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CHAPTER THREE
REVELATIONS AND SORROW
第三章
天启与悲痛
Do not embrace hatred, for it can breed only destruction.
embrace: 接受 hatred: 憎恨 breed: 引起 destruction: 毁灭
不要心怀仇恨，它只能带来毁灭。
Embrace love instead, for those who love can change the world itself.
embrace: 接受 instead: 代替 change: 改变
用爱取而代之，因为它有改变世界的力量。
—Gesinius of Kehjistan,Tenets of Zakarum
tenet: 教义
——Kejistan 的Gesinius，《Zakarum的教条》
As Sarnakyle had predicted, they came to the crossroads in the midmorning. A forlorn gibbet stood at the roadside, but not even a rope remained.
predict: 预计 crossroad: 十字路口 midmorning: 上午十时左右 forlorn: 孤独的 gibbet:绞刑架 roadside: 路旁 rope: 绳子 remain: 余留
就像Sarnakyle说的那样，他们在上午十点多走到了那处十字路口。一个绞刑架孤零零的立在路边，但连绳子也不见了。
For a moment, Siggard wondered how many had died at this place, their spirits returning on the Night of Souls to walk the earth in search of their executioners.
wonder: 想知道 spirit: 灵魂 Night of Souls: 灵魂之夜 search: 寻找 executioner: 刽子手
Siggard不知道有多少人死在这里，但他们的灵魂或许在灵魂之夜返回人间，寻找着杀死他们的刽子手。
He suppressed a shudder, and without a word began to stride down the western path.
suppress: 克制 shudder: 颤抖 without a word: 一言不发 stride: 迈步 western: 西方的 path: 道路
他尽量抑制住自己的颤抖，一言不发的大步向西走去。
As they walked, Sarnakyle talked of the wonders of Kehjistan, telling stories of the great temples and cities.
wonder: 奇观 temple: 神庙
Sarnakyle边走边讲述Kehjistan的种种奇观，讲述着那些雄伟的神庙与城市的故事。
He told of the Mage Clans in the east, and the dark magic farther south. It did not remove the horrible feeling from the pit of Siggard’s stomach, but it did lighten the mood somewhat.
magic: 魔法 remove: 除去 horrible: 可怕的 pit: 深处 stomach: 胃 lighten: 减轻 mood: 心情 somewhat: 几分
他讲到了东方的Mage Clans以及南方的黑魔法。但这一切都没能消除Siggard胃部的剧痛，不过它使Siggard的心情有些许的轻松。
Much to the soldier’s relief, by the time they stopped at sundown the trees had thinned considerably.
soldier: 士兵 sundown: 日落 considerably: 相当大的 thin: 缺少
当太阳落山时，他们在一处树木稀少的地方歇脚。
Siggard breathed a sigh of relief; once he was out of the forest, he never wanted to return.
breathe: 小歇 sigh: 叹息 relief: 减轻
这使Siggard轻松了不少。他长叹了一口气；他可不想再回到这个森林。
It only took them a couple of minutes to gather the wood they needed for a fire.
gather: 收集 wood: 木头
不一会儿他们就收集到了用来生火的木柴。
Siggard tried to dine on some more of the ration Sarnakyle had given him earlier, but found he was too worried to eat.
dine: 进餐 ration: 口粮 worried: 烦恼的
Siggard想尽量多吃些Sarnakyle给他的口粮，但他发现烦恼使他没有食欲。
“Are you feeling well?” the wizard asked. “You’ve barely eaten anything these last couple of days.”
wizard: 法师 barely: 几乎不 couple: 一对
“不舒服吗？”法师问道，“这几天你几乎什么也没吃。”
Siggard shook his head. “How could I be hungry when my family might be in dire danger?”
shake: 摇动 hungry: 饥饿 might: 可能 dire: 可怕的
Siggard摇了摇头：“当我的家人也许处在极度危险之中时，我怎么可能感到饥饿呢？”
Sarnakyle nodded. “I understand.”
nod: 点头
Sarnakyle点点头： “我能理解。”
They bedded down for the night, Sarnakyle first setting his wards with an abrupt series of gestures and then taking first watch.
bed down: 住宿 ward: 守卫 abrupt: 拗口的 series: 连续 gesture: 手势
他们在那里过夜。Sarnakyle先施了一串魔法，然后负责警戒。
Siggard tried to sleep, but his dreams were filled with the screams of the dying and horrible visions of Emilye being tormented.
dream: 梦到 fill: 充满 scream: 尖叫声 dying: 垂死的 horrible: 可怕的 vision: 幻象 torment: 痛苦
Siggard想好好睡一觉，但他梦到的是临死时的惨叫和Emilye在痛苦中挣扎的可怕场景。
Finally, Sarnakyle woke him up, and Siggard gladly took the watch.
wake up: 叫醒 gladly: 乐意地 watch: 守夜
之后，Sarnakyle叫醒了他，Siggard很乐意守夜。
The minutes stretched into hours, and Siggard tried to think of anything but the terrors that could be occurring to those he loved.
stretch: 延伸 terror: 恐怖 occur: 发生
长夜漫漫，Siggard试图不去想可能发生在他所爱的人身上的悲剧。
Finally, the dawn came, and they smothered the last of the fire and began on their way again.
dawn: 黎明 smother: 盖熄
黎明终于到来了，他们熄灭了篝火，又一次踏上了旅程。
The path twisted and turned, but finally the road led them out of the trees into the open fields of Entsteig.
path: 道路 twisted: 扭曲的 turned: 曲折的 lead: 引导 open fields: 旷野
路在脚下蜿蜒伸展，但最终还是将他们带出了森林，带到Entsteig的一片开阔地。
Sarnakyle took a deep breath, wonder overcoming him as he saw the rolling green fields and sparse woodlands, each filled with the many colors of autumn.
deep: 深的 breath: 呼吸 wonder: 奇观 overcome: 征服 rolling: 起伏的 field: 田地 sparse: 稀疏的 woodland: 林地 fill: 弥漫 autumn: 秋天
Sarnakyle深深吸了一口气，陶醉在点缀着几片树林的绿浪中，一切都披上了秋的色彩。
“What a beautiful country! Its natural beauty puts even the great temples of Viz-jun to shame!”
temple: 神庙 shame: 羞愧
“多美的地方！自然之美令Viz-jun最伟大的神庙都黯然失色。”
Siggard nodded grimly. “Let us hope that this ‘beautiful country’ is not being overrun by demons.”
nod: 点头 grimly: 严肃的 overrun: 侵占 demon: 恶魔
Siggard严肃的点点头：“但愿这美丽的乡村不会被恶魔践踏。”
“Do you know the way to your village?” Sarnakyle asked.
village: 村庄
“你知道去你住的村落怎么走吗？”Sarnakyle问。
“Once we get to the King’s Road I’ll be able to get my bearings,” Siggard stated. “All roads lead to the King’s Road.”
bearing: 方向感 state: 说 lead: 引导
“只要到国王大道我就认识路了，”Siggard说，“所有路都通向国王大道。”
With that, they walked westwards until the sun began to set.
westwards: 向西的 set: 落下去
于是他们一直西行，直到太阳落山。
They camped near a copse of trees; after his experience in the forest, Siggard couldn’t call these anything greater than woods.
camp: 扎营 copse: 树丛 experience: 经历
他们在矮树丛边扎营。有了在森林中旅行的经历，Siggard认为这些东西顶多能算是树而已。
Sarnakyle wanted to make a campfire, but Siggard wouldn’t have it; the demons could be anywhere, and the last thing he needed was to attract their attention with a pillar of smoke.
campfire: 营火 demon: 恶魔 attract: 吸引 attention: 注意力 pillar: 柱 smoke: 烟
Sarnakyle想点一堆营火，但Siggard却制止了他；四处都可能潜伏着恶魔，他们最不该做的就是用升起的浓烟引起它们的注意。
This time Siggard took the first watch, taking a little comfort from being in his homeland once more.
watch: 守夜 comfort: 慰籍 homeland: 家乡
这次Siggard先担任警戒。因为回到家乡的缘故，他这次觉得比以前轻松些。
He woke Sarnakyle just after midnight, and tried to sleep. Once again, his dreams were troubled, and it was a relief to be roused at the dawn.
midnight: 午夜 dream: 做梦 troubled: 烦恼的 relief: 减轻 rouse: 醒来 dawn: 黎明
他在半夜叫醒Sarnakyle，自己躺下休息。他又一次做了噩梦。清晨他被叫醒时感到如释重负。
By midday they had reached the King’s Road, a wide path paved with rough-hewn stone. At the crossroads stood a large wooden sign, inscribed with simple letters.
midday: 正午 wide: 宽阔的 path: 道路 pave: 铺设 rough-hewn: 粗糙的 crossroad:十字路口 wooden: 木制的 sign: 指示牌 inscribe: 铭刻 letter: 文字
中午他们到达了国王大道，那是一条用粗糙的岩石铺成的道路，岔道口中央立着木制路标，路标上刻着简单的文字。
“We have to go north,” Siggard said. “My village is about a day east of Brennor, and Brennor is about three leagues northwards.”
have to: 必须 league: 三英里 northward: 向北的
“我们应该向北走，”Siggard说，“向北走九英里我们会到 Brennor，再由Brennor向东走一天就能到我住的村庄了。”
Sarnakyle smiled. “To Brennor we go!”
Sarnakyle很高兴：“向Brennor进发！”
Siggard shook his head. “I almost think you are enjoying this too much.”
shake: 摇动 almost: 几乎
Siggard摇了摇头：“别高兴得太早。”
The wizard shrugged. “What is the point of visiting new places if you can’t enjoy yourself?”
wizard: 法师 shrug: 耸肩 visit: 游览
法师耸了耸肩：你到一个新的地方游览时你不高兴吗？
“Under any other circumstances, I would agree with you,” Siggard said, and began walking.
circumstance: 情况
“如果不是现在这种情况，我会同意你得观点的。”Siggard边走边说。
Sarnakyle strode beside him, remarking on the freshness of the air, and comparing it to the stifling cities in Kehjistan.
stride: 迈大步走 remark: 评论 freshness: 新鲜 comparing: 比较 stifling: 气闷的
Sarnakyle在他身边大步走着，评论着新鲜的空气，将它与Kehjistan的城市中浑浊的气息作着比较。
“Don’t get me wrong,” Sarnakyle said.
get me wrong: 误会
“不要反驳我，”Sarnakyle说。
“Viz-jun is a beautiful and great city, and you should visit it someday.
visit: 参观
“Viz-jun是一座雄伟和美丽的城市，你有朝一日应该去参观参观。
But there are so many people that the air can be difficult at best. I sometimes think that the ideal place to live is in the country.”
difficult: 困难的 ideal: 理想的 country: 乡村
但那里人口众多，空气质量不好。我有时觉得住在乡间是在是个好主意。”
The wizard suddenly stopped. “What is that smell?” he remarked, sniffing the air.
suddenly: 突然 smell: 闻 remark: 评论 sniff: 嗅
法师突然停了一下：“这是什么气味？”他边嗅边问。
Siggard took a deep breath. Indeed, he could detect a bit of smoke, as though some fire close by had been smothered.
deep: 深的 breath: 呼吸 indeed: 的确 detect: 发觉 close by: 在附近 smother: 盖熄
Siggard深深地吸了一口气。的确，他能闻到些许的烟味，就像附近有火被扑灭了一样。
“Is there anything nearby?” Sarnakyle asked.
nearby: 附近的
“附近是什么？”Sarnakyle问。
“Just a small village,” Siggard replied. “It could be the harvest festival.”
reply: 回答 harvest: 收获 festival: 节日
“不过是个小村庄，”Siggard回答道，“也许是丰收节。”
Sarnakyle licked his lips. “Now that is something to look forward to!”
lick: 舔 lip: 嘴唇 look forward to: 期待
Sarnakyle舔了一下嘴唇：“这下有好戏看了！”
As they walked, they found themselves facing a rise in the road, and behind the hill rose a curl of smoke.
facing: 面对 rise: 上升 hill: 山丘 rise: 升起 curl: 弯曲
他们顺着上坡的路走上去，小山坡后升起了阵阵浓烟。
“I hope we haven’t missed anything!” Sarnakyle exclaimed. “It has been some time since I attended anything remotely like this!”
miss: 错过 exclaim: 大喊 attend: 参加 remotely: 时间久远的
“但愿我们没有错过什么精彩的节目。 ”Sarnakyle叫道，“我好久没有参加这种庆祝活动了！”
But when they crested the hill, Siggard’s heart sank.
crest: 登顶 hill: 山丘 sink: 下沉
但当他们上到山顶时，Siggard的心脏几乎停止了跳动。
The village itself had been fired, and in the town square, surrounded by the husks of burnt-out buildings, lay a pyramid of severed and decaying heads.
fired: 点燃 square: 广场 surround: 围绕 husk: 外壳 burnt-out: 烧毁的 lay: 放置 pyramid: 金字塔 sever: 割下 decay: 腐烂
村庄被烧毁了，残垣断壁环绕在空场四周，中间是腐烂的人头堆成的金字塔。
An investigation of the village revealed no life whatsoever. When the demons had passed through, they had killed every living soul.
investigation: 调查 reveal: 显示 whatsoever: 任何 demon: 恶魔 pass through: 穿过 living soul: 活人
他们巡视了一番，村中已没有了任何生命的迹象。恶魔到这里时杀死了所有人。
As they staggered out of the village, stunned to their very souls, Siggard and Sarnakyle saw the maimed and brutalized bodies of livestock at one of the local farmsteads.
stagger: 蹒跚 stun: 震惊 maim: 残缺 brutalize: 残酷对待 livestock: 家畜 farmstead: 农场
他们蹒跚的走出村子，一阵阵的发蒙。Siggard和Sarnakyle 在一个农场看到了残缺不全的家畜尸体。
Siggard had no doubt the animals had been slaughtered to feed the army and then left to rot;
doubt: 疑惑 slaughter: 屠杀 feed: 喂食 rot: 腐烂
Siggard确信军队杀了这些动物饱餐一顿，把剩下的丢在这儿任其腐烂。
after all, the demonic army would be able to move faster if it lived off the land than if it carried its food with it.
demonic: 恶魔的 live off: 以…为食
这样比带上补给赶路更快。
“We should travel through the night,” Siggard said, regarding the horrifying pyramid. “With some luck, the demons won’t have gotten to my home yet.”
travel: 行进 through the night: 整夜 regarding: 关于 horrifying: 令人害怕的 pyramid:金字塔 demon: 恶魔
“我们必须连夜赶路，”Siggard看着那可怕的金字塔说道，“如果幸运的话，恶魔还没到我家。”
“Haste is important, but so is rest,” Sarnakyle said. The wizard’s playful demeanor was gone, replaced by a solemn determination that surprised Siggard.
haste: 急速 rest: 休息 wizard: 法师 playful: 多趣的 demeanor: 行为 replace: 取代 solemn: 严肃的 determination: 决断 surprised: 感到惊讶
“休息与赶路一样重要。”Sarnakyle说。法师轻松的心情一下子消失了，他的严肃让Siggard吃了一惊
“The demons will try to cause as much destruction as possible, probably working in a circular pattern. If we travel directly to your village, we should be able to beat them.”
demon: 恶魔 cause: 引起 destruction: 破坏 as possible: 尽可能的 probably: 大概 circular: 循环的 pattern:方式 directly: 直接地 beat: 打败
“恶魔们会四处破坏，这是它们的惯例。如果我们径直赶到你的村庄，我们应该能打败他们。”
“How do you know all this?” Siggard demanded.
demand: 询问
“你是怎么知道这些的？”Siggard问。
“I am a Vizjerei,” Sarnakyle stated. “One of the ‘Spirit Clan.’ I have summoned demons, and I have also fought them.
state: 说 summon: 召唤 demon: 恶魔
“我是Vizjerei人，”Sarnakyle说，“一个‘Spirit Clan’。我能召唤恶魔，我也曾抵抗过它们的进攻。
I’ve seen these tactics used before by Bartuc, the Warlord of Blood.”
tactics: 战术 Warlord of Blood: 血战之王
我曾见血战之王巴特克使用过这些战术。”
“Could Bartuc be behind this?” Siggard asked.
be behind: 原因
“巴特克在操纵这一切？”
“I sincerely hope not,” Sarnakyle said. “I helped to kill him. Do you know a direct route from here?”
sincerely: 真诚地 direct: 直接的 route: 路线
“但愿不是”Sarnakyle说，“我曾参与杀死他。你知道从这儿走最短的那条路吗？”
Siggard nodded. “I think I’ve been here before. If I’m right, this was Gellan’s Pass, and that means that there is a path toward my village to the northeast.”
nod: 点头 path: 道路 toward: 朝 village: 村庄 northeast: 东北方
Siggard点点头。“我以前来过这儿，如果我没记错的话，这是Gellan's Pass，也就是说向东北方有一条路通往我的村庄。”
“Damned demons,” Sarnakyle cursed. “If only they hadn’t killed all of the horses.”
damned: 该死的 demon: 恶魔 cursed: 咒骂 horse: 马
“该死的恶魔，”Sarnakyle咒骂着，“它们居然把马都杀死了。”
They found the path, and had managed three leagues by sundown, stopping for the evening at the side of the road.
path: 道路 manage: 达成 league: 三英里 sundown: 日落
他们找到了那条路，在日落前走了九英里，傍晚在路边停下了。
That night, although Siggard managed to finish off the ration Sarnakyle had given him days ago, he could not sleep.
although: 虽然 manage: 达成 finish off: 吃光 ration: 口粮
那一夜，尽管Siggard吃掉了几天前Sarnakyle就给他的干粮，他还是难以入睡。
The fear gnawed at his gut, and with every minute that passed he wished that the dawn would come.
fear: 恐惧 gnaw: 使痛苦 gut: 胃 dawn: 黎明
恐惧使他胃部一阵抽搐，他每时每刻都祈盼着黎明的到来。
As the sun rose out of the east, they set off again, Siggard walking more anxiously than he had even when Emilye had begun her labor pains.
rise: 升起 set off: 出发 anxiously: 焦急的 labor: 分娩 pain: 痛苦
当太阳从东方升起时，他们又出发了。Siggard现在比当Emilye分娩时还要紧张。
If only she was safe, he could be happy. Then he could take her away from all the madness into a walled town like Brennor, where they would be safe for eternity.
take away: 带走 madness: 疯狂 walled: 有城墙的 eternity: 永远
只有她安然无恙，他才会快乐。他要带她离开这个糟糕的地方，去像Brennor那样有城墙的城镇，在那里他们能永远过着平安的日子。
“We have the advantage, you know,” Sarnakyle said as they walked.
advantage: 优势
“你知道，我们有优势。”Sarnakyle边走边说。
“We only have to move ourselves; whatever demon leads this army has to march thousands across the land. We can cover double the distance they can.”
whatever: 无论什么 demon: 恶魔 march: 行军 distance: 距离
“我们只要走就可以了，而恶魔则须领导着大军跋涉。我们行进的速度是它们的两倍。”
“It still won’t matter if we get there too late,” Siggard gritted, marching forward even more quickly. He finally slowed down when Sarnakyle jogged up beside him, puffing in exertion.
grit: 咬牙切齿地说 march: 快步行走 slow down: 减速 jog: 慢跑 puff: 喘息 exertion: 费力
“如果我们比它们晚到的话有优势也没用。”Siggard咬咬牙，走得更快了。直到Sarnakyle跑着追上他，在他身边喘着粗气的时候，他才慢下来。
That night, Siggard reckoned that they had covered seven or eight leagues, and should be at the village sometime tomorrow.
reckon: 估计 cover: 走完 league: 三英里
那一夜，Siggard估计他们走了二十一到二十四英里，明天就能到达村庄。
Sarnakyle had actually managed to catch a hare during the walk, and cooked it with a bit of magic.
actually: 竟然 manage: 达成 hare: 野兔 cook: 烹调 magic: 魔法
Sarnakyle在行进过程中设法抓住了一只野兔，施法将它做成了食物。
While the wizard ate with relish, Siggard found that he had no appetite at all, and left his share of the animal alone.
wizard: 法师 relish: 美味 appetite: 食欲 share: 一份
当法师吃着他的美味时，Siggard一点食欲都没有，将他自己的那份食物放在了一边。
“If you won’t eat, and you should,” Sarnakyle said, licking his fingers, “tell me of your home.”
licking: 舔 finger: 手指
“不想吃就算了。”Sarnakyle舔着手指说，“讲讲你家的故事。”
Siggard thought for a moment, and then began to speak.
Siggard想了一会，开始说道。
“We own a farm, just outside of the village square. My father brought us to Bear’s Hill when I was very young, and we did quite well.”
farm: 农场 square: 广场
“我们在村广场旁有一座农场。我父亲在我小时候经常带我去Bear's Hill，在那里我们很愉快。”
“Bear’s Hill?”
“Bear's Hill”
“My village,” Siggard clarified.
clarify: 说明
“我住的村子，”Siggard说。
“I met Emilye when we were both children, at one of the village dances.
village dances: 乡间舞会
“我和Emilye在一次乡间舞会上相遇了，那是我们还是孩子。
She was absolutely radiant, and I, well, I was a rustic farmer. Still, she saw me, and I saw her, and it was love at first sight.”
absolutely: 绝对地 radiant: 光彩照人的 rustic: 土气的 farmer:农夫 love at first sight: 一见钟情
她光彩照人，而我只是个村野农夫。静静地，她看着我，我也看着她，一见钟情。”
Sarnakyle grinned. “It must have been wonderful.” He took another bite out of the rabbit.
grin: 露齿而笑 wonderful: 极好的 bite: 一口 rabbit: 兔肉
Sarnakyle微微一笑：“那感觉一定很棒。”他又咬了一口兔子肉。
Siggard nodded, and for a moment, there was a hint of a smile. “It was. When we got married, I promised her I’d always protect her.
nod: 点头 hint: 少许 marry: 结婚 promise: 允诺 protect: 保护
Siggard点点头，停了一会，似乎带着笑意： “是的。当我们结婚时，我向她发誓我会永远保护好她。
Whenever we could, we would go out exploring or picking mushrooms in the countryside, even when she was bearing our child.
explore: 探索 mushroom: 蘑菇 countryside: 乡下 bear: 生子女
我们有空就去郊外探险或是拾蘑菇，即使是在她怀孕的时候也是这样。
I tried to make her go gently, but she told me that she was pregnant, not fragile.”
gently: 缓慢地 pregnant: 怀孕的 fragile: 脆弱
我带着她慢慢走，但她告诉我她只是怀孕了，并没有那么虚弱。
“Quite a woman.”
“真是个好妻子。”
“Yes,” Siggard said. “The call to arms came only a couple of weeks after my daughter was born.
call to arms: 战斗号召 couple: 一对 daughter: 女儿
“是的，”Siggard说，“我的女儿刚出生两个星期我就收到军队的征召。我们甚至没来得及给她取名字。
We hadn’t even decided on a name. I told her I’d be right back, and we’d choose one then. It’s bad luck, you see, to leave a Naming for more than two months.”
decide: 决定 be right back: 很快回来 name: 给…取名
我告诉她我不久就会回来，然后我们可以选个名字。你瞧，两个月了都没给她起名，实在是不走运。 ”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Sarnakyle stated.
state: 说
“我相信她不会有事的。”Sarnakyle 说
“I hope so,” Siggard said. “By all the gods, I hope so.”
hope so: 希望如此
“但愿如此，”Siggard说，“众神啊，我但愿没事。”
They left their camp before the dawn, so eager was Siggard to get back to his home.
camp: 露营 dawn: 黎明 eager: 急切的
天还没亮他们就出发了，Siggard迫不及待的往家赶。
They walked silently, Siggard trying at every step to convince himself they would arrive in time,
silently: 沉默地 step: 步 convince: 说服 in time: 及时
他们默默的走着，不断的说服自己相信他们能及时赶到，
and would be able to convince the village’s Ealdorman to evacuate everybody before the demons came.
convince: 说服 ealdorman: 郡长 evacuate: 疏散 demon: 恶魔
他应该能说服村长带领大家在恶魔到来前撤离。
As they walked, Siggard touched his sword hilt, praying that the battered blade would serve if there was any trouble.
sword: 剑 hilt: 柄 pray: 祈祷 battered: 磨损的 blade: 剑锋 serve: 可…作用 trouble:麻烦
他们走着，Siggard摸着剑柄，祈祷着已有些损坏的剑锋在遇到麻烦时能派上用场。
The memories of the battle had become something secondary; all that mattered was getting to Emilye and his daughter in time.
memory: 记忆 battle: 战斗 secondary: 次要的 matter: 重要事项 daughter: 女儿
关于那场战斗的记忆对于他已不那么重要了；他现在只想着赶到Emilye和他的女儿身旁。
Finally, they passed the engraved marker stone for the village, and Siggard breathed a sigh of relief.
engrave: 雕刻 marker: 记号 breathe: 歇口气 sigh: 叹息 relief: 减轻
最终，他们走过了刻着村庄名字的石头，Siggard叹了口气放松精神。
There didn’t seem to be any damage to the outlying farmsteads, which meant that they had probably made it in time.
damage: 毁坏 outlying: 偏僻的 farmstead: 农场 probably: 或许 made it: 赶上 in time:及时
那些建在外面的农庄看起来并没有遭到破坏，这意味着他们也许是按时赶到了。
Still, there were no people about, which was odd for this time of year.
odd: 古怪的
四周没有人，一片寂静，这在一年中这个时节显得很奇怪。
It was the harvest, and at the least the Ealdorman would have had them preparing for the harvest festival. An uneasy feeling began to gnaw at Siggard’s gut.
harvest: 收获期 at the least: 至少 ealdorman: 郡长 preparing: 准备的 harvest festival:丰收节 uneasy: 心神不安的 gnaw: 使痛苦 gut: 胃
现在正是丰收之时，至少村长应该带领他们为丰收节做准备。一种不安的情绪Siggard感到胃里一阵抽搐。
When they entered the town square, Siggard’s heart almost stopped. Many of the buildings were burned, and in the center of the square lay a pyramid of severed heads.
enter: 进入 square: 广场 heart: 心脏 almost: 几乎 burn: 烧毁 lay: 放置 pyramid: 金字塔 sever:割下
当他们走到广场上，Siggard的心脏几乎停止了跳动。许多建筑被烧毁了，广场中是人头堆成的金字塔。
Sarnakyle looked around in shock. “Perhaps she made it out in time,” he suggested. “She might not have perished here.”
look around: 环顾四周 shock: 震惊 made it: 成功 in time: 及时 suggest: 暗示 perish: 死亡
Sarnakyle在震惊中看着周围这一切。“也许她及时逃走了，”他说，“她也许没死在这。”
Siggard almost grunted an agreement until he saw a glint of golden hair in the pyramid. He told himself that it had to be somebody else, it couldn’t possibly be her.
grunt: 咕哝 agreement: 同意 glint: 闪烁 golden hair: 金发 pyramid: 金字塔 possibly:也许
Siggard几乎同意Sarnakyle的看法，但就在这时他看到了金字塔中闪光的金发。他劝慰自己那可能是别人，不会是她。
But when Siggard stepped forward, he saw Emilye’s dead eyes staring at him from the pile, her face a mask of horror, the flies consuming her flesh.
step: 步行 stare: 凝视的 pile: 堆 horror: 恐惧 fly: 苍蝇 consume: 吃光 flesh: 肉
但当Siggard走上前去，他看到人头堆中死去的Emilye的眼睛正盯着他，脸上满是惊悚的表情，苍蝇正叮咬着她。
He backed up, unable to speak. Then he fell to the earth, weeping. Everything he had lived for was now gone.
back up: 后退 fall: 摔倒 weeping: 哭泣
他退了几步，一言不发。他倒在地上泪流满面。生活对他已失去了意义。
Had the demons come at that moment to take his life, he would have had neither the strength nor the inclination to defend himself.
demon: 恶魔 neither: 既不 strength: 力量 nor: 也不 inclination: 意向 defend: 保护
如果恶魔现在出现来要他的命，他既无还手之心，也无还手之力。
作者：Robert B. Marks 翻译：生物学教授
解析：Wayne 编辑：Wayne
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