Ⅱ 列王的紛爭 Chapter48 丹妮莉絲

DAENERYS

丹妮滿心期待，以為不朽之殿會是光輝之城里最為光輝的建筑，沒想到走出輿車，看到的卻是一座古老的灰色廢墟。

In this city of splendors, Dany had expected the House of the Undying Ones to be the most splendid of all, but she emerged from her palanquin to behold a grey and ancient ruin.

大殿長而低矮，沒有塔樓和窗戶，像一條巨大的石蛇盤繞在黑樹皮的林中。林中樹木長著深藍的葉子，魁爾斯人稱為“夜影之水”的魔法飲料正是用它們制成。附近沒有其他建筑。黑瓦覆蓋著大殿屋頂，其中許多已墜落或破損，石塊間的灰泥也大都干燥碎裂。她終于明白札羅·贊旺·達梭斯為何稱它為塵埃之殿，甚至連卓耿也不安起來。黑龍嘶嘶吶喊，煙霧從利齒間滲出。

Long and low, without towers or windows, it coiled like a stone serpent through a grove of black-barked trees whose inky blue leaves made the stuff of the sorcerous drink the Qartheen called shade of the evening. No other buildings stood near. Black tiles covered the palace roof, many fallen or broken; the mortar between the stones was dry and crumbling. She understood now why Xaro Xhoan Daxos called it the Palace of Dust. Even Drogon seemed disquieted by the sight of it. The black dragon hissed, smoke seeping out between his sharp teeth.

“吾血之血，”喬戈用多斯拉克語說，“這是個邪惡的地方，鬼魂和巫魔在此出沒。它吸掉了明媚的朝陽，在它吸掉我們之前，快快離開吧。”

“Blood of my blood,” Jhogo said in Dothraki, “this is an evil place, a haunt of ghosts and maegi. See how it drinks the morning sun? Let us go before it drinks us as well.”

喬拉·莫爾蒙爵士走上前。“他們住在這種地方，能有什么力量？”

Ser Jorah Mormont came up beside them. “What power can they have if they live in that?”

“聽從那些最愛你的人兒，聽從他們睿智的語言哪，”札羅·贊旺·達梭斯在輿車里懶洋洋地說。“男巫是一群難以相處的怪物，他們從塵土和陰影中攝取養(yǎng)分。他們能給您的只有虛無，因為他們一無所有。”

“Heed the wisdom of those who love you best,” said Xaro Xhoan Daxos, lounging inside the palanquin. “Warlocks are bitter creatures who eat dust and drink of shadows. They will give you naught. They have naught to give.”

阿戈一只手搭上亞拉克彎刀。“卡麗熙，據(jù)說進入塵埃之殿的人很多，卻沒有幾個能出來。”

Aggo put a hand on his arakh. “Khaleesi, it is said that many go into the Palace of Dust, but few come out.”

“對，”喬戈贊同。

“It is said,” Jhogo agreed.

“我們是汝血之血，”阿戈說，“發(fā)誓與您同生共死，并肩作戰(zhàn)，保護您免于危難。請讓我們跟您一起進入這黑暗的地方。”

“We are blood of your blood,” said Aggo, “sworn to live and die as you do. Let us walk with you in this dark place, to keep you safe from harm.”

“有些地方，即使卡奧也必須獨自去闖，”丹妮說。

“Some places even a khal must walk alone,” Dany said.

“那就帶上我，”喬拉爵士勸道，“不要太冒險——”

“Take me, then,” Ser Jorah urged. “The risk—”

“丹妮莉絲女王必須獨入，只此一途。”男巫俳雅·菩厲從林中走出。他一直在那兒嗎？丹妮疑惑地想。“此刻她若轉(zhuǎn)身，智慧之門將永遠向她關(guān)閉。”

“Queen Daenerys must enter alone, or not at all.” The warlock Pyat Pree stepped out from under the trees. Has he been there all along? Dany wondered. “Should she turn away now, the doors of wisdom shall be closed to her forevermore.”

“此刻我的豪華游艇還在等待，”札羅·贊旺·達梭斯高呼，“放棄愚行吧，最最固執(zhí)的女王。我的笛手將用美妙絕倫的音樂撫平您煩躁不安的靈魂，我那歌聲婉轉(zhuǎn)的小歌手，她的嗓音將令您嘆息，把您融化。”

“My pleasure barge awaits, even now,” Xaro Xhoan Daxos called out. “Turn away from this folly, most stubborn of queens. I have flutists who will soothe your troubled soul with sweet music, and a small girl whose tongue will make you sigh and melt.”

喬拉·莫爾蒙爵士酸酸地瞪了巨商一眼。“陛下，別忘了彌麗·馬茲·篤爾。”

Ser Jorah Mormont gave the merchant prince a sour look. “Your Grace, remember Mirri Maz Duur.”

“我不會忘，”丹妮說，她突然下定了決心。“我記得她有智慧。而她本人只是個小小的巫魔女。”

“I do,” Dany said, suddenly decided. “I remember that she had knowledge. And she was only a maegi.”

俳雅·菩厲淡淡一笑。“這孩子說話如老嫗一般睿智。來，挽住我的手，讓我為您帶路。”

Pyat Pree smiled thinly. “The child speaks as sagely as a crone. Take my arm, and let me lead you.”

“我不是孩子。”但丹妮還是挽住了他的手。

“I am no child.” Dany took his arm nonetheless.

黑樹林比她想像中更黑暗，路也比她想像中更漫長。大路從街道直通宮殿大門，但俳雅·菩厲很快走上岔道，她詢問緣故，男巫道：“前門之路有進無出。注意聽我說話，女王陛下。不朽之殿非為凡人所建。若您珍惜靈魂，請謹遵吾言，格外小心。”

It was darker than she would have thought under the black trees, and the way was longer. Though the path seemed to run straight from the street to the door of the palace, Pyat Pree soon turned aside. When she questioned him, the warlock said only, “The front way leads in, but never out again. Heed my words, my queen. The House of the Undying Ones was not made for mortal men. If you value your soul, take care and do just as I tell you.”

“我會照你的話做，”丹妮承諾。

“I will do as you say,” Dany promised.

“您進去之后，將發(fā)現(xiàn)房里有四道門，除了進口，還有另外三扇。請走右邊，每次都選右邊第一扇門。遇到樓梯，就往上爬，決不向下，也決不要走右邊第一扇門之外其他的門。”

“When you enter, you will find yourself in a room with four doors: the one you have come through and three others. Take the door to your right. Each time, the door to your right. If you should come upon a stairwell, climb. Never go down, and never take any door but the first door to your right.”

“走右邊的門，”丹妮重復(fù)。“我明白了。當我離開時，就反其道而行之？”

“The door to my right,” Dany repeated. “I understand. And when I leave, the opposite?”

“萬萬不可，”俳雅·菩厲說。來去相同，總是向上，永遠走右邊的門。其他的門或許會自動開放，您將看到許多攪亂思緒的事物：有的美麗，有的可怕，有的驚奇，有的恐怖。種種圖像和聲音，或存在于過去，或尚未到來，甚或不會發(fā)生。您經(jīng)過時，房間的主人和仆從會跟您說話，您可以回答，也可以不予理睬，一切悉聽尊便，但到達覲見室之前，決不能進入任何房間。

“By no means,” Pyat Pree said. “Leaving and coming, it is the same. Always up. Always the door to your right. Other doors may open to you. Within, you will see many things that disturb you. Visions of loveliness and visions of horror, wonders and terrors. Sights and sounds of days gone by and days to come and days that never were. Dwellers and servitors may speak to you as you go. Answer or ignore them as you choose, but enter no room until you reach the audience chamber.”

“我明白了。”

“I understand.”

“當您最后來到不朽者的房間，請千萬保持耐心。我們短暫的生命對他們而言如飛蛾撲翅一般渺小。您只需仔細傾聽，將每個字銘記在心。”

“When you come to the chamber of the Undying, be patient. Our little lives are no more than a flicker of a moth’s wing to them. Listen well, and write each word upon your heart.”

于是他們來到門前——那是一張橢圓的大嘴，嵌在一堵人臉形狀的墻上——一位丹妮畢生所見最矮的侏儒正等在門口，身高還不到她的膝蓋，臉皺巴巴地擠成一團，鼻子則高得出奇。他穿著紫藍相間的華麗服飾，粉紅小手中托著一個銀盤，上面放了一只細長的水晶杯，內(nèi)盛濃稠的藍液。這便是夜影之水，男巫的美酒。“喝吧，”俳雅·菩厲催促。

When they reached the door—a tall oval mouth, set in a wall fashioned in the likeness of a human face—the smallest dwarf Dany had ever seen was waiting on the threshold. He stood no higher than her knee, his faced pinched and pointed, snoutish, but he was dressed in delicate livery of purple and blue, and his tiny pink hands held a silver tray. Upon it rested a slender crystal glass filled with a thick blue liquid: shade of the evening, the wine of warlocks. “Take and drink,” urged Pyat Pree.

“我的嘴唇會變藍嗎？”

“Will it turn my lips blue?”

“一杯只會使您耳聰目明，如此方能感受展現(xiàn)在前的真理與智慧。”

“One flute will serve only to unstop your ears and dissolve the caul from off your eyes, so that you may hear and see the truths that will be laid before you.”

丹妮舉杯至唇。呷第一口的滋味就像混合墨汁的腐肉，惡心無比，但當她吞咽而下，它卻在她體內(nèi)活動起來。一絲絲卷須在胸中擴散，仿佛烈焰纏繞心臟，舌尖則油然而生蜂蜜、茴香和奶油的味道，既像母親的乳汁和卓戈的精液，也像鮮紅的肉、溫熱的血和熔化的金。它嘗起來有她所知的一切滋味，卻又非其中任何一種……隨后杯子就空了。

Dany raised the glass to her lips. The first sip tasted like ink and spoiled meat, foul, but when she swallowed it seemed to come to life within her. She could feel tendrils spreading through her chest, like fingers of fire coiling around her heart, and on her tongue was a taste like honey and anise and cream, like mother’s milk and Drogo’s seed, like red meat and hot blood and molten gold. It was all the tastes she had ever known, and none of them … and then the glass was empty.

“您可以進去了，”男巫說。丹妮將杯子放回仆人的托盤，走了進去。

“Now you may enter,” said the warlock. Dany put the glass back on the servitor’s tray, and went inside.

她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己進入一間石廳，四面墻上各有一扇門。她毫不猶豫地踏進右邊的門。第二個房間和第一個房間完全相同。她再次選擇右邊的門，推開后，看見的是又一間四扇門的石室。我身處巫術(shù)之中。

She found herself in a stone anteroom with four doors, one on each wall. With never a hesitation, she went to the door on her right and stepped through. The second room was a twin to the first. Again she turned to the right-hand door. When she pushed it open she faced yet another small antechamber with four doors. I am in the presence of sorcery.

第四個房間不是方形，而是橢圓形，墻壁也不再是石頭，而是蟲蛀的木板。它有六個出口而不只四個。丹妮照舊選了最右邊那個，進入一條長而昏暗的走廊。天花板很高，右邊是一排冒煙燃燒的火炬，發(fā)出橙色的光芒，但所有的門都在左邊。卓耿展開寬闊的黑翼，扇動陳腐的空氣。它飛了二十尺，突然“砰”的一聲，狼狽地栽下來。丹妮大步跟在后面。

The fourth room was oval rather than square and walled in worm-eaten wood in place of stone. Six passages led out from it in place of four. Dany chose the rightmost, and entered a long, dim, high-ceilinged hall. Along the right hand was a row of torches burning with a smoky orange light, but the only doors were to her left. Drogon unfolded wide black wings and beat the stale air. He flew twenty feet before thudding to an undignified crash. Dany strode after him.

腳下發(fā)霉的地毯曾經(jīng)華美艷麗，織物上的金紋裝飾隱約可見，在暗淡的灰色與斑駁的綠色之間斷續(xù)地閃爍光芒。這殘破的地毯吸收了她的腳步聲，卻不能屏蔽其他聲音。丹妮聽到墻內(nèi)有響動，那是一種細小而忙亂的抓刨，讓她想到了老鼠。卓耿也聽見了，它的腦袋跟著聲音轉(zhuǎn)動，當聲音停止，便發(fā)出惱怒的尖叫。更令人不安的聲音從一些緊閉的門后傳出，其中一扇被撞得搖晃，仿佛有人要破門而出，另一扇后面?zhèn)鱽泶潭牡崖暎堃宦犞卤惘偪竦負u尾巴。丹妮趕緊快跑。

The mold-eaten carpet under her feet had once been gorgeously colored, and whorls of gold could still be seen in the fabric, glinting broken amidst the faded grey and mottled green. What remained served to muffle her footfalls, but that was not all to the good. Dany could hear sounds within the walls, a faint scurrying and scrabbling that made her think of rats. Drogon heard them too. His head moved as he followed the sounds, and when they stopped he gave an angry scream. Other sounds, even more disturbing, came through some of the closed doors. One shook and thumped, as if someone were trying to break through. From another came a dissonant piping that made the dragon lash his tail wildly from side to side. Dany hurried quickly past.

并非所有的門都關(guān)著。我不看，丹妮告訴自己，但誘惑實在強烈。

Not all the doors were closed. I will not look, Dany told herself, but the temptation was too strong.

在一個房間，有位美女展開四肢，赤裸裸躺在地上。四個小人趴在她身上，他們有老鼠一樣的尖臉和粉紅小手，跟夜影之水的仆人一樣。其中一個在她股間抽送，另一個在摧殘她的胸部，把乳頭放進潮濕紅潤的嘴里撕扯咀嚼。

In one room, a beautiful woman sprawled naked on the floor while four little men crawled over her. They had rattish pointed faces and tiny pink hands, like the servitor who had brought her the glass of shade. One was pumping between her thighs. Another savaged her breasts, worrying at the nipples with his wet red mouth, tearing and chewing.

再往前，她見到一場死尸的盛宴。參與者都是遭到殘忍屠殺后的尸體，它們東倒西歪地趴在傾倒的椅子和劈爛的高架桌邊，躺在一灘灘正在凝結(jié)的血液中。有人斷手斷腳，有人失去頭顱。無主的手掌緊握著血淋淋的杯子、木勺、烤鴨和面包。上方的王座坐著一個狼頭死人，戴一頂鐵冠，握一條羊腿，好似國王握著權(quán)杖。他的眼神緊隨丹妮，仿佛在無聲地控訴。

Farther on she came upon a feast of corpses. Savagely slaughtered, the feasters lay strewn across overturned chairs and hacked trestle tables, asprawl in pools of congealing blood. Some had lost limbs, even heads. Severed hands clutched bloody cups, wooden spoons, roast fowl, heels of bread. In a throne above them sat a dead man with the head of a wolf. He wore an iron crown and held a leg of lamb in one hand as a king might hold a scepter, and his eyes followed Dany with mute appeal.

她從他面前逃開，隨即在下一扇門前停步。我認得這扇門，她心想。她記得那些雕刻著栩栩如生的動物臉龐的巨大木梁，還有窗外那棵檸檬樹！眼前的景象令她既向往又心痛。這是那棟紅漆大門的房子，是她在布拉佛斯的家。這時，老威廉爵士倚著拐杖沉重地走出來。“小公主，您回來了啊，”他的聲音沙啞而慈藹，“過來，”他說，“到我這里來，我的小姐，您到家了，安全了。”他皺巴巴的大手朝她伸來，如舊皮革一般柔軟，丹妮想抓住它，握緊它，親吻它，仿佛那是她一生中最大的愿望。于是她緩緩向前挪去，接著突然想到：他死了，他死了，親切而魁梧的老人，他很早以前就死了。她往后退卻，趕緊跑開。

She fled from him, but only as far as the next open door. I know this room, she thought. She remembered those great wooden beams and the carved animal faces that adorned them. And there outside the window, a lemon tree! The sight of it made her heart ache with longing. It is the house with the red door, the house in Braavos. No sooner had she thought it than old Ser Willem came into the room, leaning heavily on his stick. “Little princess, there you are,” he said in his gruff kind voice. “Come,” he said, “come to me, my lady, you’re home now, you’re safe now.” His big wrinkled hand reached for her, soft as old leather, and Dany wanted to take it and hold it and kiss it, she wanted that as much as she had ever wanted anything. Her foot edged forward, and then she thought, He’s dead, he’s dead, the sweet old bear, he died a long time ago. She backed away and ran.

長廊一直往前延伸、延伸，左邊是無窮無盡的門，右邊只有火炬。她不知跑過多少門，其中有的關(guān)閉有的開啟，有木門也有鐵門，有的門雕刻精細，有的則很普通，有的門帶把手，有的則是鎖或門環(huán)。卓耿用翅膀抽打她的背，催促她前進。丹妮一直奔跑，直到喘不過氣來。

The long hall went on and on and on, with endless doors to her left and only torches to her right. She ran past more doors than she could count, closed doors and open ones, doors of wood and doors of iron, carved doors and plain ones, doors with pulls and doors with locks and doors with knockers. Drogon lashed against her back, urging her on, and Dany ran until she could run no more.

最后，一對巨大的青銅門出現(xiàn)在左邊，比其他所有門都宏偉。隨著她走近，門自動打開，她不由得駐足觀看。門內(nèi)是她這輩子所見最大的石殿，高墻上掛著眾多死龍的頭顱，冷冷地俯瞰下方。一位華服老者坐在一個高聳而多刺的王座上，眼神暗淡，頭發(fā)銀灰。“讓我君臨焦黑骨骸和烤熟血肉，”他對下面一個男人說，“讓我成為灰燼之王。”卓耿尖聲嘶叫，爪子嵌入絲綢和肌膚，但王座上的國王充耳不聞，于是丹妮繼續(xù)前進。

Finally a great pair of bronze doors appeared to her left, grander than the rest. They swung open as she neared, and she had to stop and look. Beyond loomed a cavernous stone hall, the largest she had ever seen. The skulls of dead dragons looked down from its walls. Upon a towering barbed throne sat an old man in rich robes, an old man with dark eyes and long silver-grey hair. “Let him be king over charred bones and cooked meat,” he said to a man below him. “Let him be the king of ashes.” Drogon shrieked, his claws digging through silk and skin, but the king on his throne never heard, and Dany moved on.

當她再次停下，第一個念頭是：那是韋賽里斯！但仔細一看，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)不是。那人有哥哥的頭發(fā)，卻比哥哥高大，眼睛靛藍，而非淡紫。“就叫他伊耿，”他對大木床上正為新生嬰兒哺乳的女人說。“對君王而言，這不是最好的名字嗎？”

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother’s hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. “Aegon,” he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. “What better name for a king?”

“你會為他寫一首歌？”女人問。

“Will you make a song for him?” the woman asked.

“他已經(jīng)有了一首歌，”男人答。“他就是預(yù)言中的王子，他的歌便是冰與火之歌。”他邊說邊抬起頭，視線與丹妮交匯，仿佛看到了門外的她。“還有一個，”他說，她不知他是對她還是對床上的女人講話，“龍有三個頭。”他走到窗邊座位，拿起一把豎琴，用手指輕輕撥弄銀弦。憂郁而甜美的音樂充滿房間，男人、妻子和嬰兒如晨霧一般消退。樂聲徘徊，催促她趕緊離開。

“He has a song,” the man replied. “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.” He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany’s, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. “There must be one more,” he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. “The dragon has three heads.” He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way.

好似又走了一個鐘頭，長廊終于到了盡頭，眼前是一道陡峭的石梯，向下直通黑暗。丹妮回望身后，每一扇門，不論開著還是關(guān)閉，都在她的左邊。同時，她驚恐地意識到，火炬正依次熄滅。只剩二十支在燃燒。最多三十支。就在觀望期間，又有一支熄滅。無聲無息的黑暗，沿著長廊步步進逼。她凝神傾聽，似乎還有別的東西拖著沉重的步伐，沿著褪色的地毯，緩緩走來。她心中充滿恐懼。她不能回頭，留在這里危機四伏，可要如何前進呢？右邊沒有門，樓梯則往下，不是往上。

It seemed as though she walked for another hour before the long hall finally ended in a steep stone stair, descending into darkness. Every door, open or closed, had been to her left. Dany looked back behind her. The torches were going out, she realized with a start of fear. Perhaps twenty still burned. Thirty at most. One more guttered out even as she watched, and the darkness came a little farther down the hall, creeping toward her. And as she listened it seemed as if she heard something else coming, shuffling and dragging itself slowly along the faded carpet. Terror filled her. She could not go back and she was afraid to stay here, but how could she go on? There was no door on her right, and the steps went down, not up.

她站著思考，又一支火炬熄滅，模糊的腳步聲也越來越大。卓耿伸長蛇一樣的脖子，張嘴尖叫，煙霧從齒間升起。它也聽到了。丹妮再次探察右邊空白的墻壁，依舊一無所獲。會不會有扇暗門，或是一扇我看不見的隱形門？又一支火炬熄滅。又一支。右邊第一扇門，他說永遠走右邊第一扇門。右邊第一扇門……

Yet another torch went out as she stood pondering, and the sounds grew faintly louder. Drogon’s long neck snaked out and he opened his mouth to scream, steam rising from between his teeth. He hears it too. Dany turned to the blank wall once more, but there was nothing. Could there be a secret door, a door I cannot see? Another torch went out. Another. The first door on the right, he said, always the first door on the right. The first door on the right …

她突然想到……就是左邊最后一扇門！

It came to her suddenly. … is the last door on the left!

她猛撞進去。門內(nèi)又是一間四扇門的小屋。她走右邊的門，右邊，右邊，右邊，右邊，右邊，右邊，直到頭暈眼花，氣喘吁吁。

She flung herself through. Beyond was another small room with four doors. To the right she went, and to the right, and to the right, and to the right, and to the right, and to the right, and to the right, until she was dizzy and out of breath once more.

當她再次停下，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己身處一間陰濕的石室……對面有扇橢圓的門，狀如張開的嘴，俳雅·菩厲站在門外樹蔭下的草地。“這么快就跟不朽者談完了？”他看到她，難以置信地問。

When she stopped, she found herself in yet another dank stone chamber … but this time the door opposite was round, shaped like an open mouth, and Pyat Pree stood outside in the grass beneath the trees. “Can it be that the Undying are done with you so soon?” he asked in disbelief when he saw her.

“這么快？”她疑惑地說。“我走了好幾個小時，卻沒找到他們。”

“So soon?” she said, confused. “I’ve walked for hours, and still not found them.”

“您肯定拐錯了彎。過來，讓我給您帶路。”俳雅·菩厲伸出手。

“You have taken a wrong turning. Come, I will lead you.” Pyat Pree held out his hand.

丹妮猶豫了。她右邊有扇門，緊緊關(guān)閉……

Dany hesitated. There was a door to her right, still closed …

“那條路不對，”俳雅·菩厲堅定地說，藍嘴唇呈現(xiàn)嚴肅的否定。“注意，不朽者不會永遠等待。”

“That’s not the way,” Pyat Pree said firmly, his blue lips prim with disapproval. “The Undying Ones will not wait forever.”

“不，我們短暫的生命對他們而言如飛蛾撲翅一般渺小，”丹妮想起來。

“Our little lives are no more than a flicker of a moth’s wing to them,” Dany said, remembering.

“頑固的孩子，你會迷路的，再也走不出來。”

“Stubborn child. You will be lost, and never found.”

她離他而去，走向右邊。

She walked away from him, to the door on the right.

“不，”俳雅尖叫。“不，過來，到我這里，到我這里里里里里——”他的臉向內(nèi)塌陷，逐漸變成蒼白的蛆。

“No,” Pyat screeched. “No, to me, come to me, to meeeeeee.” His face crumbled inward, changing to something pale and wormlike.

丹妮拋開他，進入一個樓梯井，開始攀爬。不久后，腿酸疼起來，她隨即想到，不朽之殿似乎沒有塔樓。

Dany left him behind, entering a stairwell. She began to climb. Before long her legs were aching. She recalled that the House of the Undying Ones had seemed to have no towers.

樓梯終于到頭，右邊半敞著一排寬大的木門。它們由黑檀木和魚梁木制成，黑白相間的紋理扭曲盤旋，構(gòu)成奇特的圖案。它們很美，但不知為何又有些恐怖。我是真龍傳人，丹妮對自己說，她乞求戰(zhàn)士賜予她勇氣，乞求多斯拉克馬神給她力量，隨后逼自己邁步向前。

Finally the stair opened. To her right, a set of wide wooden doors had been thrown open. They were fashioned of ebony and weirwood, the black and white grains swirling and twisting in strange interwoven patterns. They were very beautiful, yet somehow frightening. The blood of the dragon must not be afraid. Dany said a quick prayer, begging the Warrior for courage and the Dothraki horse god for strength. She made herself walk forward.

門后是個大廳，里面有群衣著華麗的巫師。他們有的穿著白貂皮，紅寶石色的天鵝絨及金布制成的奢華長袍；有的套著鑲嵌寶石的精致鎧甲；有的戴著綴滿星星的高尖帽。他們之中也有女性，服飾美麗異常。一束束陽光斜射進玻璃彩窗，廳內(nèi)演奏著世間最美妙的音樂，連空氣也仿佛因之活潑。

Beyond the doors was a great hall and a splendor of wizards. Some wore sumptuous robes of ermine, ruby velvet, and cloth of gold. Others fancied elaborate armor studded with gemstones, or tall pointed hats speckled with stars. There were women among them, dressed in gowns of surpassing loveliness. Shafts of sunlight slanted through windows of stained glass, and the air was alive with the most beautiful music she had ever heard.

一個貌似國王的華袍男子站起身來，朝丹妮微微一笑。“坦格利安家族的丹妮莉絲，歡迎歡迎，請過來參加永恒之宴，我們便是魁爾斯的不朽者。”

A kingly man in rich robes rose when he saw her, and smiled. “Daenerys of House Targaryen, be welcome. Come and share the food of forever. We are the Undying of Qarth.”

“我們等了你很久，”他身邊的女人說，她穿著玫瑰紅與銀色的衣服，按魁爾斯風俗裸露的一側(cè)胸脯完美無瑕。

“Long have we awaited you,” said a woman beside him, clad in rose and silver. The breast she had left bare in the Qartheen fashion was as perfect as a breast could be.

“我們知道你會來，”巫師之王道，“早在一千年前就已知曉，一直等到現(xiàn)在。彗星是我們送出的指引。”

“We knew you were to come to us,” the wizard king said. “A thousand years ago we knew, and have been waiting all this time. We sent the comet to show you the way.”

“我們將知識與你分享，”一個穿著閃亮祖母綠鎧甲的戰(zhàn)士說，“教你使用魔法的武器。來吧，快過來吧，你通過了所有測試，只需和我們一起歡宴，無數(shù)疑問終將解答。”

“We have knowledge to share with you,” said a warrior in shining emerald armor, “and magic weapons to arm you with. You have passed every trial. Now come and sit with us, and all your questions shall be answered.”

她前跨一步。卓耿從肩上躍起，飛到黑檀木和魚梁木的門頂，開始嚙咬雕刻。

She took a step forward. But then Drogon leapt from her shoulder. He flew to the top of the ebony-and-weirwood door, perched there, and began to bite at the carved wood.

“淘氣的家伙，”一個英俊的年輕人笑道，“要我教你神秘的龍語嗎？過來，快過來。”

“A willful beast,” laughed a handsome young man. “Shall we teach you the secret speech of dragonkind? Come, come.”

懷疑攫住了她。大門如此沉重，丹妮費盡全力，才將其推動半分。門后隱藏著另一扇門。陳舊灰暗的木門，裂痕斑斑，普通平凡……卻位于她的右邊。巫師們用比歌唱更甜美的聲音召喚她，但她離開他們。卓耿飛回她身邊，他們通過窄門，進入一間沉浸在黑暗中的屋子。

Doubt seized her. The great door was so heavy it took all of Dany’s strength to budge it, but finally it began to move. Behind was another door, hidden. It was old grey wood, splintery and plain … but it stood to the right of the door through which she’d entered. The wizards were beckoning her with voices sweeter than song. She ran from them, Drogon flying back down to her. Through the narrow door she passed, into a chamber awash in gloom.

一張長石桌填滿了房間，上面懸浮著一顆人類的心臟，腐爛腫脹，顏色瘀青，但仍然是活的。它在跳動，每跳一下都發(fā)出一種深沉的顫音，散射一波深藍的光芒。圍在桌邊的身形不過是些藍色的影。丹妮走向桌子末端的空椅，期間他們沒有動，沒有說話，也沒有轉(zhuǎn)頭。除了那顆腐爛心臟在緩慢低沉地跳動，房里沒有別的聲音。

A long stone table filled this room. Above it floated a human heart, swollen and blue with corruption, yet still alive. It beat, a deep ponderous throb of sound, and each pulse sent out a wash of indigo light. The figures around the table were no more than blue shadows. As Dany walked to the empty chair at the foot of the table, they did not stir, nor speak, nor turn to face her. There was no sound but the slow, deep beat of the rotting heart.

……龍之母……一個聲音響起，半是低語

… mother of dragons … came a voice, part

? ? 半是呻吟……之母……之母……之母……陰暗中泛起一片回音。有男音，有女音，甚至有一個童聲。懸浮的心臟繼續(xù)跳動，時而發(fā)出微光，時而一片黑暗。在如此詭異的氣氛下，她很難鼓起講話的心思，只得勉強背誦操練的詞句：“我乃坦格利安家族的風暴降生的丹妮莉絲，維斯特洛七大王國的女王。”他們聽得見嗎？他們?yōu)槭裁床粍樱康つ葑聛恚p手疊放膝蓋。“請給予我忠告，用你們征服死亡的智慧來教誨我吧。”

whisper and part moan … dragons … dragons … dragons … other voices echoed in the gloom. Some were male and some female. One spoke with the timbre of a child. The floating heart pulsed from dimness to darkness. It was hard to summon the will to speak, to recall the words she had practiced so assiduously. “I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.” Do they hear me? Why don’t they move? She sat, folding her hands in her lap. “Grant me your counsel, and speak to me with the wisdom of those who have conquered death.”

透過昏暗的藍光，她辨出右邊一位不朽者枯瘦的身影。這是位極老的老人，滿臉皺紋，沒有頭發(fā)，皮肉是一種飽滿的藍紫色，嘴唇和指甲則更藍，近乎于黑。他連眼白都是藍色，這雙眼睛直勾勾地瞪著桌子對面一位老婦，卻好像視而不見。老婦蒼白的絲袍已和軀體爛在一起，一側(cè)萎縮的胸脯仍按魁爾斯風俗赤裸，露出一個尖尖的藍乳頭，如皮革般堅硬。

Through the indigo murk, she could make out the wizened features of the Undying One to her right, an old old man, wrinkled and hairless. His flesh was a ripe violet-blue, his lips and nails bluer still, so dark they were almost black. Even the whites of his eyes were blue. They stared unseeing at the ancient woman on the opposite side of the table, whose gown of pale silk had rotted on her body. One withered breast was left bare in the Qartheen manner, to show a pointed blue nipple hard as leather.

她沒有呼吸！丹妮傾聽著一片靜寂。他們都沒有呼吸，不會移動，目不視物。難道不朽者死光了？

She is not breathing. Dany listened to the silence. None of them are breathing, and they do not move, and those eyes see nothing. Could it be that the Undying Ones were dead?

一個比老鼠胡須還細的聲音輕輕作答……我們活著……活著……活著……無數(shù)低語在回應(yīng)……我們無所不知……不知……不知……不知……

Her answer was a whisper as thin as a mouse’s whisker. … we live … live … live … it sounded. Myriad other voices whispered echoes. … and know … know …? know … know …

“我來尋求真理，”丹妮說。“在長廊里，我看到的景象……是真實還是虛幻？是過去還是未來？它們究竟意味著什么？”

“I have come for the gift of truth,” Dany said. “In the long hall, the things I saw … were they true visions, or lies? Past things, or things to come? What did they mean?”

……影中之影……明日之形……啜飲冰之杯……啜飲火之杯……

… the shape of shadows … morrows not yet made … drink from the cup of ice … drink from the cup of fire …

……龍之母……三之子……

… mother of dragons … child of three …

“三？”她不明白。

“Three?” She did not understand.

……龍有三個頭……幽靈般的和聲在她腦海里回響，卻沒有一片嘴唇在動，也沒有一絲呼吸攪動靜止的藍空氣……龍之母……風暴降生……低語變成回環(huán)的歌詠……命中注定你將燃起三團火焰……一團為生，一團為死，一團為愛……她自己的心跳不知不覺與面前懸浮的藍色腐心的律動趨向吻合……命中注定你將騎乘三匹坐騎……一匹床第，一匹恐怖，一匹為愛……他們的嗓門越來越響，她的心跳卻越來越慢，甚至她的呼吸……命中注定你將經(jīng)歷三次背叛……一次為血，一次為財，一次為愛……

… three heads has the dragon … the ghost chorus yammered inside her skull with never a lip moving, never a breath stirring the still blue air. … mother of dragons … child of storm … The whispers became a swirling song. … three fires must you light … one for life and one for death and one to love … Her own heart was beating in unison to the one that floated before her, blue and corrupt … three mounts must you ride … one to bed and one to dread and one to love … The voices were growing louder, she realized, and it seemed her heart was slowing, and even her breath. … three treasons will you know … once for blood and once for gold and once for love …

“我不……”她的聲音幾乎成了細語，和他們先前的話語一樣微弱。我怎么了？“我不明白，”她說，聲音終于大了一點。為什么在這里說話如此困難？“幫幫我。告訴我。”

“I don’t …” Her voice was no more than a whisper, almost as faint as theirs. What was happening to her? “I don’t understand,” she said, more loudly. Why was it so hard to talk here? “Help me. Show me.”

……幫幫她……低語聲嘲弄道……告訴她……

… help her … the whispers mocked. … show her …

接著，靛藍色的顫影在黑暗中出現(xiàn)。韋賽里斯痛苦地嘶喊，熔化的黃金順著臉頰流淌，填滿他的嘴。一個古銅色皮膚、銀金色頭發(fā)的高大英雄站在奔馬旗下，背后是燃燒的城市。紅寶石般的血滴從瀕死王子的胸口噴出，他跪倒在水中，用最后一口氣呢喃出一個女子的名字……龍之母，死亡之女……紅色的劍如夕陽一般耀眼，舉在一位沒有影子的藍眼國王手中。人群圍著旗桿上飄揚的布龍歡鬧。石巨獸從一座冒煙的塔上展翅騰飛，噴出陰影之火……龍之母，謊言殺手……她的銀馬踏過草原，來到一條黝黑的小溪，上方是星之大海。一具尸體站立船首，僵死的臉上有一雙閃閃發(fā)光的眼睛，灰色的嘴唇悲傷地微笑。冰墻的裂縫開出一朵碧藍的玫瑰，散發(fā)出無比甜美的氣息……龍之母，烈火新娘……

Then phantoms shivered through the murk, images in indigo. Viserys screamed as the molten gold ran down his cheeks and filled his mouth. A tall lord with copper skin and silver-gold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion, a burning city behind him. Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman’s name. … mother of dragons, daughter of death … Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow. A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. … mother of dragons, slayer of lies … Her silver was trotting through the grass, to a darkling stream beneath a sea of stars. A corpse stood at the prow of a ship, eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly. A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness. … mother of dragons, bride of fire …

影像出現(xiàn)得越來越快，一個緊接著一個，仿佛空氣有了生命。影子在帳篷里盤旋跳舞，飄逸不定，可怖駭人。一個小女孩光腳奔向一座紅門的大宅。彌麗·馬茲·篤爾在火焰中尖叫，一條龍從她額頭進出。銀馬拖著一具血淋淋的赤裸男尸，在崎嶇的地面彈跳。一頭白獅在比人高的草叢中奔跑。圣母山下，一行赤裸的老嫗從大湖中走出，顫抖著跪在她面前，低下灰色的頭顱。一萬名奴隸高舉血手，她騎在銀馬上，風一般飛馳而過。“母親！”他們高喊，“母親！母親！”他們擠到她身邊，觸摸她，拉她的披風和裙邊，拉她的腳、她的腿、她的胸。他們愛她，他們要她，他們需要火和生命，于是丹妮喘著氣張開雙臂將自己交出……

Faster and faster the visions came, one after the other, until it seemed as if the very air had come alive. Shadows whirled and danced inside a tent, boneless and terrible. A little girl ran barefoot toward a big house with a red door. Mirri Maz Duur shrieked in the flames, a dragon bursting from her brow. Behind a silver horse the bloody corpse of a naked man bounced and dragged. A white lion ran through grass taller than a man. Beneath the Mother of Mountains, a line of naked crones crept from a great lake and knelt shivering before her, their grey heads bowed. Ten thousand slaves lifted bloodstained hands as she raced by on her silver, riding like the wind. “Mother!” they cried. “Mother, mother!” They were reaching for her, touching her, tugging at her cloak, the hem of her skirt, her foot, her leg, her breast. They wanted her, needed her, the fire, the life, and Dany gasped and opened her arms to give herself to them …

就在此刻，一對黑色的翅膀突然猛拍她的腦袋，一聲憤怒的尖叫劃破靛藍的空氣，影像即刻全部消散，退遁無形。丹妮的喘息變成了驚恐。不朽者們環(huán)繞在她周圍，如藍色的寒影，一邊輕聲低語，一邊向她靠近，用冰冷干癟的手拉扯、撫摩、拖拽她的衣服，觸摸她的身體，手指纏繞她的頭發(fā)。她四肢的力量一齊消失，動彈不得，甚至連心臟也停止了跳動。她感到一只手伸上她赤裸的乳房，揉擰著乳頭。牙齒壓上她柔軟的咽喉。一張嘴襲向她的眼睛，又舔，又吸，又咬……

But then black wings buffeted her round the head, and a scream of fury cut the indigo air, and suddenly the visions were gone, ripped away, and Dany’s gasp turned to horror. The Undying were all around her, blue and cold, whispering as they reached for her, pulling, stroking, tugging at her clothes, touching her with their dry cold hands, twining their fingers through her hair. All the strength had left her limbs. She could not move. Even her heart had ceased to beat. She felt a hand on her bare breast, twisting her nipple. Teeth found the soft skin of her throat. A mouth descended on one eye, licking, sucking, biting …

隨后，靛藍變成橙紅，低語化為尖叫。她的心怦怦飛跳，抓她的手腳陡然消失，一股熱氣沖刷肌膚。突如其來的強光令丹妮瞇起眼睛。只見龍在上方，展開翅膀，撕扯那顆可怕的黑心臟，將腐肉撕成條條碎片。它的頭猛地前伸，嘴里噴出火焰，明亮而熾熱。她聽見不朽者燃燒時發(fā)出的尖叫，他們用早已消失的語言呼喊，尖細的高音如薄紙一般。他們的血肉像羊皮紙一樣碎裂，骨頭如浸泡在油脂中的枯木。他們手舞足蹈，被火焰吞噬；他們跌跌撞撞，翻騰扭轉(zhuǎn)，高舉燃燒的手，指頭像火炬一樣明亮。

Then indigo turned to orange, and whispers turned to screams. Her heart was pounding, racing, the hands and mouths were gone, heat washed over her skin, and Dany blinked at a sudden glare. Perched above her, the dragon spread his wings and tore at the terrible dark heart, ripping the rotten flesh to ribbons, and when his head snapped forward, fire flew from his open jaws, bright and hot. She could hear the shrieks of the Undying as they burned, their high thin papery voices crying out in tongues long dead. Their flesh was crumbling parchment, their bones dry wood soaked in tallow. They danced as the flames consumed them; they staggered and writhed and spun and raised blazing hands on high, their fingers bright as torches.

丹妮站起身來，從他們中間穿過。他們輕如氣體，不過是些空殼，一觸即散。她走到門口，整個屋子成了一片火海。“卓耿，”她喊，他穿過火焰，朝她飛來。

Dany pushed herself to her feet and bulled through them. They were light as air, no more than husks, and they fell at a touch. The whole room was ablaze by the time she reached the door. “Drogon,” she called, and he flew to her through the fire.

門外是一條漫長而幽暗的通道，在她面前蜿蜒伸展，惟一的光源是身后閃爍不定的橙色火光。丹妮起步奔跑，尋找出口，右邊，左邊，任何一扇門都可以，但什么也沒有，只有不斷彎曲的石墻。腳下的地板仿佛也在緩緩移動翻滾，想要將她困住。她穩(wěn)住情緒，拼命地跑，突然一扇門出現(xiàn)在前方，好似張開的嘴巴。

Outside a long dim passageway stretched serpentine before her, lit by the flickering orange glare from behind. Dany ran, searching for a door, a door to her right, a door to her left, any door, but there was nothing, only twisty stone walls, and a floor that seemed to move slowly under her feet, writhing as if to trip her. She kept her feet and ran faster, and suddenly the door was there ahead of her, a door like an open mouth.

她跌入陽光中，明亮的光線令她步履蹣跚。俳雅·菩厲正用某種未知的語言嘰里呱啦，雙腳輪換著跳來跳去。丹妮回頭一看，煙霧如藤蔓一樣從塵埃之殿古老的石墻縫隙中和黑瓦屋頂上滲出。

When she spilled out into the sun, the bright light made her stumble. Pyat Pree was gibbering in some unknown tongue and hopping from one foot to the other. When Dany looked behind her, she saw thin tendrils of smoke forcing their way through cracks in the ancient stone walls of the Palace of Dust, and rising from between the black tiles of the roof.

俳雅一邊嚎叫咒罵，一邊抽出匕首朝她撲來，但卓耿躍到他臉上，接著她聽見喬戈的皮鞭“噼啪”一響——真是世上最悅耳的聲音。匕首飛出，轉(zhuǎn)瞬間，拉卡洛將俳雅打倒在地。喬拉·莫爾蒙爵士跪在涼爽的青草地上，環(huán)住她的肩膀。

Howling curses, Pyat Pree drew a knife and danced toward her, but Drogon flew at his face. Then she heard the crack of Jhogo’s whip, and never was a sound so sweet. The knife went flying, and an instant later Rakharo was slamming Pyat to the ground. Ser Jorah Mormont knelt beside Dany in the cool green grass and put his arm around her shoulder.