Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4

My sense of security lasted about three full minutes.I got to the door ahead of Carmela and flung it open. He staggered in, and immediately shut and bolted the door.There are wrinkles under the light eyes, and he is not wearing the bright doublet and stockings of the playing cards.Plus, he looks like he's overdue for a shave.Now he was wearing a brown wool suit, dark suede shoes, and a woolen coat draped over one arm.But he really was Langdon—the Landon of the playing cards—only the grinning mouth looked tired and there was grime under the nails. "Corwen!" he said and hugged me.

I squeezed his shoulder: "You look like you need a drink." "That's right, that's right, that's right..." He repeatedly agreed, so I led him to the study. After about three minutes, he sat down with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.Then he said to me, "They're after me. They'll be there soon." Flora gave a small cry, which neither of us paid attention to. "Who?" I asked. "The people in the shadows," he said, "I don't know who they are or who sent them. There were four or five, maybe even six. I got on the plane and they followed Go up. They showed up near Denver. I moved the plane a few times to try to get rid of them, but it didn't work--and I don't want to stray too far. I got rid of them in Manhattan, but they will come to the door Come on, it's only a matter of time."

"You have no idea who ordered it?" He hesitated. "Well, I guess it was the family, yes. Maybe Blaise, maybe Julian, maybe Kane. Maybe even you, maybe it was your trick to lure me here. But I hope not. It's not you, is it?" "I'm afraid not," I said. "How difficult do you think they are?" He shrugged: "If there were only two or three, I would set up an ambush myself and finish them off. But there are too many of them." He was small and thin, about five feet six inches tall, and weighed about one hundred and thirty-five pounds.But to listen to him, he seemed to say that he could single-handedly take down two or three bruisers, and he seemed to mean it.I suddenly felt a little curious about my physical strength.After all, aren't we brothers?I feel pretty strong physically.I also know that I'm not afraid to fight anyone fairly one-on-one.How strong am I?

Suddenly, I realized that the answer would be revealed very soon. There was a knock on the door. "What shall we do?" Flora asked. Langdon laughed and took off his tie, throwing it with his own coat on the table.He took off his suit jacket, looked around, and his eyes fell on the saber.In the next second, he had crossed the room and had it in his hand.I touched the .32 in my pocket, and used my fingers to open the insurance. "Up?" Langdon asked. "They'll probably find a way to break into the house," he said. "When was the last time you fought, sister?"

"A long time ago," she replied. "Then you'd better start memorizing combat moves now, and quickly," he told her. "Time is running out. Tell you, they've been trained. But there are three of us, and they're at most twice as many as we are. There are What is there to worry about?" "We don't know what they are yet," she said. There was another knock on the door. "what is the relationship?" "No," I said, "shall I open the door and let them in?" Their faces were slightly pale. "Maybe we should wait..."

"Maybe I can call the police," I said. They both laughed, almost hysterically. "Or Eric," I said, turning suddenly to Flora.But she shook her head. "No time. Yes, we could have contacted him with cards, but by the time he responds it will be too late. Maybe he won't respond at all." "Besides, he might have initiated this, huh?" Langdon said. "I doubt it," replied Flora. "It's not his style." "Yes." I said.It's a complete nonsense, as long as they think I know the inside story. The knock on the door rang again, this time louder than before.

"Where's Carmela?" I suddenly thought of the maid. Flora shook her head. "I don't think she can answer the door." "If you don't go out, how will you know who you're dealing with?" Langdon shouted, rushing out of the room. I followed him down the corridor and into the foyer.Carmela is about to open the gate, and we stop her just in time. We told her to go back to her room and told her to lock the door.Langdon commented, "It's a testament to the strength of their opponents that they can get her to open the door. Where are we, Corwin?"

I shrugged. "If I knew, I would have told you. At least for now we are on the same side. Back off!" I open the door. The man at the front tried to push me aside, and I blocked him with my hand. I found six of them. "What are you doing?" I asked. But they didn't say a word, and I saw the gun. I kicked him down, slammed the door shut, and bolted it. "Well, they are there," I said, "but how do I know it's not some trick of yours?" "I can't prove anything," he said, "but I hope they're mine. These guys look tough."

I can only agree.The guys on the porch were all strong, with hats pulled over their eyes, their faces shadowed by the brims. "Want to know where we are," Langdon said. There was a vibration that made the hairs around my middle ears stand on end.I realized at once that it was Flora who had blown her whistle. In the distance to my right came the sound of a window being smashed, and then I heard a muffled growl and a few dogs barking somewhere to my left. "She's got the dogs," I said, "six ferocious, cruel beasts. She might have used them on us at another time."

Langdon nodded, and together we ran in the direction of the shattered window. When we ran to the living room, two men had entered the house, both armed with guns. I knocked down the first one with one shot, then fell to the ground and fired at the second.Langdon swung his saber and leaped over me.The second guy had his head and shoulders separated. At this time, two more jumped into the house from the window.I fired several times and ran out of bullets; in my ears, the growl of Flora's hound was mixed with the sound of the opponent's gun. On the ground lay three persons and the same number of dogs.Well, it looks like we've killed half of the intruders.The rest were still burrowing in through the windows, and I killed another in a way that surprised myself.

Almost without thinking, I grabbed a large, heavy sofa chair and threw it across the room.It hit the guy in the back about thirty feet away. I sprinted for the remaining two, but Langdon had stabbed one of them down with his saber before he could get across the room, leaving that one to the dogs as he turned to the other. Before he could do anything, the guy was thrown to the ground by the dog.He killed another dog before we could finish him off.But he couldn't kill anything in the future, and Langdon strangled him. Three dogs died and one was mortally wounded.Langdon stabbed it to death, and we turned our attention to the dead. There is something unusual about their appearance. Flora came into the room and helped us analyze the situation. First of all, all six people have bloodshot eyes, without exception.Very, very bloodshot.However, this kind of eyes on them makes people feel normal. Secondly, each of their fingers has one more knuckle than ordinary people, and there are also forward-bending bone spurs on the back of their hands, which are very sharp. Their mouths are very protruding.I opened the mouth of one of them and found forty-four teeth inside, most of which were longer than normal, and some of them looked much sharper.Their muscles are shiny gray and very hard. There are other differences, of course, but these are pretty telling. We took their weapons and I took three small flat pistols. "These bugs do come from the shadows," Langdon said.I nod. "I'm lucky. Looks like they didn't expect me to have help like this—a nearly half-ton dog and a scrappy brother." He walked over to the broken glass and looked outside. I didn't move, let him Go scout the enemy by yourself.After a while, he said, "Nothing, I bet we got rid of them all." As he spoke, he drew the heavy orange curtains and dragged a lot of tall furniture in front of him.While he was doing it, I rummaged through the dead men's pockets. There's nothing identifiable, but that's to be expected. "Let's go back to the study," he said, "I haven't finished my drink yet." Before sitting down, Langdon didn't forget to clean the blade carefully before hanging the saber back on the wall.While he was cleaning the knife, I poured Flora a glass of wine. "Now that the three of us are together," he said, "it seems that I am safe for the time being." "It seems so," agreed Flora. "God, I haven't eaten since yesterday!" Langdon exclaimed.So Flora went to Camilla and told her that she could come out now, but not into the living room, and asked her to bring more food to the study. As soon as Flora went out, Langdon turned to me and asked, "Tell me, what's going on between the two of you?" "Don't show your back to her." "Is she still Eric's person?" "As far as I know, yes." "Then what are you doing here?" "I want to lure Eric here. He knows he can't deal with me unless he comes himself. I want to see how much he wants to get rid of me." Langdon shook his head. "I don't think he'll do it. There's no hope. Why does he bother poking his head out when you're here and he's there? He's in a better position. You'll have to go find him yourself if you're going to kill him." "I also came to the same conclusion." At this time, his eyes flashed, and the old smile returned.He looked me straight in the eye and ran a hand through his straw-colored hair. "Are you going to do it?" he asked. "Maybe." "Don't say 'maybe' to me, honey. It's written all over your face. You know, I'm almost willing to help you. Of all my relatives, I like sex best and hate Eric .” As I thought about it, I lit a cigarette. "You're thinking," he added, as I considered, "'How much can I trust Langdon this time? He's cunning and mean, just like his name:--a guy who doesn't play his cards right. .Also, if someone offered a better price, he would definitely sell me.' Right?" I nodded. "But don't you forget, Brother Corwin, that while I've never done you any good, I've never done you any bad either. Oh, a few mischiefs, I admit. But all in all Come on, we have the best relationship at home. We never mind each other's business. Think about it. I think I hear footsteps. Flora or her maid is coming, let's change the subject... ...but you gotta hurry! I guess you don't have the family's precious deck of cards with you?" I shook my head. Flora came in and said, "Camela will bring the food in a minute." We toasted the meal, and Langdon winked at me behind Flora's back. The next morning, I found that the body was gone from the living room, the stain on the carpet had disappeared, and the windows looked as good as ever, and Langdon explained that he had sorted things out.I didn't question him again, so as not to reveal my flaws. We borrowed Flora's Mercedes and went for a drive.Strangely, the scenery on the road seemed to change.I can't tell what's missing, or what's more, but it just feels different.I tried to think about it, only to get another headache, and decided not to think about it for now. I held the steering wheel, Langdon sat beside me.I told him I was going back to Amber - just to see what kind of reaction it would provoke. "I've always wondered," he replied, "whether you were simply trying to get revenge, or if you had some other intention." He kicked the ball to me again, and it was up to me to answer it or not. . I didn't think there was any danger, so I said something that I had thought about a long time ago. "I've been thinking about it too," I said, "to figure out what my chances are. You know, I might just 'give it a go.'" At this, he turned to me (he had been looking out the window of the car next to him), and said, "I guess we all have that ambition, or at least the idea. I know I do, though I quit a long time ago. In my opinion, it is worth a try. I know, you mean to ask if I will help you. The answer is 'yes'. I will help you, even if it's just to mess with other people Good." After a while he asked again, "What do you think of Flora? Can she be of any help?" "I doubt it," I said. "If we were sure of winning, she'd be there. But then again, what's the point of being sure?" "Or anytime," he added. "Anytime," I repeated, making him think I knew what I was talking about. I didn't trust him enough to tell him what was going on with my memory, so I didn't.There are too many things I want to know, but I can't find anyone I can trust.As we drove along, I continued to think about the problem for a while. "So, when do you want to start?" I asked. "Wait until you're ready." This is great, what I want is right in front of me, within reach, but I don't know what to do with it. "What about now?" I asked. Langdon said nothing.He lit a cigarette, buying time I suppose. I came here to take a picture of a gourd painting. "Okay," he said finally, "when was the last time you went back?" "It's been so fucking long," I told him, "I'm not even sure I remember the way." "Okay," he said, "we'll have to take a long drive and see. How much gas?" "Three-quarters of a box." "Then turn left at the next intersection and let's see what happens." I did as he said, and the sidewalks along the way began to flicker. "Hey!" he said, "the last time I walked there was almost twenty years ago. My memory comes back so fast." We kept driving, and I couldn't stop wondering what the hell was going on.The sky began to take on a little green, and then gradually turned pink. I bit my lip to keep my stomach full of questions from blurting out. The car drove under a bridge, and when we got out from the other end, the sky changed back to its normal color, but there were many huge yellow windmills in front of us, all over the ground. "Don't worry," he said quickly, "it could have been worse than that." I found that people around me were dressed in strange clothes, and the road was also made of bricks. "turn right." I nod. Purple clouds hid the sun, and rain fell.Lightning filled the sky, and thunder rumbled overhead.I turned the wipers to full gear, but it didn't help.I turned on the headlights and slowed down again. I bet we actually ran into a man on horseback just now, in the opposite direction from us, in gray with his collar turned up, ducking his head to avoid the onslaught of raindrops. The clouds parted and the fog cleared, and I found we were making our way along the coast.The waves swelled high, and huge seagulls circled close to the surface.The rain stopped and I turned off the lights and wipers.The road is paved with gravel now, but I don't know where this is at all.There was no sign of the small town we had just passed in the rearview mirror.A gallows suddenly appeared on the side of the road. A skeleton was hung on the gallows with a rope around its neck, still swinging in the wind.The sight made me grip the steering wheel involuntarily. Langdon smoked while looking out the window.The road we were traveling left the coast and rounded a hill.A prairie stretched out on the right without a tree in sight, while to the left a series of gradually rising hills.Now the sky was a bright dark blue, like a clear pool in shadow.I don't think I've ever seen a sky like this. Langdon opened the window beside him and threw the cigarette butt out.Before he closed the window, a gust of cold wind blew in and swirled in the car.The wind carried the smell of sea water, salty and pungent. "All roads lead to Amber," he said, as if it were a proverb. Then I remembered what Flora had said the day before, and suddenly I understood what it meant.If I said this now, I would look like a fool, or Langdon would think I was keeping important information from him.But I have to tell him, not only for him, but also for myself. "You know," I began, "I answered the phone yesterday because Flora was out. I'm almost sure she was going to Amber and found the way blocked." Hearing this, he laughed out loud. "That woman's imagination is wretched," he replied. "At such times, of course, the way will be blocked. I dare say that we have to walk on our legs in the end, and it will definitely take a lot of effort along the way." , exhausted and exhausted. Might not make it at all. Did she think she could step back on flower petals like a princess? She's an idiot and doesn't deserve to live in this world, but I don't care about that, at least for now .” "Turn right at the intersection," he instructed. What is going on?I know that all these strange changes around him are related to him, but I can't figure out how he did it.Also, where is he going to take us.I had to get to the bottom of the secret without asking him directly, or he would find out about me, and then I would be at his mercy.He didn't seem to be doing anything but smoking and staring out the window, but by the time the car emerged from a depression in the road, we were in a blue desert.Now the sky overhead shimmered and the sun was pink.In the rearview mirror, the desert stretched out beyond the horizon.Really well played tricks. The engine coughed, spluttered and stabilized a little.Then, the routine was repeated. The steering wheel in my hand changed shape. It becomes crescent shaped.At the same time, the seats seem to have been moved back a bit, the chassis of the car is closer to the ground, and the windshield is tilted more. I didn't make any comments, not even when I was hit by a lavender sandstorm. But after the sandstorm passed, I couldn't help but gasp. There was a long line of cars ahead of us, about half a mile long.They were all still and I could still hear their horns. "Take it easy," Langdon said. "This is the first hurdle." I slowed down, and another large piece of sand swept in. Before I could turn on the lights, the sand was gone.I blinked several times. The string of cars and horns disappeared without a trace.For a moment, however, the road in front of me shone like the sidewalk just now.Langdon cursed someone or something under his breath. "I definitely switched exactly as he wanted it to, the guy who put up the barrier," he said. "I'm pissed off that I did what he wanted me to do—the most obvious thing." "Is that Eric?" I asked. "Possibly. What do you think we should do? Stop and try the harder way, or keep going and see if there are other obstacles?" "Let's go a little further. After all, this is the first one." "Well," he added, "who knows what the second one will be?" The second is a "thing" - I don't know how else to describe it. It looks like a furnace with arms.The guy crouched in the middle of the road, reaching out and grabbing cars and swallowing them. I put my foot on the brakes. "What's the matter?" Langdon asked, "Keep driving, otherwise how would we get there?" "I was taken aback," I said.Hearing this, he turned his head and gave me a surprised look.At this time, another sandstorm appeared. I said the wrong thing and I know it. When the dust in the air dissipated, the road in front of me became empty again.Several castles can be seen in the distance. "I think I broke him," Langdon said. "I put a few together, and I guess he didn't expect that. After all, all roads lead to Amber, and no one can take care of everything." "That's right." I have to try my best to make up for the mistake just now, although I still can't understand why he had that strange look just now.I weighed Langdon up.He's a skinny fellow, and he could have been killed as much as I was last night.What exactly is his power?Also, they always mention "shadow", what is that?For some reason, I know that whatever the shadow is, we're walking through it right now.How did you do it?Langdon is doing this, and he looks very relaxed, and I can still see his hands, they haven't moved much, so I'm pretty sure he's using his mind.Still the same question: how? Well, I remember what he said about "adding" and "subtracting", as if the universe he was in was a huge equation. An explanation occurred to me, and I was suddenly convinced that I was correct.I don't know how he did it, but he added something to the world in front of us and subtracted something from it, and thus brought us closer and closer to Amber.Amber, that strange place is his puzzle to solve. I also knew what to do before.It dawned on me that the key was remembering Amber.But I can't. The road swerved sharply, and the desert gave way to expanses of blue grass.The grass is tall and the blades look sharp.After a while, the terrain became a bit undulating, and we drove over three small hills, where the road ended and a narrow dirt road continued.The dirt road was hard-packed and snaked along several taller hills where small bushes and bayonet-like thistles began to appear. After walking like this for about half an hour, the hill disappeared, and we entered a forest full of short trees with thick trunks.The leaves are diamond-shaped and sparkle with autumnal orange and purple. A drizzle of rain fell from the sky, casting heavy shadows on the surrounding trees.White mist rose from the carpet of wet leaves.From somewhere to our right came a howl. The shape of the steering wheel was changed three more times, the last version being a wooden octagon.The car has become quite tall, and at some point, a flamingo-shaped ornament appeared on the hood.I refrained from expressing any opinion on these things, just adjusted my sitting posture with the change of seat position, and tried to adapt to the new driving requirements brought about by the change of car shape.There was another howl, and Langdon glanced at the steering wheel and shook his head.In an instant, the trees grew taller, covered with vines, and the blue veil formed by parasitic vines could still be seen.The car is also almost back to its original look.I checked the fuel gauge and there was half a tank left. My brother commented, "It's going well." I nodded. The road suddenly widened and turned back to concrete.There are small ditches on both sides, which are full of muddy water, and leaves, twigs and colorful feathers float along the water. I suddenly felt dizzy and dizzy.Before I could speak, Langdon said, "Take a deep breath, and slow down." Then he added, "We took a shortcut, and the air pressure and gravity will be a little different for a while. I think we've had good luck so far. I want to try my best to see. Go as far as I can with the fastest speed." "That's a good idea." "Maybe, maybe just the opposite," he replied, "but I think it's worth the gamble—careful!" We were climbing a small hill when a truck came down the top of the hill and came straight at us.It drove on the wrong side.I jerk the steering wheel to avoid it, but it turns in the same direction.Trying to avoid a crash, I pulled off the road at the last moment and the wheels sank into the soft roadbed to the left, with the front of the car only centimeters from the ditch. To my right, the truck screeches its brakes.I tried to get the car off the embankment and back onto the road, but we got bogged down in soft dirt. Then I heard the truck driver close the door with a "bang", and he got off from the right side of the truck.So it is likely that he was driving normally, and it should be us who drove on the wrong side.I know that there is no road in the United States that drives on the left, and that is the case in England, but I have long been convinced that I have left the familiar earth. It was a tank truck."ZUNOCO" is written in big blood-red characters on the car body, and their motto below is "We protect the four worlds".I got out of the car and walked around the middle of the road to apologize to the truck driver.He was as tall as me, as tall as a beer barrel, and he carried a jack in his hand. "Look, I've already said, I'm sorry," I said to him, "What do you want me to do? No one was hurt and the car wasn't hurt." "You fucking idiots shouldn't be allowed on the road!" he yelled. "Damn bastards!" Langdon got out of the car and said to him, "Sir, you'd better get out!" His gun was in his hand. "Put that thing away," I said, but he popped the safety and pointed the gun at him. The guy was stunned, turned and ran. Langdon raised his gun, aiming carefully at the man's back.The moment he fired, I managed to knock his arm out of the way. The bullet hit the side of the road and bounced off. Langdon turned sharply, pale with anger. "You bloody idiot!" he said, "I nearly hit the gas tank!" "You might as well hit the guy you're aiming at." "Who the hell cares? We'll never pass here again anyway. How dare that pig insult a Prince of Amber! I'm doing it for your honor." "I can stand up for my honor," I told him.At this moment, something cold and powerful seized me. Almost without thinking, I blurted out, "If you really want him to die, I should do it. It has nothing to do with you." As I said that, I only felt filled with anger. The truck cab door slammed shut and the truck drove away.Langdon lowered his head. "I'm sorry, brother," he said, "I didn't intend to take my own way. It's just that I'm so annoyed that people like them should talk to you in this way. I know I should have waited for your decision and let you Do with him as you please, or at least ask your opinion first." "Okay, forget it," I told him. "Let's keep going back on the road. If we can." The rear wheel was stuck in the mud, up to the fender.I stared at them, trying to figure out what to do.At this point, Langdon yelled, "Okay, I'll lift the bumper, you lift the back, and we'll put it back on the road. Best in the left lane." He's not kidding. Just now he mentioned that the gravity is less than usual, but I don't think it is that small.I know I'm strong, but I still wonder if I can lift the back of a Mercedes. But then again, I had to try because he seemed to think I could do it, and I couldn't let him know that I had a memory problem. So I bent down, squatted down and grabbed the rear of the car, and started straightening my legs.With a clicking sound, the rear wheel was pulled out in the wet mud.I lifted the car up and it was almost two feet off the ground!The car is heavy - damn it!It was deadly heavy indeed - but I did it! With every step, I sank about six inches into the mud.But I still lifted the car.So did Langdon over there. We put it on the loop and it bounced a little bit when it landed.Then I took off my shoes, emptied them of mud, wiped the grass, twisted my socks, dusted my pant legs, and finally threw my shoes into the back seat and got into the front row barefoot. Langdon jumped into the car and sat in the passenger seat. "Uh, I apologize again..." "Forget it," I said, "it's over, don't mention it." "Well, but I don't want you to hold me against me for this." "No." I told him, "but next time you want to kill someone in front of me, don't forget to control your quick temper." "I will," he promised. "Let's go." So we hit the road again. We walked through a rocky canyon and passed a city full of tall buildings, except that the buildings seemed to be made of glass or something like that, which looked thin and brittle.As we passed, the townspeople swarmed to street corners and stared at us blankly.But no one tried to block our way, and no one walked past us.The pink sunlight penetrated their bodies, and the internal organs and undigested food could be clearly seen. "People here are sure to talk about today for years," my brother said. I nodded in agreement. Later, the roads disappeared completely, and we seemed to be driving on a huge silicon wafer stretching endlessly.After a while it narrowed and became our path.After a while, there were swamps on both sides, and these brown low-lying places really stink.I swear I saw a Diplodocus with its head outstretched, looking down at us.Then, a huge shadow flew over us, something with bat-like wings.The sky is a beautiful blue and the sun is an unassuming gold. "Less than a quarter full," I told him. "Okay," Langdon said, "park here." I parked the car and waited to see what he was going to do. For a long time—perhaps six minutes or so—he said nothing, and then said, "Let's go." After about three miles, a large pile of logs appeared before our eyes.I drove around it.A gate appeared on one side of the pile, and Langdon said, "Stop and honk." I did as he said.After a while, the wooden door began to rattle and swing open on its huge iron hinges. "Go in," he said, "there's no danger." I opened the door and went in to find three shrouded Esso tankers on my left, with a shed behind them.I am all too familiar with this situation. Of course, we have met in relatively normal circumstances before.I parked at one of the pumps and waited. Somebody came out of the kiosk, a guy about five feet tall, with a huge belly, a nose like a strawberry, and shoulders maybe a yard wide. "Need something?" he asked. "Come on?" I nodded: "Ordinary gasoline." "Move forward a little more," he directed. I did as he was told, and asked Langdon, "Will my money work here?" "Take it out and have a look," he said.I pull out my wallet. The wallet was stuffed with orange and yellow bills, with Roman numerals stamped on the corners and the letters "DR" after the numbers. As I inspected the bundle of bills, Langdon grinned and said, "Look, I've got it all done." "Good. By the way, I'm a little hungry." We looked around and saw a huge billboard not far away.On the billboard, the guy selling KFC fried chicken in this world is looking at us. "Strawberry Nose" sprinkles the remaining oil outside, lest the oil in the tank is too full to splash out.Then he hung up the oil gun, walked over and said, "It's eight yuan in total." I hand him an orange bill that says "5D.R." and three "1D.R." "Thanks." He stuffed the money into his pocket, "Would you like to check the oil and water?" "Ok." He added some water, told me the oil was fine, and wiped the windshield with a dirty rag.Then he waved to us and went back to the cabin. We drove over to the restaurant we had just seen and found out its name was "King Kenny" and we got a bucket full of KFC Fried Lizards and a bucket of lager which was a bit salty. After eating, we washed our faces in the restroom of the restaurant, drove the car to the gate, honked the horn, and a man with a halberd on his right shoulder came and opened the gate. We're back on the road. A tyrannosaurus jumped ahead of us, hesitated for a moment, then headed to our left on its own.Three more pterosaurs flew over our heads. "I really don't want to leave Amber Sky," Langdon said.God knows what it means, I grunted a few times vaguely. "I dare not finish it all at once," he continued, "otherwise we might be torn to pieces." "Agree." Of course I agree. "But then again, I actually don't like this place." I nod.We drove on, and eventually the plains of silicon gave way to bare stones. "What are you going to do now?" I ventured to ask. "Now that the sky is done, I'm going to try the ground," he said. 那一大片石头随即变得稀疏起来，中间出现了黑色的土地。又过了一会儿，土地越来越多，石头则越来越少。最后，地上出现了绿色斑点。开始时不过是星星点点的一丛丛小草，但那种绿色真的是非常非常明快，与我所熟知的地球上的绿色完全不同。 草很快蔓延开来。 过了一会儿，路边稀稀拉拉地出现了几棵树。 接下来是一片森林。 一片多么奇妙的森林啊！ 我从没见过如此高大、庄严的树木，树叶是浓烈、鲜艳的绿色，略带着一丝金黄。它们耸立在那里，直冲云霄。松树、橡树、枫树，还有许多我压根儿叫不出名字的树，全都硕大无比。我把车窗摇下一点，发现树林里微风轻拂，荡漾着奇异而醉人的芬芳。吸了几口之后，我决定把窗户全摇下来，让它一直敞开着。 “。”我的兄弟说道。我知道他说得没错。为了他的智慧、他的学识，我又是爱他，又是羡慕他。 “老弟，”我说，“你干得不错。比我想像的还要好。谢谢你。” 这话似乎吓了他一跳，仿佛他从未从哪个至亲口中听到过任何好话似的。 “我尽了全力，”他说，“而且我会一直如此，我保证。看！我们已经有了天空和森林！我几乎不敢相信这是真的！我们已经过了中间点，到目前为止还没遇上什么大麻烦。我想我们的运气不错。你会给我一个摄政区吗？” "Yes." I said.我不知道那是什么意思，不过如果是我力所能及的东西，那么我愿意给他。 他点了点头：“谢谢你。” 他从前是个杀气腾腾的小叛徒，我记得他总是很叛逆。过去，我们的父母一直极力想让他守规矩，可从来都不大成功。想到这儿，我突然意识到，我们俩有着共同的父母，而我和艾里克、弗萝拉、凯恩、布雷斯、菲奥娜他们却并非如此，可能还有几个人也是这样。其他人的情况我记得不是很清楚，但对我记得的那几个人，我非常肯定。 我们行进在裸露的泥土路面上，四周是成片的参天大树。这条路似乎永远没有尽头。这个地方让我感到很安全。时不时能看见一头受惊的小鹿，有时，路旁的狐狸也会让我们吓一跳。还有的地方，路面上印着不少蹄印。阳光透过树叶洒落在地，仿佛是某种印度乐器上紧绷的金色琴弦。轻拂的微风湿润而充满生气。我意识到自己了解这个地方。过去，我常常走在这条路上。我曾无数次来到阿尔丁森林，骑马，步行，在森林里打猎，躺在繁茂的枝叶下，手枕在脑后，双眼望着天空。我曾爬上这些巨人般的枝条，俯视这个变动不居的绿色世界。 “我爱这地方。”我几乎没意识到自己说出了这句话。兰登回答道：“你一直喜欢这儿。”我拿不准，但他似乎觉得有点好笑。 就在这时，远处传来一串音符。那是狩猎的号角声。I know. “开快点，”兰登突然说，“听上去像是朱利安。” 我加快了速度。 号角声再次响起，更近了。 “那些该死的猎犬会把车撕成碎片的，他的鸟还会拿咱们的眼睛当饭吃！”他说，“真不想在他全副武装的时候碰上他。不管他本来在追什么，他肯定更愿意狩猎自己的两个兄弟。” “我现在的哲学是'自己活，也让别人活'。”我告诉他。 兰登咯咯地笑了。 “多么离奇的想法。我敢打赌你坚持不了五分钟。” 号角再次响起，更近了。他骂了一声：“该死！” 车速表用北欧风格的古怪数字显示，我们的时速是七十五英里，在这样的路面上，我没敢再加快速度。 又是三下拖长的号角声，这次距离近多了。我听到了从左边传来的狗吠声。 “现在我们离实界已经很近了，但离安珀还远着呢。”我兄弟说，“就算躲进附近的影子里也没用。如果他的目标真是我们，他肯定会追来。或者让他的影子咬住我们不放。” "so what should I do now?" “跑快点儿，还有，祈祷他的目标不是我们。” 这一次，号角声几乎近在咫尺。 “该死！他开的是什么东西？火车头吗？” “我猜是他创造的最快的那匹马——摩根斯坦。” “创造”这个词在我脑海里挥之不去，我想了又想：是的，没错，我体内一个声音说，摩根斯坦确实是他用影子世界的元素创造出来的，他赋予了那头畜生飓风般的速度和打桩机的力量。 我刚想起自己以前和那东西有过节，然后就看见了他。摩根斯坦比我见过的所有马都高出至少六，眼睛的颜色像魏玛猎犬一样呆板，浅灰色的皮毛，蹄子像打磨过的钢铁般闪闪发光。它跑起来像风一样，这时已经追上了我们，而朱利安就伏在马鞍上——就是扑克牌上的那个朱利安。长长的黑发，明亮的蓝眼睛，身上穿着那副白色锁子甲。 朱利安微笑着朝我们挥挥手，而摩根斯坦一甩头，华丽的鬃毛像是在风中上下起伏的一面旗帜。它的腿则快得根本无法看清楚。 有一次，朱利安让人穿上我丢掉的衣服去折磨这头畜生。后来有天打猎的时候，我下马到它跟前去剥一头雄鹿的皮，结果它想踩死我。这时我已经又把窗户升起来了，它应该闻不到我的气味。但朱利安发现了我，我想我明白这意味着什么。他周围全是暴风犬。这种狗身体非常强健，还长着满口钢铁般的牙齿。它们也是从影子里来的——任何正常的狗都不可能这样奔跑。不过我很清楚，这儿的东西其实没有哪件真正称得上“正常”二字。 朱利安做了个手势，要我们停下。我看了兰登一眼，他点头道：“如果不停，他会把我们撞翻的。”于是我踩下刹车，慢慢停了下来。 摩根斯坦跟在我们后边，四肢在空中挥舞，接着四蹄着地，小跑过来。那群狗在周围打着转，舌头伸得老长，肋腹上下起伏。摩根斯坦身上有一层闪亮的光泽，我知道那是它的汗水。 朱利安用他那慢吞吞的腔调一字一句地对我们说：“真令人惊讶啊！”这时，一只巨大的黑绿色老鹰盘旋着落到他的左肩上。 “是的，没错。”我答道，“你过得如何？” “哦，棒极了，”他说，“一直如此。你自己和兰登老弟怎么样？” 我告诉他：“我很好。”兰登也点点头道：“在这种时候，我还以为你会换一种消遣方式呢。” 朱利安把头一歪，透过挡风玻璃望着他。 “我喜欢屠宰畜生，”他说，“而且我一直很想念我的兄弟们。” 我感到后背有些发凉。 “刚才打猎的时候，我被汽车发动机的声音分了心。”他说，“在这种时候，我没料到里边竟然是你们二位。我猜你们不只是开车兜风而已，你们的目的地是安珀，没错吧？” “没错。”我承认，“能否请教一下，为什么你会在这儿，而不是待在那儿呢？” “艾里克派我来监视这条路。”他说话的时候，我暗暗把手放在腰间的手枪上。子弹恐怕没法穿透那层盔甲，不过可以考虑朝摩根斯坦开火。 “那么，我的兄弟们，”他微笑着说，“欢迎你们回来，祝你们一路顺风。过不了多久，咱们肯定还会在安珀见面的。再见。”说完，他转身走进了树林。 “赶快离开这个鬼地方。”兰登道，“他要么是想去设个埋伏，要么就是想玩猫捉老鼠的把戏。”说着，他从腰带下取出一把手枪，放在大腿上。 我发动汽车，快速前进。 大约五分钟之后，我开始稍稍放下心来，就在这时，身后再次响起了号角声。我一脚踩下油门。虽然无论如何都会被他追上，但我希望尽力争取时间，把距离拉得越远越好。汽车倾斜着滑过一个个拐角，呼啸着冲上小山，穿越平原。有一次我差点儿撞上一头鹿，万幸的是，我在最后关头绕过了它，既没相撞也没降低速度。 号角声近了，兰登低声咒骂起来。 我有一种感觉：要开出森林还早呢。这个想法可真让我高兴不起来。 我们驶过一条长长的直道，差不多一分钟时间里，我们可以毫无顾虑地全速行驶。这一分钟里，朱利安的号角声离得远些了。可随后一段路又是弯弯曲曲的，我只好放慢速度。于是他再次逼近了我们。 过了六分钟左右，他出现在后视镜里，风驰电掣般一路向我们奔来。那群狗也跟在他左右，一边淌着口水，一边吠个不停。 兰登降下车窗。又过了一分钟，他探出头去，开始射击。 “该死的盔甲！”他说，“我肯定射中了两次，结果他屁事没有。” “我真不想杀掉那头畜生。”我说，“不过没办法，试试摩根斯坦。” “已经试过好几次了。”他扔下空枪，又掏出一把来，“要么是我的准头比我想像的还差劲，要么传言是真的：想杀摩根斯坦，你得用一颗银弹。” 这次他射杀了六只狗，但还有大概两打向我们紧追不舍。 我把自己的枪递给他一把，他又打死了五只狗。 “我要把最后一发子弹留给朱利安。”他说，“如果他靠得够近，就射穿他的头！” 对方离我们只有大约五十英尺了，且还在不断逼近之中。我一脚踩下刹车。有些狗没能及时停步，可朱利安突然消失了，一片阴影飘过我们的头顶。 摩根斯坦从车顶一跃而过。 人和马着地以后，转身面对我们。我猛地发动引擎，汽车向前冲去。 摩根斯坦优雅地跳开，躲过汽车。从后视镜上，我发现有两只狗已经把挡泥板撕了个粉碎。有几只狗横在路上，还有十五六只继续向我们追来。 “干得漂亮。”兰登说，“不过幸好它们没朝轮胎下口。这些畜生大概从没狩猎过汽车。” 我把剩下的那把手枪递给他：“再多杀几只狗。” 他仔细瞄准，一枪一个，又干掉了六只。 现在朱利安已经来到车旁，他的右手握着剑。 我按响喇叭，希望让摩根斯坦受惊，没成功。我朝它撞过去，可那匹马轻而易举地闪开了。兰登在座位上蜷低，右手拿枪，用左前臂作支撑，越过我瞄准对方。 “别开枪。”我说，“我准备下车对付他。” “你疯了！”他说。我再次踩下刹车。 兰登还是放下了枪。 车一停，我猛地推开车门跳了出去——而且还光着脚！Damn it! 我屈身闪过一剑，抓住朱利安的胳膊把他拉下马来。他用覆盖着装甲的左手给了我的脑袋一拳，我痛得要命，眼前像点燃了无数焰火筒。 朱利安头晕眼花地躺在落马的地方。我周围全是狗，它们扑上来咬我，兰登则使劲儿踢它们。我一把抓起朱利安掉在地上的剑，用剑尖抵住他的喉咙。 “叫它们后退！”我吼道，“不然把你钉在地上！” 他尖叫着给狗下了命令，它们退开了。这时兰登抓住摩根斯坦的缰绳，跟马较上了劲儿。 “现在，我亲爱的兄弟，你想为自己的行为辩解吗？”我问。 冰冷的蓝色火焰在他眼中燃烧着，他面无表情地说：“想杀我就快动手。” “什么时候杀你得看我高兴。”他完美无瑕的盔甲上沾满了泥，我颇为享受地看着这一幕，“在此期间，我想知道，你的命对你来说有多大价值。” “当然是我的一切，还用说吗？” 我后退几步。 “起来，坐到后座上。”我命令道。 我拿走他的匕首，他上了车。兰登坐到自己的位置上，用还剩一发子弹的手枪对准朱利安的头。 “为什么不杀了他？” “他还有用，”我说，“他能告诉我们很多事情。再说前头路还长呢。” 我发动汽车。那群狗在周围转悠，摩根斯坦则跟在车后慢跑。 “恐怕我对你们不会有多大用处。”朱利安道，“无论你们怎么折磨我，我也只能说出我所知道的事，而我知道的并不多。” “先从你知道的说起好了。”我说。 “现在看来艾里克的位置最有利，”他告诉我们，“因为事情发生的时候他就在安珀。至少我是这么看的，所以我决定站在他这边。如果是你们中的一个处在这个位置，我大概也会做出同样的选择。艾里克派人守住了最主要的通道。我在阿尔丁，杰拉德控制了南边的海路，凯恩则在北部水域。” “本尼迪克特呢？”兰登问。 “不知道，我没听人说起过他的事。也许他和布雷斯在一起。也许他在影子里的什么地方，根本没听说这里的情况。他甚至可能已经死了。我们已经有很多年没有听到他的消息了。” “你在阿尔丁有多少手下？”兰登问。 “一千多，”他说，“有的大概正盯着你们呢。” “要是他们想要你活命，最好看看就算了，别做什么多余的动作。”兰登说。 “你说得没错。”他回答道，“我必须承认，科温很精明，他没有杀了我，而是带我一起走，这么一来，你们也许还有机会走出森林。” “你想活命，当然会这么说。”兰登道。 “我当然想活下去。你们会放过我吗？” "why?" “作为刚才那些情报的报酬。” 兰登大笑起来。 “你给的实在太少了，我敢说还能从你身上榨出不少东西来。一有机会停车，咱们就来试试。走着瞧吧。你说呢，科温？” “走着瞧。”我说，“菲奥娜在哪儿？” “我想是南边什么地方。”朱利安答道。 “迪尔德丽呢？” "have no idea." “莉薇拉？” “在芮玛。” “好吧，”我说，“我猜你已经把自己知道的都告诉我们了。” "certainly." 我们继续向前，好一阵子没再开口。终于，树木变得稀疏起来。摩根斯坦早就不见了，不过朱利安的猎鹰还时不时地一闪而过。眼前是一个上坡，我们正朝两座紫色山峰的中间地带前进。油量只有四分之一多一点了。不到一个小时，道路两侧就全变成了高耸的岩石。 “设路障的好地方。”兰登道。 “看起来是这么回事。”我说，“你怎么说，朱利安？” He sighed. “没错。”他说，“前面不远就有一个。你们知道怎么通过。” we know.我们来到一道路卡前，一个身穿棕绿色皮甲的守卫拔出剑走了过来。我弯弯手指，让他往后座看。 “瞧见了？” 他看了，而且还认出了我们。 他赶紧跑过去打开路卡，还在汽车经过时朝我们敬礼。 我们又通过了两道路障。不知什么时候，猎鹰飞走了。现在的海拔已经有好几千英尺。前头是一个悬崖的坡面，我在上坡之前把车停了下来。我们的右手边是深不见底的峭壁。 “下车，”我说，“你需要散散步。” 朱利安脸色发白。 “我不会求你的。”他说，“我绝不会为了活命而趴在地上求你。”说着，他下了车。 “该死，”我说，“我已经好几个星期没享受过有人趴在脚下的滋味了！嗯……去那儿站到崖边。请再靠边点儿。”兰登的手枪一直指着他的头。“刚才，”我说，“你说不管谁处在艾里克的位置上，你都会为这个人效力。” "That's right." “往下看。” 他看了。这儿离崖底真的很远。 “好吧。”我说，“情况也许会突然发生变化，到时候别忘了你自己说过的话。还有，别忘了，换了别人，你很可能已经死了。记住在这种时候是谁放了你一马。来吧，兰登。咱们走。” 我们扔下他，继续前进。朱利安呼吸沉重，眉头紧锁在一起。 我们驶上崖顶。汽油快没了，我扳到空挡，熄了引擎，开始靠惯性下滑。 “我一直在想，”兰登说，“你还像过去那么精明。换了我，大概会为刚才的事杀了他。但我想你是对的。如果我们能占到上风，他很可能会转到我们这边来。当然，在这之前他还是会把刚才的事报告给艾里克的。” "certainly." “而且你比我们任何人都更有理由杀掉他。” 我微微一笑。 “政治、法律和交易里都不该掺杂个人感情。” 兰登点燃两根烟，把其中一根递给我。 透过烟雾，我看见了大海的一角。金色的太阳还高悬着，天空却呈现出夜晚才有的深蓝色。在这样的天空下，海面像丝绸一般光滑，颜色深厚而饱满，优雅的宝蓝色海水几乎接近紫色。看着它，我的心情久久难以平静。我开口吟唱起来，用的是一门我从没意识到自己懂得的语言。那是《渡水者之歌》。兰登一直听到结束，才问道：“很多人都说这是你写的，是真的吗？” “太久了，”我告诉他，“我记不清了。” 悬崖越来越朝左面弯曲，我们朝下驶过它，往一个长满树木的山谷前进。大海越来越多地进入了我们的视线。 “卡巴灯塔。”兰登指指一座巨大的高塔。那个灰色的大家伙矗立在海中，离海岸有好几英里。“我差点儿把它给忘了。” “我也是，”我答道，“回到这儿来的感觉真奇怪。”这时我才发现，我们说的不是英语，而是萨理语。 大约半小时后，我们到了谷底。我一直等到再也滑不动了，才重新发动引擎。左边的灌木丛里，一大群深色羽毛的鸟儿被引擎声惊得飞上天去。一头长得像狼的灰色动物从藏身之处跑出来，猛地冲进旁边的树丛里。原来它正在窥视一只小鹿，听到动静，小鹿也跳开了。这个山谷虽然并不像阿尔丁森林那样长满高大的树木，但也郁郁葱葱，十分清秀。山谷形成一道持续的缓坡，一直通向远处的大海。 左边的山峰不断向上攀升。我们在山谷里一路向前，眼前越来越开阔。刚才我们滑行下来的那道斜坡不过是一系列高耸入云的大山的一部分。离海越近，山就越高大，它们仿佛身披五彩的斗篷，绿色、紫红色、淡紫色、金色和靛青色不断变换。从山谷里看不见它们朝海的一面。最远的也是最高的那座山的顶峰盘旋着几片淡淡的白云，时不时还被太阳镀上一丝金色。那个最高点就是我们的目的地。据我推测，我们离那儿还有大约三十五英里，可汽油已经快没了。我感到一股渴望之情油然而生。兰登也盯着同一个方向。 “它还在那儿。”我说。 “我都快忘了……”兰登答道。 换挡的时候，我发现裤子竟发出淡淡的光彩，越接近脚踝处变得越窄，裤子的翻边也消失了。接着，我的眼光被衬衣吸引住了。 它现在更像件外套，黑色的面料上，带着银色镶边；腰带也变宽了很多。 凑近一看，我发现外侧的裤缝上还有道银线。 “我发现我已经打扮停当了。”我想看看兰登听了这话会有什么反应。 兰登咯咯地笑了，我这才看见他的裤子不知何时变成了棕色，上头还有红色镶条，衬衣也成了橙色和棕色。一顶带黄边的棕色帽子放在座椅上。 “我正想你什么时候才会发现呢。”他说，“感觉如何？” “很不错。”我告诉他，“顺便告诉你，我们快没油了。” “太晚了，已经没什么办法好想了。”他说，“我们已经进入了实界，在这儿摆弄影子费劲得要命，而且肯定会被发觉。恐怕待会儿只好步行了。” 剩下的汽油坚持了两英里半，我把车滑到路边停下。地上的影子拉得长长的，太阳开始挥手告别了。 我伸手去拿放在后座上的鞋，它们已经变成了黑色的靴子。我一摸，听到后座上还有别的什么东西咔哒作响。 是一把带剑鞘的银剑，重量刚刚好，剑鞘挂在腰带上非常合适。还有我的黑色斗篷，连领口边银制的玫瑰形扣子也没少。 “你是不是以为自己永远失去它们了？”兰登问。 "almost." 我们下车开始步行。夜晚的空气非常凉爽，有种生机勃勃的味道。东边的天空中已经出现了几点繁星，太阳则正准备上床睡觉。 我们一路跋涉，过了一会儿，兰登说：“我觉得不对劲儿。” "What's the meaning?" “这一路走得太容易了，”他说，“我可不喜欢这样。在阿尔丁森林之前，我们根本没碰上什么麻烦。没错，在阿尔丁，朱利安想收拾咱们。但我觉得……我们轻而易举地走了这么远，我简直怀疑这是有人故意安排的。” “我也这么想过。”我撒了个谎，“你觉得这意味着什么？” “我有点儿担心，”他说，“没准咱们正一步步朝人家设好的陷阱里钻呢。” 我们沉默了几分钟。 然后我问：“是埋伏吗？树林太安静了。” "I have no idea." 我们又走了两英里，太阳已经完全消失在地平线以下。夜空一片漆黑，上边布满了明亮的星星。 “我们这种身份的人真不该这么步行。”兰登说。 "That's right." “可我又不敢把我们的马唤来。” "me too." “你怎么评估现在的情况？”兰登问。 “死亡与毁灭，”我说，“我感到它们正在逼近。” “你觉得我们该离开大路吗？” “我也这么想来着。”我又撒了个谎，“依我看，往旁边走一点儿不会有什么害处。” 于是我们离开了大路。 我们在大树间穿行，走过岩石和灌木投下的阴影。银色的大月亮慢慢升起，照亮了夜空。 “我有种感觉，我们不会成功。”兰登告诉我。 “我们有什么理由相信这种感觉呢？”我问。 “理由很多。” "for example?" “我们走得太远太快，”他回答道，“我一点儿也不喜欢这样。现在我们已经进入实界，来不及回头了——没法利用影子，只能靠自己手中的兵刃。”他身上也别着刀，一把泛着金属光泽的短刀，“我觉得也许是艾里克把咱们引到这儿来的。现在我们毫无办法。但愿是我想错了，真希望从这儿开始，每前进一步都会遇到重重阻碍。” 我们又走了一英里，然后停下来抽根烟，还用手遮住烟头发出的火光。 “美好的夜晚。”我对着兰登和清凉的晚风说。 “嗯……那是什么？” 我们身后不远处的灌木丛里发出微弱的沙沙声。 “也许是什么动物。” 他拔刀在手。我们静静地等了几分钟，但再没听到任何声音。于是他收刀入鞘，我们又上路了。 身后再没有传来什么声音。过了一会儿，我听到前面有动静。 我瞥了兰登一眼，他朝我点了点头，我们更加小心翼翼地往前走去。 远远望见柔和的火光，似