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CHAPTER TWO
ENCOUNTERS
第二章
偶遇
Alas, mourn for the open road!
mourn: 哀悼
啊，为开辟的道路而哀悼吧！
For where there was once wonder and mystery,
wonder: 惊异 mystery: 神秘
为那曾神秘而令人惊异的一切，
Now there is mistrust and death.
mistrust: 疑惑 death: 死亡
现在已变为疑惑和死亡而悲伤。
—Jiltarian of Khanduras, Lamentations
——Khanduras的Jiltarian《哀歌》
After only a couple of hours of walking, Siggard found himself once again facing the fork and gibbet.
couple: 对 walking: 步行 facing: 面对 fork: 分岔 gibbet: 绞刑架
Siggard只走了两个小时，便发现自己又看到了岔道口和绞刑架。
In the light of day, the hanged man was little more than a desiccated corpse, barely any flesh left on the pearly bones.
hanged: 绞死的 desiccated: 干燥的 corpse: 尸体 barely: 仅仅 flesh: 肉 leave: 留下 pearly: 珍珠状的 bone: 骨骼
在日光的照耀下，那个家伙不过是个干尸，几乎只剩下了白色的骨架。
The eyes that had seemed to stare so dangerously at him were reduced to empty sockets.
seem: 看上去 stare: 凝视 dangerously: 危险地 reduced: 减少的 empty: 空的 socket: 窝
那双曾盯着他，使他感觉到危险的眼睛已经不见了，只剩下空洞的眼窝.
Siggard shook his head. It was amazing how easily the terrors of the night vanished once the sun rose.
shake: 摇动 amazing: 令人惊异的 terror: 恐怖 vanish: 消失 rise: 升起
Siggard摇了摇他的头。太阳升起，那恐怖的一夜竟然就这样消失了，这一切实在令人惊异。
He was still left with the crossroads, however, one path leading back northeast and the other leading westwards.
leave: 留下 crossroad: 交叉路 path: 道路 lead: 引导 northeast: 东北方 westward: 西方
他在路口徘徊，一条路通向东北方，另一条通向西方。
Either path could twist and turn, appearing to go one way when in reality it did the opposite.
either: 任一 path: 道路 twist: 扭曲 turn: 曲折 appear: 看上去好像 reality: 实际 opposite: 相反的
两条路蜿蜒曲折，看似选择了其中一条，但实际却踏上了相反的方向。
Such is life, Siggard mused. Regardless, he had no time, and needed to get to Blackmarch.
muse: 若有所思 regardless: 不管怎样
这就是人生。Siggard若有所思。不管怎么说，他没有闲暇的时间，必须赶到Blackmarch。
Scratching his beard, he finally chose the northeastern path, and began to walk.
scratch: 抓 beard: 胡须 northeastern: 东北方的 path: 道路
他抓了抓胡子，最后选择了指向东北方的那条路走了下去。
As he traveled, the forest seemed to stretch on into eternity.
travel: 行进 forest: 森林 seem: 似乎 stretch: 延伸 eternity: 无穷
他走着，森林似乎延伸到了天际。
At least the path seemed to be consistently taking him northwards;
at least: 至少 path: 道路 seem: 看上去 consistently: 一贯的 northward: 北方
至少这条路看起来的确通向北方。
Siggard checked the position of the sun at what he thought was every hour, and everything seemed to be as it should.
check: 检查 position: 方位 seem: 似乎
Siggard每小时都要观察一下太阳的方位，一切进行的都很顺利。
The path did weave, however, and when the sun finally sank into the west Siggard estimated that he had only traveled about five leagues.
path: 道路 weave: 迂回而行 sink: 下沉 estimate: 估计 travel: 行进 league: 三英里
小路左拐右绕，当太阳落山时，Siggard估计自己只走了十五英里。
Once again, he built a fire off to the side of the road.
once again: 再一次 built: 营造 side: 旁边
他又在道旁燃起了篝火。
As he watched the flickering flames, giving the light mist around him an eerie glow, he suddenly realized that he wasn’t very hungry at all.
flickering: 摇曳的 flame: 火焰 mist: 雾 eerie: 怪诞的 glow: 光辉 suddenly: 突然地 realize: 察觉 hungry:饥饿的
摇曳的火光照亮了周围的迷雾，使人感到阴森。他这才意识到他原来一点也不饿。
Siggard blinked. Perhaps it was the concern he had for his friends in the army, he thought.
blink: 眨眼 concern: 关心 army: 军队
Siggard挤了挤眼睛。他想这也许是因为他还惦记着战友。
Regardless, with virtually no food and nothing to hunt with, it was a blessing.
regardless: 不管怎样 virtually: 事实上 hunt: 狩猎 blessing: 幸事
不管怎么说，既没有猎物可打，也没有食物的情况不算太糟。
Still, in some ways the hunger pangs would have been a blessing; the roads were known to be dangerous, and he could use the edge in staying alert.
hunger: 饥饿 pang: 剧痛 blessing: 幸事 dangerous: 危险的 edge: 优势 alert: 警觉的
从某种程度上说，胃痛也是件好事；在这条危机四伏的道路上，他至少可以利用这点保持警醒。
Even as he watched the dancing flames, trying to remain awake, sleep claimed him at last.
even as: 当 dancing: 跳动 flame: 火焰 remain: 保持 awake: 醒着的 claim: 要求
但当他看着跳动的火焰，试着保持警醒的时候，睡意最终还是向他袭来了。
Siggard broke into a cold sweat when he saw the demonic army approaching the shield wall.
broke into: 突然发出 sweat: 汗 demonic: 恶魔的 army: 军队 approach: 靠近 shield: 盾牌
当Siggard看到恶魔军团接近盾墙时，他惊出了一身冷汗。
They literally boiled out of the trees, like some horrifying infestation. As if on cue, a bolt of lightning struck the forest, the crashing thunder deafening him.
literally: 逐字的 boiled: 沸腾 horrifying: 使毛骨悚然的 infestation: 侵扰 as if on cue: 在这时 bolt: 闪电 strike:击毁 crashing: 非凡的 thunder: 雷鸣 deafen: 使…聋
它们从树林中涌出，那恶魔蜂拥而至的场面令人不寒而栗。就在这时，闪电击中了树林，巨响使他几乎失去了听觉。
For a moment, Siggard saw a small pheasant walking on the ground, oblivious to the men on the hill and the monsters approaching.
for a moment: 片刻 pheasant: 野鸡 oblivious: 不在意的 hill: 山丘 monster: 怪物 approach: 靠近
在这一刻，Siggard看到附近有一只野鸡正踱着步，丝毫没有在意小山上士兵和正在靠近的怪物。
It pecked at the ground, snatching at a worm. Then, prize caught in its beak, the bird took flight.
peck: 啄食 snatch: 抓取 worm: 虫 prize: 战利品 beak: 鸟嘴
它在地上啄着，抓住一只虫子，然后叼着它的战利品飞走了。
We are the interlopers, Siggard thought. All of us. And nature simply doesn’t care.
interloper: 闯入者 simply: 只不过
我们打破了这里的宁静，Siggard想着。我们所有人。但自然对这一切并不在意。
“Barrage!” the lookout shouted.
barrage: 空袭 lookout: 观察员 shout: 高呼
“小心飞石！”负责警戒的士兵喊道。
Several rocks smashed into the ranks, flattening entire sections of the shield wall.
several: 几个 smash: 打碎 ranks: 队伍 flatten: 摧毁 entire: 整个的 section: 部分 shield wall:盾墙
几块岩石飞入了方阵，彻底摧毁了几个盾墙。
Siggard watched in horror as one man tried to free himself from under a boulder, his entire lower body crushed into a bloody pulp.
horror: 震惊 boulder: 巨石 entire: 整个的 lower body: 下体 crush: 压碎 pulp: 浆
Siggard惊异的看着一个战士试图从岩石下爬出来，而那人下半身已经被砸成了肉酱。
But when he looked back at the demons, they hadn’t moved. Strange shadows flickered just beyond the trees, and the creatures reared up, calling out with earsplitting screams.
look back: 回头看 demon: 恶魔 strange: 奇怪的 flicker: 闪动 creature: 生物 reared up: 直立 call out: 大声叫喊 earsplitting: 震耳欲聋的 scream: 尖叫声
但当他回头观望时，却发现那些恶魔没有移动半步。奇怪的影子在树林前闪动，那些生物直立起来，发出震耳欲聋的吼叫。
As Siggard offered yet another silent prayer to see his family just once more, it began to rain, a drizzle at first, and then a downpour.
offer: 做出 silent: 默读的 prayer: 祈祷 drizzle: 细雨 downpour: 倾盆大雨
在Siggard默默的为能再见到家人而祈祷的时候，天上下起了小雨，随后就变成了暴雨。
After only a couple of minutes he felt as though he was soaked to the bone, despite the heavy leather and coat of mail. And, for some strange reason, he could smell a fire smoldering.
couple: 对 soaked: 湿透的 bone: 骨头 despite: 尽管 leather: 皮革护具 coat of mail: 甲胄 strange: 奇异的 reason: 原因 smell: 闻 smoldering: 闷燃
尽管戴着皮制护具和穿着盔甲，才两三分钟，他就觉得自己似乎连骨头也被雨水浸透了。而且，因为某种难以名状的原因，他闻到了一股东西烧焦了的味道。
Siggard opened his eyes to find a cold autumn rain falling upon him. His fire lay smoldering, the last flames put out by the downpour.
autumn: 秋天 falling: 落下 smoldering: 闷燃 flame: 火焰 put out: 熄灭 downpour: 倾盆大雨
Siggard睁开眼睛，发现冰凉的秋雨落在他的身上。他的篝火冒着烟，火焰被暴雨浇灭了。
He shivered, wishing that he had a cloak to wrap around himself. He had owned one, he remembered, but where it had gone was yet another thing he could not account for.
shiver: 颤抖 cloak: 斗篷 wrap: 裹住 remember: 记得 account: 叙述
他颤抖着，心想要是能有件斗篷该有多好。他的确曾有一件，但它丢在了哪却又是一件他说不清的事情。
At least there was no lightning, he reflected. That meant he could safely seek shelter in the forest.
at least: 至少 lightning: 闪电 reflect: 想到 mean: 意味着 seek: 寻求 shelter: 庇护
幸好没有闪电，他想到。这意味着他可以安全的在森林里找个避雨的地方。
But even as he forced himself to rise, the rain slackened and ceased. The soft light of dawn peeked through the clouds, and a bird sang in the distance.
even as: 当 force: 强迫 rise: 起身 slacken: 减弱 ceased: 停止 dawn: 黎明 peek: 窥视 distance: 远处
当他强迫自己起身时，雨小了下来，停了。黎明的柔光穿过云层的间隙，撒向地面，一只小鸟在唱着歌。
Siggard was not at ease, however. In all of his experience a forest should smell fresh and magical after a rainfall, but the woods reeked of decay instead.
ease: 放松 experience: 经验 smell: 闻 fresh: 清新的 magical: 魔幻的 rainfall: 阵雨 reek: 恶臭 decay:腐烂
但Siggard的心情却并不轻松。他记忆中的雨后森林无一不是魔幻般的，充满了清新气息的，然而现在腐烂的树干正散发着恶臭。
For a moment he remembered all of the times he had gone hunting mushrooms with his wife during the early spring, just before the planting.
remember: 忆起 hunting: 探寻 mushroom: 蘑菇 early spring: 早春 planting: 播种
他回忆起了以前那些早春和他妻子一起在采集朽木上蘑菇的美好时光。
They would venture into the forest, seeking their bounty and watching as the hares and squirrels went about their daily business.
venture: 冒险 seeking: 寻找 bounty: 收成 hare: 野兔 squirrel: 松鼠 daily: 每日的 business: 事务
他们走进森林，寻找他们的收获，看着野兔和松鼠们跑来跑去。
Once, they had even seen a great deer, but only briefly.
deer: 鹿 briefly: 短暂的
甚至有一次他们还看见一头鹿，虽然它一闪而过。
He shook his head. He still had several leagues to travel, and only the gods knew what had happened to the army.
shake: 摇动 several: 几个 league: 三英里 travel: 行进
他用力的摇着头。他还有几里路要走，天知道他所在的部队怎么样了。
He began to walk, following the path even farther north, trying to concentrate on the task at hand.
follow: 沿行 path: 道路 farther: 更远的 concentrate: 专心 task: 任务 at hand: 在手边
他起身前行，沿着小道一路向北，尽量将精力集中在现在这个任务上。
As he walked, the forest became strangely silent. Other than the birdsong right after the rain, the only sound he heard was the crunching of his own boots in the earthen road.
strangely: 奇妙地 silent: 寂静的 birdsong: 鸟鸣声 crunch: 嘎吱声 boot: 靴子 earthen: 泥土的
他走着，森林变得异常寂静。除了雨后鸟鸣，他只能听到自己的靴子踩在土地上发出的吱吱声。
“I’m going to have to get out of here,” Siggard muttered uneasily, picking up the pace. As before, the path twisted and turned as he walked, but always bore northwards.
mutter: 喃喃自语 uneasily: 不安地 pick up: 增加 pace: 速度 twisted: 扭曲的 turned: 曲折的 bear: 引导 northward: 北方
“我得设法走出这里，”Siggard不安的抱怨道，加快了步伐。与先前一样，小道曲曲折折，但始终引人走向北方。
Finally, the sun began to set once again, and Siggard retired to the side of the road. He began to gather firewood, hoping that this time the flames wouldn’t be smothered by rain.
set: 落下去 retire: 撤回 gather: 聚集 firewood: 木柴 flame: 火焰 smother: 盖熄
最终，太阳落山了，Siggard在道旁休息。他开始收集木柴，希望这次火不会被大雨浇灭。
“Excuse me, my dear sir!” called a voice. Siggard turned to see a tall, dark-skinned man with a bushy goatee regarding him.
voice: 声音 tall: 高的 dark-skinned: 黑皮肤的 bushy: 浓密的 goatee: 山羊胡子 regard: 注视
“打扰一下，尊敬的先生！”一个声音响起。Siggard 转过身来，看到一个高个，黑皮肤，留着浓密的山羊胡的人正向他问候。
The stranger wore long light red robes, and carried a traveler’s pack on his back. “Would you mind if I joined you? I would be happy to help in any way I could.”
stranger: 陌生人 wear: 穿着 robe: 长袍 pack: 包
这个陌生人穿着亮红色的长袍，背上背着旅行者用的包。“如果我与您同行，您会介意吗？我很愿意尽一切可能帮助您。”
“How do you know I’m not a bandit?” Siggard asked.
bandit: 强盗
“你怎么知道我不是一个强盗？”Siggard 问道。
“If you were a bandit, you wouldn’t have asked that question,” the stranger replied. “Besides, you have an honest face. Shall we trade names?”
bandit: 强盗 reply: 回答 honest: 诚实的 trade: 交换
“如果您是强盗，就不会这样问我。 ”陌生人回答道，“ 您有一张诚实的面孔。能问一下您的姓名吗？”
“Siggard of Entsteig,” Siggard said carefully. “And you are?”
carefully: 小心地
“来自Entsteig的Siggard。”Siggard小心的应答道，“您呢？”
The stranger bowed, his hands held together. “I am Sarnakyle of Kehjistan, a great land far to the east. I am one of the Vizjerei.”
bow: 鞠躬 great: 伟大的 land: 国土
陌生人鞠了一躬，双手握在一起：“我是Kehjistan的Sarnakyle，那是遥远东方的伟大国度。我是Vizjerei人。”
“A wizard?” Siggard asked.
wizard: 法师
“法师？”Siggard问道。
Sarnakyle grinned. “Definitely not a shoemaker.”
grin: 露齿而笑 definitely: 明确地 shoemaker: 鞋匠
Sarnakyle笑着回答：“肯定不是个鞋匠。”
Siggard finished building his fire-pit and picked up a couple of dried sticks. Unceremoniously, he dropped them into the pit. “What brings you out on this road?”
fire-pit: 火坑 pick up: 捡起 couple: 对 dry: 干燥的 stick: 树枝 unceremoniously: 随便地 drop: 扔 pit: 坑
Siggard挖好了一个火坑，拾起两根干燥的木棍，随意的将木棍丢进坑中。“你为什么会走这条路呢？”
Sarnakyle held up a hand. “Please, let me help you with that.” He gestured quickly, and a spark leapt from his hand into the wood, lighting the fire.
hold up: 举起 gesture: 做手势 spark: 火花 leapt: 跳跃 lighting: 点燃
Sarnakyle举起一只手：“请允许我来帮助您。” 他快速的作了个手势，火星从他的手中飞出落在木材上，燃起了篝火。
The wizard sat down, warming his hands. “I am a wanderer, friend Siggard. I have recently seen some…disturbing things, and I am trying to sort them out. And you?”
wizard: 法师 sit down: 坐下 warming: 取暖 wanderer: 流浪者 recently: 最近 disturbing: 令人不安的 sort out:解决
法师坐了下来，暖着手。“我是一个流浪者，Siggard。我最近看到了一些…令人不安的事情，我试着去一探究竟。你呢？”
“I am trying to make my way to Blackmarch,” Siggard stated.
state: 说
“我要去 Blackmarch。”Siggard说道。
“I do not believe I have been there,” Sarnakyle said. “I have heard some terrible things about it, but I have not seen it. I think I will go, if you will have my company.”
terrible: 可怕的 company: 同伴
“我简直不敢相信我曾到过那儿，”Sarnakyle说，“我听说了一些发生在那里的可怕事情，但我没有亲眼见到。如果你愿意的话咱俩可以同行。”
“Just so long as you don’t slow me down,” Siggard said.
slow down: 减速
“只要你走得不是很慢。”Siggard说。
“I can walk quite quickly,” Sarnakyle said, still smiling. “Besides, you could probably use my help.”
quite: 十分 besides: 此外 probably: 或许
“我走路速度相当快，”Sarnakyle微笑着说道，“此外，你或许需要我的帮助。”
Siggard raised an eyebrow.
raise: 提起 eyebrow: 眉毛
Siggard挑了挑眉毛。
“No offense, my good sir, but with the exception of your sword you do not appear to be attired for battle. I am an experienced wizard.”
no offense: 请勿见怪 exception: 除外 appear: 显得 attired: 打扮 battle: 战斗 experienced: 经验丰富的 wizard: 法师
“别生气，尊敬的先生，但除了用剑，您看起来对战斗并不在行。而我是一个经验丰富的法师。”
Siggard grunted. “We will see.”
grunt: 咕哝
Siggard：“咱们以后就会见分晓了。”
Sarnakyle reached into his pack and pulled out some rations. Silently, he offered a bit of dried beef to Siggard.
reach into: 把手伸进… pack: 包 pull out: 取出 ration: 口粮 silently: 沉默地 offer: 提供 dried: 干的 beef: 牛肉
Sarnaklye从背包中拿出了些食物，他默默地将一块干牛肉递给Siggard。
“Thank you,” Siggard said, taking the offering. When he bit into it, however, he found that he still had very little appetite.
offering: 奉献物 bit into: 咬 appetite: 食欲
“多谢了。”Siggard说道，接了过来。但当他咬下一口时，他发现自己并仍没有胃口。
He ate half of the ration, and then wrapped the rest up in a leaf and put it in his belt.
ration: 口粮 wrap: 包住 rest: 其余的 leaf: 树叶 belt: 腰带
他吃了一半，然后将剩下的用一片树叶包起来，装进了腰带上的袋子中。
“By the looks of it, you are not nearly as rested as I,” Sarnakyle said. “Please, allow me to take first watch.”
rest: 休息 allow: 允许 watch: 守夜
“看起来您休息的不像我这么好，”Sarnakyle说，“请让我先来负责警戒。”
Siggard was about to object, but then thought better of it. After all, he only actually had a battered sword and a piece of dried meat to his name right now; nothing worth stealing at all.
object: 反对 actually: 实际上 battered: 磨损的 sword: 剑 dried meat: 干肉 worth: 值得…的 stealing: 偷窃
Siggard正要反对，但转念一想，又觉得这样挺好。毕竟，他现在只有一把破剑，一块干肉，没什么值得偷的。
For the first time in two days, Siggard didn’t dream of battle. He was shaken awake by Sarnakyle, who told him that nothing had happened.
dream: 做梦 battle: 战场 shake: 摇动 awake: 唤醒
Siggard两天以来第一次没有梦到战场。他被摇醒，Sarnakyle告诉他什么也没发生。
He watched the wizard make some gestures at the ground, and then settle down to sleep.
wizard: 法师 gesture: 手势 settle: 安顿
法师对着地面作了几个手势，然后就躺下睡觉了。
He’d have to ask him what those were in the morning, Siggard thought. He watched the forest, his mind slowly wandering back to his farm, village, and family.
forest: 森林 wandering: 漫游的 farm: 农场 village: 村庄
他觉得等到早晨应该问问他的伙伴那是什么。他望着森林，思绪又回到了他的农场，村庄还有他的家。
Soon, he promised himself, soon he would see them again.
promise: 许诺
快了，他对自己许诺，不久他将再次见到他们。
As his mind wandered, the eastern sky began to lighten, and finally the sun rose in all of its glory. Sarnakyle stretched and yawned beside him, and finally rose, scratching his goatee.
wander: 游荡 lighten: 变亮 rise: 升起 glory: 光晕 stretch: 伸懒腰 yawn: 打哈欠 beside: 在…旁边 rise:起立 scratch: 抓 goatee: 山羊胡子
在他思绪万千的时候，东方的天空亮了起来，太阳在它的光辉中升起。Sarnakyle在他身旁伸着懒腰，打着哈欠站了起来，捋着他的山羊胡。
“That was a good night,” the wizard said.
wizard: 法师
“昨天晚上睡得不错。” 法师说。
“You did something with your hands,” Siggard said. “It was just before you went to sleep. What was that?”
“你在睡前作了些奇怪的手势，”Siggard说，“那是什么？”
Sarnakyle smiled. “A bit of extra protection. I set some magical wards earlier, and I just made certain they were still strong.”
extra: 额外的 protection: 保护 magical: 魔法的 ward: 守卫 certain: 确定的
Sarnakyle笑了。 “一些额外的保护。我事先施了些魔法，我只想确定它们的威力还足够大。”
“If you can set magic wards, why did you need me to keep watch?”
set: 放置 magical: 魔法的 ward: 守卫 keep watch: 守夜
“既然你可以施法，那为什么还让我守夜呢？”
“Magic is not as . . . powerful as many think,” Sarnakyle said, and for a moment Siggard thought he could see a sadness in the wizard’s eyes.
magic: 魔法 powerful: 强大的 sadness: 悲哀 wizard: 法师
“魔法并非…像你想象的那样强大。”Sarnakyle说。Siggard觉得那一刻他在法师的眼中看到了悲伤。
“Sometimes a good sword arm can be as valuable as a hundred spells.”
sword: 剑 arm: 手臂 valuable: 有用的 spell: 施法
“有时一位优秀的战士比上百次的施法还要强大。”
Siggard unwrapped the ration from last night and took a couple of bites. Somehow, he still wasn’t terribly hungry.
unwrap: 打开 ration: 口粮 bite: 咬 terribly: 非常的
Siggard打开昨晚那包干粮，咬了几口。不知为什么，他没有感到难以忍受的饥饿。
It could be simple concern; in less than three days, he had heard two people talk about Blackmarch as a dire place, and he was beginning to fear the worst for the army.
concern: 忧虑 dire: 可怕的 fear: 担心 worst: 最糟 army: 军队
饥饿并不重要。在不到三天的时间里他听到两个人都把Blackmarch描绘成一个可怕的地方，他开始为部队可能遇到的最糟的情况而担心。
He wrapped the ration up again and looked over at Sarnakyle. The wizard sat on a rock, eagerly eating his breakfast.
wrap: 包住 ration: 口粮 wizard: 法师 sit: 坐 eagerly: 渴求的
他又一次包裹好干粮，看了一眼Sarnakyle。那位法师坐在石头上，狼吞虎咽的吃下他的早餐。
Well, Siggard reflected, at least this visitor hadn’t vanished with the dawn.
reflect: 想到 at least: 至少 visitor: 访客 vanish: 消失 dawn: 黎明
Siggard想到至少这位旅行者没有消失在黎明中。
“We should be going soon,” Siggard said. “I want to be at Blackmarch as soon as possible.”
as soon as possible: 尽快
“我们应该尽快出发，”Siggard说，“我希望尽快赶到Blackmarch。”
“You should relax,” Sarnakyle mumbled in between bites. “Blackmarch is a place; it won’t go anywhere if we take an extra couple of hours.”
relax: 放松 mumble: 含糊地说 bite: 咬 extra: 额外的 couple: 一对
“放轻松，”Sarnakyle一边咀嚼一边含混的说，“Blackmarch只是个地点，我们多花几个小时它也不会长腿跑了的。”
“It is very important that I get there,” Siggard insisted. “I am a soldier of the army of Entsteig, and I have to rejoin my companions.”
important: 重要的 insist: 坚持 soldier: 军人 rejoin: 重返 companion: 同伴
“我必须赶到那儿，”Siggard坚持道，“我是Entsteig部队的一名士兵，我必须回到我的战友身边。”
Sarnakyle blinked and stopped chewing. He swallowed hard and stared at Siggard.
blink: 眨眼 chewing: 咀嚼 swallow: 咽下 stare: 盯着看
Sarnakyle停止咀嚼，眨了眨眼睛。他费力的咽下食物，盯着Siggard。
“My friend,” he began, “you are on a fool’s errand. The army of Entsteig was annihilated at Blackmarch by a demonic force. It is said that fewer than ten men survived the battle.”
fool: 愚蠢的 errand: 使命 annihilate: 歼灭 demonic: 恶魔的 force: 军队 It is said: 据说 survive:生还 battle: 战斗
“我的朋友，”他说，“你在履行一个愚蠢的职责。Entsteig的部队在Blackmarch被一支恶魔军团全歼。据说只有不到十个人生还。”
Siggard found himself swimming in fear. If the army had been defeated, then the enemy could rampage amongst the countryside. And that meant that his family . . .
swimming: 游泳 fear: 恐惧 defeat: 击败 rampage: 横冲直撞 amongst: 在…之中 countryside:乡间
Siggard觉得自己掉入了恐惧之海中。如果部队被击败了，敌人便会在乡间肆虐。这意味着他的家人……
Siggard bolted upright, gathering his meager belongings and buckling his sword to his waist. “My family is in danger,” he said. “I have to go.”
bolt: 猛冲 upright: 竖立 gathering: 聚集 meager: 贫乏的 belonging: 所有物 buckling: 扣住 sword: 剑 waist: 腰部
Siggard猛地站起来，收拾好他仅有的几件物品，将剑佩在腰间。“我的家人在危难之中，”他说，“我必须离开这里。”
“That army of demons was heading towards Entsteig, wasn’t it?” Sarnakyle mused. “I’d better come with you.”
demon: 恶魔 head toward: 前往 muse: 沉思
“恶魔军团正攻向Entsteig，不是吗？”Sarnakyle想了一会，“我最好还是和你一起去。”
“It could be very dangerous,” Siggard warned.
warn: 警告
“那儿可能很危险。”Siggard警告道。
Sarnakyle pulled his pack onto his back and smoothed out his robes.
pack: 包 smooth out: 弄平 robe: 长袍
Sarnakyle背上背包，抚平了他的长袍。
“I have more experience with demons than I would care to have, my dear warrior. Trust me, you are better off with me at your side.”
experience: 经验 warrior: 勇士 trust: 信任 better off: 情况更好
“与恶魔作战我更有经验，我亲爱的勇士。相信我，有我在身边情况会好些。”
“What is the fastest road west?” Siggard asked.
“向西最近的路是哪一条？”Siggard问道。
“A bit to the north there is a crossroads,” Sarnakyle stated. “The western path will take us out of the forest and into Entsteig.”
crossroad: 十字路口 state: 说 western: 西方的 path: 道路 forest: 森林
“向北走一点有个十字路口， ”Sarnakyle 说， “ 向西的路将带我们走出森林，进入Entsteig。”
Siggard nodded. “It’s about time we got out of this twice-damned forest.”
nod: 点头 damned: 诅咒的 twice-damned: 该死的
Siggard点点头。“走出这个该死的森林只是时间问题。”
As they set off, Siggard wished that he had the wings of angels, for every minute that they traveled brought the demons closer to Emilye and his child.
set off: 出发 wing: 翅膀 angel: 天使 travel: 行进 demon: 恶魔
他们出发了，Siggard希望自己能有天使的双翼，因为他们在路上浪费的每分每秒，都使Emilye和他的孩子更接近恶魔的威胁。
作者：Robert B. Marks 翻译：生物学教授
解析：Wayne 编辑：Wayne
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