力宽慰她。“Alias, Elminster is speaking on Nameless’s behalf.“阿莉亚丝，伊尔明斯特正在替无名者说话。The Harpers will be influenced by the sage’s wisdom.竖琴手同盟会听取这位贤者的睿智之言。Even if they are not, the Harpers are good people.就算他们不肯听，竖琴手同盟的人也都是好人。They couldn’t be so cruel as to return Nameless to exile after what he has suffered.无名者已经受了那么多苦，他们不可能残忍到再次将他放逐。They may not forgive him, but they will realize that isolating him serves no further purpose.他们或许不会原谅他，但会明白，继续孤立他已经毫无意义。Don’t worry.”别担心。”

“I can’t help it,” Alias replied in barely more than a whisper.“我控制不住，”阿莉亚丝用几乎低不可闻的声音答道。“I know what you say is true, but I have this tremendous foreboding that something awful is going to happen to Nameless, that someone wishes him harm.”“我知道你说得没错，可我有一种极其强烈的不祥预感，觉得无名者会遭遇什么可怕的事，有人想要伤害他。”

The mage shuddered inwardly at the woman’s words.听到这女人的话，魔法师心中不禁一阵战栗。Alias had rejected so fiercely his quest to destroy Moander that Akabar had been reluctant to tell her any more about his dreams.阿莉亚丝曾如此激烈地反对他去消灭莫安德，以至于阿卡巴一直不愿再向她透露更多有关自己梦境的事。She would learn soon enough, though, that he was not the only one chosen to battle the evil god.不过，她很快便会知道，被选中与那位邪神战斗的人并不只有他一个。Nameless, too, was destined to be caught up in the final confrontation with the Darkbringer.无名者也注定会被卷入与黑暗使者的最终对决。

While page Heth was fetching Alias, the Harper tribunal continued to discuss the matter of the Nameless Bard.侍童赫斯去叫阿莉亚丝时，竖琴手审判庭继续讨论着无名者吟游诗人的事。

“Even if this Alias is the paragon you say, Elminster,” Morala said to the sage, “her existence does not mitigate the bard’s initial guilt.“伊尔明斯特，即使这个阿莉亚丝真像你所说的那样堪称典范，”莫拉拉对这位贤者说道，“她的存在也不能减轻那名吟游诗人最初的罪责。You would not speak on Nameless’s behalf at his first trial,” she reminded him.“无名者第一次受审时，你可没有替他说话。”她提醒道。“What has changed between then and now?”“从那时到现在，究竟有什么改变？”

What indeed?是啊，究竟有什么改变？Elminster wondered.伊尔明斯特心想。“As ye know, thy grace, I was a good friend to Nameless, but when he proceeded with his experiment against my advice, I felt … betrayed.“如您所知，大人，我曾是无名者的好友，但他不顾我的劝告，执意进行那项试验时，我觉得……遭到了背叛。I was angry with him, so I did nothing to defend him.我很生他的气，所以什么也没做，没有替他辩护。I now believe I was wrong to do nothing.”如今我认为，当时什么也不做是错的。”

“It is a master bard’s sworn duty to protect his apprentices,” Morala continued.“保护自己的学徒，是吟游诗人大师立誓承担的职责，”莫拉拉继续说道。“Nameless was found guilty of recklessly endangering his apprentices, resulting in the death of one and injury to the other.“无名者被判鲁莽危及学徒的安全，导致一人死亡，另一人受伤。What can you possibly say in his defense?”你还能说什么来为他辩护？”Morala asked.莫拉拉问道。

“Nothing, thy grace,” Elminster said.“无话可说，大人。”伊尔明斯特说道。

“Nothing?”“无话可说？”Breck asked with surprise.布雷克惊讶地问道。

Kyre tilted her head in confusion, but Morala’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.凯尔困惑地歪了歪头，莫拉拉却怀疑地眯起了眼睛。The sage had some trick up his sleeve; she was sure of it.这个贤者一定暗藏着什么花招；她确信这一点。

“Nothing, good ranger,” Elminster said.“没什么，善良的游侠。”伊尔明斯特说道。“But then,” he added, “there is also nothing I can say in defense of the punishment meted out by the Harper tribunal that sentenced the bard.”“不过，”他又说道，“对于竖琴手同盟法庭判给那名吟游诗人的惩罚，我同样无话可以为之辩护。”Elminster’s tone deepened with anger and contempt.伊尔明斯特的语气中多了几分愤怒与鄙夷。“How long did they sentence Nameless to exile?”“他们判无名者流放多久？”The sage answered his own question.贤者自己回答了这个问题。“Forever.“永远。Two hundred years he has spent alone.他已经孤独地度过了两百年。Like barbarians who slice off the hands of a thief, the Harpers have given him no opportunity to atone for his crime.竖琴手同盟如同砍掉窃贼双手的野蛮人一般，没有给他任何赎罪的机会。And what was done with the best part of the man, the beautiful music he composed despite his vanity and thoughtlessness, music which might have proven there was some good in him?至于这个人身上最美好的部分呢——尽管他虚荣而轻率，却创作出了优美的乐曲，那些乐曲原本或许能证明他心中尚有善念——它们又遭到了怎样的处置？The Harpers tried to wipe it out, just as barbarians wipe out the innocent children of their enemies.”竖琴手同盟试图将其彻底抹去，就像野蛮人杀光仇敌无辜的孩子一样。”

Kyre raised her eyebrows at the sage’s analogies, and Breck blushed with shame, but Morala rose angrily to her feet.凯尔听到贤者的这些比喻，扬起了眉毛；布雷克羞愧得满脸通红，莫拉拉却愤然起身。

“Nameless knows nothing of atonement!”“无名者根本不懂什么叫赎罪！”Morala insisted.莫拉拉坚称。“He was adept at charming others into spending their lives on his schemes.“他最擅长蛊惑别人，让他们把一生都耗费在他的图谋上。Not even the deaths of his apprentices stopped him from attempting to build a second singing simulacrum.就连学徒们的死，也没能阻止他尝试制造第二个会歌唱的拟像。If not for the intervention of others, who knows what evils Cassana and her consortium would have set this Alias to accomplish?若非旁人出手干预，谁知道卡萨娜和她的同党会驱使这个阿莉亚丝去完成何等邪恶之事？We exiled Nameless alone so he could never again harm another with his recklessness.我们将无名者单独流放，是为了让他再也无法因自己的鲁莽伤害任何人。As for his music, he was unwilling to have his songs passed from one generation of bards to the next, so we honored his wish.”至于他的音乐，是他自己不愿让那些歌曲在一代代吟游诗人之间流传，因此我们尊重了他的意愿。”

“It is not justice to imprison someone for what he might do, Morala,” Elminster replied.“因为某人可能会做什么便将他囚禁，这并非正义，莫拉拉。”伊尔明斯特答道。“Tomorrow you or I might cause some great harm.“明天，你我或许也会酿成大祸。Should we then go into exile this very day?难道我们今天就该去接受流放吗？And as for his music, if the Harpers had only imprisoned Nameless for a few years but allowed his songs to be passed on in the natural way, Nameless might have learned to accept the way his music would evolve and change.至于他的音乐，倘若竖琴手同盟当初只将无名者囚禁几年，同时允许他的歌曲以自然的方式流传下去，无名者或许就能学会接受自己的音乐在流传中演变与改易。Instead, the Harpers exascerbated the bard’s fears.”可竖琴手同盟反而加剧了这名吟游诗人的恐惧。”

“We could not afford your fine sense of justice, Elminster,” Morala said.“我们可承受不起你那套高尚的正义观，伊尔明斯特。”莫拉拉说道。“We had to protect others from Nameless.“我们必须保护其他人不受无名者伤害。A few years would not have changed his attitude.短短几年并不能改变他的态度。I doubt that two hundred years has done so.我怀疑就算过了两百年，他也依然没有改变。Even now that he has his singer, Alias, is he any less likely to use people?即使如今他有了自己的歌者阿莉亚丝，难道他就不太可能再利用别人了吗？Can you offer any proof that Nameless himself has changed?”你能拿出任何证据，证明无名者本人已经改变了吗？”

Elminster considered the question carefully, searching his memory for any speech or action by Nameless that would demonstrate the bard’s redemption.伊尔明斯特仔细思索着这个问题，在记忆中搜寻无名者说过的任何话、做过的任何事，看是否足以证明这位吟游诗人已经改过自新。“Yes,” he said finally.“能。”他终于说道。

The Harpers waited impatiently for the sage to continue.竖琴手同盟的众人不耐烦地等着这位贤者继续说下去。Elminster rose to his feet and circled around the table till he stood directly before the tribunal.伊尔明斯特站起身，绕过桌子，来到审判席正前方站定。“Three things …” he began.“有三件事……”他开口道。Then suddenly his face went pale.随即，他的脸色突然变得煞白。He gasped and clutched at his chest.他倒抽一口气，一把捂住胸口。

“Elminster?”“伊尔明斯特？”Morala cried, rising to her feet.莫拉拉惊叫着站起身来。

“Are you all right, sir?”“先生，您没事吧？”Breck asked, leaping from his seat to come to the aid of the sage.布雷克问道，同时从座位上一跃而起，冲过去援助那位贤者。Some invisible force, though, repelled the young ranger.然而，一股无形的力量将年轻的游侠弹了回去。He bounced backward onto the dais at Kyre’s feet.他向后摔上高台，落在凯尔脚边。

In the span of three breaths, Elminster’s body seemed to turn to clear crystal.不过三次呼吸的工夫，伊尔明斯特的身体似乎化作了透明的水晶。Then, in a flash of bright light, the sage was gone.随后，一道强光闪过，贤者消失了。In his place stood a huge, hideous beast.取而代之的，是一头庞大而丑陋的怪兽。

The creature stood as tall as a hill giant, towering over the three Harpers.那生物足有丘陵巨人那么高，巍然耸立在三名竖琴手同盟成员面前。The long red robe and fur cape it wore couldn’t hide the inhumanness of its form.它身上的红色长袍和毛皮斗篷也掩盖不住那非人的形体。It was covered with sickly green scales, and its eyes glittered red in the torchlight.它浑身覆盖着病态的绿色鳞片，双眼在火把的光芒中闪着红光。Two sharp ivory horns sprouted from its head, and a third, even longer, horn rose from the tip of its long snout.两根尖锐的象牙色长角从它头顶生出，长长的吻端还竖着第三根角，比前两根更长。Around the back of its head grew a bony frill, edged with spikes and decorated with arcane magical symbols.它的后脑周围长着一圈骨质颈盾，边缘布满尖刺，其上还饰有奥术魔法符号。A muscular tail curled up from beneath the hem of its robe and swished back and forth like an angry snake.一条肌肉虬结的尾巴从长袍下摆探出，向上卷曲，像一条愤怒的蛇般来回甩动。

In one clawed appendage, the beast clenched an iron staff tipped with a yellow orb, and in the other claw it held out a small blood-red object vaguely resembling a large chess rook.那野兽一只利爪紧握着一根顶端镶有黄色圆球的铁杖，另一只利爪则伸在身前，托着一个血红色的小东西，隐约像一枚放大的国际象棋车棋子。The red object began to glow, and the Harpers could feel heat emanating from it.那红色物体开始发光，竖琴手同盟成员们能感觉到热量正从中散发出来。

Kyre shouted, “Kill it!”凯尔大喊：“杀了它！”Without a second’s hesitation, she drew a dagger from her boot and hurled it.她毫不迟疑地从靴子里拔出一把匕首，猛掷出去。The dagger struck the red object in the beast’s hand, knocking it to the stone floor, where it landed with a soft plop.匕首击中了野兽手里的红色物体，将它打落在石地板上；它啪嗒一声轻轻落地。

The beast looked up at Kyre and growled menacingly.那野兽抬眼望向凯尔，发出充满威胁的低吼。

“Kill the monster, Breck!”“杀了那个怪物，布雷克！”Kyre cried.凯尔喊道。“Kill it before it’s too late!”“趁还来得及，快杀了它！”

The ranger lost no time in picking himself up from Kyre’s feet, drawing his long sword, and charging the beast.游侠立刻从凯尔脚边爬起，拔出长剑，朝那野兽冲去。

The creature was just as quick, holding out its staff with both clawed appendages to block Breck’s blow.那生物的动作同样迅捷，双爪横举铁杖，挡住了布雷克的一击。Sparks flew where the ranger’s steel sword ground along the length of the iron staff.游侠的钢剑沿着铁杖摩擦而过，交击处火星四溅。The beast’s heavy tail lashed forward, struck Breck’s left shoulder, and knocked him backward.那野兽沉重的尾巴猛然向前抽出，击中布雷克的左肩，将他打得向后飞退。Breck stumbled back into the dais, grunting from the pain that shot down his arm and back.布雷克踉跄着后退，撞上高台，手臂和后背传来的剧痛让他闷哼出声。

Meanwhile, Morala rose to her feet, drew a vial of holy water from the sleeve of her robe, and began singing a series of increasingly higher-pitched musical scales, praying to Milil, the god of bards, for his aid.与此同时，莫拉拉站起身，从长袍袖中取出一小瓶圣水，开始唱出一连串音调越来越高的音阶，祈求吟游诗人之神米利尔出手相助。Kyre stepped from the dais, circling cautiously around the beast until she stood at the periphery of its vision.凯尔走下高台，小心翼翼地绕着那野兽转动，直到站在它视野的边缘。Then she began a magical chant of her own, one far more harsh and guttural than that of the priestess.接着，她也开始吟诵自己的魔法咒语，声音比那位女祭司的吟唱刺耳低沉得多。

Breck recovered enough to close in on his opponent again, searching for an opening in the beast’s defenses.布雷克缓过劲来，再次逼近对手，寻找那头怪兽防守中的破绽。The creature grabbed Breck’s injured arm and lifted the ranger several feet off the floor.怪兽一把抓住布雷克受伤的手臂，将这名游侠提离地面数英尺。Breck heard a pop as his arm dislocated from its shoulder joint, and he howled in agony.布雷克听见啪的一声，手臂从肩关节处脱了臼，痛得放声惨嚎。In a fury, he brought his sword down on the beast’s head, but the blade got caught on the bony frill protruding from its skull.盛怒之下，他挥剑劈向怪兽的头颅，但剑刃却卡在了它头骨上突出的骨质颈盾中。

Crimson blood oozed from the skin covering the beast’s frill, and the creature roared.殷红的鲜血从覆盖着怪兽颈盾的皮肤中渗出，怪兽咆哮起来。It hurled Breck through the air, straight into Morala, knocking her off balance.它将布雷克凌空掷出，正好砸中莫拉拉，撞得她失去了平衡。

The ranger and the priestess tumbled from the dais.游侠和女祭司双双从高台上滚落。Breck’s head hit the stone floor with a sickening thud.布雷克的脑袋砰地撞上石质地面，那声闷响令人心惊肉跳。Morala was able to soften her own landing with her hands, but her vial of holy water smashed on the floor, and her concentration shattered with it.莫拉拉及时用双手撑地，缓和了自己落地的冲击，但她那瓶圣水却摔碎在地，她的专注也随之崩溃。Her spell, which would have sent the beast back to whatever foul plane it had come from, was ruined.她的法术本可将怪兽送回它所来自的某个邪恶位面，如今却毁于一旦。“You may just have destroyed our only hope, ranger,” the priestess snapped.“游侠，你可能刚刚毁掉了我们唯一的希望。”女祭司厉声说道。

When Breck failed to reply, the priestess turned to face him.见布雷克没有回答，女祭司转身看向他。The ranger lay still on the floor.游侠一动不动地躺在地上。Morala knelt to examine him.莫拉拉跪下来查看他的情况。He was still breathing, but the impact to his head had knocked him unconscious.他仍有呼吸，但头部遭受的撞击已使他失去了意识。

Indifferent to the fate of her fellow Harpers, Kyre completed her own spell before the beast could turn its full attention to her.凯尔对同属竖琴手同盟的伙伴安危漠不关心，赶在怪兽将全部注意力转向她之前完成了自己的法术。A fan of flames shot out from the half-elf’s fingers.一道扇形烈焰从半精灵的指间喷射而出。The assault caught the beast in its midsection, and immediately its robes burst into flames.烈焰击中了怪兽的腰腹部，它身上的长袍顿时燃烧起来。The creature roared, dropped to the ground, and rolled to extinguish the flames.怪兽咆哮着扑倒在地，翻滚起来，试图扑灭火焰。

Kyre drew her own sword and approached the beast until she stood over its prone form.凯尔拔出自己的剑，走向怪兽，直到站在它倒伏的身躯上方。She raised her blade up to strike, but she, too, neglected to watch out for the beast’s tail.她举剑欲劈，但她也疏忽了怪兽的尾巴。The serpentine appendage lashed out suddenly and slapped her legs out from under her.那条蛇一般的尾巴突然横扫而来，一下扫倒了她的双腿。As she fell to her hands and knees, she lost her grip on her sword.她摔得双手和双膝着地，同时松开了握剑的手。Her weapon slid across the stone floor, but quickly she rolled toward it and grabbed it.她的武器滑过石质地面，但她立刻朝它翻滚过去，一把将其抓住。

The beast picked itself off the floor, leaning heavily on its staff, and lumbered from the courtroom and down the hallway.怪兽从地上爬起，身体沉沉倚在法杖上，蹒跚着离开审判厅，沿走廊而去。

Kyre stood up and turned to Morala.凯尔站起身，转向莫拉拉。“Alert the guard!” the half-elf ordered.“通知卫兵！”半精灵命令道。“I’m going after the monster!”“我去追那个怪物！”

“Breck’s injuries are serious!”“布雷克伤得很重！”Morala called to her.莫拉拉冲她喊道。“Alert the guard while I tend to him.”“我来照料他，你去通知卫兵。”Morala looked up when Kyre did not reply.凯尔没有回答，莫拉拉便抬头看去。The half-elf was already chasing after the beast.半精灵已经追着那怪物去了。“Kyre!“凯尔！Come back here!” the priestess shouted after her, but the half-elf did not return.回来！”女祭司朝她的背影喊道，可半精灵并没有回来。

Morala set her jaw angrily.莫拉拉气恼地绷紧了下巴。“Foolish girl,” she muttered.“愚蠢的丫头。”她低声嘟囔道。As the priestess of Milil laid her hands on the ranger’s pale face and began humming a healing spell, she noted a peculiar mixture of odors wafting through the room.米利尔的女祭司将双手按在游侠苍白的脸上，开始哼唱治疗咒语，同时察觉到一股混杂着几种气味的奇特气息在房间里飘荡。The smell of burning cloth, she realized, was the result of Kyre’s burning hands spell.她意识到，那股布料烧焦的气味是凯尔施展燃烧之手法术造成的。But where, Morala wondered, did the smell of fresh-mown hay and baking bread come from?可莫拉拉不禁疑惑，新割青草和烘烤面包的气味又是从哪里来的？

Olive stood at the door to Finder’s cell, fidgeting nervously.奥利芙站在芬德牢房门口，紧张不安地动来动去。“I know what I heard!” she insisted.“我知道自己听见了什么！”她坚持道。“Something roared out there.”“外面有什么东西吼了一声。”

“Olive, this is the Tower of Ashaba,” Finder reminded the halfling.“奥利芙，这里可是阿沙巴之塔。”芬德提醒这个半身人。“The home of Mourngrym, Lord of Shadowdale.“是阴影谷领主莫恩格林的居所。The guards aren’t going to allow any wild beasts to roam the halls.”卫兵不会允许任何野兽在走廊里乱窜的。”

“How do you know?“你怎么知道？After all, they let me roam the halls,” Olive argued.毕竟，他们就放任我在走廊里乱窜。”奥利芙反驳道。

Finder grinned at the halfling’s indirect comparison of herself to a wild beast.芬德听出半身人拐弯抹角地把自己比作野兽，咧嘴一笑。“Come away from the door, Olive,” he said patiently.“离门远点，奥利芙，”他耐心地说道。“We don’t want the guards to see you in here.”“我们可不想让守卫看见你在这里。”

“I’m just going to take a peek,” Olive insisted, opening the door a few inches more.“我就瞄一眼，”奥利芙坚持道，把门又推开了几英寸。She tried to slip out of the cell, but an invisible barrier across the threshold blocked her escape.她试图溜出牢房，却被横在门槛上的一道无形屏障挡住了去路。“It’s blocked!”“被封住了！”Olive hissed angrily.奥利芙恼怒地嘶声说道。“It’s a one-way door.“这是扇单向门。Why didn’t you tell me I was walking into a trap?”你怎么不告诉我，我这是往陷阱里钻？”

Finder raised his eyebrows in surprise.芬德惊讶地扬起了眉毛。“I didn’t know, Olive.“我不知道，奥利芙。Really.”真的。”He began to laugh.他笑了起来。

“What’s so damned funny?”“这到底有什么该死的好笑？”Olive demanded.奥利芙质问道。

“The irony of it all,” Finder explained.“整件事的讽刺之处，”芬德解释道。“I thought Elminster trusted me, but he knew me well enough to take extra precautions.“我还以为伊尔明斯特信任我，可他太了解我了，早就多加了一层防备。He must have made the door one-way to catch anyone who might try to help me escape from the cell.”他一定是把门变成了只能单向通行，好抓住任何想帮我逃出牢房的人。”

“I still fail to see any humor in it,” Olive said coldly.“我还是看不出这有什么好笑的，”奥利芙冷冷地说。

“Olive, Olive, Olive.“奥利芙，奥利芙，奥利芙。I told you.我告诉过你了。The finder’s stone can get past any barrier Elminster may have cast to try to prevent me from leaving this room.寻觅石能穿过伊尔明斯特为了阻止我离开这间屋子而可能设下的任何屏障。In his wildest dreams, the sage couldn’t have imagined you’d find the stone and bring it to me.”那位贤者做梦也想不到，你会找到这块石头，还把它带来给我。”

“You could put my mind to rest by using the stone to get us out right now,” Olive said.“你要是现在就用这块石头带我们出去，我也就能安心了，”奥利芙说。

Finder shook his head from side to side.芬德摇了摇头。“We’ll leave after the Harpers have made their decision.“等竖琴手同盟作出决定后，我们就离开。Not a measure sooner or later,” he said.一拍也不能早，一拍也不能晚。”他说。He laid the finder’s stone down on the table and picked up his chordal horn.他把寻路石放在桌上，拿起了和弦号角。

Olive leaned back against the wall beside the prison cell door and slumped to the floor.奥利芙倚着牢门旁的墙壁向后一靠，颓然滑坐到地板上。Finder began playing a soldier’s marching melody.芬德开始吹奏一支士兵行军曲。

Olive sniffed the air.奥利芙嗅了嗅空气。Although exit from the prison cell was magically blocked, the smell of fresh-baked bread wafted into the cell.尽管牢房的出口被魔法封锁了，新鲜出炉的面包香气却飘进了牢房。The halfling’s stomach rumbled in response.半身人的肚子闻香咕咕叫了起来。“I should have eaten a bigger breakfast,” she muttered.“早饭真该多吃一点的。”她嘟囔道。

Something in the hallway clomped toward the door.走廊里有什么东西咚咚地朝门口走来。“Would the guards be bringing you something to eat about now?”“卫兵是不是差不多该给你送吃的来了？”Olive whispered.奥利芙低声问道。

Finder lowered his horn from his mouth.芬德把号角从嘴边放下。“What are you talking a—” The bard halted in midword as the door of the prison cell flew open.“你在说什——”牢门猛地敞开，吟游诗人的话戛然而止。A huge green lizard in charred robes bent low and squeezed through the doorway.一只身披焦黑长袍的巨大绿蜥蜴低下身子，挤过门口。The creature was dripping blood from a shallow wound on its head, and the scales on its hands were black and blistered.那生物头上有一道浅浅的伤口，鲜血正不断滴落，双手上的鳞片也已发黑起泡。

Olive stood cautiously, trying not to attract the beast’s attention, while Finder grabbed the finder’s stone from the table and backed away from the door.奥利芙小心翼翼地站起身，尽量不引起那野兽的注意；与此同时，芬德从桌上抓起寻路石，向远离门口的方向退去。

“Don’t come a step farther!” the bard ordered the beast.“一步也不许再往前！”吟游诗人命令那野兽。

The smell of baking bread was overwhelming.烘烤面包的香气浓烈得令人难以招架。Olive gasped.奥利芙倒吸了一口气。A flicker of memory burst into enlightenment.一丝记忆闪过，令她恍然大悟。

Alerted to the halfling’s presence by Olive’s gasp, the lizard turned to face her.奥利芙的抽气声让蜥蜴察觉到了半身人的存在，它转过身来面对她。It pointed a clawed finger at her.它伸出一根带爪的手指，指向她。

“Don’t touch her!”“别碰她！”Finder barked sharply.芬德厉声喝道。“Back away from it slowly, Olive,” he whispered to the halfling.“慢慢离它远一点，奥利芙，”他低声对半身人说道。

“It’s all right,” Olive said, showing more courage than Finder would have ever credited her with possessing.“没事的，”奥利芙说道，展现出的勇气远超芬德以为她会有的。“At least, I think it’s all right,” the halfling added softly.“至少，我觉得没事，”半身人又轻声说道。She reached out slowly with one hand and touched the beast’s robes.她缓缓伸出一只手，摸了摸那野兽的长袍。“Are you a friend of Dragonbait’s?” she asked tentatively.“你是龙饵的朋友吗？”她试探着问道。

The beast looked down at the halfling as if it were concentrating on trying to understand her, but it made no reply.那野兽低头看着半身人，仿佛正全神贯注地试图听懂她的话，却没有作答。

Olive sighed.奥利芙叹了口气。“Of course.“当然了。Dragonbait could only understand us because of his link to Alias.”龙饵能听懂我们的话，只是因为他与阿莉亚丝之间的联结。”The halfling turned to Finder.半身人转向芬德。“I don’t suppose you speak any Saurial, do you, Finder?” she asked.“我猜你不会说蜥蜴人的语言吧，芬德？”她问道。

Finder eyed the creature suspiciously.芬德怀疑地打量着这个生物。“What makes you think this monster’s a saurial?“你凭什么觉得这个怪物是蜥蜴人？He doesn’t look anything like Dragonbait.”他看起来一点也不像龙饵。”

The halfling raised her eyes to the heavens and muttered, “Humans!”半身人抬眼望天，嘟囔道：“人类！”She looked back at Finder with disappointment.她失望地回头看着芬德。“I don’t look anything like you, either,” she pointed out.“我看起来也一点都不像你，”她指出。“And you don’t look anything like Alias, yet we’re all from the Realms.“你看起来也一点都不像阿莉亚丝，可我们都来自诸界。What makes you think all saurials have to look like Dragonbait?”你凭什么觉得所有蜥蜴人都非得长得像龙饵？”

Finder conceded Olive’s point with a slight nod.芬德微微点头，承认奥利芙说得有道理。“I grant you that it could be a saurial.“我承认，它可能是蜥蜴人。What makes you think it is?”可你凭什么觉得它就是？”

“Only two things smell as good as fresh-baked bread,” Olive explained.“只有两样东西闻起来和刚出炉的面包一样香。”奥利芙解释道。“Fresh baked bread and angry saurials.”“刚出炉的面包，还有发怒的蜥蜴人。”

“Because that’s the smell they use to communicate their anger,” Finder said, recalling now all that Alias had told him about Dragonbait’s scents.“因为他们就是用这种气味来表达愤怒的。”芬德说道，这时想起了阿莉亚丝告诉过他的有关龙饵气味的一切。

“He doesn’t smell quite so much like bread anymore.“他闻起来已经没那么像面包了。I hope that means he’s calming down,” Olive said.希望这说明他正在消气。”奥利芙说道。

“Yes, but what got him angry in the first place?”“没错，可他一开始为什么会发火？”Finder asked.芬德问道。“And what’s he doing here?”“还有，他在这里干什么？”

“It looks like someone tried to roast him,” Olive said, indicating the beast’s charred clothing and hands.“看起来像是有人想把他烤熟。”奥利芙说道，指了指那怪物烧焦的衣服和双手。“I imagine that could make him pretty mad.”“我猜这足以让他气得不轻。”

From the sleeve of his robe, the beast pulled out a silver medallion on a silk cord and handed it to Olive.那怪物从长袍袖子里掏出一枚系在丝绳上的银质徽章，递给奥利芙。

“For me?”“给我的？”Olive asked, her eyes glittering with delight.奥利芙问道，双眼因欣喜而闪闪发亮。

The beast tapped the medallion with a claw.那怪物用一根爪子敲了敲徽章。

Olive’s eyes widened in astonishment at the design inscribed into the shining metal.奥利芙看清亮闪闪的金属上镌刻的图案，惊讶地睁大了眼睛。“Finder, the picture on this medallion—it’s Dragonbait!”“芬德，这枚徽章上的图案——是龙饵！”Olive declared, holding out the medallion for the bard to see.奥利芙叫道，把徽章伸到吟游诗人面前给他看。“It looks just like him.“简直和他一模一样。And that’s his sword—well, the sword he had last year before Alias lost it in the battle with Phalse.还有那把剑——就是他去年用的那把，后来阿莉亚丝在与法尔斯交战时把它弄丢了。This guy knows Dragonbait,” she added, poking a finger at the beast.这家伙认识龙饵。”她补充道，同时用手指戳了戳那怪物。

“Dragonbait’s at The Old Skull with Alias,” Finder said.“龙饵正和阿莉亚丝待在老骷髅旅店。”芬德说道。“If this overgrown saurial is Dragonbait’s friend, why isn’t he down there raising a mug with Dragonbait?“如果这个大块头蜥蜴人是龙饵的朋友，他为什么不在下面和龙饵一起举杯畅饮？What’s he doing here with us?”他和我们待在这里干什么？”

“Maybe Alias and Dragonbait sent him here to rescue you,” Olive suggested as she casually slipped the creature’s medallion into a pocket of her tunic.“也许是阿莉亚丝和龙饵派他来救你的。”奥利芙猜测道，同时若无其事地把那怪物的徽章塞进了自己上衣的口袋。

Finder looked exceptionally doubtful.芬德显得格外怀疑。“Wait a minute!” the bard said, slapping himself in the forehead.“等一下！”吟游诗人一拍自己的额头，说道。“We don’t have to play guessing games.“我们不用再玩猜谜游戏了。I have a tongues spell in the stone.”我的石头里存着一个通晓语言术。”Finder laid his chordal horn on the table and held the finder’s stone out before him.芬德把和弦号角放到桌上，将寻觅石举在身前。He sang a scale in A-minor.他唱出一段A小调音阶。Olive watched, fascinated, as the stone glowed in Finder’s hands and surrounded him with yellow light.奥利芙着迷地看着那块石头在芬德手中亮起光芒，又用黄光将他笼罩。

The bard and the lizard stood staring at one another for what seemed to Olive like an eternity, though it was actually no more than a minute.吟游诗人和蜥蜴彼此凝视着，在奥利芙看来仿佛过了漫长无尽的时间，其实至多也不过一分钟。She could detect a collage of scents rising from both the beast and Finder, but she grew bored not knowing what they were discussing.她能察觉到野兽和芬德身上都散发出各种混杂的气味，但因为听不懂他们在谈什么，很快便觉得无聊起来。“Well?” the halfling prompted, reminding the other two of her presence.“然后呢？”半身人催促道，提醒另外两人她还在场。

“The creature’s name is Grypht,” Finder explained finally.“这个生物名叫格里夫特，”芬德终于解释道。“He’s been looking for Dragonbait, but he was unable to locate him magically.”“他一直在寻找龙饵，却无法用魔法确定他的位置。”

“ ’Cause Dragonbait’s with Alias, and they’re both hidden by her shield of magical misdirection,” Olive said.“因为龙饵跟阿莉亚丝在一起，而他们俩都被她的魔法误导护盾隐藏起来了。”奥利芙说。

“No doubt,” Finder said, nodding.“毫无疑问。”芬德点头说道。“Grypht knows you’re a friend of Dragonbait’s, so he’s come looking for you, hoping you can tell him where to find his friend.“格里夫特知道你是龙饵的朋友，所以才来找你，希望你能告诉他去哪里才能找到自己的朋友。Grypht teleported into the tower directly from his native dimension, but apparently someone here took him for an enemy and attacked him.格里夫特从他的原生位面直接传送进了这座塔，但显然这里有人把他当成敌人，袭击了他。He’s put up a wall of ice in the corridor to keep anyone from following him.”他在走廊里竖起了一堵冰墙，不让任何人追上来。”

“Then let’s take him to Dragonbait before the ice melts,” Olive suggested.“那我们趁冰墙还没融化，赶紧带他去找龙饵吧。”奥利芙提议道。

“No hurry,” Finder said.“不用着急，”芬德说。“I can explain to the guards that he means no harm.”“我可以向守卫解释，他没有恶意。”

“Suppose they don’t believe you?”“要是他们不相信你呢？”Olive asked anxiously.奥利芙焦急地问道。

Finder waved impatiently for Olive to remain silent as he resumed his “conversation” with the saurial Grypht.芬德不耐烦地挥手示意奥利芙保持安静，随后又继续与蜥族人格里夫特“交谈”起来。

Olive huffed and slumped back against the wall, wishing fervently that this strange friend of Dragonbait’s could talk Finder into leaving, and leaving soon.奥利芙气呼呼地哼了一声，颓然靠回墙上，满心盼望龙饵的这个怪朋友能说服芬德离开，而且越快越好。She was growing increasingly more nervous, though she couldn’t say exactly why.她越来越紧张，却说不清究竟是为什么。Just to be on the safe side, she pushed the door closed and relocked it with her lockpick.为稳妥起见，她推上门，又用开锁工具把门锁好。If she was unable to escape, she was going to make it just as difficult as possible for anyone or anything else to get in.既然自己逃不出去，她就要尽可能让其他任何人或东西也难以进来。

Following the trail of blood drops from Grypht’s wounds, Kyre nearly ran into the wall of ice that the creature had cast to block the corridor.凯尔循着格里夫特伤口滴落的血迹追去，险些一头撞上那生物施法筑起、用来堵住走廊的冰墙。She was especially susceptible to injury from cold—something that, unfortunately, Grypht knew only too well.她尤其容易受到寒冷的伤害——不幸的是，格里夫特对此再清楚不过。She backed away from the ice carefully, shivering uncontrollably.她小心翼翼地从冰墙前退开，浑身不由自主地颤抖。

The half-elf didn’t know precisely what had brought Grypht to the Tower of Ashaba, but it was doubtful he’d come here looking for her.这名半精灵并不清楚格里夫特究竟为何来到阿沙巴塔，但他应该不是来这里找她的。He’d seemed as surprised to see her as she’d been to see him.他见到她时似乎也同她见到他时一样惊讶。She had to capture or destroy him before it was too late.她必须趁一切还来得及，抓住他或消灭他。

After a minute, Kyre had warmed sufficiently to think clearly and control her movements.过了一会儿，凯尔终于暖和到足以清醒思考，也能控制自己的动作了。She replaced her sword in its scabbard and pulled a magical scroll from one of the pockets of her tunic.她将剑插回鞘中，从上衣的一只口袋里抽出一张魔法卷轴。She’d meant to use the scroll to break the Nameless Bard out of his cell, but dealing with Grypht had a higher priority.她原本打算用这张卷轴把无名者吟游诗人救出牢房，但对付格里夫特更为紧要。She unrolled the scroll and held it out to read from it.她展开卷轴，举在面前诵读。At that moment, Lord Mourngrym and three armed guards came running up behind her.就在这时，莫恩格林领主带着三名全副武装的卫兵从她身后跑了过来。All four fighters had their swords drawn.四名战士全都拔出了剑。

“What’s going on?”“出什么事了？”Mourngrym demanded.莫恩格林厉声问道。“I heard something roaring!”“我听见了咆哮声！”

“It’s a denizen of the Nine Hells, your lordship,” Kyre said.“大人，那是九层地狱的居民，”凯尔说道。“Somehow it teleported Elminster from the courtroom and appeared in his place.”“它不知用了什么办法，将伊尔明斯特从审判厅传送走，自己则出现在了他原来的位置。”

“That’s impossible.“这不可能。No monster from the lower planes can enter this tower.下层位面的怪物根本无法进入这座塔。Elminster has it warded against such evil,” Mourngrym scoffed.伊尔明斯特已经设下结界，阻挡这类邪恶之物了。”莫恩格林嗤笑道。

“Nothing is impossible, your lordship,” Kyre replied.“没有什么是不可能的，大人，”凯尔答道。“I know this monster.“我知道这怪物。It is called Grypht, and it is very powerful, a master of lies.它叫格里夫特，力量极其强大，是个谎言大师。It works for the Zhentarim.它为散塔林会效力。It attacked Breck; Morala is tending him in the courtroom.它袭击了布雷克；莫拉拉正在法庭里照料他。I chased the monster down this corridor.我一路追着这怪物来到这条走廊。It has sealed itself behind this wall of ice.”它用这堵冰墙把自己封在了后面。”

“Caitlin, go make sure Morala and Breck are all right,” Mourngrym ordered one of the guards.“凯特琳，去确认一下莫拉拉和布雷克是否安然无恙，”莫恩格林命令一名卫兵道。

The guard ran down the corridor toward the courtroom.那名卫兵沿着走廊朝法庭跑去。

“Is there another passage leading to the corridor beyond?”“还有别的通道能通往冰墙另一边的走廊吗？”Kyre asked.凯尔问道。

“No,” Mourngrym replied.“没有，”莫恩格林答道。“This hallway comes to a dead end.“这条走廊是条死路。That’s why Elminster put the Nameless Bard in the room at the far—” Suddenly his face went white.所以伊尔明斯特才把无名者吟游诗人安置在最尽头的房间里——”他的脸突然变得煞白。“Nameless!“无名者！He’s locked up in there … defenseless!” his lordship gasped.他被锁在里面……毫无自卫能力！”大人倒抽着气说道。“We have to get through this wall of ice!“我们必须穿过这堵冰墙！Thurbal, fetch a mage.瑟巴尔，去找一名法师来。Sar, get torches and axes!”萨尔，拿火把和斧头来！”Mourngrym demanded.莫恩格林厉声命令道。

As the two guards hurried to obey their lord, Kyre held out her magic scroll.两名卫兵匆忙去执行大人的命令时，凯尔举起了她的魔法卷轴。“You must get through as quickly as you can, your lordship,” the half-elf said, “but I cannot wait.“您必须尽快穿过冰墙，大人，”半精灵女子说道，“但我不能等。I must use a magical door to get myself to the other side of the wall.”我必须用一道魔法门把自己送到墙的另一边。”

“You can’t go alone,” Mourngrym argued.“你不能独自前去，”莫恩格林反驳道。

“I must,” the half-elf insisted.“我必须去。”半精灵坚持道。“Someone must protect the Nameless Bard from that creature.”“必须有人保护无名者诗人，不让那怪物伤害他。”

Lord Mourngrym nodded.莫恩格林领主点了点头。There was no other choice.别无选择。His lordship watched as Kyre chanted aloud the words on the magical scroll she held in her hands.领主看着凯尔高声念诵手中魔法卷轴上的文字。She read quickly, but it took her a full minute to complete the spell.她念得很快，但仍花了整整一分钟才完成这个法术。The instant she had finished reading it, the scroll burst into flames, and Kyre was swallowed up by a dimensional door and disappeared.她刚一念完，卷轴便燃起火焰，凯尔随即被一道次元门吞没，消失了。

His lordship pulled out his dagger and began chipping away at the wall of ice, unwilling to waste time waiting for an axe while the brave half-elf faced Grypht alone.领主拔出匕首，开始一点点凿开冰墙；勇敢的半精灵正独自面对格里夫特，他不愿浪费时间等人取来斧头。

At the front gate of the Tower of Ashaba, Alias and Akabar halted as Heth announced them.在阿沙巴塔的正门前，阿莉亚丝和阿卡巴停下脚步，等赫斯通报他们的到来。“Alias of Westgate and her friend Akabar bel Akash,” the page informed the four guards who stood at the entrance.“西门城的阿莉亚丝和她的朋友阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什。”侍童向守在入口处的四名卫兵禀报道。The announcement was a mere formality.这番通报不过是例行公事。The guards all knew Alias, and they weren’t likely to challenge anyone who accompanied her.卫兵们全都认识阿莉亚丝，也不太可能盘问任何与她同行的人。She had served in the tower guard herself the previous winter, and she was a trusted friend of Lord Mourngrym.前一个冬天，她自己也曾在塔中担任守卫，而且还是莫恩格林领主信赖的朋友。

Just as Alias and Akabar stepped across the threshold, a balding, burly man-at-arms came racing across the entrance hall toward the gate.阿莉亚丝和阿卡巴刚跨过门槛，一名头顶渐秃、身材魁梧的军士便穿过门厅，朝大门飞奔而来。Alias recognized him as Captain Thurbal, the warden of the town of Shadowdale.阿莉亚丝认出他是瑟巴尔队长，阴影谷镇的治安官。Thurbal looked anxious and distracted, and in his haste, he ran into Heth.瑟巴尔神色焦虑，心不在焉，匆忙间一头撞上了赫斯。

“Captain,” the boy squeaked, “what’s wrong?”“队长，”男孩尖声问道，“出什么事了？”

“Heth!“赫斯！Good—you’re just the person I need!” the captain exclaimed as he grabbed the page’s shoulders.太好了——我正需要你！”队长抓住侍童的双肩，叫道。“Run to the inn and bring back any mages who may be staying there!“快跑去旅店，把可能住在那里的法师全都带回来！Hurry!”快！”He pushed the page toward the door, then turned to Alias.他把侍童推向门口，随后转身面向阿莉亚丝。“Alias, it’s good you’re here.“阿莉亚丝，你来得正好。We may need you.”我们可能需要你。”

Heth looked annoyed and began to protest.赫斯显得有些恼火，正要开口抗议。“But, Captain, his lordship said that today I was to page only for the trib—”“可是，队长，爵爷说过，今天我只给审判庭当侍童——”

“No buts, boy!”“别可是了，小子！”Thurbal shouted.瑟巴尔吼道。“This is an emergency!”“这是紧急情况！”

“Excuse me,” Akabar said.“打扰一下，”阿卡巴说道。“I’m a mage.“我是一名法师。What’s wrong?出什么事了？Can I be of some assistance?”我能帮上什么忙吗？”

“Thank Tymora!” the captain exclaimed.“感谢泰摩拉！”队长叫道。“Come with me, please.”“请跟我来。”He took the Turmishman’s arm and hustled him across the front hall toward the tower’s main staircase.他抓住图米什人的胳膊，催着他穿过前厅，朝塔楼的主楼梯赶去。

Hurrying behind them, Alias asked anxiously, “Thurbal, what’s wrong, anyway?”阿莉亚丝匆匆跟在他们身后，焦急地问道：“瑟巴尔，到底出什么事了？”

Without breaking his stride, Thurbal explained, “Some fiend from a lower plane has broken into the tower.”瑟巴尔脚步不停地解释道：“有个来自下层位面的恶魔闯进了塔楼。”

“That’s impossible,” Alias interrupted.“这不可能，”阿莉亚丝打断了他。“Elminster has warded the tower against—”“伊尔明斯特给塔楼设下了防护，专门防范——”

“So we all thought,” Thurbal said.“我们原本也都这么以为，”瑟巴尔说道。“The Harper bard Kyre says the creature is from the Nine Hells, however, and it’s barricaded itself behind a wall of ice.“不过，竖琴手吟游诗人凯尔说，那怪物来自九层地狱，而且它用一堵冰墙把自己封锁在了里面。The creature is in the same passage where the Nameless Bard is imprisoned.那怪物就在囚禁无名者吟游诗人的那条通道里。Harper Kyre transported herself beyond the wall magically to help Nameless, but the rest of us are stuck on this side of the wall.竖琴手凯尔施展魔法，把自己传送到了墙的另一边去帮助无名者，但我们其他人全被困在了墙的这一边。We may need a mage to take it down.”我们可能需要一名法师来拆掉那堵墙。”

At the mention of Nameless, Alias looked alarmed and began to race up the staircase.一听到无名者的名字，阿莉亚丝顿时面露惊慌，开始飞奔上楼。Akabar and Thurbal had to take the steps two at a time to keep up with her.阿卡巴和瑟巴尔不得不一步跨两级台阶，才能跟上她。

“Head for the west tower room,” Thurbal huffed as they reached the third story.“去西塔楼的房间，”他们抵达三楼时，瑟巴尔气喘吁吁地说道。

Alias dashed off ahead of the two men, running past the doors to the Harpers’ courtroom.阿莉亚丝冲到两个男人前面，飞奔着经过了竖琴手同盟审判厅的几扇门。As she turned the corner of the hallway, she was forced to halt abruptly to avoid running into the wall of ice.她拐过走廊转角时，为了不撞上那堵冰墙，只得猛然停步。

The thing was dismally cold; it made the corridor feel like a fen in winter.那东西冷得瘆人，令整条走廊宛如冬日里的沼泽。Two guards were piling burning torches at its base, but there was no indication whatsoever that the wall was melting.两名守卫正把燃烧的火把堆在墙脚，但冰墙丝毫没有融化的迹象。

Mourngrym was hacking at the ice wall with a great axe.莫恩格林正用一把巨斧劈砍冰墙。He had managed to chip away several inches, but it had taken its toll on him.他已经凿掉了几英寸厚的冰，但自己也为此付出了不小的代价。His face and ears were flushed from the cold, his hands were red and raw, and the tips of his fingers were white from frostbite.他的脸和耳朵冻得通红，双手又红又裂，指尖则因冻伤而变得惨白。He looked exhausted.他看上去已经筋疲力尽。As Alias watched, the axe slipped from his grasp and clanged to the floor.阿莉亚丝看着他手中的斧头滑落，铿然一声砸在地上。

“Mourngrym!”“莫恩格林！”Alias cried, taking hold of his shoulders and pulling him away from the wall.阿莉亚丝喊道，一把抓住他的双肩，将他从墙边拉开。“You’ve got to stop before you lose your hands.”“你必须停下来，不然双手就保不住了。”

Mourngrym looked back at the swordswoman with grim determination.莫恩格林回头望着这位女剑士，神情坚毅而冷峻。“I can’t, Alias.“我不能停，阿莉亚丝。Nameless and Harper Kyre are trapped behind there with an evil monster,” he said.无名者和竖琴手凯尔被困在那后面，跟一个邪恶的怪物在一起。”他说。

“I know,” Alias said, trying to keep her voice calmer than she felt.“我知道。”阿莉亚丝说道，竭力让自己的声音听起来比内心平静。“I’ve brought Akabar.“我把阿卡巴带来了。He’ll dispel the wall.”他会解除这堵冰墙。”

Just then Akabar and Thurbal turned the corner of the corridor.就在这时，阿卡巴和瑟巴尔拐过了走廊转角。Akabar’s eyes widened at the sight of the wall of ice, and he swallowed uncertainly.阿卡巴一见那堵冰墙，顿时睁大了双眼，心里没底地咽了口唾沫。The wall was obviously very thick, indicating that it had been cast by a spell-caster far more powerful than he.这堵墙显然极其厚实，说明施展此法术的人远比他强大。Without much hope, he began a chant to dispel the magic ice.他不抱多少希望，开始吟诵咒语，试图驱散这堵魔法冰墙。

Mourngrym, Alias, and the two guards moved away from the wall as the mage raised his clasped hands over his head.法师将交握的双手举过头顶时，莫恩格林、阿莉亚丝和两名守卫纷纷退离冰墙。Akabar finished his disenchantment spell by unlacing his fingers with a flourish.阿卡巴潇洒地松开交扣的十指，完成了解除魔法的咒语。Sun-yellow motes of light sparkled toward the wall and scattered across the ice.一粒粒太阳般金黄的光点闪烁着飞向冰墙，散落在冰面上。

The specks of light faded, but the wall of ice remained.光点渐渐消失，冰墙却依然屹立不动。Akabar lowered his arms and looked troubled.阿卡巴放下双臂，神色忧虑。“I’ll have to try to melt the wall with a fireball,” the mage said.“我得试着用火球术融化这堵墙，”法师说道。“It’s quite dangerous.“这相当危险。The explosion will release very hot steam.爆炸会释放出灼热的蒸汽。You must all take cover.”你们全都必须找地方躲起来。”

“What about you?”“那你呢？”Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。

“I cannot cast the magic from behind a wall,” Akabar said.“我没法隔着一堵墙施展这个法术，”阿卡巴说道。

Back in Finder’s cell, Olive began to fidget with the straps of her pack as the bard’s expression grew more serious.回到芬德的牢房里，随着吟游诗人的神情变得愈发严肃，奥利芙开始不安地摆弄背包的带子。Finder shook his head at something Grypht was “telling” him.格里夫特似乎在向芬德“说”些什么，芬德听了摇摇头。

Olive’s sharp ears caught the sound of someone out in the hallway picking at the door lock.奥利芙敏锐的耳朵听见外面走廊里有人正在撬门锁。“Someone’s coming!” she whispered anxiously.“有人来了！”她焦急地低声说道。

Grypht spun about and growled.格里夫特猛地转过身，发出低吼。Finder tossed Olive the finder’s stone.芬德把寻物石扔给奥利芙。“Take this and your cloak and knapsack and stay out of sight,” he ordered the halfling.“带上这个，还有你的斗篷和背包，躲起来别让人看见，”他命令半身人。“Now!”“快！”

Olive picked up her gear and slipped behind the velvet drapes.奥利芙拿起自己的东西，溜到天鹅绒帷幕后面。Hastily she poked a tiny peephole in the fabric with her dagger.她匆忙用匕首在布料上戳了一个小小的窥视孔。

As the door swung open, Finder took a position at Grypht’s side, prepared to reprimand the guards for attacking the creature without provocation.门打开时，芬德在格里夫特身旁站定，准备斥责守卫无缘无故攻击这个生物。

He was not prepared, however, for Kyre.然而，他万万没想到，来人竟是凯尔。The lovely half-elf stood in the doorway holding out a rather large but innocuous-looking walnut.美丽的半精灵站在门口，伸手托着一颗相当大却看似无害的核桃。

“I’m afraid we haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced,” the bard said, turning on his most charming smile.“恐怕我们还未有幸相识，”吟游诗人说道，展露出他最迷人的笑容。Kyre’s face contorted in disgust, and she turned her gaze impatiently on the giant lizard.凯尔厌恶地扭曲了脸，随即不耐烦地把目光转向那只巨蜥。Grypht hissed and raised his staff.格里夫特嘶叫一声，举起了法杖。

“Darkbringer!”“黑暗使者！”Kyre shouted.凯尔大喊道。The round nut in her hand began to radiate a sphere of darkness, which within the span of five heartbeats, grew as large as a pumpkin, concealing Kyre’s hand and forearm in an inky black ball.她手中那颗圆滚滚的坚果开始放射出一个黑暗的球体，五次心跳之间，它便长到了南瓜大小，将凯尔的手和前臂都隐没在墨黑的球体中。

Finder stepped protectively in front of the large saurial.芬德护在那名高大的蜥族人身前。“No,” he said calmly.“不，”他平静地说道。“There’s been a misunderstanding here.“这里面有误会。He’s a foe of the Darkbringer, not an agent.”他是黑暗使者的敌人，不是他的爪牙。”

Kyre ignored Finder.凯尔没有理会芬德。“Grypht,” she said flatly.“格里夫特。”她冷冷地说道。The sphere of darkness about her hand began to shimmer like hot tar, then reached out a vinelike tendril of glassy black that shot over Finder’s head.包裹着她手掌的黑暗球体开始像滚烫的焦油般闪烁起来，随即探出一根藤蔓般、玻璃般乌亮的触须，从芬德头顶疾射而过。The end of the tendril struck Grypht in the face.触须末端击中了格里夫特的脸。The saurial stood motionless, paralyzed by the magic, as the dark sphere around the nut oozed along the tendril toward its prey.蜥族人一动不动地站在那里，被魔法麻痹了；与此同时，坚果周围的黑暗球体沿着触须流向它的猎物。When it reached Grypht, the darkness poured down him like oil, covering every inch of his body until the great lizard was nothing but a black silhouette.黑暗抵达格里夫特身上后，便像油一样倾泻而下，覆盖了他身体的每一寸，直到这只巨蜥只剩下一道黑色的剪影。Then the darkness constricted and shrank about Grypht until he was squeezed into a tiny black, marble-sized sphere.接着，黑暗在格里夫特周身收紧、缩小，直到把他挤压成一颗弹珠大小的黑色小球。

From behind the curtain, Olive watched in horror as the dark tendril contracted back into the walnut, taking Grypht along with it.奥利芙躲在帘幕后，惊恐地看着那根黑暗触须缩回核桃中，把格里夫特也一并带了进去。Then the darkness about the nut dissipated, leaving the walnut as clear as glass.随后，坚果周围的黑暗消散了，只剩下那颗变得如玻璃般透明的核桃。

“That wasn’t necessary,” Finder insisted angrily.“根本没必要这么做，”芬德愤怒地坚持道。“I told you he meant no harm.”“我告诉过你，他没有恶意。”

Kyre pocketed the walnut and then turned her attention to the prisoner.凯尔把核桃装进口袋，随后将注意力转向了囚徒。“Master Nameless, I’m so pleased to meet you at last,” she said, smiling at Finder.“无名者大师，终于见到您了，我真是太高兴了。”她微笑着对芬德说道。

Behind the curtain, Olive shuddered.帘幕后，奥利芙打了个寒战。The halfling couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was definitely something creepy about the way the half-elf smiled.这个半身人说不上来究竟是哪里不对，但那名半精灵微笑的样子，绝对透着一股令人毛骨悚然的诡异。

Kyre took another step into Nameless’s prison.凯尔朝无名者的牢房里又走了一步。“I’ve been so eager to meet you,” the half-elf said to Finder.“我一直都盼着见到你呢，”半精灵对芬德说道。

“That’s some sort of soul-trapping gem you used on the saurial, isn’t it?”“你对那个蜥蜴人用的是某种能囚禁灵魂的宝石，对吧？”Finder asked, ignoring Kyre’s pleasantries.芬德问道，对凯尔的寒暄置若罔闻。“I demand you release him at once.”“我命令你立刻放了他。”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.“恐怕我做不到。”You see, he’s a very dangerous creature,” the half-elf replied.“你瞧，他可是个非常危险的生物，”半精灵回答道。“But useful—not unlike yourself.”“不过也很有用——跟你差不多。”Kyre reached her hand into her pocket and pulled it out again.凯尔把手伸进口袋，又抽了出来。She held a second walnut.她手里握着第二颗核桃。“Darkbringer,” she said.“黑暗使者，”她说道。Once again a sphere of darkness emanated from the nut, just as it had before.黑暗再次从核桃中涌出，化作一个球体，和之前一模一样。“The Nameless Bard,” Kyre pronounced slowly.“无名者吟游诗人，”凯尔缓缓念道。

The sphere shimmered, and a tendril of black began to rise from it.黑暗球体微微闪烁，一缕黑色触须开始从中升起。Suddenly the tendril collapsed in on itself, and the darkness dissipated.突然，触须向内坍缩，黑暗也随之消散。Having failed to suck up the bard’s essence, the magical nut shattered, and shards of its shell flew in all directions.那颗魔法核桃没能吸走吟游诗人的精魄，顿时碎裂，外壳的碎片向四面八方飞射而去。The half-elf didn’t even flinch.半精灵甚至连眼睛都没眨一下。Instead, she stared up at the Nameless Bard with interest, waiting for him to explain.相反，她饶有兴味地仰望着无名者吟游诗人，等他作出解释。

Finder sneered.芬德冷笑一声。“I am Nameless no longer, but you, woman, whoever you are, will answer to the Harpers for this attack!”“我已经不再是无名者了；可你，女人，不管你是谁，都得为这次袭击接受竖琴手同盟的问责！”

Kyre laughed confidently.凯尔胸有成竹地笑了起来。“I think not.“我看未必。”You see, I am the Harper Kyre, and Nameless or not, you, bard, are in no position to threaten me.”“你瞧，我就是竖琴手凯尔；而你，吟游诗人，不管是不是无名者，都没有资格威胁我。”

“Elminster would never approve of the cowardly way you’ve treated that saurial,” Finder retorted hotly.“伊尔明斯特绝不会赞同你用如此卑劣怯懦的方式对待那个蜥蜴人，”芬德怒气冲冲地反驳道。“Have the Harpers degenerated so far in the past two centuries that they attack innocent creatures and helpless prisoners?”“过去两个世纪里，竖琴手同盟竟已堕落至此，开始袭击无辜的生灵和毫无反抗能力的囚犯了吗？”

As Finder spoke, Olive could see Kyre slip a wand out of her tunic sleeve.芬德说话时，奥利芙看见凯尔从束腰外衣的袖子里悄悄抽出一根魔杖。The halfling couldn’t contain her anxiety a moment longer.半身人再也压不住心中的焦虑。She burst out from behind the curtain, shouting, “Finder!她从帘幕后猛冲出来，大喊道：“芬德！Look out!” and hurled herself at Finder’s legs, knocking him to one side.小心！”说着便扑向芬德的双腿，将他撞到一旁。

A beam of green light shot out from the tip of Kyre’s wand, missing Finder by inches.一道绿光从凯尔的魔杖尖端射出，距芬德只有几英寸，险险与他擦身而过。The light struck the silver fruit bowl on the table behind him, enveloping it and the fruit in a sparkling green mist.绿光击中了他身后桌上的银质果盘，将果盘和里面的水果笼罩在一片闪烁的绿色雾气中。After several seconds, the beam of light went out and the mist dissipated.几秒钟后，光束消失，雾气也随之散去。The silver bowl was unharmed, but the plums, pears, and apples within had turned completely brown from rot and their skins had collapsed on the decayed flesh within.银盘完好无损，但盘中的李子、梨和苹果却已腐烂得通体发褐，果皮也都塌陷在里面腐坏的果肉上。

Finder’s face registered fear now that he was finally aware of the danger he was in.芬德终于意识到自己身处险境，脸上顿时露出了恐惧。He stared wide-eyed at Kyre.他睁大眼睛瞪着凯尔。

Olive took quick aim and hurled her dagger at the half-elf.奥利芙迅速瞄准，将匕首掷向那个半精灵。The weapon hit Kyre’s wrist, causing her to drop the deadly wand.匕首击中了凯尔的手腕，令她失手掉落了那根致命的魔杖。Kyre’s eyes flashed angrily, but she made no sound or movement to indicate the weapon had hurt her hand.凯尔眼中怒光一闪，却没有发出任何声音，也没有做出任何动作，仿佛那件武器根本没伤到她的手。

Olive shuddered at the woman’s indifference to pain.见这个女人对疼痛无动于衷，奥利芙不禁打了个寒战。“Would you get us out of here now?” the halfling shouted, shoving the finder’s stone at the master bard.“现在能带我们离开这里了吗？”半身人高声喊道，同时把寻觅石塞到那位吟游诗人大师面前。

Finder grabbed the stone with one hand and Olive’s shoulder with the other, then sang an E-flat.芬德一手抓住石头，另一只手抓住奥利芙的肩膀，接着唱出了一个降E音。Olive sighed happily as a yellow light began glowing around her body.一道黄光开始在奥利芙周身亮起，她欣喜地舒了口气。

The halfling’s relief was short-lived.半身人的宽慰转瞬即逝。Though the light continued to glow, she and Finder didn’t vanish from the cell as expected.尽管黄光依旧闪耀，她和芬德却没有如预料般从牢房中消失。Olive felt as if something was pulling her in two, and she screamed in pain.奥利芙感觉仿佛有什么东西正把她往两边撕扯，不禁痛苦地尖叫起来。

Across the room, Kyre laughed and held out her arms.房间另一头，凯尔大笑着张开双臂。Long, slimy green tendrils shot out from her sleeves toward Finder.一根根细长黏滑的绿色触须从她的袖中射出，直扑芬德。Olive cried out once more, this time in fear.奥利芙再次惊叫起来，这一次是因为恐惧。There was something terrifyingly familiar about Kyre’s tendrils.凯尔的触须带着一种可怕的熟悉感。

The tendrils reached over Olive’s head just as Finder sang a second E-flat, this time an octave lower than the first.触须从奥利芙头顶伸过，与此同时，芬德唱出了第二个降E音，这次比第一个低了一个八度。The yellow light shimmered with the deep resonance of the bard’s voice and then glowed so brightly that Kyre, her tendrils, and the room faded from his and Olive’s view.黄色光芒随着吟游诗人低沉浑厚的歌声闪烁起来，继而变得无比耀眼，凯尔、她的触须乃至整个房间，都从芬德和奥利芙眼前消失了。

Alias, Mourngrym, and his guards waited anxiously around the corner of the hallway as Akabar chanted his fireball spell.阿莉亚丝、莫恩格林和他的卫兵们焦急地等在走廊拐角后，阿卡巴则吟诵着火球术的咒语。The mage’s voice rose sharply, then a great explosion shook the floor and walls around them and echoed through the corridors.法师的声音陡然高亢起来，紧接着一声巨响震撼了他们周围的地面和墙壁，在条条走廊间回荡。A second later a burst of steam came rushing down the corridor, past the side passage in which they stood.一秒钟后，一股蒸汽沿走廊汹涌而来，冲过了他们藏身的侧廊口。Clouds of hot, moist air billowed around them.一团团湿热的空气在他们周围翻涌。

Anxious about Akabar, Alias rushed around the corner and into the steam.阿莉亚丝担心阿卡巴，急忙冲过拐角，闯进蒸汽之中。The floor was covered with water and the walls were dripping with moisture.地面上满是积水，墙壁也在不断往下滴水。Alias spied Akabar in the dispersing mist.阿莉亚丝在渐渐散去的雾气中看见了阿卡巴。Not even the darkness of the mage’s skin could hide the flush of his face from the scalding he’d received, but he still stood.法师黝黑的肤色也遮不住脸上被烫出的红晕，不过他仍然站着。He was drenched from the steam, and when he shook himself, drops of water scattered from his beard, hair, and robes.他被蒸汽浑身浸透，抖动身体时，水珠从他的胡须、头发和长袍上四散飞落。

“Are—are you all right?”“你——你没事吧？”Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。

“I think so,” Akabar replied.“我想没事，”阿卡巴回答。“As a mage I have more immunity from the power of magic than you.“身为法师，我对魔法力量的抵抗力比你强。At any rate, the wall is melted,” he said, gesturing at the clear passage ahead.不管怎样，墙已经融化了。”他说着，指了指前方畅通无阻的通道。

Mourngrym and Thurbal and the two tower guards rejoined the mage and the swordswoman.莫恩格林、瑟巴尔和两名高塔卫兵重新赶来，与法师和女剑士会合。

“Good work, Akabar,” his lordship said, clapping the mage on the back.“干得好，阿卡巴。”领主大人一边说，一边拍了拍法师的后背。

Assured that the Turmishman was all right, Alias prepared herself for combat.确定这个图米什人安然无恙后，阿莉亚丝做好了战斗准备。Having brought no weapon with her, she retrieved the great axe that Lord Mourngrym had been using to chip at the wall of ice.她来时没带武器，便拾起莫恩格林领主先前用来凿冰墙的那柄巨斧。Then she started down the corridor, silently hoping that Nameless was unharmed and swearing vengeance if he was not.随后她沿走廊向前走去，默默祈祷无名者安然无恙，并发誓如果他遭遇不测，定要为他复仇。

His sword drawn, Mourngrym took the lead with Alias.莫恩格林拔剑出鞘，与阿莉亚丝并肩走在最前面。Akabar, Thurbal, and the two guards brought up the rear.阿卡巴、瑟巴尔和两名卫兵走在队伍末尾。A shadow fell across them, framing the doorway at the end of the corridor.一道阴影笼罩住他们，在走廊尽头勾勒出门口的轮廓。Mourngrym and Alias halted and raised their weapons, poised to charge into combat.莫恩格林和阿莉亚丝停下脚步，举起武器，蓄势准备冲上去迎战。

A slender half-elven woman appeared in the doorway.门口出现了一个身材纤细的半精灵女子。She wore a silky yellow tunic and fine elven boots; a sword in a scabbard hung from the black belt at her hips, and a bright red orchid hung in her long, dark hair.她身穿丝滑的黄色束腰衣，脚蹬精致的精灵长靴；腰间的黑色皮带上挂着一把入鞘的剑，乌黑的长发中别着一朵鲜红的兰花。The half-elf stepped into the corridor.半精灵迈步走进走廊。

“Kyre!”“凯尔！”Mourngrym gasped.莫恩格林倒吸了一口气。“Are you all right?”“你没事吧？”

The half-elf looked up at Mourngrym.半精灵抬头望向莫恩格林。“You broke through the wall of ice?” she asked.“你们打破那道冰墙了？”她问道。There was a hint of confusion in her voice.她的声音里透着一丝困惑。

“What happened?”“发生了什么事？”Mourngrym demanded, ignoring her question.莫恩格林不理会她的问题，厉声追问。“Kyre, where is Grypht?“凯尔，格里夫特在哪里？Where is Nameless?”无名者又在哪里？”

Kyre lowered her head.凯尔低下了头。“I’m afraid I’ve failed, your lordship.“恐怕我失败了，大人。I could not stop Grypht from reaching the Nameless Bard.我没能阻止格里夫特找到无名者吟游诗人。Grypht grabbed Nameless and teleported away with him.”格里夫特抓住无名者，带着他传送走了。”

For what seemed an eternity, Olive felt as if she were trapped in a golden web.仿佛过了无尽漫长的时间，奥利芙觉得自己像是被困在一张金色的蛛网里。When the light from the magical stone finally dimmed, she and Finder stood looking out over a grassy meadow on a sloping hillside.魔法石的光芒终于暗淡下来时，她和芬德发现自己正站在一片倾斜的山坡上，眺望着一片青草地。

Olive quickly sank to the ground, exhausted by the magical teleportation.奥利芙很快便瘫坐在地上，魔法传送令她筋疲力尽。

“Admit it, Finder,” she murmured, “whatever spell Elminster used to keep you inside that cell, it was almost a match for your rock, artifact or no.”“承认吧，芬德，”她低声说道，“不管你的石头是不是神器，伊尔明斯特用来把你困在那间牢房里的法术，都几乎足以与它匹敌。”

Finder cursed angrily under his breath.芬德气恼地低声咒骂起来。The halfling looked up at the bard.半身人抬头望着诗人。His face was drenched with sweat, and his complexion was pale.他满脸是汗，面色苍白。“What’s wrong?” she asked.“你怎么了？”她问道。“Are you all right?”“你没事吧？”

“Kyre snatched the finder’s stone away from me just before we teleported,” Finder growled with rage.“就在我们传送走之前，凯尔从我手里抢走了芬德之石。”芬德怒不可遏地咆哮道。“That bitch has my stone!”“那个贱人拿走了我的石头！”

“Oh,” Olive said uncertainly.“哦。”奥利芙迟疑地说道。“Well, at least we escaped.”“好吧，至少我们逃出来了。”

“But she has my stone!”“可我的石头在她手里！”Finder snarled irritably.芬德恼怒地吼道。

“She could have you, like she got Grypht,” Olive snapped back.“她本来可以像抓住格里夫特那样抓住你。”奥利芙厉声反驳。If you hadn’t been so stubborn about waiting for the Harpers’ blessing, you would have escaped before she arrived, Grypht wouldn’t have been captured, and you’d still have your precious rock.”“要不是你固执地非要等竖琴手同盟批准，你早在她赶到之前就逃走了，格里夫特也不会被抓，而你那块宝贝石头也还会在你手里。”

“She said she was a Harper,” Finder said incredulously.“她说她是竖琴手。”芬德难以置信地说道。“She couldn’t be a Harper.”“她不可能是竖琴手。”

“She is,” Olive said.“她就是。”奥利芙说道。“I told you—she’s one of the tribunal judges.”“我告诉过你——她是裁判庭的审判官之一。”

“I can’t believe she tried to kill me,” Finder said.“真不敢相信她竟然想杀我。”芬德说道。“She never would have gotten away with it.”“她绝不可能逃脱惩罚。”

“She didn’t care,” Olive said.“她根本不在乎。”奥利芙说道。“You said something to her about Grypht being a foe of the Darkbringer.“你跟她说过，格里夫特是黑暗使者的敌人。That’s Moander, the Darkbringer god, right?”那指的是莫安德，黑暗使者之神，对吧？”

“Yes.“对。Grypht said he was looking for Dragonbait because Moander was threatening their tribe.”格里夫特说他在寻找龙饵，因为莫安德正在威胁他们的部族。”

“Oh, great!”“哦，太好了！”Olive muttered, slapping her hand against her forehead.奥利芙嘟囔着，一巴掌拍在额头上。

Finder looked at her blankly.芬德茫然地看着她。“I don’t see the connection,” he said.“我不明白这两者有什么关系，”他说。

“Don’t you get it?“你还不明白吗？Kyre’s one of Moander’s servants.”凯尔是莫安德的仆从之一。”

“That’s impossible.“这不可能。No Harper would aid the Darkbringer.”竖琴手绝不会帮助黑暗使者。”

Olive huffed in frustration.奥利芙懊恼地哼了一声。“I recognized those slimy tendrils Kyre used to grab the finder’s stone.“我认出了凯尔用来夺取寻踪石的那些黏糊糊的触手。They’re just like the ones Moander had all over its body.它们和莫安德浑身上下的那些触手一模一样。Moander was probably controlling her mind, the same way it controlled Akabar’s mind last year.”莫安德多半控制了她的心智，就像去年控制阿卡巴的心智一样。”

“Akabar,” Finder mused.“阿卡巴……”芬德沉吟道。The bard recalled the southern mage, Akabar bel Akash, who had befriended Alias the previous year, and how he had been captured by the Darkbringer when he had tried to free Alias from the god’s clutches.这位吟游诗人想起了那位来自南方的法师阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什；前一年，他曾与阿莉亚丝结为朋友，后来在试图把阿莉亚丝从那神祇的魔掌中解救出来时，被黑暗使者俘获。“But Akabar destroyed the body Moander used in the Realms,” Finder argued.“可阿卡巴摧毁了莫安德在诸界使用的躯体，”芬德反驳道。“There’s no way Moander could have possessed Kyre.”“莫安德不可能附身凯尔。”

“Suppose Kyre visited a world outside the Realms?”“假如凯尔去过诸界之外的某个世界呢？”Olive asked.奥利芙问道。

Finder considered the halfling’s suggestion and frowned darkly.芬德思索着半身人的推测，神色阴沉地皱起了眉。“It’s possible,” he admitted.“确有可能，”他承认道。

“We have to get back to Shadowdale and tell Dragonbait so he can rescue Grypht,” Olive said.“我们得赶回阴影谷，把这件事告诉龙饵，好让他去救格里夫特，”奥利芙说。“Where are we, anyway?” she asked, tossing a pebble at a thistle.“不过，我们到底在哪儿？”她一边问，一边捡起一颗小石子掷向一株蓟草。

“Home,” Finder said.“家乡，”芬德说。

“Home?“家乡？It doesn’t look like Immersea,” Olive replied.这里看着可不像伊默海，”奥利芙答道。

“It’s not.“不是。”Were you under the impression I lived at Redstone Castle with my family?”“你该不会以为我和家人一起住在红石城堡吧？”Finder asked.芬德问道。

Olive grinned, thinking of all the Wyvernspurs she’d met and trying to imagine Finder getting along with them.奥利芙咧嘴一笑，想起自己见过的那些飞龙刺家族成员，试着想象芬德与他们和睦相处的情形。“I guess I should have known better.”“我早该想到不是这么回事。”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”“你这话是什么意思？”Finder asked.芬德问道。

Olive chuckled at his defensiveness.见他如此戒备，奥利芙轻笑起来。“Did they kick you out?” she asked.“他们把你赶出来了？”她问。

Finder’s eyes narrowed to slits.芬德的眼睛眯成了两条缝。“I left them.“是我离开了他们。”They never took me seriously.”“他们从来不把我当回事。”

“Never a prophet in your own land,” Olive teased.“本乡从来出不了先知嘛。”奥利芙揶揄道。Finder’s face darkened, and the halfling realized she might be pushing him too far.芬德沉下脸来，半身人这才意识到，自己可能有些逼人太甚了。She decided to change the subject.她决定换个话题。“So where is this home?” she asked.“那这个家在哪儿？”她问。

Finder made a sweeping motion with his arm, indicating something behind Olive.芬德大手一挥，示意奥利芙身后的某样东西。“Finder’s Keep,” he said.“芬德堡。”他说。

The halfling turned around abruptly.半身人猛地转过身。The walls of a crumbling manor rose behind her.一座摇摇欲坠的庄园宅邸在她身后高高耸立。Thistles and grass grew between cracks in the stone.蓟草和杂草从石块的裂缝间长了出来。Kudzu covered the chimneys.葛藤爬满了烟囱。Moss and fungus grew from the fallen roof beams.坍塌的屋顶横梁上长满了苔藓和菌类。“I think you need a new decorator,” Olive quipped.“我看你该换个装潢师了。”奥利芙打趣道。

“The underground complex was sealed.“地下建筑群已经封闭了。It should be in good condition,” Finder said.里面的状况应该还不错，”芬德说。

“Are we still in the Dales?”“我们还在谷地吗？”Olive asked.奥利芙问道。

Finder nodded.芬德点点头。“The southern edge of the Spiderhaunt Woods.”“蛛栖森林的南缘。”

“That’s not too far from Shadowdale,” Olive said, her mind racing.“这里离阴影谷不算太远，”奥利芙说，脑中飞快地盘算着。“We can walk to the road connecting Shadowdale and Cormyr.“我们可以走到连接阴影谷和科米尔的那条路上。There should be plenty of traffic on it this time of the year.每年这个时候，路上应该有很多车马。Then we can get a lift from a caravan going north.然后我们可以搭一支北上商队的便车。We should be able to reach Shadowdale in about four days.”我们大概四天就能抵达阴影谷。”

“Olive, you’ve been trying all morning to convince me to flee Shadowdale,” Finder reminded the halfling.“奥利芙，你整个上午都在劝我逃离阴影谷，”芬德提醒这个半身人。“Now you want me to go back and turn myself in to the Harpers.“现在你却又要我回去向竖琴手同盟自首。Suppose Kyre isn’t the only one in Moander’s possession?”假如落入莫安德掌控的不只凯尔一个人呢？”

“You are a problem, aren’t you?”“你可真是个麻烦，是不是？”Olive sighed.奥利芙叹了口气。“All right.“好吧。When we get to the road, we’ll go south to Cormyr, and we’ll send a message back to Dragonbait with the first caravan we meet that’s heading north to Shadowdale.”等我们走到那条路上，就南下前往科米尔；遇到第一支北上阴影谷的商队时，我们就托他们给龙饵捎个口信。”

“No,” Finder said.“不，”芬德说。“I don’t want to do that.”“我不想这么做。”

“Then how are we ever going to tell Dragonbait about Grypht?”“那我们到底要怎么把格里夫特的事告诉龙饵？”Olive asked, exasperated.奥利芙气恼地问道。

“We’re not,” Finder said simply.“我们不告诉他，”芬德干脆地说。“If Dragonbait finds out about Grypht, he’ll try to help him.”“要是龙饵知道了格里夫特的事，他会设法帮助他的。”

“That’s the idea, isn’t it?”“这不正是你的打算吗？”Olive asked.奥利芙问道。

“Alias, in turn, will want to help Dragonbait,” Finder explained.“而阿莉亚丝又会想帮助龙饵，”芬德解释道。“And I don’t want her going anywhere near Moander or Moander’s minions.“我不想让她靠近莫安德或莫安德的爪牙。Moander wants her for a servant.莫安德想让她做仆人。I won’t have the god using her again.”我绝不会再让那个神利用她。”

“That’s Alias’s business, not yours,” Olive replied.“那是阿莉亚丝自己的事，与你无关，”奥利芙回答。

“She’s my daughter.“她是我的女儿。I’ll protect her as I see fit,” Finder retorted sharply.我自会用我认为合适的方式保护她，”芬德厉声反驳。

“Then don’t you think you should warn her that Moander might be after her again?”“那么，你不觉得应该警告她，莫安德可能又盯上她了吗？”Olive asked.奥利芙问道。

“Moander can’t detect her if she doesn’t go looking for the god,” Finder said.“只要她不去寻找莫安德，莫安德就察觉不到她，”芬德说。“What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.”“她不知道的事就伤害不了她。”

Olive shrugged.奥利芙耸了耸肩。“Whatever you say.“随你怎么说。No note to Dragonbait.不给龙饵留字条。We still want to get to the road before dark.我们还是得在天黑前赶到大路上。Well catch a caravan going south to Cormyr.我们可以找一支南下科米尔的商队同行。That place I told you about, where we can’t be detected magically, is in Cormyr.”我跟你说过的那个无法被魔法侦测到的地方，就在科米尔。”

Finder shook his head.芬德摇了摇头。“I’m not hiding anywhere.“我哪儿也不躲。I’ve decided you were right.我已经认定你说得对。I’ve credited the Harpers with too much power.我把竖琴手同盟的本事看得太大了。Once I get access to my workshop, they’ll never capture me again.”只要我能进入自己的工坊，他们就再也抓不到我了。”

Olive sighed.奥利芙叹了口气。She had planned to send a note to Dragonbait anyway.反正她原本也打算给龙饵送张字条。It didn’t look as if she’d get a chance unless she left Finder.可除非离开芬德，否则她似乎找不到机会。

The halfling didn’t really want to leave the bard, though.然而，这个半身人其实并不想离开那位吟游诗人。Olive genuinely liked Finder.奥利芙是真心喜欢芬德。He knew more about her than anyone in the Realms, yet he didn’t condemn her for her greed or her cowardice or her minor jealousies.他比诸界中的任何人都更了解她，却没有因她的贪婪、怯懦或那些小小的嫉妒心而谴责她。He’d shown a lot of patience in teaching her more about music in one month than she’d learned during the rest of her whole life.他耐心十足，短短一个月教给她的音乐知识，比她此前一辈子学到的还多。In addition, he’d offered her a passage to respectability by giving her his Harper’s pin.此外，他还把自己的竖琴手徽章送给了她，为她铺就了一条跻身体面之列的道路。

“You know,” the halfling said, rubbing her chin, “I’m beginning to worry that I might be a bad influence on you.”“你知道吗，”半身人摩挲着下巴说道，“我开始担心自己可能把你带坏了。”

Finder chuckled.芬德轻声笑了起来。“Don’t worry.“别担心。I’m not influenced easily.”我可没那么容易受人影响。”He turned and headed up the hill toward the crumbling manor house.他转过身，朝山坡上那座摇摇欲坠的庄园宅邸走去。

That’s what I’m afraid of, Olive thought, but she held her tongue and followed.我怕的就是这个，奥利芙心想，但她没有说出口，只是跟了上去。

When Alias heard that Nameless had been kidnapped, the blood drained from her face and she swayed alarmingly.阿莉亚丝听说无名者遭人绑架，顿时脸色煞白，身子也令人心惊地摇晃起来。Akabar put his hand on her elbow to steady her.阿卡巴伸手扶住她的手肘，帮她站稳。

“Don’t worry, Alias,” the mage said softly.“别担心，阿莉亚丝，”法师轻声说道。“We’ll find him.”“我们会找到他的。”

“Kyre, this is Alias of Westgate,” Mourngrym explained to the half-elf.“凯尔，这位是来自西门城的阿莉亚丝，”莫恩格林向半精灵介绍道。“Alias, this is the bard Kyre, one of the members of the Harpers’ tribunal.”“阿莉亚丝，这位是吟游诗人凯尔，竖琴手同盟审判庭的成员之一。”

After taking a few deep breaths, Alias had recovered from her shock enough to nod politely to the Harper bard.阿莉亚丝深呼吸了几次，总算从震惊中缓过神来，礼貌地向那位竖琴手吟游诗人点了点头。Kyre nodded back at the swordswoman, but it was Akabar who held the half-elf’s gaze.凯尔也朝女剑士点头回礼，但与半精灵四目相对的却是阿卡巴。

“This is Alias’s friend, Akabar bel Akash,” Mourngrym added, noting how Kyre stared at the mage.“这位是阿莉亚丝的朋友，阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什，”莫恩格林补充道，同时留意到凯尔正盯着那名法师。“Akabar used his magic to destroy the wall of ice for us.”“是阿卡巴施展魔法，替我们摧毁了冰墙。”

“A pity that your effort, though great, came too late,” Kyre said to Akabar.“可惜，你虽竭尽全力，却还是来得太迟了，”凯尔对阿卡巴说道。

“I don’t understand how anything from a lower plane could have gotten into the tower,” Alias said impatiently.“我不明白，下层位面的东西怎么可能闯进塔里来。”阿莉亚丝不耐烦地说。“Elminster had it warded against entry by that sort of creature.”“伊尔明斯特设下了结界，防止这类生物进入。”

“Elminster also had a no-exit spell cast on Nameless’s room,” Mourngrym said.“伊尔明斯特还在无名者的房间里施了禁止离开的法术。”莫恩格林说。“How could Grypht teleport past that?”“格里夫特怎么可能穿过那道法术传送进来？”

“Such wards and spells sometimes deteriorate, your lordship, or they can be broken by powerful magic,” Kyre replied.“这种结界和法术有时会逐渐失效，大人，也可能被强大的魔法破除。”凯尔答道。Though she addressed Mourngrym, the half-elf’s attention was still fixed on Akabar.虽然半精灵是在对莫恩格林说话，她的注意力却依然牢牢集中在阿卡巴身上。“As you saw, I just left the room without any trouble.”“您也看见了，我刚才毫不费力地离开了那间屋子。”

Mourngrym frowned.莫恩格林皱起眉头。“I’ve never heard of any spell of Elminster’s deteriorating or breaking.“我从没听说过伊尔明斯特的法术会失效或被破除。He’s the most powerful mage in the Realms.”他是诸界最强大的法师。”

“Excuse me, your lordship,” Akabar replied, “but the lady is quite correct.“恕我冒昧，大人，”阿卡巴答道，“但这位女士说得完全正确。Such things do happen on occasion.这种事偶尔的确会发生。In fact, there is considerable evidence of many spells having failed this past summer when the gods walked the Realms.”事实上，有大量证据表明，去年夏天众神行走于诸界之际，许多法术都曾失效。”

“Elminster took extra care to reset all the wards on the tower after that,” Mourngrym interposed.“那之后，伊尔明斯特特意重新设置了塔里的所有结界。”莫恩格林插话道。

“Yet we cannot deny the evidence of our eyes,” Akabar said.“可我们不能否认亲眼所见的事实。”阿卡巴说。

“Speaking of Elminster, where is he?”“说到伊尔明斯特，他在哪里？”Alias asked suddenly.阿莉亚丝突然问道。

“He disappeared before our very eyes.“他就在我们眼前消失了。Grypht appeared in his place,” Kyre explained.格里夫特出现在了他原来的位置。”凯尔解释道。“Perhaps his absence weakened his spells.”“也许他的离开削弱了他的法术。”

That didn’t sound likely to Mourngrym, but he had no training in magic.莫恩格林觉得这不太可能，但他并未受过魔法方面的训练。He turned to Thurbal and the two guards.他转向瑟巴尔和两名卫兵。“Better have the tower searched, in case something else has managed to sneak in.”“最好把塔搜查一遍，以防还有别的什么东西溜了进来。”

Thurbal nodded and ushered the two guards off with him.瑟巴尔点点头，带着两名卫兵离开了。

Still unconvinced, Alias asked Kyre, “What type of monster was it?阿莉亚丝仍未信服，便问凯尔：“那是什么怪物？What did it look like?”它长什么样？”

“Grypht is not a type of monster but one unique unto itself,” Kyre replied calmly.“格里夫特并非某一类怪物，而是独一无二的存在。”凯尔平静地答道。“Grypht is a duke of Caina, in the Nine Hells.“格里夫特是九层地狱中凯纳的一位公爵。The Zhentarim often use Grypht for their evil schemes.散塔林会经常利用格里夫特实施他们的邪恶阴谋。It stands ten feet tall.它身高十英尺。Its hide is covered with green scales.皮肤上覆盖着绿色鳞片。It has horns, claws, and a tail.”它长着角、利爪和一条尾巴。”

Alias walked into Nameless’s former cell.阿莉亚丝走进无名者先前住的牢房。Sigils and symbols were scrawled on the walls and the windowsill and even the doorsill, evidencing the wards protecting the room from entry by creatures from the lower planes.墙壁、窗台，甚至门槛上都潦草画满了印记与符号，显示出保护这间屋子、防止下层位面生物闯入的结界。They looked all right to her.在她看来，这些结界并无异样。“Akabar, what do you think?”“阿卡巴，你怎么看？”Alias asked, motioning the mage into the room.阿莉亚丝一边问，一边示意那位法师进屋。

Akabar stepped into the cell and began to study Elminster’s wards.阿卡巴走进牢房，开始查看伊尔明斯特布下的结界。As she watched Kyre’s eyes follow the mage, Alias wondered if the half-elf recognized the Turmishman from somewhere, but when the half-elf reached up to adjust the orchid behind her ear, Alias realized that Kyre was physically attracted to the merchant-mage.阿莉亚丝看着凯尔的目光追随着法师，起初还以为这位半精灵是不是曾在什么地方见过这个图米什人；可当半精灵抬手整理耳后的兰花时，阿莉亚丝才明白，凯尔是被这位商人法师的外表吸引了。Akabar was, after all, a handsome man.毕竟，阿卡巴的确是个英俊的男人。Even Cassana, a connoisseur of men, had lusted after him.就连对男人颇有鉴赏力的卡萨娜，也曾对他心生欲念。

Alias turned around to survey the rest of the room.阿莉亚丝转过身，打量房间的其他地方。Elminster had sworn to her that he had made Nameless as comfortable as possible.伊尔明斯特曾向她发誓，说他已经尽可能让无名者住得舒适。The old sage hadn’t lied.那位老贤者并没有撒谎。Everything about the room was lovely—the furniture, the curtains, the carpeting.房间里的一切都很雅致——家具、窗帘，还有地毯。A well-crafted songhorn lay on the table beside a silver fruit bowl.桌上放着一支做工精良的歌号，旁边是一只银果盘。“Oh!”“噢！”Alias cried out suddenly in disgust, revolted by the sight of the rotting, moldy plums, pears, and apples within the silver bowl.阿莉亚丝突然厌恶地叫出声来；银盘里那些腐烂发霉的李子、梨和苹果令她一阵恶心。

“What is it?”“怎么了？”Akabar asked, hurrying to her side.阿卡巴问道，急忙赶到她身边。Mourngrym was close behind him.莫恩格林紧随其后。

Alias pointed at the bowl of fruit.阿莉亚丝指了指那只水果碗。“Is this some sick joke to taunt Nameless?” she asked.“这是在开什么恶毒的玩笑，故意嘲弄无名者吗？”她问道。

Mourngrym scowled angrily when he saw what had upset the swordswoman.”莫恩格林看到是什么惹恼了女剑士，顿时愤怒地皱起眉头。I can’t imagine who would do such a thing,” he said curtly, “but I guarantee I will find out who is responsible.”“我想不出谁会做这种事，”他生硬地说道，“但我保证，一定会查出是谁干的。”

“The sign,” Akabar whispered.“那个征兆。”阿卡巴低声说道。

“What?”“什么？”Alias asked, looking up at the Turmishman.阿莉亚丝抬头望着图米什人，问道。Even beneath his dark skin, the swordswoman could see that the blood was draining from her friend’s face.即使隔着他深色的皮肤，女剑士也看得出朋友脸上的血色正在褪去。Akabar’s body trembled visibly.阿卡巴的身体明显地颤抖起来。

“Akabar, what’s wrong?”“阿卡巴，你怎么了？”Alias asked.阿莉亚丝问道。

“It’s the sign of danger.“这是危险的征兆。From my dreams.就是我梦里的那个。The bowl of rotting fruit marks its coming,” Akabar said.这碗腐烂的水果预示着危险即将降临。”阿卡巴说道。

Alias shivered, momentarily frightened by Akabar’s words.阿莉亚丝打了个寒战，一时间被阿卡巴的话吓住了。With a deep breath, she cast off the ridiculous idea that Akabar’s dreams were rooted in reality.她深吸一口气，抛开了阿卡巴的梦境源于现实这一荒唐念头。

From the doorway, Kyre called Akabar’s name.凯尔从门口喊了阿卡巴的名字。The half-elf’s face was clouded with concern.半精灵脸上笼罩着忧虑。When Akabar looked up at her, she spoke a word to him that neither Alias nor Mourngrym could comprehend, though it sounded to Alias as if it was in Turmish.阿卡巴抬头望向她时，她对他说了一个词，阿莉亚丝和莫恩格林都听不懂，不过阿莉亚丝觉得那似乎是图米什语。

Akabar didn’t appear comforted by whatever the half-elf had said.不管半精灵说了什么，阿卡巴似乎都没有得到安慰。He reeled around and was forced to lean heavily on the tabletop to keep from falling over.他踉跄着转过身，不得不用力撑住桌面，才没有摔倒。He began muttering, “The sign … the rotting,” over and over again.他开始一遍又一遍地喃喃念叨：“征兆……腐烂……”

“Get hold of yourself, Akash,” Alias demanded, placing her hands on Akabar’s shoulders.“振作起来，阿卡什。”阿莉亚丝命令道，双手按住阿卡巴的肩膀。

“I think your friend is not well,” Kyre said, hurrying into the room and taking Akabar’s hands in her own.“我看你的朋友不太舒服。”凯尔说着，匆匆走进房间，握住阿卡巴的双手。

“What is it?”“这是怎么回事？”Mourngrym asked Kyre.莫恩格林问凯尔。“What’s wrong with him?”“他怎么了？”

“He’s in shock.“他受了惊吓。”He should lie down.“他应该躺下。”Here, Akabar Bel Akash,” the half-elf said softly.“来，阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什。”半精灵轻声说道。She tugged gently on Akabar’s wrists until she’d led him to the bed.她轻轻拉着阿卡巴的手腕，把他领到床边。“Sit here,” she ordered.“坐在这里。”她吩咐道。

As if he were in a trance, Akabar obeyed wordlessly.阿卡巴仿佛陷入了恍惚，一言不发地照做了。

“Now lie down,” Kyre said.“现在躺下。”凯尔说道。

Akabar swung his feet up on the bed and laid his head down on the pillow.阿卡巴把双脚抬到床上，将头枕在枕头上。

“Perhaps we should fetch Morala,” his lordship suggested, alarmed by the mage’s glassy-eyed stare.“或许我们该去请莫拉拉来。”领主大人提议道；法师那双眼神涣散的眼睛令他深感不安。

“There’s no need to trouble the priestess, your lordship,” Kyre said.“不必劳烦女祭司，领主大人。”凯尔说道。“I’m sure he’ll recover soon.”“我相信他很快就会恢复的。”

“I’m sure she’s right,” Alias said.“我也相信她说得对。”阿莉亚丝说道。“Akabar’s been having these strange dreams,” she explained.“阿卡巴最近一直在做这些怪梦。”她解释道。“I’m afraid he takes them a little too seriously.”“恐怕他把这些梦看得有些太重了。”

“Perhaps I can help,” Kyre said.“或许我能帮上忙。”凯尔说道。“I have made a study of dreams.“我研究过梦。”If he will speak to me about them, perhaps I can tell him what they mean.”“如果他肯跟我谈谈这些梦，也许我能告诉他那些梦意味着什么。”

“Alias,” Mourngrym said from the bedside, “I think he’s trying to say something to you.”“阿莉亚丝，”莫恩格林在床边说道，“我想他正试图对你说些什么。”

Alias knelt by the Turmishman’s side.阿莉亚丝在图米什人身旁跪了下来。“I’m here, Akabar.“我在这儿，阿卡巴。What is it?”什么事？”

Fighting to get the words out, Akabar whispered slowly, “Take … me … to …阿卡巴艰难地挤出话来，缓缓低声道：“带……我……去……Zhara.”扎拉那儿。”His eyes glittered and his breathing was too quick.他的双眼闪闪发亮，呼吸急促得异乎寻常。

Alias looked up at Kyre.阿莉亚丝抬头望向凯尔。

“I don’t think you should move him,” the half-elf said softly.“我觉得你们不该挪动他，”半精灵轻声说道。“Who is Zhara?”“扎拉是谁？”

“His wife,” Alias said reluctantly.“他的妻子，”阿莉亚丝不情愿地说道。She stood up again and explained more to Kyre in a whisper.她又站起身来，低声向凯尔多解释了几句。“His third wife, a priestess.“他的第三任妻子，一位女祭司。She’s got him believing his dreams are real.”她让他深信自己的梦都是真的。”

“Dreams are only real in our heads,” Kyre said.“梦只在我们的脑海里才是真的，”凯尔说道。

“Can you convince him of that?”“你能让他相信这一点吗？”Alias asked hopefully.阿莉亚丝满怀希望地问道。

“Perhaps.“或许可以。If you and Lord Mourngrym will leave me alone with him for a time, it will be easier to speak with him about it,” Kyre suggested.如果你和莫恩格林领主能让我和他单独待上一阵子，跟他谈这件事会容易些，”凯尔提议道。

Alias looked down anxiously at Akabar.阿莉亚丝忧心忡忡地低头看着阿卡巴。Perhaps this attack of nerves, or whatever it was, was a blessing in disguise, she thought.她心想，也许这次神经发作——不管这究竟是什么——反倒是因祸得福。Kyre was a beautiful woman, and Alias found herself hoping that if the half-elf was left alone to care for Akabar, he would find Kyre as attractive as Kyre obviously found him.凯尔是个美丽的女人，阿莉亚丝不由得暗自希望，如果让半精灵独自留下来照料阿卡巴，他也会觉得凯尔很迷人，就像凯尔显然觉得他很迷人一样。If Akabar liked Kyre enough, Kyre might break Zhara’s spell on him and convince him that Zhara was wrong, that his dreams of Moander weren’t some godly command to place himself in the path of evil, but only the memories of old terrors.如果阿卡巴足够喜欢凯尔，凯尔或许就能破除扎拉施在他身上的魔咒，让他相信扎拉错了，让他相信自己那些关于莫安德的梦并非什么神圣的旨意，命令他把自己置于邪恶的魔爪之下，而只是昔日恐怖留下的记忆。

Alias nodded her consent.阿莉亚丝点头表示同意。“Summon me if you need me,” the swordswoman said.“如果需要我，就叫我来，”女剑士说道。

“I will let his wife know he is in my care,” the half-elf said.“我会通知他的妻子，说他现在由我照料，”半精灵说道。“Where is she?”“她在哪儿？”

“The Old Skull Inn.“老骷髅旅店。I asked Jhaele to put Akabar and his wife in the Red Room,” Alias said.我请杰尔把阿卡巴和他的妻子安顿在红房间了，”阿莉亚丝说道。“There’s no hurry.“不用着急。Zhara won’t be expecting Akabar to return right away.”扎拉不会指望阿卡巴马上回去的。”

Kyre nodded as she laid her slender hand on Akabar’s forehead.凯尔点点头，将纤细的手放在阿卡巴的额头上。

Mourngrym put a comforting hand on Alias’s shoulder as they left the room.他们离开房间时，莫恩格林安慰地把一只手搭在阿莉亚丝肩上。“He’ll be fine,” his lordship said, pulling the door closed behind them.“他会没事的，”领主大人说着，随手带上了身后的门。“I’m told Kyre is quite clever.”“听说凯尔相当聪慧。”

“She seems very sensible,” Alias said, but she couldn’t keep from adding, “Do you think she’s right that this Grypht is a duke from the Nine Hells?”“她看起来很明智，”阿莉亚丝说道，却还是忍不住补了一句，“你觉得她说得对吗？这个格里夫特真是来自九层地狱的公爵？”

Mourngrym shrugged.莫恩格林耸了耸肩。“I really don’t know.“我确实不知道。You heard what she said about its working for the Zhentarim.她说它在为散塔林会效力，你也听见了。Whatever Grypht is, the Zhentarim would certainly like to get their hands on Elminster.无论格里夫特究竟是什么，散塔林会肯定都很想把伊尔明斯特弄到手。Still, I can’t imagine that Elminster is in any real danger.不过，我无法想象伊尔明斯特会有什么真正的危险。He has an evasion spell to take him to safety if his life is ever seriously threatened.”只要他的性命受到严重威胁，他就能施展遁逃法术，脱身到安全之处。”

“But Nameless doesn’t have such a spell,” Alias said.“可无名者没有这种法术，”阿莉亚丝说道。“The Zhentarim could be holding him to force Elminster to stay with them.“散塔林会可能扣押了他，以此逼迫伊尔明斯特留下。Nameless and Elminster were once close friends.无名者和伊尔明斯特曾是亲密的朋友。Elminster wouldn’t abandon him.伊尔明斯特不会抛下他的。Suppose the Zhentarim heard some rumor about me and decided to try to coerce Nameless into creating another creature like me so they could use it as an agent?假如散塔林会听到了某些关于我的传闻，决定胁迫无名者再创造一个像我这样的生物，好让他们把它当作密探使用呢？They might try to force Elminster to help him.”他们或许会设法逼伊尔明斯特帮助他。”

Mourngrym’s face clouded over with concern.莫恩格林脸上蒙上了一层忧色。Alias’s theory was too sensible to be discounted.阿莉亚丝的推断十分合情合理，不能等闲视之。“Why don’t you pay a visit to the sage’s scribe?“你何不去拜访一下那位贤者的书记员？If anyone knows anything about Elminster, it would be Lhaeo.如果有谁知道伊尔明斯特的消息，那一定是莱奥。In the meantime, I’ll try to find some spell-casters who could scry for Nameless and Elminster.”与此同时，我会设法找几位能用占卜术搜寻无名者和伊尔明斯特的施法者。”

Immediately after Alias and Mourngrym left Nameless’s former cell, Kyre crept to the doorway and listened for a few moments as the swordswoman and the lord of Shadowdale moved away down the hall.阿莉亚丝和莫恩格林一离开无名者先前被关押的牢房，凯尔便蹑手蹑脚地来到门边，听着那名女剑士与阴影谷领主沿走廊渐渐远去，足足听了片刻。When their footsteps and voices had faded into the distance, Kyre whispered a chant to hold the door closed so that nothing would interrupt her talk with the Turmishman.等他们的脚步声和说话声消失在远处后，凯尔低声念出一段咒语，将门牢牢封住，以免她与图米什人的谈话受到任何打扰。With Elminster gone and Akabar indisposed, it would take Mourngrym some time to scare up a mage capable of forcing the door.伊尔明斯特不在，阿卡巴又无法行动，莫恩格林得花上一段时间，才能找来一名有本事强行破门的法师。By then she would be gone and Akabar would be gone with her.到那时，她早已离开，而阿卡巴也会随她一同离去。

The half-elf crossed back to the bed and sat down beside Akabar.半精灵回到床边，在阿卡巴身旁坐下。The Turmishman rolled his head and shook, as if he were in the midst of a bad dream.图米什人来回转动着脑袋，身体不住颤抖，仿佛正深陷于一场噩梦之中。It must seem to him as if he were, Kyre realized.凯尔意识到，在他看来，这想必的确就像一场噩梦。She had stunned him with a power word right in front of the lord of Shadowdale and the swordswoman, but since Kyre had spoken the word in Turmish, neither Mourngrym nor Alias had the slightest suspicion that the merchant-mage’s state of shock had been brought on by a magical attack.她当着阴影谷领主和女剑士的面，用一句律令震昏了他；但凯尔说那句话时用的是图米什语，所以无论莫恩格林还是阿莉亚丝，都丝毫没有怀疑这名商人法师的惊骇失神是由魔法攻击造成的。Like most northerners, they had never bothered to learn Turmish or any of the related southern tongues, and now the half-elf would reap a great reward because of their ignorance.他们同大多数北方人一样，从来不屑于学习图米什语或任何相关的南方语言；如今，半精灵将因他们的无知而获得丰厚的回报。

For a brief moment, when Akabar had found the strength and wits to ask Alias to take him to his wife, the half-elf had feared her scheme would be ruined.先前阿卡巴勉强振作起精神和力气，请求阿莉亚丝带他去见妻子时，半精灵曾有那么一瞬间担心自己的计划会被毁掉。Fortunately Alias had been more willing to trust a stranger than accept the Turmishman’s trust in his priestess wife.幸好，比起接受图米什人对他那位女祭司妻子的信任，阿莉亚丝更愿意相信一个陌生人。Cassana had done a good job conditioning the swordswoman to dislike members of the clergy, Kyre thought with satisfaction.凯尔满意地想，卡萨娜把这名女剑士调教得厌恶神职人员，的确做得很不错。

Kyre ran her finger down the sleeve of Akabar’s robe.凯尔用一根手指顺着阿卡巴的长袍衣袖缓缓划下。After she had spent months of fruitless searching for the Turmishman, he had brought himself to her, and now he lay here completely at her mercy.她徒劳无功地搜寻了这个图米什人数月之后，他竟自行送到了她面前，如今更是躺在这里，完全任她摆布。Before he regained his senses, she would have to put him under a stronger enchantment.在他恢复神智之前，她必须给他施加一种更强的魅惑。She could place him in a gem of soul-stealing to carry him off to her master, but it would be easier and far more amusing to convince him to come with her of his own free will.她可以把他封进一颗摄魂宝石，带去交给自己的主人；不过，说服他自愿跟她走，不但更容易，也远为有趣。

“Please forgive me for casting a spell on you, Akabar,” she said in his native tongue, “but I can’t permit you to tell everyone about your dreams.”“请原谅我对你施法，阿卡巴，”她用他的母语说道，“但我不能让你把自己的梦境告诉所有人。”The mage’s brow furrowed in puzzlement.法师困惑地皱起了眉头。Kyre pulled a glass vial out from her tunic pocket and unstoppered it.凯尔从束腰外衣的口袋里掏出一只玻璃小瓶，拔掉了瓶塞。“Drink this down,” she told him, raising the vial to his lips.“把这个喝下去，”她一边吩咐，一边把小瓶举到他唇边。“It will help clear your head.”“它会让你的头脑清醒些。”

In his confused state it didn’t occur to Akabar to resist Kyre’s suggestion.阿卡巴神志迷乱，根本没想到要抗拒凯尔的提议。Dutifully he swallowed the liquid she poured in his mouth.她把液体倒进他嘴里，他便顺从地咽了下去。

Kyre leaned over and kissed the mage gently on the lips.凯尔俯下身，轻轻吻了吻法师的嘴唇。“Lie still a few minutes and you’ll feel better,” she said in flawless Turmish.“静静躺几分钟，你就会感觉好些，”她用流利无瑕的图米什语说道。

“Zhara,” Akabar sighed.“扎拉，”阿卡巴叹息道。Then, with more agitation, he cried out, “The bowl of rotting fruit!接着，他愈发激动地叫道：“那碗腐烂的水果！Zhara, beware!”扎拉，当心！”

Kyre frowned slightly.凯尔微微皱起眉头。Aside from having too great a hold on the mage’s heart, this Zhara probably knew too much.这个扎拉不仅在法师心中占据了太重的分量，恐怕还知道得太多。Fortunately Alias had told the half-elf all she needed to know to deal with the priestess.幸好，阿莉亚丝已经把对付那名女祭司所需的一切都告诉了这名半精灵。

Kyre stood up, padded over to the window, yanked open the curtain, and threw back the shutters.凯尔站起身，悄无声息地走到窗边，一把拉开窗帘，又猛地推开百叶窗。“The rain has stopped for the moment.“雨暂时停了。How convenient,” she declared.真是方便，”她说道。

From her tunic pocket, the half-elf pulled out a bit of thistledown with the seeds still attached.半精灵从束腰外衣的口袋里掏出一小撮仍连着种子的蓟绒。“Darkbringer,” she murmured in Realms common.“黑暗使者，”她用诸界通用语低声念道。The thistle seeds in her hand began to glow.她手中的蓟种开始发光。“Zhara, wife of Akabar Bel Akash, in the Red Room at the Old Skull Inn,” she whispered.“阿卡巴·贝尔·阿卡什之妻扎拉，身在老骷髅旅店的红房间，”她低声说道。Then she held the thistledown up to her mouth and blew it out the window.随后，她把蓟绒举到嘴边，将它吹出了窗外。The silky, seed-bearing strands danced away from the window toward the heart of Shadowdale, moving against the wind.那些携带种子的丝绒细缕迎着风，从窗前翩然飘向阴影谷的中心。

Kyre stood at the window, staring blankly at the greenery surrounding Shadowdale Akabar, hearing his wife’s name spoken, turned his head in the half-elf’s direction.凯尔站在窗前，茫然凝望着阴影谷周围的绿意。 阿卡巴听见妻子的名字，便转头望向半精灵。He began studying her profile with fascination.他着迷地端详起她的侧脸。Her silky black hair contrasted sharply with her fair skin, and her figure was lithe and muscular like a dancer’s. She’s really very beautiful, he thought.她丝缎般的黑发与白皙的肌肤形成鲜明对比，身材轻盈矫健，如同舞者一般。 她真的很美，他想。Not to mention well educated.更不用说，她还受过良好教育。She speaks Turmish well, with a soft-spoken voice like a true lady.她的图米什语说得很流利，声音轻柔，像一位真正的淑女。And her touch is tender, as a woman’s should be.而且她的触碰温柔体贴，女人本就该如此。

Why, though, the mage puzzled, did she have to stun me just to keep from speaking of my dreams?可是，法师困惑地想，她为什么非得把我击昏，就为了不让我谈起自己的梦？Akabar sighed to himself.阿卡巴暗自叹了口气。No matter, he thought.算了，他想。She said she was sorry.她已经道过歉了。I must give her a chance to explain.我必须给她一个解释的机会。She must have a good reason.她一定有充分的理由。

A few minutes later, just as the half-elf had predicted, his head felt much clearer, his body felt rested, and the strength returned to his limbs.几分钟后，正如半精灵所预言的那样，他的头脑清醒了许多，身体也恢复了精神，力量重新回到四肢。His heart still beat a little too quickly, but he didn’t notice.他的心跳依然稍快了些，但他并未察觉。He sat up and took a deep breath.他坐起身，深吸了一口气。

Kyre turned away from the window and smiled gently.凯尔转身离开窗边，温柔地笑了。“I’m pleased to see you feeling better,” she said softly, still speaking in Turmish.“看到你好些了，我很高兴。”她依旧用图米什语轻声说道。“You will forgive me, I trust, for being so forward, but I must tell you, you are the most attractive man I’ve ever met.”“我想，你会原谅我如此冒昧，但我必须告诉你，你是我见过的最有魅力的男人。”

Akabar blushed deeply.阿卡巴顿时满脸通红。Usually the immodest advances of northern women annoyed him, but he felt inordinately pleased that someone as attractive as Kyre should find him appealing.通常，北方女人不知矜持的示好总令他恼火，可像凯尔这般迷人的人竟也觉得他有魅力，却让他感到格外欣喜。Still, he wasn’t the sort to leave mysteries unsolved.不过，他不是那种会任由谜团悬而未决的人。“Why don’t you want me to tell about my dreams to anyone?” he asked.“你为什么不想让我把自己的梦告诉任何人？”他问道。

Kyre crossed the room to his bedside, her walk graceful and sinuous.凯尔穿过房间来到他的床边，步态优雅而婀娜。“I’m not sure who can be trusted,” she replied as she sat down again on the edge of the bed.“我不确定谁值得信任。”她回答着，再次在床沿坐了下来。

“You can trust Alias,” Akabar said.“你可以信任阿莉亚丝，”阿卡巴说。“She’s a good friend.”“她是个好朋友。”

“But I don’t think I can trust Lord Mourngrym,” Kyre replied.“但我觉得我不能信任莫恩格林领主，”凯尔答道。“However, I know I can trust you, Akabar.“不过，我知道我可以信任你，阿卡巴。You’ve been chosen.”你是被选中的人。”The half-elf ran her finger along the curve of the Turmishman’s ear and down along the artery in his neck.半精灵的手指顺着图米什人的耳廓滑过，又沿着他颈侧的动脉向下划去。

Akabar felt his heart begin to pound and his blood throbbing in his head.阿卡巴感觉自己的心开始怦怦狂跳，鲜血也在脑中突突搏动。“What do you know of my dreams?” he asked.“你对我的梦知道些什么？”他问。

Kyre slid her hands up inside the loose sleeves of Akabar’s robe, lightly touching the inside of his arms with her fingertips.凯尔把双手伸进阿卡巴宽松的袍袖，沿着袖管向上滑，指尖轻轻触碰着他双臂内侧。“They are of the Darkbringer’s return to the Realms, are they not?” she asked.“那些梦都是关于黑暗使者重返诸界的，对不对？”她问。

“Yes,” Akabar admitted.“是的，”阿卡巴承认道。“They are.”“确实如此。”He grasped the half-elven woman’s elbows, and rubbed his thumbs along the silky sleeves of her tunic.他握住半精灵女子的双肘，拇指在她外衣丝滑的衣袖上轻轻摩挲。

“And in your dreams, you must find the Darkbringer.“而在梦里，你必须找到黑暗使者。Correct?”对吗？”Kyre asked.凯尔问道。

“Yes” Akabar said.“是的。”阿卡巴说。

“I will help you,” Kyre said.“我会帮助你，”凯尔说。“Would you like that?”“你愿意吗？”

Akabar pulled the woman closer to him.阿卡巴把女人拉得更贴近自己。With amusement, he noted how the orchid behind Kyre’s left ear was held in place.他饶有兴味地留意到凯尔左耳后的兰花是如何固定住的。Some magic, elven no doubt, had coaxed the stem’s tendrils to twist about several strands of her hair.某种魔法——毫无疑问是精灵魔法——诱使花茎上的卷须缠住了她的几绺头发。The mage buried his face in the half-elf’s hair and breathed in the orchid’s intoxicating scent.法师把脸埋进半精灵的秀发中，深深吸入兰花那令人迷醉的香气。“I would like that very much,” he whispered, but something about the orchid’s scent left him feeling anxious.“我非常愿意，”他低声说道，可兰花的香气中似乎有什么令他感到不安。The perfume tickled at some unpleasant memory that would not surface readily.那香气撩拨着某段不愉快的记忆，可那记忆一时怎么也浮现不出来。

Kyre blew her warm breath into his ear.凯尔朝他耳中吹入温热的气息。“I will take you to Moander’s place of resurrection,” she breathed.“我会带你去莫安德复活的地方。”她轻声说道。Leaning heavily against Akabar’s chest, the half-elf forced him to fall back against the bed pillows.半精灵使劲倚在阿卡巴胸前，迫使他向后倒在床上的枕头间。She placed her right ear directly over his heart.她把右耳紧贴在他的心口。

Akabar knew she could hear his heart pounding.阿卡巴知道，她能听见自己的心脏怦怦狂跳。“How do you know these things?” he asked.“你怎么会知道这些事？”他问道。

“The master told me,” Kyre said.“主人告诉我的。”凯尔说。She raised her head and kissed the tip of his beard, then his chin.她抬起头，先吻了吻他的胡须尖，又吻了吻他的下巴。

As the woman’s lips moved toward his own, the Turmishman suddenly caught sight of her orchid’s tendrils, which twisted not about her hair but into her ear canal.就在女人的双唇移向他的嘴唇时，图米什人忽然瞥见了她那朵兰花的卷须——它们并没有缠绕在她的头发上，而是钻进了她的耳道。Others had pricked her temples.另一些卷须则刺进了她的太阳穴。The tendrils twitched and writhed beneath her skin, as if they were trying to get purchase on her brain.卷须在她的皮肤下抽搐扭动，仿佛正试图攀住她的大脑。Akabar’s stomach churned with revulsion, and his heart began pounding with fear.阿卡巴恶心得胃里翻腾，心脏也因恐惧而狂跳起来。Finally he recalled where he’d smelled the orchid’s perfume before.他终于想起自己以前在哪里闻到过这种兰花香气了。It was the scent of one of Moander’s sleeping drugs.那是莫安德的一种安眠药的气味。Akabar cried out and thrust Kyre away from him.阿卡巴惊叫一声，一把将凯尔推开。

Three tendrils shot out from Kyre’s mouth like snakes lashing out at their prey.三根卷须从凯尔口中激射而出，犹如扑向猎物的毒蛇。These tendrils, tipped with pea-sized pods, were far longer than the orchid tendrils.这些卷须的尖端长着豌豆大小的荚囊，长度远远超过兰花的卷须。As the green shoots curled and undulated in the air before the merchant-mage’s face, he realized with horror that they might have easily slithered past his lips and down his throat if he had closed his eyes in anticipation of the half-elf’s kiss.绿色嫩枝在商人法师面前的空中蜷曲摆动，他惊恐地意识到，假如自己方才满怀期待地闭上眼睛等候半精灵的亲吻，它们本可以轻而易举地滑过他的嘴唇，钻进他的喉咙。Suddenly the pods at the ends of the tendrils burst open, shooting tiny black seeds at Akabar’s face.卷须末端的荚囊突然爆裂，将细小的黑色种子射向阿卡巴的脸。Then the tendrils collapsed as Kyre sucked them back into her mouth.随后，随着凯尔把卷须吸回口中，它们一下子瘫软了下去。

“Those seeds were meant for you to swallow,” the half-elf said when her mouth was clear of the tendrils, “but don’t worry.等嘴里的卷须全都消失后，半精灵说道：“那些种子本来是要让你吞下去的，不过别担心。There are more.”还有的是。”

Akabar sat up, shaking with terror, and tried to push Kyre away, but the woman had an iron grip on his elbows.阿卡巴坐起身，吓得浑身发抖，试图推开凯尔，但那女人的双手如铁钳般牢牢抓住了他的手肘。As he struggled to free himself, Akabar felt other tendrils, incredibly slimy and as strong as rope, reaching inside his sleeves and entwining his upper arms.阿卡巴拼命挣扎着想要脱身，同时感觉到另一些黏滑得难以置信、又像绳索一样强韧的卷须钻进他的袖管，缠上了他的上臂。

“There’s no use resisting, Akabar,” Kyre said, still speaking in Turmish, only now her tone was cool and authoritative.“抵抗是没有用的，阿卡巴，”凯尔说道，仍旧说着图米什语，只是此刻她的语气冷峻而威严。“Your destiny is sealed.”“你的命运已经注定了。”The half-elf slid her hands out of Akabar’s sleeves.半精灵把双手从阿卡巴的袖子里抽了出来。Her victim remained trapped by the plant appendages, which stretched from her wrists up his arms.她的猎物仍被那些植物般的附肢牢牢缠住；它们从她的手腕伸出，沿着他的手臂向上蔓延。The tendrils grew steadily longer, giving Kyre the freedom to move her hands up to Akabar’s face.卷须不断变长，让凯尔可以腾出双手，伸向阿卡巴的脸。The merchant-mage closed his eyes, revolted at the way the tendrils protruded from beneath the skin of her forearms.商人法师闭上双眼，那些卷须从她前臂的皮肤下钻出来的模样令他恶心不已。

“The Darkbringer desires to possess your body again and once more gaze into the sharp-edged crystal of your mind,” Kyre said mesmerizingly as she stroked his beard.“黑暗使者渴望再次占据你的身体，再一次凝视你心灵中那块棱角锋利的水晶，”凯尔一边抚摸他的胡须，一边用蛊惑人心的语调说道。“You should feel honored.”“你应该感到荣幸。”

“No!”“不！”Akabar shouted.阿卡巴大喊道。He managed to rise to his feet, pulling Kyre along with him.他奋力站起身来，把凯尔也一并拖了起来。Terrified, he screamed, “Alias!他惊恐地尖叫道：“阿莉亚丝！Help me!”救救我！”

Kyre cut off his cries with a choke hold to his throat.凯尔一把扼住他的喉咙，截断了他的呼喊。“The Darkbringer would prefer that I deliver you alive,” the half-elf snarled, “but if that is not possible, the Darkbringer will be pleased enough with your corpse.”“黑暗使者更希望我把活着的你交给他，”半精灵低声咆哮道，“但若是办不到，黑暗使者得到你的尸体也会相当满意。”She released Akabar’s throat, and, as the mage gasped for air, she drew out a slender dagger from her sleeve and pressed its point against his neck.她松开阿卡巴的喉咙；法师正大口喘气时，她从袖中抽出一把细长的匕首，将刀尖抵在他的脖子上。

“You wouldn’t dare,” Akabar whispered hoarsely.“你不敢的，”阿卡巴声音嘶哑地低语道。“If you murder me, Alias will cut you to pieces.”“如果你杀了我，阿莉亚丝会把你碎尸万段。”

“Alias will never know,” Kyre said.“阿莉亚丝永远不会知道的。”凯尔说。With her free hand, she pulled out an object and held it up to Akabar’s eyes.她用空着的那只手掏出一件东西，举到阿卡巴眼前。It resembled a crystal the size and shape of a walnut, colorless but for a flickering dark flaw at the center.那东西像一颗核桃大小、形状也与核桃相仿的水晶，通体无色，唯有中心一道幽暗的瑕疵闪烁不定。“Behold, Akabar,” Kyre said.“看吧，阿卡巴，”凯尔说。“Inside this stone is entrapped an enemy of the master, a mage far more powerful than you.“这块石头里囚禁着主人的一个敌人，是个远比你强大的法师。If you continue to resist, I will slay you and carry you to the Darkbringer within just such a stone.如果你继续反抗，我就杀了你，把你装进这样一块石头里，带去献给黑暗使者。If, instead, you cooperate and come with me of your own free will, you will be rewarded well.相反，如果你肯配合，自愿跟我走，必会得到丰厚的奖赏。Moander will grant you such power as few men in the Realms have ever known.”莫安德会赐予你强大的力量，那是诸界之中鲜有人曾拥有过的。”

Akabar stared into Kyre’s eyes, thinking what a fool he’d been.阿卡巴盯着凯尔的眼睛，心想自己真是个傻瓜。Zhara had warned him he would be in danger the moment he saw the bowl of rotting fruit, yet, for all his faith, he hadn’t acted quickly enough to defend himself, To add to his folly, he’d trusted Kyre, a complete stranger, and allowed her liberties with his body.扎拉曾警告过他，一见到那碗腐烂的水果，他就会身陷险境；可尽管他信仰虔诚，却还是没能及时采取行动保护自己。更愚蠢的是，他竟然信任凯尔这个素不相识的人，任由她对自己的身体为所欲为。Now he was tainted by her touch and helpless in her grasp.如今，她的触碰已经玷污了他，而他落在她手中，毫无反抗之力。He was doomed—worse, he had doomed all he loved and all who dwelt in the Realms.他完了——更糟的是，他还害了自己所爱的一切人，也害了所有居住在诸界中的人。

“You will behave now, won’t you?”“现在你会乖乖听话了，对不对？”Kyre asked sweetly, pricking painfully at his throat with her dagger.凯尔柔声问道，同时用匕首尖抵着他的喉咙，刺得他一阵疼痛。

The mage’s shoulders slumped and his arms went limp.法师垂下双肩，双臂也无力地耷拉下来。With a deep sense of shame, he realized he wasn’t prepared to give his life just to keep Moander from possessing his body and invading his mind again.他怀着深深的羞耻意识到，自己还没有准备好仅仅为了阻止莫安德再次占据他的身体、侵入他的心智而献出生命。He nodded his agreement to the half-elf.他向那个半精灵点了点头，表示同意。

Zhara closed the door to the Red Room of the Old Skull Inn and motioned for Dragonbait to have a seat at the table.扎拉关上老骷髅旅店红房间的门，示意龙饵在桌边坐下。The paladin had agreed to join Akabar’s wife for lunch in the privacy of her room.圣武士已经答应和阿卡巴的妻子在她房中私下一起吃午饭。The priestess of Tymora crossed the room and sat down opposite her guest.泰摩拉的女祭司穿过房间，在客人对面坐下。

After all that Akabar had told her about Dragonbait, Zhara felt the paladin was like a brother to her.听了阿卡巴告诉她的种种关于龙饵的事后，扎拉觉得这位圣武士就像自己的兄弟一样。Showing her face to a brother would not be immodest, she decided, pushing back the hood of her robe.她心想，在兄弟面前露出脸来并不算失礼，便把长袍的兜帽向后推去。She removed her veil and laid it on the table.她摘下面纱，放在桌上。

Dragonbait studied Zhara’s face curiously.龙饵好奇地端详着扎拉的脸。

“You do not seem shocked or surprised,” the priestess said.“你似乎既不震惊，也不意外。”女祭司说道。

Dragonbait motioned with his hands.龙饵用双手打起手势。

“Yes, I can understand your sign language,” Zhara answered.“是的，我看得懂你的手语。”扎拉答道。

Dragonbait motioned with his hands that he could smell what Zhara was.龙饵用手势表示，他能闻出扎拉究竟是什么。

“Oh,” Zhara replied, remembering Akabar had also mentioned the paladin’s refined sense of smell.“哦。”扎拉应道，想起阿卡巴也曾提到过这位圣武士敏锐的嗅觉。

Let’s eat, Dragonbait signed.先吃饭吧，龙饵用手势说道。Then we can talk.然后我们再谈。

Zhara nodded in agreement.扎拉点头表示同意。She said a short prayer in Turmish in thanksgiving for the food laid out before them and began serving the meal.她用图米什语作了简短的餐前祷告，感谢摆在他们面前的食物，随后开始分菜。They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence.他们默默地吃着，但这沉默令人自在。After the paladin had eaten his fill of the venison and potatoes and peas, all northern dishes that were strange to Zhara, the saurial leaned back in his chair and signed that he was full.圣武士吃够了鹿肉、土豆和豌豆之后——这些都是扎拉感到陌生的北方菜肴——这名蜥蜴族人向后靠在椅背上，打手势表示自己已经饱了。

The priestess shook her head at the saurial’s plate “You haven’t eaten very much,” she said.女祭司看着蜥蜴族人盘中的食物，摇了摇头。“你没吃多少啊。”她说道。“I thought warriors all had ravenous appetites.”“我还以为战士个个都有填不饱的胃口呢。”

With his fingers, the paladin explained that saurials preferred many small meals to a few large ones.圣武士用手指比画着解释说，比起少吃几顿大餐，蜥蜴族人更喜欢多吃几顿小餐。

“Akabar said saurial paladins have something called shen sight—that you can see into a person’s soul.“阿卡巴说，蜥蜴族圣武士有一种叫作‘神视’的能力——你们能够看进一个人的灵魂深处。Is that true?”这是真的吗？”Zhara asked.扎拉问道。

Dragonbait nodded.龙饵点了点头。

“I want you to look into my soul,” Zhara said.“我想让你看看我的灵魂，”扎拉说。“Tell me, am I not a virtuous woman?”“告诉我，我难道不是个品德高尚的女人吗？”

Dragonbait lowered his eyes, and the scent of vanilla wafted from him.龙饵垂下眼睛，身上飘出一缕香草的气味。Fortunately, Zhara didn’t realize it was a sign that he was amused by the priestess’s self-righteousness.幸好，扎拉没有意识到，这表示女祭司那副自以为是的模样令他觉得好笑。Despite his amusement, the saurial paladin complied with her request and summoned his shen.尽管觉得好笑，这位蜥族圣武士还是答应了她的请求，唤出了自己的神识。He saw in Zhara exactly what he had expected to see—a soul of pure blue, which indicated grace, the state of being sanctified and loved by her goddess.他在扎拉身上看到的，正是他预料中的景象——一个纯蓝色的灵魂，象征着恩宠，表明她已被女神圣化并蒙受女神的爱。He also sensed that the priestess’s spirit was strong and arrogant.他还察觉到，这位女祭司的心灵既强大又傲慢。She was not so very different from Alias.她与阿莉亚丝其实并没有那么不同。

Do you have reason to doubt your virtue?你有理由怀疑自己的品德吗？Dragonbait signed, teasing the priestess.龙饵打着手势，戏谑地问女祭司。

Zhara shook her head.扎拉摇了摇头。“I only want to know if you believe, as Alias does, that I could be so evil as to lie to Akabar about his dreams?“我只是想知道，你是否也像阿莉亚丝一样，认为我会邪恶到对阿卡巴隐瞒他梦境的真相？That I don’t love him and I’m only using him?” she asked.认为我并不爱他，只是在利用他？”她问道。

Dragonbait shook his head and signed to Zhara.龙饵摇摇头，对扎拉打起了手势。Do not be offended by the swordswoman.别生那个女剑士的气。She is still frightened by the Darkbringer, and her fear always makes her angry.她仍然害怕黑暗使者，而恐惧总会令她愤怒。

“Your Alias has no respect for the clergy,” Zhara noted coolly.“你的阿莉亚丝对神职人员毫无敬意，”扎拉冷冷地说道。

She was created that way, Dragonbait signed.她被创造出来时就是这样，龙饵打着手势说道。She cannot help herself.她也无能为力。

“Only a barbarian would belittle the gods as she does,” Zhara said contemptuously.“只有野蛮人才会像她那样贬低诸神，”扎拉轻蔑地说。

Barbarians also belittle beautiful music, as you did, Dragonbait pointed out.野蛮人也会贬低美妙的音乐，就像你之前那样，龙饵指出。

Zhara looked momentarily flustered.扎拉一时显得有些慌乱。She hadn’t expected the paladin to chide her about her behavior.她没料到这位圣武士会责备她的举止。She replied defensively, “Akabar has told me much of Alias.她辩解道：“阿卡巴跟我说过许多阿莉亚丝的事。For instance, I know she practically worships Nameless and his music.比如，我知道她简直把无名者和他的音乐奉若神明。That is wrong,” Zhara insisted.那是不对的。”扎拉坚持道。“Nameless is only a man, and his music is but the creation of a man.“无名者不过是个凡人，他的音乐也不过是凡人的造物。Neither the man nor his creation can compare to the gods or their works.”无论是他本人还是他的创作，都无法与诸神或诸神的造物相提并论。”

Dragonbait sighed.龙饵叹了口气。I’ll tell you a little story, he signed.我给你讲个小故事吧，他用手语说道。It’s a story I’ve never told anyone else.这个故事，我从没对别人讲过。A story with a lesson.一个能给人教训的故事。

Zhara leaned forward and watched curiously as the paladin’s hands motioned over the table.扎拉探身向前，好奇地看着圣武士的双手在桌面上方比划。

Once there was a paladin who served the god of justice, the saurial explained.从前，有一位侍奉正义之神的圣武士，蜥蜴人解释道。The paladin loved a priestess who served Lady Luck.这位圣武士爱上了一名侍奉幸运女神的女祭司。The paladin was proud of himself and his service to his god.圣武士为自己以及自己对神明的侍奉深感自豪。He felt there was no cause more noble than justice.他认为，没有什么事业比正义更崇高。He felt everyone should feel as he felt.他认为，人人都该和他有同样的感受。Lady Luck was not always just however; sometimes she was fickle.然而，幸运女神并不总是公正；有时她也反复无常。Occasionally she bestowed her favor on those who did not deserve it, and withheld her favor from those who did.她偶尔会眷顾不配得到眷顾的人，却不肯眷顾那些理应得到眷顾的人。The paladin demanded that his priestess lover serve his god instead of Lady Luck.圣武士要求他那位身为女祭司的爱人改而侍奉他的神，不再侍奉幸运女神。The two argued about it, and the paladin insulted Lady Luck and the priestess, but the priestess would not leave her goddess.两人为此争执起来，圣武士出言侮辱了幸运女神和女祭司，但女祭司不肯离弃自己的女神。

Because the paladin loved the priestess very much, he knew that if he remained near her, he would soon grow to accept her decision and remain her lover despite her refusal to do as he wished.由于圣武士深爱着女祭司，他知道，如果自己继续留在她身边，很快就会接受她的决定；即便她拒绝照他的意愿行事，他也仍会做她的爱人。He thought that if this happened, he would be tainted by the priestess’s love for her goddess.他认为，若是这样，自己就会因女祭司对其女神的爱而受到玷污。In his anger and pride, the paladin was determined that these things should not happen, so he left his tribe to serve his god’s cause in the dark and evil region of Tarterus.出于愤怒与骄傲，圣武士决心不让这些事发生，于是离开自己的部族，前往塔尔塔罗斯那片黑暗邪恶的地域，为他的神所追求的事业效力。

There the paladin was captured by a fiend who intended to sacrifice the paladin for a very evil purpose.圣武士在那里被一个恶魔俘虏了；那恶魔打算为了某个极其邪恶的目的，将他献作祭品。As the paladin hung from chains in a dank dungeon, very close to death, he had a vision, or perhaps it was just a dream, in which Lady Luck appeared before him.圣武士被铁链吊在一座阴湿的地牢里，命悬一线之际，看见了一个异象——也或许那只是一场梦——幸运女神在其中出现在他面前。The goddess said that she did not care if she ever saw him again, but the god of justice had asked for her help in sparing the paladin’s life.女神说，她才不在乎今后还能不能见到他，但正义之神请求她出手相助，救圣武士一命。If the paladin would agree to perform a service for Lady Luck, she would free him from the evil creatures who intended to kill him.只要圣武士答应替幸运女神办一件事，她就会把他从那些企图杀死他的邪恶生物手中解救出来。

The paladin wished to live, of course, and since his god had intervened on his behalf, it would be arrogant to turn down the goddess’s offer.圣武士当然想活下去，况且他的神已经替他出面干预，若是拒绝女神的提议，未免太过傲慢。The paladin had learned that even the cause of justice cannot always win against evil without Lady Luck’s blessing.圣武士明白了，即使是正义的事业，若没有幸运女神的眷顾，也未必总能战胜邪恶。He agreed to perform the service, and Lady Luck sent a human to free the paladin and tell him what service he must perform.他答应替她办事，于是幸运女神派了一个人类去解救圣武士，并告诉他必须完成什么任务。So the paladin lives yet to serve the god of justice, but he pays homage, too, to Lady Luck or to any other god or goddess who can further the cause of justice.因此，圣武士至今仍活着，为正义之神效力；但他也会向幸运女神致敬，也会向任何能够推动正义事业的神祇致敬。

Dragonbait leaned forward in his chair.龙饵坐在椅子上，身子向前倾去。Zhara thought he was finished and was about to speak when the saurial began motioning once again with his hands.扎拉以为他已经讲完，正要开口，那个蜥蜴人却又一次用双手比划起来。The paladin, Dragonbait signed, learned that the god of justice is also served by other worldly beings—merchant-mages, halfling thieves, arrogant bards—and even by the creations of worldly beings—commerce and government, history and tales, music and song.圣武士明白了，龙饵比划道，正义之神也会借助其他尘世生灵为自己效力——商人法师、半身人盗贼、傲慢的吟游诗人——甚至还会借助尘世生灵创造出来的事物——商业与政府、历史与故事、音乐与歌谣。Thus the paladin learned to respect worldly things.就这样，圣武士学会了尊重尘世之物。Is it not possible that the goddess you serve is served by such things as well?难道你侍奉的女神就不可能也借助这些事物为自己效力吗？

Zhara huffed.扎拉哼了一声。“Even if Alias’s music serves the gods, it does not make it right for her to belittle them,” the priestess insisted.“就算阿莉亚丝的音乐是在为诸神效力，她也不该贬低诸神。”女祭司坚持道。

Dragonbait nodded in agreement.龙饵赞同地点了点头。She has reason, though, he signed.不过，她这么做也是有缘由的，他比划道。

“What reason?”“什么缘由？”Zhara snapped.扎拉厉声问道。

Her taunts help her fight her fear of the gods, the paladin explained.圣武士解释道，她用嘲讽来帮助自己对抗对诸神的恐惧。

“If she were virtuous, she would have no reason to fear the gods,” Zhara declared.“如果她品行高尚，就没有理由惧怕诸神。”扎拉断言道。

If you had ever lain helpless in the Darkbringer’s power, as she has, you would know better, the paladin replied.圣武士回答道，如果你也曾像她一样，无助地落入黑暗使者的掌控之中，就不会这么说了。

Zhara lowered her eyes, chastened.扎拉受到责备，垂下了眼睛。

After pausing several moments, Dragonbait chucked her gently under her chin.停顿片刻后，龙饵轻轻托了托她的下巴。You’ve had a long journey, he signed.你一路长途跋涉，辛苦了，他用手语说道。You should rest now.现在该休息了。

“Before I rest, I want you to tell me one thing” Zhara said.“休息之前，我想让你告诉我一件事。”扎拉说道。“Will the paladin in your tale ever return to the priestess he loved?”“你故事里的那位圣武士，最终会回到他所爱的女祭司身边吗？”

When he has finished his service to Lady Luck, Dragonbait signed.等他完成了对幸运女神的侍奉，龙饵用手语说道。

“When will that be?”“那要到什么时候？”Zhara asked.扎拉问道。

When the Darkbringer is destroyed for all time, Dragonbait signed, and the paladin’s sister need never fear becoming helpless again.等到黑暗使者被永远消灭，龙饵用手语说道，那位圣武士的姐妹再也不必害怕自己会变得无助。Rest now.现在休息吧。We will talk again.我们还会再谈的。The saurial rose to his feet.蜥蜴人站起身来。

Zhara smiled up at the lizard.扎拉仰头望着这个蜥蜴人，微微一笑。“Do you promise?” she asked.“你保证吗？”她问道。

The paladin laid his hand on his chest, bowed, and slipped out of the Red Room as quietly as a cat.圣武士把手按在胸前，鞠了一躬，随后像猫一样悄无声息地溜出了红房间。

The priestess sighed.女祭司叹了口气。Although she vowed to think more kindly of Alias, she doubted she’d ever really like her.尽管她发誓要对阿莉亚丝多抱些善意，却怀疑自己是否真的会喜欢上她。The swordswoman was still a northerner and an adventuress, synonymous, in the priestess’s mind, with a barbarian.那位女剑士毕竟是个北方人，又是个女冒险家；在女祭司心目中，这两者都与野蛮人无异。Zhara felt honored, though, that the paladin had divulged his story to her.不过，圣武士肯向她吐露自己的故事，还是让扎拉深感荣幸。

She yawned.她打了个哈欠。Dragonbait was right.龙饵说得对。She should rest.她该休息了。The priestess reached over to the window, unfastened the shutter latch, and pushed the shutter open.女祭司伸手探向窗户，拨开窗板的插销，将窗板推开。Cool, moist air wafted into the room, carrying a number of tiny tufted seeds.清凉湿润的空气飘进房间，还带来了许多长着细小绒毛的种子。As Zhara stared sleepily out across the gray landscape, the rain started falling once again.扎拉睡眼惺忪地望着外面灰蒙蒙的景色，雨又一次落了下来。

She pulled off her sandals and threw them at her clothing trunk, listening with satisfaction to the thumping noises they made.她脱下凉鞋，朝衣箱扔去，听着鞋子撞上箱子时发出的砰砰声，心里颇为满意。Then she picked up her veil from the table and, for good measure, threw it in the direction of the trunk.接着，她从桌上拿起面纱，又顺手把它也朝衣箱的方向扔去。It landed several inches short, but she was too tired to bend over to pick it up.面纱落在离衣箱还差几英寸的地方，但她累得连弯腰捡起来都不愿意。Stupid veil, she thought.蠢面纱，她心想。Let it lie there.就让它躺在那儿吧。

Pushing herself out of her chair, Zhara shuffled exhaustedly across the room and flopped onto the bed.扎拉撑着身子从椅子上站起来，精疲力竭地拖着脚步穿过房间，一头倒在床上。Before they’d arrived in Shadowdale, she and Akabar had spent several days on the road with the caravan, camping in the open on the hard ground.抵达阴影谷之前，她和阿卡巴曾随商队在路上走了好几天，露宿在坚硬的地面上。As she lay back on the plump pillows, she anticipated the pleasures of sharing so large and private a room with her husband again.她仰躺在松软饱满的枕头上，满心期待着再次同丈夫共享这样一间宽敞而私密的房间会有多么惬意。While she missed Akash and Kasim, her co-wives, there was no denying that she enjoyed having Akabar’s company all to herself.尽管她很想念自己的两位共妻阿卡什和卡西姆，但不可否认，她很享受独占阿卡巴陪伴的感觉。

Thinking of Akash and Kasim, Zhara uttered a quick prayer for their safety and health.想到阿卡什和卡西姆，扎拉迅速祈祷了一番，愿她们平安健康。Then she drifted off to sleep to the sound of the pattering rain and a vision of her handsome husband leaning over her, whispering her name.随后，她听着淅淅沥沥的雨声沉入梦乡，眼前浮现出英俊的丈夫俯身看着她、轻声呼唤她名字的情景。

A bad dream troubled her sleep.一个噩梦搅扰了她的睡眠。In the dream, Alias was closing her inside a coffin lined with daggers.梦里，阿莉亚丝正把她关进一口内壁布满匕首的棺材。The darkness of the coffin frightened Zhara as much as the idea of the daggers, and she was struggling with all her might to resist, when suddenly she awoke with a start.棺材里的黑暗和那些匕首一样令扎拉恐惧，她正拼尽全力挣扎反抗，忽然猛地惊醒了。

The priestess wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but the room about her was much darker than it had been; twisting shadows played on the walls all about her.女祭司不知道自己睡了多久，但四周的房间已经比先前昏暗得多；扭曲的阴影在她周围的墙壁上跃动。She reached into a pocket of her robe for one of the stones she had enchanted with a continual light.她把手伸进长袍的口袋，去掏一块被她施过恒光魔法的石头。Something pricked at her elbow when she moved her arm.她一动胳膊，便有什么东西刺了一下她的手肘。She reacted automatically, rolling on her side, away from whatever she’d brushed against.她下意识地侧身滚开，躲避刚才碰到的东西。

Instead of rolling to safety, she rolled into worse stabs—painful and itchy.可她非但没有滚到安全处，反而撞上了更多尖刺，又疼又痒。She rolled onto her back once more and yanked out her light stone.她再次翻身仰躺，一把拽出那块发光石。She gasped in horror.她惊恐地倒吸了一口凉气。The room was choked with a thicket of greenery, sprouting needle-sharp daggers from every stem and leaf.房间里挤满了一片浓密的绿植，每一根茎、每一片叶上都长着针尖般锋利的匕首。She was buried in the center of the thicket, unable to move without lancing herself on the needles.她被埋在这片荆丛中央，稍一动弹，身体就会被那些尖刺刺穿。As if she were still dreaming, a scream caught in her throat and would not escape.仿佛仍在梦中一般，一声尖叫卡在她喉咙里，怎么也发不出来。

Attracted by her light stone, the plants closed in toward her, stabbing at her flesh.被她的光明石吸引，植物纷纷朝她围拢，用尖刺扎进她的皮肉。Zhara cringed from the pain and threw her arms up to protect her bare face.扎拉痛得缩起身子，连忙举起双臂护住裸露的脸。She could feel a dagger-plant coiling under the hem of her robes, stabbing at her bare calves.她能感觉到一株匕首草正从长袍下摆钻进去，缠上她裸露的小腿，不住地扎刺。

Zhara felt panic wrapping about her as tightly as the plants.扎拉感到恐慌如同那些植物一般，紧紧缠住了她。This had been one of Akabar’s dreams.这是阿卡巴梦中的情景之一。The Darkbringer had gained the advantage of first attack.黑暗使者已经抢占了先机。Once it finished with her, it would take Akabar.等它解决了她，就会去对付阿卡巴。It would devour his soul before his spirit was strong enough to resist.在他的灵魂强大到足以抵抗之前，它就会将其吞噬。

“No!”“不！”Zhara growled through clenched teeth at the purple flowering pods pricking at her lips, trying to thrust their way into her mouth.几只开着紫花的荚苞刺着扎拉的嘴唇，试图硬钻进她嘴里；她咬紧牙关，低吼起来。“You’ll never get my husband!”“你永远也别想抓走我的丈夫！”A burst of anger forced the panic away from her.一股怒火骤然迸发，将她心中的恐慌一扫而空。She thrust her left hand into another pocket of her robe and grasped at a handful of bark there, meanwhile clutching at her throat with her other hand for the silver disk that was the holy symbol of her goddess.她把左手伸进长袍的另一个口袋，抓住里面的一把树皮，同时用另一只手摸向喉间，握住那枚象征她所信奉女神的银圆牌。Ignore the pain! she ordered herself as the needles pricked into the back of her knee.别管疼痛！针刺扎进她的膝弯时，她命令自己。Concentrate!集中精神！Zhara began a prayer to Tymora asking for the goddess’s aid.扎拉开始向泰摩拉祈祷，请求女神施以援手。The oft-repeated lines helped calm her nerves until she was able to summon the power for her spell.那些反复诵念过无数次的祷词帮助她镇定下来，直到她终于能够召唤出施展法术所需的力量。Crumbling the bark in her fist, she whispered, “Oak sister.”她在拳中捏碎树皮，低声念道：“橡树姐妹。”

Zhara squeezed her eyes tightly shut, concentrating on the numbness creeping up her left hand into her arm, across her torso, up her throat, down her other arm and into her legs.扎拉紧紧闭上双眼，全神贯注地感受那股麻木从左手蔓延至手臂，横过躯干，爬上喉咙，又沿另一条手臂向下，直至双腿。She took a deep breath and sat straight up in the bed.她深吸一口气，从床上挺身坐起。The dagger plants resisted her movements with their woody stems, but she could no longer sense their sharp prickers.匕首草用木质茎秆阻碍她的动作，但她已经感觉不到那些锐利的尖刺了。Her spell had transformed her skin into bark that was hard enough to protect her but also smooth and supple enough so she could still move.她的法术把皮肤变成了树皮，既坚硬得足以保护她，又光滑柔韧，让她依然能够自如活动。She fought back the attacking greenery with her arms as if it were nothing deadlier than hay.她挥动双臂，奋力拨开那些袭来的植物，仿佛它们只不过是毫无杀伤力的干草。

Her eyes were still vulnerable, so she was forced to keep them closed.她的眼睛依然毫无防护，所以只能紧闭双眼。The spell wouldn’t last long.这道法术维持不了多久。It wasn’t panic that caused her to seek help, she assured herself, and she did so, shouting, “Dragonbait!” at the top of her lungs.她告诉自己，求救并不是因为惊慌；随后便扯开嗓子大喊：“龙饵！”She pushed herself off the bed and stomped on the plant stems, crushing them under her bark-covered heels until the floor was smeared with sticky pulp.她从床上挣扎下来，猛踩那些植物的茎，用包裹着树皮的脚后跟将它们碾碎，直到地板上涂满黏稠的浆液。

All around her, the plants kept growing faster than she could crush them.她周围的植物仍在不断生长，速度快得让她根本踩不过来。They began winding around her ankles and wrists, restricting her movements until finally they held her fast.它们开始缠上她的脚踝和手腕，束缚住她的动作，最终将她牢牢困住。Another plant twisted tight around her throat, and she knew that when the bark skin faded, she’d either be strangled or have her jugular vein pierced by the thorns.另一株植物紧紧缠住她的喉咙，她知道，等树皮般的皮肤消退后，自己不是被勒死，就是被尖刺刺穿颈静脉。

She screamed for Dragonbait again and again, until a flowering pod thrust itself into her mouth.她一遍又一遍地呼喊龙饵，直到一个开花的荚苞猛地塞进她嘴里。The prickles stung like a hundred bees, and the plant forced itself deeper, choking her.尖刺蜇得像上百只蜜蜂同时袭来，那株植物还在使劲往深处钻，令她无法呼吸。

Unable to get her hands to her mouth, Zhara bit down on the plant and ripped the flower from the stem with her teeth.扎拉无法把手伸到嘴边，只得狠狠咬住那株植物，用牙齿将花从茎上扯了下来。She chewed, despite the agonizing pain, until she’d worked the flower into a wad small enough to spit out.尽管痛苦难当，她仍拼命咀嚼，直到把花嚼成小小一团，终于能够吐出去。

Something thumped on the door.有什么东西砰地撞在门上。“Help!”“救命！”Zhara screamed.扎拉尖叫道。“Hurry!”“快！”

The door opened just wide enough for Dragonbait’s arm to slip through.门打开了一条缝，刚好够龙饵把手臂伸进来。He held out his sword and growled.他伸出长剑，低吼一声。The sword glowed, then burst into flame, illuminating the room in a brilliant light.长剑亮了起来，随即迸发出火焰，以耀眼的光芒照亮了整个房间。Dagger plants swayed instinctively toward the light, only to be scorched by the fire.匕首草本能地朝光亮摇曳过去，却被火焰烧焦。The saurial slashed blindly at the greenery until he’d cleared the way enough to thrust the door open all the way.蜥蜴人对着草木胡乱劈砍，直到清出足够的空间，将门彻底推开。He hacked at the stems, setting them alight and filling the room with an acrid, black smoke.他挥剑砍向那些茎秆，将它们点燃，房间里顿时弥漫起刺鼻的黑烟。Then he slashed at the base of the plants that held Zhara until he could pull her from the room.接着，他砍向缠住扎拉的植物根部，直到终于能把她从房间里拉出来。

The saurial stood in the doorway, brandishing his flaming weapon.蜥蜴人站在门口，挥舞着燃烧的武器。The plants hesitated to approach now, as if warned that the glowing weapon was deadly.植物不敢再靠近，仿佛已经明白那件发光的武器足以致命。Dragonbait hissed once and pulled the door shut.龙饵嘶鸣一声，拉上了门。

Very gently the saurial pulled away the prickly shoots and flowers still wrapped around Zhara.蜥蜴人极其轻柔地将仍缠绕在扎拉身上的带刺嫩枝和花朵扯开。Now that they’d been separated from their roots, the plants were no longer able to move, but they still clung ferociously to the priestess.这些植物被从根上扯断后，便再也无法动弹，但仍凶狠地紧缠着女祭司。

Zhara’s skin was reverting to normal, and it was an effort to keep from wincing as the paladin freed her from the plants.扎拉的皮肤正逐渐恢复正常；圣武士替她除去那些植物时，她得竭力忍住，才没有因疼痛而畏缩。Her mouth and tongue were numb and so swollen she could hardly talk.她的嘴和舌头都已麻木，肿得让她几乎说不出话来。“Akabar—” she gasped, and began to weep hysterically.“阿卡巴——”她喘息着喊道，随即歇斯底里地哭了起来。

Dragonbait pulled her into his own room across the hall and forced her to sit on his bed, holding her firmly by her shoulders.龙饵把她拉进走廊对面自己的房间，强迫她坐到床上，双手紧紧按住她的肩膀。

Zhara smelled woodsmoke all around her, and then she felt calmer.扎拉闻到四周弥漫着柴烟的气味，随后便觉得平静了些。Her mouth tingled, but at least it no longer ached.她的嘴里一阵刺麻，但至少已经不再疼痛。She took a deep breath.她深吸了一口气。“You healed me, didn’t you?” she asked.“是你治好了我，对不对？”她问道。

The lizard nodded, brushing her reddish-brown hair out of her eyes and stroking her cheek gently with one of his scaly fingers.蜥蜴人点了点头，将她红棕色的头发从眼前拨开，又用一根覆着鳞片的手指轻柔地抚摸她的脸颊。

“Alias was the one who sent those things after me,” Zhara said.“是阿莉亚丝派那些东西来袭击我的，”扎拉说。

Dragonbait looked down at the priestess with widened eyes, as if she’d lost her mind.龙饵睁大眼睛低头看着女祭司，仿佛她已经疯了。

“She did.“真的是她。I dreamed it.”我梦见了。”

The saurial paladin shook his head vehemently.蜥蜴人圣武士猛烈地摇头。

“I have to find Akabar!“我必须找到阿卡巴！He’s in terrible danger!他正身处极大的危险之中！You must take me to him!你必须带我去找他！You must!”你必须带我去！”Zhara cried.扎拉哭喊道。

Dragonbait nodded.龙饵点了点头。He pulled a scarf from his pack and handed it to her, signing that she could use it as a veil.他从背包里取出一条头巾递给她，打手势说她可以拿它当面纱。

While the paladin couldn’t believe that Alias had anything to do with the attack on Zhara, he never doubted for an instant that Zhara was right about her husband’s being in danger.尽管这位圣武士不相信阿莉亚丝与袭击扎拉一事有任何关系，但他从未有一瞬怀疑过扎拉所说的丈夫正身处险境。The deadly enchanted thistles smelled of the Darkbringer’s magic, and Dragonbait shuddered to think what other sorts of plants and creatures the god would send after the merchant-mage.那些致命的魔法蓟草散发着黑暗使者的魔法气息，一想到这位神还会派出什么别的植物和生物去对付那名商人法师，龙饵便不寒而栗。

Satisfied that she had broken Akabar’s spirit, Kyre slid her dagger back up her sleeve and set the crystal nut down on the table.凯尔确信自己已经摧垮了阿卡巴的意志，便将匕首滑回袖中，把那枚水晶坚果放到桌上。She kissed the mage on the lips, more passionately than she had the first time, tugging on his lips with her own.她吻上法师的双唇，比第一次更加热烈，用自己的嘴唇吮扯着他的唇。

Akabar shuddered, too terrified of the tendrils in the half-elf’s mouth to risk unclenching his jaw, but he made no verbal complaint.阿卡巴浑身发抖；他太害怕半精灵口中的触须，不敢冒险松开紧咬的牙关，但也没有出声抗议。He could feel the tendrils about his arms loosening and then falling away.他能感觉到缠绕双臂的触须渐渐松开，随后脱落下去。

“Now, prove to me your sincerity,” Kyre demanded as she slid the tendrils out from his sleeves.“现在，向我证明你的诚意。”凯尔一边将触须从他的袖子里抽出来，一边命令道。“Embrace me,” she ordered.“抱住我。”她命令道。

Akabar slid his arms around the woman’s shoulders and pulled her close to him.阿卡巴伸出双臂搂住女人的肩膀，将她拉近自己。She wrapped her arms around his waist and ran her fingers up and down his spine.她双臂环住他的腰，手指沿着他的脊背上下游走。The tendrils from her arms slithered about his ankles and lay bunched on the floor like pythons.她手臂上伸出的触须蜿蜒缠住他的脚踝，随后像一群蟒蛇般盘在地板上。The merchant-mage’s feelings warred between revulsion and desire.厌恶与欲望在商人法师心中交战。

“That potion you had me drink was a philter of love, wasn’t it?”“你让我喝下的那瓶药，是迷情药，对不对？”Akabar asked.阿卡巴问道。

Kyre looked up at the Turmishman with surprise.凯尔惊讶地抬头望着这个图米什人。“Yes,” she admitted, laying her head against his chest.“是的。”她承认道，把头贴在他的胸膛上。“The master made a perfect choice.“主人真是选得再完美不过了。You are very clever.”你非常聪明。”

Akabar’s eyes fell on the crystal soul trap lying on the table.阿卡巴的目光落在桌上的水晶灵魂陷阱上。If an enemy of Moander’s was trapped within, Kyre must have used it on Elminster, he thought.他心想，如果里面困着的是莫安德的敌人，那么凯尔一定是用它对付了伊尔明斯特。Then she had Grypht appear in his place to distract the other two Harpers before it occurred to either of them that she might be responsible.然后，她让格里夫特现身顶替伊尔明斯特，以此分散另外两名竖琴手同盟成员的注意力，免得他们之中任何一人想到她可能是罪魁祸首。Grypht fled from the Harpers’ court and Kyre followed, making herself appear the monster’s foe.格里夫特从竖琴手同盟的庭院逃走，凯尔则紧随其后，装作是那怪物的敌人。No doubt she assisted it in the capture of Nameless and then gave it the opportunity to escape.毫无疑问，她协助它擒获了无名者，随后又给了它逃脱的机会。

“I shall be your first reward,” Kyre whispered, pressing her slender body against his own.“我会成为你的第一份奖赏。”凯尔低声说道，将纤细的身体紧贴在他身上。“The potion still courses in your blood.“药力依然在你的血液中奔流。You know you desire me.”你知道自己渴望我。”

“I know,” Akabar replied flatly.“我知道。”阿卡巴冷淡地答道。He had never loved anything so hateful in his life.他这一生从未爱过如此可憎的东西。Only another mage could dispel the love charm to which he’d fallen prey.只有另一名法师才能解除他所中的爱情魔咒。Elminster could do so without batting an eye, but Elminster was as trapped as Akabar was.伊尔明斯特不费吹灰之力便能做到，但他也和阿卡巴一样受困于此。Suddenly a glimmer of hope flickered in the Turmishman’s heart.图米什人心中忽然闪过一线希望。If Elminster were to be freed, the old sage could do more than dispel Kyre’s evil magic: Elminster could destroy Kyre as well.要是伊尔明斯特能重获自由，这位老贤者所能做的就不只是解除凯尔的邪恶魔法：他还能把凯尔一并消灭。

On the table, beside the crystal soul trap and the bowl of rotting fruit, lay a chordal horn, a northern woodwind instrument, which must have belonged to Nameless.桌上，在水晶灵魂陷阱和那碗腐烂的水果旁边，放着一支和弦角笛——一种北方的木管乐器，想必曾属于无名者。It was beautifully crafted of black wood and decorated with gold, but Akabar was only interested in its length and weight.它以黑木精工制成，并饰以黄金，十分精美，但阿卡巴只在意它的长度和分量。It would make a reasonable club if he could just get hold of it.只要能把它拿到手，它就是一根还算趁手的棍棒。

Steeling himself to the task of distracting Kyre from his efforts to reach the horn, the merchant-mage bent over the woman and began kissing her all about her throat.商人法师硬起心肠，准备引开凯尔的注意，好设法够到那支角笛；他俯身凑向她，在她颈间四处亲吻起来。The half-elf moaned softly.半精灵轻声呻吟。Akabar squeezed her tighter, forcing her back against the table, and ran his right hand down her back until he felt the tabletop.阿卡巴把她搂得更紧，迫使她向后靠在桌边，同时右手顺着她的后背向下摸去，直到触及桌面。He closed his fingers around the instrument, but as he began lifting it from the table, he accidentally struck it against the rim of the silver fruit bowl.他的手指握住了那件乐器，可刚开始把它从桌上拿起，便不小心撞到了银水果碗的边沿。

Kyre started at the clanging sound and twisted around in Akabar’s arms.铿的一声响，凯尔猛然一惊，在阿卡巴怀中扭过身来。Akabar grabbed the half-elf’s right hand in his left and aimed the chordal horn over the soul trap gem on the table.阿卡巴用左手抓住半精灵的右手，将和弦角笛对准了桌上的灵魂陷阱宝石。

Realizing the mage’s intent, Kyre looked alarmed.凯尔看出法师的意图，顿时面露惊恐。She screamed, “No!” and snatched for the crystal nut with her left hand.她尖叫一声：“不！”随即用左手抓向那枚水晶坚果。

Akabar slammed the chordal horn down hard on the table.阿卡巴抡起和弦角笛，狠狠砸向桌面。The top of the instrument smashed into the crystal nut, shattering it into pieces, but the middle of the instrument smashed into Kyre’s wrist with a sickening sound.角笛顶端砸中水晶坚果，将它击得粉碎，但角笛中段也砸中了凯尔的手腕，发出一声令人作呕的闷响。Blackness oozed and billowed over the table where the soul trap had lain, but Akabar could not tear his eyes from the half-elf’s injured wrist.灵魂陷阱原先所在的桌面上，黑暗渗涌而出，翻腾扩散，但阿卡巴无法将目光从半精灵受伤的手腕上移开。

Beneath Kyre’s skin, which had burst open like the rind of an overripe melon, there were no sinews or muscles or bones; instead, her arm was packed with rotting, mold-encrusted tendrils.凯尔的皮肤像熟透的瓜皮一样爆裂开来，下面没有肌腱、肌肉或骨头；她的手臂里塞满了腐烂发霉的蔓须。Akabar gagged on the stench of decay that rose from her wrist.从她手腕中升起的腐臭令阿卡巴一阵干呕。Most of the tendrils had been smashed by the chordal horn, and Kyre’s hand hung from the end of her wrist like a piece of dead meat.大部分蔓须都被和弦角笛砸烂了，凯尔的手像一块死肉般悬在手腕末端。

The tendrils lying about Akabar’s ankles whipped upward and lashed about Akabar’s wrists, cutting off his circulation.散落在阿卡巴脚踝周围的卷须猛地向上弹起，紧紧缠住他的手腕，截断了血液循环。Kyre yanked her uninjured right wrist out of the mage’s grasp.凯尔猛地将完好无损的右手腕从法师手中挣脱出来。Akabar tried to club Kyre with the chordal horn, but Kyre pulled the instrument out of his hand and threw it to the floor.阿卡巴试图用和弦号角击打凯尔，但凯尔一把夺过号角，将它扔到了地板上。

Akabar turned his attention to his last hope of escape—the blackness over the table, which was now coalescing into the shape of the being that had been trapped within the crystal.阿卡巴把注意力转向了自己逃生的最后希望——桌子上方的那团黑暗；此刻，它正逐渐凝聚成被困在水晶中那个生灵的形体。Akabar gasped.阿卡巴倒吸了一口气。He’d been expecting Elminster to appear, but although the being standing on the table wore the robes of a spell-caster, it looked nothing like the sage.他原以为出现的会是伊尔明斯特，可站在桌上的生灵虽然身穿施法者的长袍，模样却与那位贤者毫无相似之处。It was huge, with horns and green scales and claws and a tail.它身形庞大，长着角、绿色的鳞片、利爪和一条尾巴。

Akabar suddenly made a wild guess.阿卡巴脑中突然冒出了一个大胆的猜测。“You transformed Elminster into that beast!” he accused Kyre.“你把伊尔明斯特变成了那头野兽！”他指控凯尔。

Kyre didn’t answer the merchant-mage’s charge.凯尔没有回应商人法师的指控。With her uninjured hand, she had already pulled an empty soul trap out from her pocket.她已经用那只未受伤的手从口袋里掏出了一枚空的灵魂陷阱。She held it out in the beast’s direction and triggered it by shouting, “Darkbringer!”她把它对准那头野兽，高喊“黑暗使者！”将其启动。

Akabar threw himself into Kyre, knocking them both to the floor.阿卡巴猛扑向凯尔，将两人一同撞倒在地。Kyre lost her grip on the walnut-shaped crystal, and the magical device rolled across the carpeting.凯尔没能握住那枚核桃形的水晶，魔法装置滚过了地毯。

The beast pulled out a crystal cone from his sleeve and pointed it at the bard pinned beneath the merchant-mage.那头野兽从袖中取出一个水晶锥，将它对准了被商人法师压在身下的吟游诗人。

A freezing blast of cold hit the tangled bodies on the floor, covering them with rime.一股刺骨的寒气轰在地板上纠缠在一起的两人身上，用一层白霜将他们覆盖。Akabar’s skin felt as if it were on fire, and his heart and lungs ached as though they’d been stabbed.阿卡巴觉得皮肤仿佛燃烧起来，心脏和肺部也像被利刃刺穿般剧痛。Unable to cope with such terrible pain, he lapsed into unconsciousness.他承受不住这般可怕的痛苦，昏死了过去。

The beast Grypht watched with satisfaction as Kyre’s tendrils and the orchid in her hair withered from the frost that covered them.野兽格里夫特满意地看着凯尔的卷须和她发间的兰花在覆盖其上的寒霜中枯萎。Kyre lay as still as Akabar, but Grypht was taking no chances.凯尔和阿卡巴一样一动不动，但格里夫特不打算冒任何风险。With his staff, he pried the merchant-mage off Kyre.他用法杖将商人法师从凯尔身上撬开。Then he set the half-elven bard’s body alight with bursts of magical flames shot from his fingertips.随后，他指尖接连射出一团团魔法火焰，点燃了这名半精灵吟游诗人的身体。

As the corpse crackled and sizzled, a horrible stench filled the room.尸体噼啪作响，滋滋冒油，一股可怕的恶臭弥漫了整个房间。Grypht made a face, but decided the smell could be borne.格里夫特皱起脸来，但觉得这气味还忍受得了。He climbed down from the tabletop and bent over his rescuer.他从桌面上爬下来，俯身查看救了自己的人。He realized with a start that he recognized Akabar.他猛然意识到，自己认得阿卡巴。Like the thief Olive Ruskettle, this creature was a friend to Champion—or Dragonbait, as people called the paladin in this strange world.和盗贼奥利芙·拉斯凯特尔一样，这个生物也是勇士的朋友——在这个陌生的世界里，人们把那位圣武士叫作龙饵。

Unfortunately the Turmishman didn’t appear to have weathered the cold spell very well.不幸的是，那个图米什人似乎没能很好地熬过寒冷法术。He wasn’t breathing.他没有呼吸。Grypht’s people could breathe even when they fell into a torpid state, but the saurial had no idea what was normal for these chirping apes.格里夫特的族人即使陷入蛰伏状态也能呼吸，但这个蜥蜴人根本不知道，对这些吱吱叫的猿猴来说什么才算正常。

He sighed to himself.他暗自叹了口气。Killing Kyre had been far more important than worrying about who got in the way—even if that person had been responsible for freeing him and was a friend of Champion’s. Champion, however, would probably not see it that way.杀死凯尔远比担心谁会挡在路上重要——哪怕那个人救了他，还是勇士的朋友。 然而，勇士大概不会这么看。The paladin is always so damned idealistic, Grypht thought.那个圣武士总是理想主义得要命，格里夫特心想。

Grypht pulled a small bottle out of the sleeve of his robe.格里夫特从长袍袖子里掏出一个小瓶子。There was a chance it would prove unsafe for the creature on the floor, but he had to risk it.这东西用在躺在地上的生物身上或许并不安全，但他只能冒险一试。He unstoppered the bottle and poured its contents between Akabar’s lips.他拔掉瓶塞，把里面的东西倒进阿卡巴的双唇之间。

Akabar coughed back some of the thick liquid, but he must have swallowed some, for a moment later, he breathed a shuddery breath, then another and another.阿卡巴咳出了一些黏稠的液体，但他肯定也咽下去了一些，因为片刻之后，他颤抖着吸了一口气，接着又吸了一口，再一口。He did not regain consciousness, but his complexion turned from gray to his normal brown, a change that seemed like a good sign to Grypht.他没有恢复意识，但脸色从灰白变回了平常的棕色，在格里夫特看来，这似乎是个好兆头。The saurial turned his attention back to the remains of Moander’s servant.这个蜥蜴人重新把注意力转向莫安德仆从的残骸。

There was nothing left of Kyre but ashes.凯尔已经只剩下一堆灰烬。Grypht used his staff to stir through them and knock aside the unburnt items Kyre had carried and worn—a dagger, a sword, a belt, a scabbard, three more walnut-shaped soul traps, two gold rings, a silver pin of a crescent moon and harp, and her boots.格里夫特用法杖拨弄灰烬，将凯尔携带和穿戴的那些未被烧毁的物品拨到一旁——一把匕首、一柄剑、一条腰带、一只剑鞘、三个核桃形的灵魂陷阱、两枚金戒指、一枚新月与竖琴图案的银胸针，还有她的靴子。Always a careful scavenger, Grypht turned her smoking boots upside down.格里夫特向来是个仔细的搜刮者，他把她那双仍在冒烟的靴子倒了过来。A silver ankle bracelet tumbled from one boot, and from the other a large yellow gem—the one the ape Finder had used to cast a tongues spell.一只靴子里掉出一条银脚链，另一只里则掉出一颗硕大的黄色宝石——正是猿猴芬德曾用来施展通晓语言术的那一颗。

Grypht pocketed the yellow gem.格里夫特把黄色宝石装进口袋。He crushed the soul traps in his bare paws, but no other beings rose from the broken shards.他用赤裸的爪子捏碎了那些灵魂陷阱，但没有其他生灵从破碎的残片中升起。The traps had been unused.这些陷阱还从未使用过。Remembering the last trap Kyre had triggered, the saurial searched the floor until he discovered it under a chair and smashed it with his staff.想起凯尔最后触发的那个陷阱，蜥蜴人在地板上搜寻起来，直到在一把椅子下面找到它，随即用法杖将它砸碎。

Time to leave this vermin-infested ape lair, he thought, rising to his feet.该离开这个爬满害虫的猿猴巢穴了，他一边想着，一边站起身来。He looked down at the Turmishman.他低头看着那个图米什人。He’d have to take the creature with him.他得把这个生物一起带走。It had freed him from Kyre’s trap; it stood to reason it was an enemy of the Darkbringer, and leaving it here would endanger it further.是它把他从凯尔的陷阱中解救出来的；由此推断，它应该是黑暗使者的敌人，把它留在这里，只会让它陷入更大的危险。If it recovered, it might be able to help him find Champion.如果它醒过来，也许能帮他找到勇士。He bent back down, swaddled Akabar in his cape, and slung him over his shoulder.他又俯下身，用自己的斗篷裹住阿卡巴，将他甩到肩上扛着。

Unbowed by the weight of the merchant-mage, Grypht strode over to the window and stuck his head out.格里夫特丝毫没有被商人法师的重量压垮，大步走到窗边，把头探了出去。There was a river to his left, and beyond that a temple, but beyond the temple lay a forest.左边有一条河，河对岸有一座神殿，而神殿后方则是一片森林。He looked long and hard at the tree line, first estimating its distance, then checking to be sure there were no other apes nearby.他久久凝视着林缘，先估算了一下距离，然后仔细察看附近是否还有别的猿猴。