Chapter 34 Chapter 29 The Last Knot

Perrin stood on the side of the ridge, near the edge of the thick fog, and surveyed the camp and fortress below.From his feet to the ground in the distance was a steep slope two hundred paces wide, on which some low bushes were scattered.From the foot of the mountain to the Shadu people's camp, there is an open area about 700 steps wide, and then the area within a mile below the city is full of tents of various forms. Now it seems that there is only a short distance between him and him.He hadn't used a telescope, and a glimmer of sunlight bouncing off the mirrors had the potential to ruin the whole project.Tendrils of gray mist spread around him, but they didn't really shake with the mountain wind, and even Perrin's cloak fluttered in the wind.The mist on the distant ridge had already covered the wind mill there, and if you looked closely, the fog was also motionless.How long before those in the tent noticed this vision?But Palin can't do anything about it.This kind of fog is like ordinary fog, a little damp and a little cool, but Nield has fixed them in order to complete other tasks.Even the sun at noon couldn't drive them away, at least that's what the martyr said, and by noon, everything would be over.Perrin could only hope that Neild was right.The sky was clear and cloudless, with the warmth of early spring in the air.

Not many people from Shadu came out of the tents now, but thousands of people in white robes were busy around.Perrin wanted to find Faile, his eyes hurt from staring, and his heart was always aching, but trying to find Faile in white robes among so many people in white robes was undoubtedly like trying to find Faile. Find a grain of rice in a bag of rice.His eyes turned to the city gates, and the two gates were as open as they had been every time he looked there before, as if beckoning to him.Faile and her companions would soon know to go through the gate, into the northernmost keep of the city.If the Maidens were right in scouting the gai, she might be doing the chores, but she'd be able to sneak into the castle somehow, and she and her friends, and maybe that Elles, Whatever the Aes Sedai's plans were for the Shaido, she certainly didn't want to stay on the battlefield.It would certainly be better for them if there was one more Aes Sedai in the castle.In the light of the day, may they not be attacked by the Shaido.

Perrin had carefully considered every accident that could lead to disaster. In any case, this could not be a blacksmith's riddle lock, it could not only move in a predetermined way, and it could be unlocked as long as the correct method was used.There are countless ways for people to act, sometimes completely beyond your expectations. Can his plan fully cope with the Shaido's actions?it should be OK.Now he can only hope that no unexpected disaster happens.After taking one last long look at the city gate, he turned around and walked up the ridge. Not even Perrin could see beyond ten paces in the thick fog, but he soon found Danny Reuven in the woods at the top of the ridge.Danny was almost skinny, with a long nose and a bushy beard in the Tarabonne style, and one glanced at him, and you knew it was him immediately, even if you couldn't make out the face.The other Two Rivers people were just shadows, getting more and more blurred the farther away they were from Perrin. Most of them squatted or sat, taking the last moment to rest.Jory Conga was urging the others to play a game of dice with him, but his voice was low enough that Perrin ignored him, and no one said yes.Qiao Rui always has extraordinary luck when playing dice.

Danny bent one knee toward Perrin and whispered, "My lord." This man had been with Faile's people for too long, and he still called this "polish", and he was not copper. "Make sure no one does any wool-headed folly, Danny, if the people down there have sharp eyes, maybe they'll spot what's going on in the fog and send someone to investigate." Danny covered his mouth with his hand and coughed twice cautiously.Light, he has become almost like those Cairhien and Tyrians. "As you order, my lord, I will see to it that all remain where they are."

"My lord?" Balvor's dry voice came from the mist, "You are here, my lord." The little old man walked over, followed by two figures, one of whom was barely taller than him.As soon as he raised his hand, the two people behind stopped, and he walked up to Perrin alone. "Mahima is down the hill, my lord." He clasped his hands and whispered, "I think it would be best to keep Hywel and Nelion out of his sight in this case, and I don't think he's done anything to them." Suspicion arose, because anyone he suspected would die at his hands, but it was best not to let Mashima think of them now."

Perrin gritted his teeth. Mahima should show up on the Eastern Ridge with what he called an army. He needed those men to carry out his plans.The men and the few women seemed quite disturbed as they passed through the passage opened by the two martyrs.Mashima has never been clear about the exact number of subordinates, and Perrin only counted them last night.There were twenty thousand men in all, of whom only a few wore helmets, and still fewer had breastplates, but all held swords, spears, axes, lances, or crossbows, including the women, And the women under Mahima were even more violent than the men.Most of the time, these people did nothing more than scare people into swearing to follow the Dragon Reborn—colors swirled in Perrin's mind and were shattered by his rage.Most of the time these thugs would kill people who wouldn't swear, today they're going to do something more meaningful. "Hywell and Nelion should indeed stay farther away from those in Mashima."

"Of course, my lord, but according to my judgment, it is safe for them to continue their mission there, and they are eager to continue their mission." Balvor tilted his head, like a curious sparrow perched on a branch. "The two of them have not been corrupted. You need not worry about that, my lord. There is always a certain risk in sending someone on such a mission. But I have a pretty keen nose for such signs." "Take them with you, Balvor." If he was lucky, Mashima would not have many troops to watch after today, and he might not even have to worry about Mashima any more.

Perrin scrambled down the bushy slope on the other side of the ridge, where Maine and Heidan Lancers were waiting in the fog, lances strapped to their shoulders or poked into the ground, Wing Guards painted The red-lacquered helm and breastplate might not have been easy to spot on the crest of the ridge, but the polished Heidan breastplate was a different story, and both Galen and Arganda were eager to charge, both of them in the Together, this emotion was sure to intensify further, so Palin just let them wait here.The dense fog stretched far away. Neald said that he did it on purpose, but there was still a trace of surprise and joy in his smell, and because of this, until Perrin walked to the foot of the mountain, his It was still foggy.Here, the high-wheeled carts with hitched horses were lined up, and the shadowy figure of the Cairhienian coachman paced around them, inspecting the carts and horses, and fastening the ropes that held the canvas awnings in place one by one.

Mahema was waiting for him, and Perrin just wanted to bite the guy's neck off now, but he saw the squat figure of Bethe Gill beside a cart, and headed for it.Lini was there too, in a dark brown cloak.Breen put one arm around Langwi's waist—the hulking hotel thug who was now Palin's valet.Maester Gill took off his wide-brimmed hat, revealing a shiny crown, the few gray hairs that remained were carefully combed and tried in vain to hide it.Lini snorted, pretending to adjust her hood, deliberately not to look at Perrin, her body smelled of anger and fear, while Master Jill had nothing but fear.

"It's time for you to head north, Master Jill," Perrin said. "After entering the mountain, you must continue to follow the mountain road until you reach the Jehanna Road. If you are lucky, we will catch up with you before you reach the mountain. Luck If it's not good, send Alliandre's servants to Jahana, and then you go east through the pass and then north. We'll try to catch you." Hopefully his plans won't change much.Light, he's just a blacksmith, not a soldier, but even Teri had to agree it was an excellent plan. "I won't leave here until I know that Mai Ding is out of danger." Lini said in the mist, her old voice was like an iron flute being blown, "Of course, there is also His Royal Highness Fei'er."

Master Jill wiped the top of his head with the back of his hand: "My lord, Langway and I think that maybe we can contribute. His Royal Highness Fei'er has done a lot for us, and Mai Ding...Mai Ding is one of us. I know how to use a sword, and so does Langwi." He clenched his belly with a belt, but if he had ever picked up a sword in the past twenty years, Perrin would have worn it Belt to eat.Bryn was holding on to Langway tightly, but the big man patted her on the shoulder while pressing his other hand on the hilt of the dagger at his waist. The mist covered his scarred face and muscular muscles. arm. He's a tavern beater, and pretty good at it, but he's not a swordsman. "You are my Shabayan, Master Jill," Perrin said firmly. "It is your duty to lead all the coachmen, grooms, and servants to safety. This is your duty and that of Langwi. Now, go on. Your task." The dumpy innkeeper nodded reluctantly.Seeing that Langwi touched his forehead with his knuckles, indicating that he accepted Perrin's order, Breen let out a slight breath.Perrin felt that Langway couldn't hear her panting, but Langway still held Brin in his arms and comforted her in a low voice. Lini would not be so obedient, she straightened her back like a flagpole, and said in the mist: "I will not leave this place until I know..." Perrin slapped his palms together heavily, startling Lini: "If you stay here, you will only get sick from the cold. If the Shadu people kill you, you will have to die. I will save Fei I will rescue Mai Ding and the others." He would, otherwise he would have died here, but he didn't have to mention such a thing, he had to convince them that he would rescue May Ding and everyone else. "You have to go north, Lini. If you have something to do, Mayfair will not spare me. Master Jill, you must make sure that Lini is with you, even if you have to tie her up and put her on the cart." Master Jill shuddered and crumpled the hat in his hands.All of a sudden, he smelled of wariness, Lini's of pure anger, and Langwi's of interest, and he rubbed his nose as if to hide his smile.Oddly enough, Breen was also quite resentful.Perrin had never understood women, even about the woman who became his wife, he was ignorant half the time, and it was normal for him to know nothing about other women. In the end, Lini finally sat down beside the driver of a large cart, and when Master Jill wanted to help her into the cart, she slapped his hand away hard.The caravan in the mist began to drive north, a cart with the tents and belongings of the wise men in the back, and a pair of gaiters in white robes walked beside it; His gaze seemed extremely soft.They were Shaido, captured in Cairhien, and in a few months they would throw off their white robes and return to their tribe.Perrin had been keeping watch over them carefully, and though the Shaido had abandoned countless Aiel traditions, the Wise Ones still believed they would uphold righteousness, and it turned out that the Wise Men were right.None of the seventeen gaibu tried to escape, to warn Shaido Aiel of the force hiding behind the ridge.The axles of these carts were oiled, but Perrin could clearly hear them grinding.With luck, he and Mayfair could indeed catch up with them before entering the mountains. While the grooms were leading the extra horses past Perrin, a Maiden of the Spear came out from the thick fog. Gradually, Perrin saw clearly that it was Su Lin.A scabbard was wrapped around her neck, from which her short white hair peeked out. A black veil hung on her chest, and a gash appeared on her left cheek. With treatment, a scar would soon add to her face.However, the Maidens have always had a weird attitude towards those Wise Apprentices, maybe it's just because they are Aes Sedai, and the Maidens even regard Anola as a Wise Apprentice, even though she is not actually no. "The Shaido sentinels to the north are dead, Perrin Albaia," she said. "And those who came to replace them are dead. They dance well as Shaido." "Are you injured?" Perrin asked in a low voice. "Elinda and Brianne have woken up from their dreams," she said, as if talking about the weather rather than the deaths of the two companions. "We all wake up eventually. For the last two miles we Avelyn must be carried on her back, she needs medical treatment." This is the attitude of the Maidens to the casualties. "I'll send you an Aes Sedai," Perrin said, scanning his surroundings through the mist.But he couldn't see anything except the cavalry passing by. "As soon as I find them, let them find you." As Perrin spoke, the Aes Sedai found him, and Anola and Masuri came striding out of the mist with their horses, Berelain and Mahema.The top of Mahema's shaved head was shiny with condensation, and even in the fog Perrin recognized him instantly by his tattered brown tunic and shoulder patches.The gold his followers plundered never lingered long in his hands, and he gave it to the poor, which was Mahima's only good.But in reality, many of the poor who depended on his gold for food became poor precisely because Mahima's followers stole their property and burned their shops or farms.For some reason, Berelain wore the crown of the Lord of Maine, and the golden eagle flew between her brows, but her riding skirt and tunic were just a plain dark gray.On her, there was patience and anxiety in the light scent of floral perfume, the strangest combination Palin had ever smelled.The six wise men were with them, with dark brown shawls hanging from their arms, and long folded handkerchiefs tied on top of their heads, and their long hair pulled back, and they all wore many gold and ivory cloaks. Necklaces and bracelets make Berelain's dress look more unpretentious.There is also Yalan in this team. He is wearing a red striped coat and a long sword with a wolf's head hilted by a belt. He stands behind his shoulders. The mist can't hide the fierce light in his eyes. Attractive, as if bathed in the radiance emitted by Mashima all the time.Perrin hesitated whether he should order Alan to go first with the convoy, but even if he gave such an order, Aram would sneak back. He told the Aes Sedai that Avelyn needed their treatment, and just as Masuri said she would go, Idara raised a hand to stop the slender Brown Sect.Anola moved her body uneasily. She was not an apprentice of the Wise Men, but the relationship between Suned and Masuri and the Wise Men made her deeply disturbed.The wise men have been treating her as an apprentice, and sometimes she has to give in temporarily. "Jenina will go to the therapy," said Idala. "She has better skills than you, Masuri Sokowa." Masuri pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.The Wise Ones did not spare their whips if an apprentice spoke inappropriately, even if that apprentice was an Aes Sedai.Sulin, with light-blond haired Janina, disappeared into the mist, and the wise man walked as fast as Sulin, even though he was wearing a long, wide skirt.In Perrin's memory, the wise man's pale blonde hair was never messy.So the wise men have learned to heal?This power will be very useful today, in the light of day, just hope it doesn't get used too much. Watching those two people disappear into the gray mist, Mashima snorted heavily. The dense fog slightly covered his burning pupils in the deep eye sockets, as well as the triangular white scar on his cheek. , but his smell still filled Perrin's nostrils: hard, sharp, like a freshly honed razor, and twisting wildly at the same time, sometimes, that crazy smell made him wonder if his nose was Not bleeding. "It's bad that you let those blasphemous women wield powers that only Dragon Reborn—bless his name—only he can touch," Mashima said, his voice filled with the same gleam in his eyes. fire. The swirling colors in Perrin's mind coalesced into images of Rand, Min, and a tall man in black who must have been a Martyr.And a chill spread from the top of Palin's head to the bottom of his feet, and Rand lost his left hand!It didn't matter, what had happened was beyond redemption, and today he had other things to care about. "...and if they have mastered the means of healing." Mashima was still talking, "then it will be even more difficult to kill those barbarians. Unfortunately, you can't get Seanchan to put them all in shackles .” Mahima glanced at Anola and Masuri, explaining that they were also in his considerations who should be handcuffed.And as far as Perrin knew, both Aes Sedai had secretly visited Mashima more than once, and now they were just looking at her in the mask of Aes Sedai's calm.But Masuri's slender fingers kept moving gently, as if she was smoothing her brown skirt. She said that she had changed her mind and believed that this man must be killed, but why did she go to see him again?Why did Anola also go?Why did Mashima agree to have a secret talk with them?He hated Aes Sedai terribly.Maybe Hywell and Nelion could help him find out. Behind Mashima, the wise men were all very excited.The fiery-haired Kerile kept stroking the dagger at her waist, which she had never done before.Nynaeve was well qualified to teach Nynaeve how to be angry, and now she had her dagger firmly in hand.Mashima must have felt the gazes on his back, but there was no movement in his breath, a madman perhaps, but no coward. "My lord Prophet, it seems that you really want to have a good talk with Lord Perrin." Berelain said gently, but Perrin could indeed smell a smile suppressed by her. Mashima stared at her. "I'm just the prophet who reincarnated the real dragon, not the lord. The real dragon is the only God. His arrival shattered all constraints and destroyed all titles. No matter the king or queen, lord or female lord, they are all just dust under his feet mud." The swirls of color rose again, and Perrin immediately suppressed them. "What are you doing here?" he asked.Talking to Mahima can only be hard, this person is like a hard file. "You should command your people. Whether you come or go, you may encounter danger. Without your command, I suspect that your people may not be able to last for five minutes. They need you to be their backbone. Otherwise, as soon as they see the Shaido, they will run away immediately." "They're not mine, Albaya, they're Dragon Reborn's." Light, talking to Mashima meant Perrin had to press down on those swirls of color every few minutes! "I left Niangar to command them. He's fought more battles than you can imagine, and he's fought barbarians. I also gave the women orders to kill any man who tried to escape. And They all know that even if they escaped the women's torture knife, they will not escape my grasp in the end. They will persist until the end, Albaia." "It sounds like you're not going back," Palin said. "I intend to stay with you." The mist might have obscured the fire in Mashima's eyes, but Perrin could feel them clearly, "It would be a pity if something happened to you when you were about to save your wife. " It seemed that a small part of the plan had been derailed, or rather, one of his hopes had been dashed.If the rest of the plan goes well, the fleeing Shaido will create a gap in Mahema's forces, at best the speed of escape will be slowed down, but Mahema will not be stabbed by Shaido's spear Instead of wearing his chest, he would... stare at him all the time.There is no doubt that this person's bodyguards are not far away in the gray mist. They are two hundred villains, with better equipment and mounts than the rest of his subordinates.Perrin didn't look at Berelain, but worry was clearly growing in her breath.Mahema had every reason to kill the two of them. Perrin decided to remind Galen that his special task today was to protect Berelain and alert Mahema's people, and he must always watch his back. In the mist, a silver-blue beam of light flashed past.Perrin frowned. It was too early for Grady to act.Two figures came out from the fog, and one of them was Nield. This time, he didn't take a swaying step. In fact, his steps seemed rather staggering, and his face was full of exhaustion.Let the light burn him, why is he wasting power like this?The other was a young Seanchan wearing a painted breastplate and a grotesque helmet tucked under his arm with a long, thin feather.Perrin recognized him—Gayer Araba, a lieutenant whom Teri valued.The two Aes Sedai pulled up their skirts at the same time, clearly wary of the Seanchan, but the Seanchan lieutenant did not approach them at all.When he saw the faces of the two Aes Sedai, he staggered immediately.Perrin heard him swallow heavily, and a sudden timid smell emanated from him. Alaba bowed to Perrin and Berelain, then frowned at Mahema, as if wondering why such a ragged fellow was here.Mashima snorted.The Seanchan moved his hand toward the hilt of his sword.They seemed to dislike each other, but Alaba wasted no time. "My lord, Your Majesty the Lord of Maine, the Kergan Banner will greet you. The Knights of Raken reported that the Aiel team moved faster than expected. Today, at noon at the earliest, they will Hurry here. The Aiel army in the west has about 25,000 to 30,000 people, and the army in the east is one-third larger. Half of them are wearing white robes. Of course, there are also children among them. , but their armed forces are still quite large. The Banner General would like to know if you are willing to re-discuss the deployment of troops, and she proposes to allocate thousands of Atla Lancers to your subordinates." Palin's face sank, and there would be at least six to eight thousand Jakardeswi in those two troops, which was a huge threat behind him.Nild yawned, and Perrin asked, "Nild, how do you feel?" "Oh, I'm ready for everything, my lord." The man's voice still carried his usual cheerfulness. Perrin shook his head. The martyr could no longer cast divine walk unless he had to, and now he could only hope that the two martyrs would not fall soon. "By noon, the operation has ended. Tell the flag general that we will act according to the original plan." He also prayed that no accidents would happen, but he did not say the last sentence. In the fog in the distance, wolves howled, and mournful howls could be heard from all around Maiden City.Now, the action really begins. "You did a great job, Mai Ding." Faile said in a hoarse voice, she felt a little top-heavy, because she kept encouraging Mai Ding, her throat was as dry as sand.Everyone's throats are now parched.Judging by the sunlight penetrating into the basement, it was already halfway through the morning.Up to now, they have been talking non-stop.They once opened unbroken wine barrels, but the wine in the barrels was so bad that it couldn't even be used to moisten their lips.Now, they are still encouraging Mai Ding in turn.Faile sat beside her sun-haired maid, and the others sat against the walls, keeping as far away from the crumbling beams as possible. "You can save us, Mai Ding." Above their heads, the red scarf can be seen vaguely through the gap in the ceiling. It has been hanging loose for a while now, but it is only occasionally blown by the breeze.Mai Ding was still staring at it steadfastly, with mud grooves drawn on his face by sweat, breathing heavily as if he had just run a long distance.Suddenly, the red scarf was pulled taut again and began to swing, once, twice, three times, and then it trembled in the breeze and fell down.Mai Ding just continued to stare at it. "Nice job," Faile said hoarsely.Mai Ding must have been very tired, now the red scarf will relax longer after each swing, and the swing time is getting shorter and shorter. "this is……" Suddenly, a face appeared next to the red scarf, and another hand grabbed it.For a moment, Mayfair felt that this must be her own imagination, that it was Ellawin wearing a white hood. "I saw her!" Elawan said excitedly, "I saw His Royal Highness Fei'er and Mai Ding! They are still alive!" Then there was a burst of cheers, but soon calmed down again. Mai Ding shook for a while, as if she was about to fall over, but a beautiful smile appeared on her face.Mayfair heard crying from behind, and she was so happy that she wanted to cry.Those who found them were friends, not Shadu people, and they still had the possibility of escaping. She stood up and got closer to the pile of burnt wood and rubble, trying desperately to gather some saliva to moisten her lips, but her mouth was too dry. "We are all alive," she cried in a hoarse voice. "By the light, how did you find us?" "It's Seril, Your Highness." Elawan replied, "That kid has been following you in disregard of your orders. Light blesses him. He saw Galina leaving and the collapse of the house. He I thought you were dead, so I just sat here and cried." A voice with an Amadisian accent rang out immediately.Ella turned her head. "I know people are crying, boy, but luckily you haven't been crying for that long. Your Highness, as soon as he saw the red scarf swinging, he ran to find reinforcements." "Tell him there's no shame in crying," Faile said. "Tell him I've seen my husband cry when he should." "Your Highness." Ellavan said in a hesitant tone, "He said that Galina pulled down a pillar after she came out. He also said that the whole house seemed to be supported by that pillar, he said It was Galina who brought the house down." "Why did she do that?" asked Alliandre.She helped Mai Ding stand up, and supported her to walk to Mayfair.Laciel and Ariela also came over, both crying and laughing, while Alliandre's face seemed to gather a thundercloud. Mayfair's complexion turned livid.How many times in the last few hours had she wished she hadn't slapped Galina?Galina promised her, would that person be Heizong? "Now is not the time to care about this matter. I will naturally settle accounts with her in the future." How to settle accounts is also a matter for the future, after all, Galina is an Aes Sedai. "Elawan, how many people have you brought? Can you..." A pair of large hands grabbed Elawan's shoulders and moved her aside. "Enough talking." Lu Lan's face appeared in the gap in the ceiling, with a hair scarf around his neck, and a black veil hanging on his chest.Lulan! "We can't do anything with you standing here, Faile Bashere, these things could fall any moment. Go down in the cellar and sit down against the wall." "Why are you here?" Mayfair asked. Lu Lan chuckled.He actually laughed! "You're still in your white robe, woman. Do as I say, or I'll give you a hard spank when I get you out; and then maybe we'll stop it with a game of kissing your tears." She showed her teeth to Lu Lan, hoping that guy would take this as her smile.But what Lu Lan said was right, they should indeed retreat to the back, so she led her companions over the broken stone boards scattered on the ground, until they walked to the deepest part of the cellar, where they curled up in the corner.She could hear conversations above, probably discussing how to clear a passage without the house collapsing again. "It's useless." Alliandre said bitterly. "How many Shaido do you think are on it?" There was a loud crash of wooden beams, and the pile of rubble tilted a little further into the cellar with a terrible creaking sound.Voices sounded from above again. "I don't know," Faile said, "but they must all be Miradines, not Shaido." The Shaido did not really accept the Brotherless. "Maybe there is still hope." As long as he knows about Delion, Lu Lan will definitely let her go, of course he will.If he insisted... if so, she would try to convince him by all means necessary, and Perrin would never know. They heard the sound of wood rubbing against each other again, and the charred wood and debris tipped back into the cellar again. Thick fog obscured the sun, but Perrin reckoned it was nearing the middle of the morning.Grady will be here soon, in fact, he should be here already.If that person is too tired to open the passage again... No, Grady will come, soon.Perrin felt as if his shoulders were tense as if he had been working at the forge all day, maybe longer. "Tell you, I don't like this at all," Galen muttered.In the thick fog, his red eyepatch was only a shadow, and the tall and strong bay red horse under his crotch nuzzled him, anxiously wanting to move.He casually patted his mount's neck. "If Mashima really wants to kill my master, I suggest killing him now. We have far more people than him. In a few minutes, we can surround him and his bodyguards." "Stupid." Yaganda growled, and glanced to the right, as if he could see Mashima and his men through wisps of gray fog.Unlike the Maine, he had already donned a silver helmet decorated with three short white feathers, and this helmet and his gold and silver inlaid breastplate gleamed in the sun, and whether there was fog or not, his armor was always beautiful. It is so brilliant and dazzling. "Do you think we can kill two hundred people quietly? The shouts will go all the way to the other side of the ridge. You can surround your master with nine hundred cavalry and send her away at any time, and Alliandre is still there." In a damned city, surrounded by Shaido." Galen moved his hand to the hilt of his sword, as if to try his hand at Yaganda before killing Mashima. "We're only killing Shaido today," Perrin said firmly.Galen snorted, but didn't argue any further, his body was full of resentment.Protecting Berelain would indeed keep the Wings out of the fight. On the left, a beam of light appeared. Although the light was not very dazzling because of the thick fog, Perrin's tense shoulders relaxed.Grady came out of the mist, and when he saw Perrin, he quickened his pace, but he was still shaking.Beside him was another man, leading a tall black steed, and for the first time in a long time, Perrin smiled. "It's good to see you, Tam." "Nice to meet you too, Your Highness." Tam Arthur still looked so strong, even if he worked from sunrise to sunset, he would not feel tired at all, but compared to the last time Perrin saw him , his hair has completely turned gray, and there are a few wrinkles on his angular face.He glanced at Yaganda and Galen, but the gorgeous armor of these two generals obviously did not affect him in any way. "All right, Grady?" Palin asked. "No problem, my lord." The weathered man was deeply tired from his bones. In the mist, his face looked older than Tam. "Since you're here, go to Mishma's. I hope someone will keep an eye on him and make him nervous so that he doesn't have to think about changing what they've agreed to." He wanted Grady to fix the channel , so that he can have a fast channel to send Mayfair directly to the Two Rivers people.But if the situation changes today, it will also become a shortcut for the Shaido to launch a surprise attack. "Don't know if I can make a cat nervous now, my lord, but I'll try." 谭姆皱起眉，看着格莱迪消失在灰雾之中。“真希望我能有别的办法赶到这里，不久之前，曾经有像他这样的人去过两河，其中一个自称为马瑞姆·泰姆，我们都听过这个名字——一个伪龙，只是现在他穿上了一身有着怪异绣花的黑衣服，还自称为米海峨。他们到处宣扬什么传授男人导引的能力，拉拢人们去他们的黑塔。”提到“黑塔”的时候，他的声音中充满怒意。“村议会和妇议团都想要阻止他们的行径，但他们最后还是带走了四十个男人和男孩。感谢光明，懂得道理的人还是多数，否则我怀疑他们带走的人会多上十倍也不止。”他的视线转向佩林。“泰姆说，是兰德派他去的，他说兰德是转生真龙。”他的声音中带着一丝疑问，也许是希望佩林给他一个否定的答案，也许是想要知道，为什么佩林一直对此保持缄默。 无数色彩在佩林的脑海中盘旋，他将那些色彩赶走，没有回答谭姆的疑问。发生的事情，就已经发生了。“这与现在的事情无关，谭姆。”根据格莱迪和尼尔德的说法，黑塔是不会轻易放任何人离开的。 谭姆的气息中流露出哀伤，但他没有让这种情绪表现在自己的脸上，他知道能够导引的男人将有怎样的命运。格莱迪和尼尔德宣称真源男性的一半已经被净化了，佩林想不出这样的事情怎么可能发生，但这依旧不是他今天要关心的问题，他有自己的任务要完成，有自己的路要走，事实就是如此。抱怨脚底的水泡或者刺脚的石子都是没有意义的。 佩林继续说道：“这两位是贝坦·加仑恩，翼卫队指挥官；格拉德·亚甘达，加林之墙军团大将。”亚甘达不高兴地耸耸肩。这个头衔在海丹有着特殊的政治意义，很显然，雅莲德并不认为自己有足够的实力，能够公然宣布她已经重建了加林之墙军团。不过巴尔沃很擅长嗅到别人的秘密，他告诉佩林，这个头衔能够阻止亚甘达轻举妄动，贸然去营救他的女王。“加仑恩、亚甘达，这位是谭姆·亚瑟，我的大将。谭姆，你是否已经研究过地图和我的计划？” “我研究过了，大人。”谭姆淡然说道，“我认为那是个很好的计划，但还需要实践检验。” 亚甘达将脚尖踏进花斑马的马镫里。“大人，既然他是你的大将，我对他的话没有异议。”之前他曾经向佩林提出过不少异议，他和加仑恩都曾经很不喜欢佩林委派另一个人指挥他们。 在山坡顶上，传来黑翼模仿雀鸟的尖啼声，只有一声，所以这不可能是真正的鸟叫声。 佩林以最快的速度登上山坡，骑在马背上的亚甘达和加仑恩超过了他，他们分别朝自己的队伍驰去，消失在灰雾里。佩林继续向山脊上攀登。丹尼站在雾气的边缘，正在端详下方的沙度营地，他向佩林指明了发出警报的原因，不过佩林已经看清了——一队雅加德斯威正离开营地，大约有四百人或者更多，沙度人经常会派出搜掠部队，但这支队伍径直向佩林而来。他们还只是在走路，不过很快就会到达山脊了。 “该让他们看到我们了，丹尼。”佩林说着，解开斗篷，将它挂在一株矮灌木上，以后他会回来取它，如果那时他还活着。现在，斗篷只会碍他的事。丹尼向佩林鞠了个躬，才跑回到树林中。这时亚蓝出现了，他的手中握着大剑，气息中充满了急迫感。佩林将斗篷的别针小心地放进衣袋里，这是菲儿给他的，他不想失去它。他的手指摸到了自从菲儿被俘后就被他带在身边的皮绳，他将皮绳拉出来，看也不看就扔在地上。今天早晨，他已经打过了最后一个结。 佩林将拇指插进挂着钢锤和匕首的宽腰带里，大步走出灰雾。亚蓝走在他身边，脚下已经迈出了剑式的步伐。佩林只是稳步向前走着，升上半天的太阳照进他的眼中。他曾经考虑过在东侧山脊布阵，让马希玛的人守在这里，但这样就会大幅度拖长他们和城门之间的距离。这是一个很愚蠢的理由，但那道城门就像磁石吸引铁钉一样吸引着他。他松开皮带上钢锤的系环，还有腰间的匕首，那把匕首的锋刃和他的手掌一样长。 两个突然出现、悠然信步朝他们走来的人足以让这支沙度部队停止前进，不过，考虑到亚蓝手中的大剑，他们也许并没有那么悠然。那把剑的剑刃正在阳光下闪耀，沙度人不可能看不见它，他们一定是在好奇，眼前的这两个人是不是疯了。在走到山坡高度的一半时，佩林停住了脚步。 “放松。”他对亚蓝说，“你这样很快就会把力气耗光了。” 亚蓝点点头，眼睛却已经死死盯住沙度人，并用力站定双足，他的气味就好像一名猎人追上了一头危险的猛兽，并决定将它就地猎杀。 片刻之后，六名沙度人缓步朝他们走来，他们没有戴上面纱，很可能是为了不把佩林和亚蓝吓跑。在营地的帐篷之间，许多人正朝山坡上的两个蠢货指指点点。 奔跑的脚步和马蹄声，还有马匹的响鼻声从身后传来。佩林回过头，看到亚甘达的海丹骑兵正从浓雾中涌出来，他们全都披挂闪亮的胸甲和钢盔，绣着三颗六角银星的红色海丹国旗飘扬在他们的队伍中。然后是红甲翼卫队，高举着绣有金鹰高飞的蓝色梅茵国旗。在两支骑兵队伍中间，丹尼开始指挥两河人排成三列横队，每一名两河人都在腰侧挂着两只箭囊，并将一捆箭插在面前的山坡上，然后再隔断箭捆的缚绳。他们都佩着长剑和短剑，不过斧枪和其他长棍兵器都被留在大车上；他们还拿来了红色狼头旗，并将这面旗插在队伍后方。现在没有人能抽出手来执旗，就连丹尼也拿起了长弓。 马希玛和他的枪骑兵保镖出现在翼卫队右侧，他们那些可怜的马匹不停地踢蹬嘶鸣着，盔甲上的锈迹只是被粗略地刮掉，并没有经过认真清理，所以还是能看到一片片褐斑。马希玛就在队伍的最前列，腰间挂着一把剑，但没有装备头盔和胸甲，他的确不缺乏勇气。现在他正瞪着那些梅茵人。佩林能隐约看见贝丽兰被簇拥在翼卫队骑枪丛林的正中间，但看不清她的面孔。不过佩林能够想象，那张美艳无比的脸现在一定挂着一层寒霜。她曾经极力反对这样被士兵们重重围裹，而佩林以不容置疑的态度让她明白了这样安排的必要性。光明啊，这个女人甚至还建议由她率领翼卫队进行冲锋！ 智者们和两名两仪师从海丹人和两河人中间鱼贯而出，她们身旁环绕着枪姬众，枪姬众们全都在上臂系了一条垂至手腕的红布。佩林不知道枪姬众之中哪一个是艾薇林，不过根据她们的人数判断，她一定也在这里，无论她的身体是否已经因为治疗而痊愈。黑色的面纱已经遮住了她们的面孔，只露出一双眼睛，不需要看她们的表情，甚至也不需要闻到她们的气味，佩林就知道，她们都无比愤慨。系在她们手臂上的红色布条是为了防止她们在战斗中被误认为是沙度人，但直到伊达拉向她们下达命令，她们才同意佩戴这个标志。 伊达拉调整着肩头的深褐色披巾，让胳膊上的黄金和象牙手镯发出一连串的碰撞声响。她有一头浅黄色的长发，映衬得她被太阳晒成茶褐色的光洁脸颊要比实际上更黑一些，看上去，她只比佩林年长一点，但她的蓝眼睛里始终都保持着不可动摇的平静，佩林怀疑她的实际年龄要比看上去大得多，那双眼睛一定见识过许多沧桑。“我想，很快就要开始了，佩林·艾巴亚。”她说。 佩林点点头，那道城门正在召唤他。 将近两千名枪骑兵和两百多名长弓手的出现足以让下方的沙度人戴起面纱，展开队伍，更多沙度人开始从帐篷中赶过来，让山下的队伍开始迅速膨胀，而队伍中无数沙度人用手指或矛尖朝山上指指点点，让佩林再次回过了头。 谭姆也出现在山坡上，更多的两河人手持长弓涌出雾团，一些人想要加入到跟随佩林的两河人之中，和兄弟、子侄、朋友们并肩作战。但谭姆很快就整理他的队伍，催赶他的黑色骟马来回驱驰，将新来的两河人安排在两支骑兵队伍的外翼，同样排成三列横队。佩林看到了胡·巴兰和与他一样细瘦的兄弟泰德，他们曾经是酒泉旅店的马夫。方脸的鲍尔·多提只比他年长一两岁，却已经是一位著名的家具匠人。皮包骨的塞得·托芬除了去伊蒙村，很少会离开自己的农场。奥伦·多提又高又瘦，站在高大秃顶的乔·艾玲和科夫·巴斯特旁边，看起来科夫终于能离开他妈妈的手掌心了。这里还有马文一家、亚戴一家，亚兴一家、库勒一家、赛恩一家、亚凯一家和克劳一家——他所认识的每一个家族，还有那些他不认识的家族，从戴文骑、望山和塔伦渡口聚集而来的许多人。他们全都面容冷峻，背着两只箭囊和更多箭捆。在他们之中还有其他地方的人——古铜色皮肤的人、下半张脸戴着透明面纱的人、白皙皮肤的人，他们并不是两河的原住民，当然，他们的手中只有短弓。使用两河长弓需要从小就接受训练，但佩林看到的每一张脸上都带着和两河人一样的决心。光明在上，为什么他们也会来这里？愈来愈多的弓手在山脊上展开，最终形成了两列长长的队伍，他们至少有三四千人。 谭姆催马下了山坡，来到佩林身边，开始审视下方正在迅速壮大的沙度队伍，他似乎听到了佩林没有说出口的问题。“我在两河人中征召志愿者，并从中挑选出最优秀的射手，但那些被你接纳的人也成群结队地前来应征，你让他们和他们的家庭重新有了家园。他们说，现在他们也是两河人了。他们的弓可能只能射出两百步，不过我选出的人都懂得该如何把箭射准。” 在下面，沙度人开始有节奏地用矛杆敲击牛皮盾牌。嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！敲击声如同雷鸣般响亮。戴着面纱、从帐篷中涌出的人流开始逐渐缩减，最终完全停止。看样子，所有雅加德斯威都已经聚集到这里，这正是佩林的计划。他们至少有两万人，应该就是这么多了。所有这些人都在敲击手中的盾牌。嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！嗒，嗒，嗒，嗒！ “在艾伊尔战争之后，我一直希望再也听不到这种声音了。”谭姆高声说道，为的是能让佩林听到。山下的轰鸣声足以勒紧任何人的神经。“要下令吗，佩林大人？” “你来吧。”佩林再次松开钢锤和匕首。他的视线一直在沙度人、城门和那座巨大的城堡之间来回扫动，菲儿就在那里。 “我们很快就能知道了。”伊达拉说道，她指的是放进水渠里的那些叉根。如果等待的时间不够久，他们都将死在这里，但智者的声音依旧平静如常。亚蓝再次全身绷紧，双手举起大剑。 佩林能够听到谭姆一边在弓手阵列前奔驰，一边高喊：“长弓扣箭，短弓准备！长弓扣箭，短弓准备！不要拉弓，蠢货！听命令！长弓……” 山下面，大约四分之一的沙度人转过身，沿平行于山脊的方向朝北跑去，同时依旧在敲击着盾牌。另外四分之一沙度人则向南跑去，他们打算从两侧攻击山顶上的敌军，泰莉称此为“侧翼包抄”。剩下的一半沙度人纷纷将短矛插回到弓匣皮带里，将小圆盾挂在腰带上，解下了角弓。 “快了。”伊达拉喃喃地说道。 一颗比人头还要大的火球从营地中飞出来，直扑向山顶，然后又是一颗大了一倍的火球。更多火球接连不断地飞射过来，第一颗火球飞到山顶上方，砸落下来，在众人头顶百步高的空中爆炸，发出一阵轰鸣。随后，其他火球也纷纷爆开，却没有造成任何伤害。但更多火球还在飞过来，枝状闪电从无云的晴空落下，发出巨大的雷鸣，洒下大量火星，却始终不能触及地面。 “也许有十五到二十名智者没有受到影响。”伊达拉说，“除非还有一些人尚未出手。我只能看到九个人的导引，其他人一定是在帐篷里。”她像两仪师一样，不喜欢佩林和霄辰人达成的协议，但她的声音保持着平静。以她的理解，沙度人已经严重违背了节义，甚至不能再被称为艾伊尔人，对她来说，沙度是艾伊尔必须予以割除的毒瘤，而纵容这种堕落的沙度智者是这个毒瘤中最严重的隐患。玛苏芮抬起手臂，但伊达拉伸手按住她的肩膀。“还不行，玛苏芮·索柯瓦，时候到了，我们会告诉你。”玛苏芮顺从地点点头，但她的气息中透露出了焦躁。 “实际上，我也感觉到危险。”安诺拉坚定地说着，抬起了手臂。伊达拉冷冷地看着她，片刻之后，那名两仪师又垂下手臂。她在智者的注视下扭过头，缀着细珠的辫子发出一阵轻微的咔哒声，她的气味中带着强烈的不安。“也许我可以再等一等。”她喃喃地说道。 飞过半空的火球持续在他们的头顶爆炸，一道道闪电刺向山脊，但沙度人并没有等待。他们一声吶喊，开始迅速朝山脊上推进，并以最大的声音歌唱起来。不过佩林怀疑山坡上的人只会以为他们在吼叫，只有他的耳朵才能依稀分辨出一些辞句： 洗净枪矛。 当太阳升起，洗净枪矛。 当太阳落下，洗净枪矛。 枪矛之下，谁将一死？ 非我所知！ 佩林不再去听那歌声，目光越过向前突进的大群沙度人，朝梅登城门望去。那里一直在吸引着他。山坡下的队伍似乎放慢了速度，不过佩林知道，这只是自己的错觉，此时此刻，一切速度似乎都变慢了。他们再过多久才会进入射程？现在他们已经在山脚下的平地上前进了一半多一点的距离。 “长弓举起！注意讯号！”谭姆喊道，“长弓举起！注意讯号！” 佩林摇摇头，太快了，数千根弓弦在他身后切开了空气，羽箭越过他的头顶，划出无数条弧线，天空也仿佛因为它们而变黑了。数秒之后，又是一片羽箭飞起，然后是第三片。火球将许多羽箭烧毁，但还是有数千支箭形成死亡的暴雨，落在沙度人群中。是他忘记了弓手们居于高处的优势，这让羽箭的射程更延长了。信任谭姆是没有错的。并非所有箭都能射中敌人，大约有一半羽箭都白白地插在地上，剩下半数利箭则戳穿了雅加德斯威的手臂、腿和身躯。许多受伤的沙度人又从地上爬起来，几乎没有减缓前进的步伐。几百具尸体躺在山坡上，再没有动作。第二批利箭又射倒了几百人，然后是第三、第四和第五批箭已经飞上半空。沙度人还在前进，他们向前倾着身子，仿佛在一场豪雨中疾奔。沙度智者的火球和闪电还在头顶不停地爆炸，他们已经不再唱歌。一些人举起角弓，开始反击。一支箭从佩林的左臂上掠过，但大多数沙度人的箭都在靠近山顶的地方掉落了。不过，只要再过二十步…… 霄辰号角突然发出的凄鸣让佩林分别朝南方和北方各看了一眼。两群侧翼包抄的沙度人脚下突然爆起大团火焰，闪电形成的长枪横扫他们的队伍。罪奴们都藏身于树林之中，但她们很擅长这种致命的工作。爆炸的火焰和霹雳一次又一次将沙度人像残枝败叶一样抛上半空。那些雅加德斯威不可能知道攻击来自何方，他们开始朝树林中跑去，那里正是他们的杀戮者所在的地方。营地中飞来的一些火球转而飞向罪奴所在的树林，闪电也向那些大树落去，但就像攻击山顶的火球闪电一样，毫无作用。泰莉说过，罪奴接受过执行各种任务的训练，但事实是，她们是战场上的兵器，她们和罪奴主最精于此道。 “就是现在。”伊达拉说道。火球开始落进下方沙度人的阵列中，智者和两仪师们以最快的速度用双手向外投掷，每次都有一颗火球出现在她们的指尖上，当然，她们投出的火球也有许多提前爆炸了。沙度智者们同样在努力保护她们的人，但雅加德斯威距离山顶太近，这让他们的智者几乎没有时间进行防御。火球在沙度人之中燃起熊熊烈火，将人体向四周抛洒，无数断肢飞上半空。银蓝色的闪电从空中落下，大部分一直轰击到沙度人的头顶，佩林手臂上的毛发全都直立起来，他觉得自己的头发仿佛也要立起。空气中充满了电荷。 就在杀戮敌人的同时，伊达拉率领的智者和两仪师继续在抵挡沙度智者们的攻击，两河人则竭尽全力向敌人全速发箭。一名训练有素的两河长弓手能在一分钟内射出十二支箭。现在，沙度人已经逼近到距离山脚不到两百步的地方。他们的箭大多依然射不到佩林身边，但在这个距离之内，两河长弓已经能对他们进行直射了。随着长弓手们的精准射击，佩林能看到一些箭甚至能同时洞穿两名、三名，甚至四名雅加德斯威。 血肉的抗击也只能到这种程度了，沙度人开始后退，不过他们并没有溃散，也没有逃走。还有许多人徒劳地在向山顶射箭，但最后，他们全都转过身，如同得到命令一般快步跑向远处，竭力想要逃出两河长弓和火焰与闪电的追击。他们的侧翼部队也在后退。走出树林的枪骑兵开始在长弓手前方列队，最终形成了一个有千匹马宽的阵列，在火焰与闪电形成的雨幕之后缓缓向前推进。 “保持阵型。”谭姆喊道，“前进三步，发射！” “常速前进！”亚甘达喊道。 “跟我来！”马希玛喊道。 佩林想要和部队一同前进，但是当他走下山坡的时候，速度愈来愈快。城门在吸引着他，他的血液已经开始燃烧。伊莱斯说，当你的生命遭遇危险的时候，这是一种自然反应，但他看不出自己会有什么危险。有一次，他曾经在水林中险些淹死，除此之外，他从不曾过这种全身战栗的感觉。有人在背后喊着他的名字，但他开始奔跑，步伐愈来愈大。他从腰带上抽出钢锤，左手握紧匕首。他意识到，亚蓝跑在他身边，但他唯一的目标就是那道城门，还有那些仍然挡在他和菲儿之间的沙度人。火焰、闪电和箭雨依旧持续落在那些人的身上，但已经没有沙度人回身射箭了。他们只是一边逃跑，一边不住地回头观望。许多人都扶着受伤的同伴——他们或者拖着一条腿，或者一只手捂在被两河羽箭射穿的地方。佩林离他们愈来愈近。 突然间，六个戴着面纱的沙度人转回身，握着短矛向佩林和亚蓝冲过来，他们没有使用角弓，应该是因为他们的箭已经用光。佩林听说过那些英雄的传奇，听说过一个人的战斗决定了两支军队，甚至两个国家的命运，艾伊尔人不会有这种传说。但他没有减慢速度，他的血在燃烧，他在燃烧。 一支两河利箭射穿了一名沙度人的胸口。没等他倒下，另外三名沙度人的身上已经各插上了十几支箭。但最后两个沙度人已经距离他和亚蓝太近了，除非是神射手，否则任何人都没把握在射箭时不误伤他们。亚蓝迈着舞蹈般的步伐朝一名沙度人扑去，他的剑刃仿佛灼目的闪电。不过佩林没有时间看别人的战斗，一名比他高出一头、戴着面纱的沙度人握住短矛末端，向他进行突刺。佩林用匕首挡开矛尖，挥起重锤，沙度人想用盾牌将锤头挡住，但佩林稍稍改变了锤头的走向，随后就听到了那个人的前臂骨在十磅铁匠钢锤的打击下发出断裂的声音。现在，佩林已经进入到短矛的挥动范围以内，他丝毫没有减速，挥起左手的匕首，切开了那个人的喉咙。鲜血喷涌出来。当那个沙度人倒在地上的时候，佩林继续向前跑去。他必须找到菲儿。火焰在他的血液中燃烧，在他的心中燃烧，在他的脑海里燃烧。无论任何人，任何事，都无法阻挡他找到菲儿。