Chapter 8 Chapter 4 Walkers

The door of the hotel was slammed again.The white-haired man turned and stared at the door.His figure was rather thin, and he would have been a tall man if his waist had not been somewhat arched.But his nimble steps fully belied the erosion of the years on his body.His cloak was made of many pieces of rags in a hundred colors and strange patterns.With the movements of the walking singer, the cloak kept rising and falling like waves.But Rand soon discovered that the cloak was actually quite thick, and those rags were just decorations on the surface of the cloak. "Walker!" Egwene whispered excitedly.

The white-haired man turned around, and his cloak fluttered.His gown was also odd, with puffed pocket-like sleeves and wide pockets.He had a bushy beard as white as his hair.Now these white beards are shaking.His face is like the trunk of an old tree that has weathered countless weathers.He unquestionably waved the long pipe in his hand to Rand and the others.The pipe was decorated with exquisite carvings, and there was still a wisp of light smoke floating in the pipe.A pair of blue eyes stared at them from under long, bushy white eyebrows, with a gaze that seemed to punch a hole in the skulls of these children.

Rand stared blankly into the man's eyes like the others.All Two Rivers had dark brown eyes, the merchants and their bodyguards, and everyone else Rand had seen before.Conga and the Coplins used to make fun of Rand for his gray eyes, until one day Rand punched Evo Coplin in the nose.Xiangxian also severely punished Rand for this.Rand kept wondering if there was a place where no one had dark brown eyes.Maybe Lan came from that place. "What kind of place is this place?" the walking singer asked in a very thick voice.It is difficult for ordinary people to have such a voice.Even in such an open area, his voice is still full of resonance as in a large room with a dome. "The people in the village on the other side of the hill told me that I could get here before dark, but they didn't tell me that I had to start before noon. When I finally got here, my bones were frozen stiff. Wanting a warm bed, your innkeeper mutters that it's too late. Am I just a bum, and not a minstrel eagerly invited by your village council to perform at festivals? The innkeeper didn't even tell me he was the mayor." The walking singer paused for breath, gave them all a look, and began, "Today I came downstairs to have a smoke in front of the fire, Have a beer. The people in the lobby are all staring at me like I'm some nerd who came to borrow money from them. An old grandpa yells at me for telling stories. And a little girl yells She told me to get out, and I wasn't moving fast enough, so she threatened me with a big stick. Has anyone ever heard of a walking singer being treated like this?"

Egwene's expression was interesting, her eyes widened, full of surprise and anticipation, but mixed with an urgent desire to defend Nynaeve. "Excuse me, Mr. Walkman," Rand began.He knew his smile was silly. "That's our sage, and—" "That pretty little girl?" cried the minstrel, "a country sage? How is that possible, when at her age she should be playing love games with young men instead of predicting the weather and treating the sick." Rand changed his stance uneasily.He hoped Nynaeve would not hear the walkman's point of view, at least not until his performance was over.Perrin also looked disturbed, and Mat whistled softly.The two of them seemed to have the same idea as him.

"Those people are members of the village council," Rand continued. "I'm sure they didn't mean to offend you. We just learned that there's been a war in Haydan, and someone's calling himself Dragon Reborn there. That's fake, of course. Dragon. The Aes Sedai of Tar Valon are on their way. The village council is deciding whether we are in danger." "It's outdated news for a long time. Even in Ballon, it's not news anymore." The walking singer said disdainfully, "No matter what happens in the world, it's probably the last one to know." He looked around After a glance, he said coldly, "Almost the last one to know." Then his eyes fell on the carriage in front of the hotel.There was no one around the carriage now, and an empty shaft stood on the ground. "Sure enough, I think I recognized Paden Fan in it just now." His voice was still thick and mellow, but the feeling of resonance in it had disappeared, replaced by a kind of contempt. "Padden is always the first to report bad news, and the scarier it is, the faster he delivers it. He's more of a crow than a person."

"Mr. Padden often comes to Emond's Village, Mr. Walker," Egwene's cheerful tone finally showed a hint of displeasure, "he always makes people laugh, and he brings good news far more than bad news many." The walking singer looked at her for a moment, then laughed. "You're such a lovely girl, you should really have roses in your hair. But I can't make roses out of thin air, at least not this year, which is really unfortunate, but would you like to be by my side tomorrow and help I perform? You can pass me the flute or some other instrument. I always choose the most beautiful girl to be my assistant."

Both Perrin and Mat snickered.Of course, Mat had been laughing just now, but now he just laughed out loud.Rand blinked in surprise—Egwene was staring at him, but he didn't even have a smile on his face!Egwene straightened up, and said in an overly calm voice: "Thank you, Mister Walker. It will be my pleasure to be your assistant." "Tom Merrylin," said the walker.The young people were stunned for a moment. "My name is Tom Merrylin, not Mr. Walkman." He vigorously shook the colorful cloak on his shoulders, and his voice suddenly returned to the loud feeling in the hall. "I used to be a court bard, and now I've really been promoted to the ranks of walking singer, but my name is still Tom Merrillin. Walking singer is just a title that I feel honored." After finishing speaking, he gracefully gestured He bowed and flung the cloak in a trick behind his back.Mat clapped his hands, and Egwene murmured something enviously.

"Walking... ah... Mr. Tom," Mat was a little unsure of how to talk to Tom Merrillin, "what happened to Heidan? Do you know it's a false dragon? And Aes Sedai ?” "Do I look like a peddler, boy?" said the minstrel in that echoing voice, and clapped his pipe against the edge of his hand before it disappeared between his hands. "I'm a walker, not a rapper. And I definitely don't want to know anything about Aes Sedai, it's much safer." "But what about the war?" Mat asked eagerly.Mr. Tom did not keep him waiting long. "As for the war, boy, it's just idiots killing other idiots for stupid purposes, and that's enough to know. I'm here for my show." Suddenly, he pointed at Rand: " You, boy, you're tall. You'll probably keep growing, but I don't think there's anyone else in this place as tall as you, or with the same eye color as you. I'll bet you. As tall as an Aiel, and of rare muscular build. What's your name, boy?"

Rand hesitated before saying his name.While he wasn't sure if the walkman was going to make fun of him, the walkman turned his attention to Perrin. "You are almost as tall as an Ogier. What's your name?" "If I could stand on my own shoulders, I would probably be about the same size as the Ogier." Perrin said with a smile, "I'm afraid Rand and I are just ordinary in size, and we are not imagined out of thin air in your story. Creature, Mister Tom. I am Perrin Albaia." Merrill twirled a strand of his beard. "Well, that's it! The creatures I imagined out of thin air in my story. Are they really imagined? It seems that you are really well-informed."

Rand's mouth was still tightly shut, and the minstrels must be laughing at them now.Palin was still talking, though. "The furthest we've ever been is Mount Lookout and Devon Ride. Few people here have traveled farther than this." Rand knew that Palin wasn't showing off, he was always stating the facts. "We've all been to the swamp." Unlike Perrin, Mat looked very proud. "That swamp is the end of the water forest. No one else will go there except us. It's all quicksand and mud. No one has ever been to the Misty Mountains, but we have. At least, we have made it to the bottom."

"So far?" the walking singer murmured, stroking his beard incessantly.Rand thought he was covering the smile on his lips with his hands.Perrin frowned too. "Entering the Misty Mountains will bring bad luck," Matt seemed to justify himself for not continuing to go deeper into the mountains, "everyone knows that." "That's being silly, Mat Cawthorne," Egwene interrupted angrily, "Nynaeve said..." She stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks turning into Pink, looking at Tom Merrylin's eyes is not as friendly as before. "It's wrong to do this...it's not..." Her cheeks became more red, and her voice was too small to be heard.Matt blinked, his face full of suspicion. "You're right, boy," said the walker, as if ruefully, "I solemnly apologize. I'm here to entertain crowds, and alas, my tongue always gets me in trouble." "Maybe we haven't been to so many places like you," Perrin said flatly, "but what's so special about Rand's height?" "Well, boy, in a minute I'll let you try to lift me up, but you won't be able to get even one foot off the ground. You can't, your tall friend—his name is Rand, Is it?—he and the others couldn't do it either. What do you think?" Perrin snorted, laughing, "I think I can lift you up now." But as he was about to approach, Tom Merrylin motioned him to stop. "Wait a minute, boy, wait a minute until more people come to see. A performer needs an audience." From the moment the walking singer appeared in front of the hotel, people gathered in twos and threes on the green lawn.Mostly young people, with some children poking their heads out from behind them.They all opened their eyes wide and said nothing, as if they were waiting for some miracle to happen to the walking singers.The white-haired walking singer looked at them as if counting the number of people, then he shook his head slightly and sighed. "I thought, I'd better show you a little demonstration, so you'll get others to watch it, right? Of course, the real big show will have to wait until tomorrow." He took a step back, jumped into the air suddenly, did a somersault in the air, and landed firmly on the ancient foundation next to the inn.Before it fell in the air, three red, white, and black balls had already started flying back and forth in his hands. There was a soft exclamation of surprise and joy from the audience, and even Rand forgot his annoyance.He smiled at Egwene, and Egwene returned a pleasant smile to him.Then both of them stared at the walking singer without any shyness. "Would you like to hear a story?" cried Tom Merrylin. "I have many stories to tell you. I will make them come alive before your eyes." A fourth blue ball appeared in his hand, Then another green one, and another yellow one. "Stories of great wars and great heroes, stories to tell for men and boys, and stories for women and girls. The complete Yatakin legend. Artur Paintri Tario, aka The story of Artur Falconwing. He once ruled from the desert of Aiel to the Ocean of Aerys, and his empire was even wider. There are also stories of strange peoples in strange lands; Hulk Tales of Warders and Trollocs; Tales of Ogiers and Aiel; Thousands of Tales of Enlai the Wise Advisor; Jem the Giant-Slayer; Tales of Susa Training Jane Fastreed; And the story of Mara and the three foolish kings." "Tell the story of Lynn," cried Egwene, "how he flew to the moon in the belly of a fire hawk, and how his daughter Sia walked among the stars." Rand was still looking at Egwene out of the corner of his eye, but Egwene's attention seemed to be on the walking singer.Egwene didn't like stories about adventure and travel. What she liked were witty and funny stories, or stories about women's wisdom over wise men.And now she actually wants to hear the story of Lynn and Saya, this must be to make Rand feel like he is on his back.Aiwen should understand that the outside world does not belong to the people of Two Rivers.It's one thing to hear adventure stories and daydream; it's definitely quite another to actually go on an adventure. "Those are old stories," said Tom Merrillin, and in an instant he was tossing three balls from each hand. "Some say it's from epochs before epochs, maybe even older. But mind you, I have all kinds of stories, from epochs before and epochs after. In some epochs In some epochs man ruled the sky and the stars; in other epochs men and beasts were brothers. There were epochs of wonder and there were epochs of terror. Some epochs ended with fires that fell from the sky. Some epochs ended in ice and snow Covered the sea and the land. I can tell all these stories. The story of the giant Mosoko, whose flaming spear can reach any corner of the world, and he fought countless wars with Opport, Queen of All Things. Medicine Mathiere the Healer, the story of the amazing Mother Indy." The six colored balls turned into two intersecting rings in Tom's hands.His voice was as loud and melodious as a carol.While he was talking, he was still slowly turning his body, as if he wanted to evaluate the effect of his performance from the audience's reaction. "I will tell you the tale of the End of the Age of Legends, the legend of the dragon. It is he who sought to unleash the Dark Lord upon the world. I will tell you of the time of madness, when the Aes Sedai shattered the world; In the Human Wars, humans and Trollocs fought desperately for dominion over the world; in the Hundred Years War, humans began to fight against humans, and the nations we know today began to emerge. I will let you know about many adventures and those men and women, their riches and their poverty, their greatness and their smallness, their pride and their humility. And the attack on the pillars of heaven; how Karel the housewife cured her husband of his snoring; ..." Suddenly, Tom's voice and movement stopped.He grabbed the six balls and shut his mouth tightly.Only then did Rand notice that Moiraine had joined the audience.Lan was standing beside her—Rand took several serious glances before confirming the existence of this man.For a moment, Tom just looked sideways at Moiraine, his expression and body were rigid, only those colored balls disappeared into his wide sleeves at some point.Then he spread his cloak and bowed to Moiraine. "Excuse me, but you are not a resident of this place, are you?" "Ma'am!" Ivan whispered angrily, "Ms. Murray." Tom blinked, then bowed deeper. "Again I beg your pardon... oh ma'am. I meant no offense." Moiraine waved his hand lightly, "You are not being rude, Bard. My name is Moiraine. I am indeed not from here. Like you, I am a lone traveler far away from home. The world is always a dangerous place for people." "Miss Murray's collecting stories," Ivan interrupted, "of the Two Rivers. Though I don't know how any stories could have happened here." "I'm sure you'll like my story too... Moiraine." Tom looked at her with obvious alarm.From the looks of it, the walking singer didn't like meeting this woman very much.Rand suddenly began to imagine what kind of entertainment a lady like Moiraine would have in a city like Balon or Caemlyn, and of course the best of those shows would have included walkman performances. "It's a matter of taste, bard," Moiraine answered. "Some stories I like and some I don't." Tom bowed deeply again, his slender upper body was almost parallel to the ground. "I assure you that there is no story I don't love, all of my stories are enjoyable. You do me a great honor, I'm just a walker, that's all." Moiraine gave Tom a graceful nod in return.At this moment, she seemed to be as noble and elegant as the kind of lady Ivan thought, and she solemnly accepted the allegiance of her subjects.Then she turned around.Lan still followed behind her, like a wolf loyally guarding a swan.Tom stared at the backs of the two men, stroking his beard and drooping his brushlike eyebrows.It wasn't until the two men were on the other side of the green lawn that Tom took his eyes off them.Rand didn't think Tom was happy at all. "Can you throw a few more balls, huh?" Evan asked. "Eat fire," Mat yelled, "I want to see you eat fire." "Play the harp!" came another voice from the crowd, "play the harp!" others shouted for the flutes. Just then the door of the inn opened, and the members of the village council came out, Nynaeve with them.Rand didn't see Paden Van among them, apparently the salesman decided to stay in the warm lobby and drink mulled wine. Tom Merrylin muttered, "A strong brandy would be nice." Then he jumped off the foundation, and, ignoring the spectators, squeezed his way into the inn among the members of the village council who had not quite left the inn. "Is he a walker or a king?" Sambo said angrily. "If I ask you, he's a waste of money." Brown Ewell glanced at the walking singer's back and shook his head, "This person may cause more trouble than he is worth." Nynaeve hastily wrapped her cloak around her and snorted heavily. "Worry about that walker if you want, Brown Ewell. At least he's in Emond's Village, and you'll have a little more say over him than about the pseudo-dragon. But there's probably a lot more to it. You go worry about it." "Forgive me, Mr. Brown," said Brown stiffly, "but please let me decide what to worry about. Ms. Murray and Mr. Lan are guests at my hotel, and I think they are both decent and respectable." They didn't call me a fool in front of the whole village council, or say that none of the council members was sane." "It seems I still think too highly of you," Nynaeve responded.With that, she strode away without even glancing back.Only Brown was left with his mouth curled up, still thinking about how to refute her. Aiwen looked at Rand, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she chased after Xiang Xian without saying a word.Rand knew he could stop Egwene from leaving Two Rivers, but he wasn't ready for the only way he could think of to become a reality.And Egwene had to be willing.And Aiwen was obviously unwilling, so she almost said it directly, which made Rand feel even worse. "That young girl needs a husband!" Sambo shouted, jumping to his feet.His face had turned purple-black. "She lacks the basics. We're the village council, not the boys who sneaked into her yard, and..." The village chief snorted heavily, and suddenly turned to the thatched builder. "Be quiet, Sembu! Don't act like a veiled Aiel!" The skinny old thatcher stopped where he was, his face full of confusion.The village chief had never lost his composure before.Still staring at Sembu, Brown said, "Burn me, but we have more important things to worry about. Or do you want to prove Nynaeve right by your actions?" He strode back The hotel, and slammed the door behind him. The members of the village council all glanced at Simbu and then scattered away. Only Haran Luhan still talked to the ashen-faced thatched cottager.The blacksmith was the only one who could make Sembu understand. Rand walked to his father, his friends still following him. "I've never seen Master Ewell so angry." This was the first sentence Rand said to his father.The remark drew an exasperated stare from Mat. “Village chiefs and sages rarely agree,” Tam said. “Today they are more divided. In fact, it is like this in all villages.” "Where's the pseudo-dragon?" Mat asked.Perrin also muttered anxiously, "What about the Aes Sedai?" Tam shook his head slowly, "Mr. Padden has already said almost everything he knows, and the rest of the information is not interesting. Winning or losing the war, the scramble for the city, thanks to the light, these things just happen In Haidan, it hasn't spread, at least Mr Padden doesn't know if it has spread elsewhere." "I think war is fun," Matt said.Palin went on to ask: "How did he describe those wars?" "I'm not interested in the wars, Mat," said Tam, "but I'm sure Padden will be happy to describe them to you. I'm interested in the fact that they probably don't happen here yet. Village The members of the council think so. If so, there is no reason for the Aes Sedai to come to this place. Although they have gone to the south, they will not want to go through the Shadow Forest and swim across the White River when they return. .” Tam's words made Rand and the others laugh.Due to the limitation of natural conditions, those who want to enter the Two Rivers can only pass through the Tarun Ferry in the north.The Misty Mountains block the west sides of the two rivers; the east is the unfathomable swamp; the south lies across the White River.The name Baihe comes from the fact that the rapids hit the rocks in the river, making the river appear a piece of white foam.And the south bank of the White River is the Shadow Forest.Few people from Lianghe crossed the Baihe, and even fewer returned.The Shadow Forest covers a hundred miles around, without a single road or village, but there are many wolves and bears. "So we don't have to worry about anything." There was still a little disappointment in Mat's voice. "Not necessarily," Tam said, "the day after tomorrow we will send people to Devon Riding, Lookout Mountain and Talen Ferry, and continue to monitor the situation in those places. We will also send people to ride along the White River and Talen River and patrol nearby .Originally these things should be done today, but only the village head agrees with me. No one else thinks that anyone should miss the celebration of the Spring Festival.” "But I thought you meant we had nothing to worry about," Palin said.Tam shook his head. "I'm saying you shouldn't, not absolutely nothing to worry about. Be prepared, boy. I've seen people die because they believed certain things would never happen. Also, war changes everyone's life. Most people try to Looking for safety, but there are also a significant number of people who will want to profit from the chaos. We will help the first, but we must be prepared to deal with the second." Matt suddenly said: "Can we also participate in patrol missions? I want to participate. My riding skills are no worse than anyone else." "You want to sleep on rough, cold ground exhausted for weeks on end?" Tam laughed. "Maybe our defenses won't be of any use, I hope. We're so out of the way here that even the It's hard for refugees to come to this place, too. But if you've made up your mind, you can go talk to Maestro Ewell. Rand, it's time to go back to the farm." Rand blinked in surprise, "I thought we'd spend our winter farewell night here." "The farm needs tending and I need your help." "Even then, we can stay for a few more hours. I'd like to join the patrol, too." "We're leaving now," said Tam in a firm tone.Then he softened his voice again, "We'll be back tomorrow. You'll have plenty of time to talk to the village headman then, and enough time to join in the carnival. Now five minutes for you, and then meet me at the stables." "Will you go on patrol with me and Rand?" Mat asked Perrin. "I bet it's never been like this before in Two Rivers. If we go to Talen, maybe we'll still see soldiers, maybe Other new things, even artisans." "I think I will," Perrin said slowly, "but I just don't know if Master Luhan needs me." "The war is at Heidan," Rand snapped, trying to lower his voice, "the war broke out at Heidan. Only the Light knows where the Aes Sedai are. Of course, they are not here. The ones who are here It's the man in the black cloak, have you forgotten him?" Perrin and Mat exchanged an embarrassed look. "Sorry, Rand," Mat said in a low voice, "but at least this way I can do something other than milk my father's cows. There are not many opportunities like this." Looking at the surprised expressions of Rand and Perrin , he straightened up, "Yeah, I do have to milk them, and I do it every day." "The black knight," Rand reminded them, "what if he shoots someone?" "Maybe he's just a refugee from the war," Perrin said skeptically. "Whoever he is," Mat said, "the patrol will see him." "Maybe," Rand said, "but he seems to disappear at any moment. It might be better if the patrols would have noticed such a person beforehand." "We'll tell Master Ewell when we're on patrol," Mat said, "and he'll tell the village council, and the council will call the patrols' attention." "The council?" Perrin said suspiciously. "We're lucky if the headman doesn't laugh at us loudly. Maester Luhan and Rand's father just think we're playing tricks." Rand sighed. "If we're going to tell Master Elwell, it's best to do it now. His laugh will never be louder today than it will be tomorrow." "Maybe," Perrin glanced at Mat, "we should find out more people who have seen the black knight. Anyway, everyone will gather in the village tonight." Mat frowned, but he said Nothing was said.They all understood that Palin meant to find a more reliable witness than Mat. "He won't laugh any louder tomorrow." Seeing Rand's hesitation, Perrin said again, "When we go to see Master Ewell, I hope to have some other witnesses with us, maybe half the village Everyone has seen him." Rand nodded slowly. He could already hear Maester Ewell's laughter. More witnesses would certainly not hurt.If all three of them had seen him, there must have been others, there must have been. "Tomorrow then. You two go to the witnesses tonight, and tomorrow we'll go to the mayor. Then..." Mat and Perrin looked at him without saying a word.No one asked what to do if they couldn't find anyone else who had seen the black knight.But the question flashed clearly in their eyes, only Rand had no answer to it.He sighed heavily. "Now I'm leaving. My dad will worry if I fell into a hole." After saying good-bye to his friends, Rand trotted around the stable yard and the big tall cart on the empty shaft. The Stable was a long, narrow building covered with a tall thatched roof, with straw-covered corrals lining the sides.There is a double door on the wall on both sides, and the sunlight coming in through it is the only light source here.The salesman's team of horses was munching oats in the eight stalls.Master Ewell's tall Duran horses occupied the other six stalls.When the farmers ran out of horses, he lent them to them.In addition to this, there are three other corrals with horses in them.Rand thought he would have no trouble recognizing the owners of the three horses.As soon as Rand entered the stable, the broad-chested, unusually tall stallion raised his head.That must be Lan's mount.Another white mare has smooth fur and a long curved neck. Even in the stable, her graceful posture still reminds people of a dexterous maiden dancing.It must be Moiraine's horse.The third unfamiliar horse had slender limbs, and its brown fur looked dusty.That should be Tom Merrillin's. Tam was standing at the end of the stable, holding Bella's rein, talking to Hu and Ted in a low voice.Rand only took two steps inside, and his father nodded to the two grooms and walked out leading Bella.The father and son walked out of the stable without a word. In silence they harnessed the long-haired Bella.Tam was lost in his own thoughts, and Rand remained silent.He didn't think he could convince his father to trust the black knight, nor could he convince the village chief.There should be enough time tomorrow.Will Matt and Palin find other witnesses? When the cart's wheels began to roll forward, Rand took the longbow and quiver from the cart, and trotted along beside the cart, clumsily fastening the quiver to his belt.They soon came to the edge of the village.Rand held an arrow to the bowstring, half-raised the longbow, and drew it a little.There was nothing to see but bare branches, but Rand still felt a strain in his shoulders.The Black Knight was able to appear by their side when they were unaware.If he didn't maintain this vigilant posture, he might not have time to shoot the arrow at all. Rand knew he couldn't keep the bowstring taut for long.This bow was made by himself, and there were not many people in Emond Village who could pull this bow completely apart from him and Tam.He looked around, looking for something to take his mind off the black knight.Surrounded by the forest, his and Tam's cloaks were rattling by the cold wind. It was not easy to feel at ease in this environment. "Father," he said at last, "I don't understand why the village council is questioning Padden Pham in particular." He tried to look away from the trees to Tam on the other side of Bella. "The way I see it, your decisions can be made while you're out there. The chief's actions have everyone freaking out, and now everyone's talking about Aes Sedai and false dragons coming to the Two Rivers. " "People are interesting, Rand. This is probably the best place for humans. For example, Harlan Luhan. Master Luhan is a strong man and very brave, but when he sees the slaughter of livestock thing, and his face would turn as pale as a sheet." "What does this have to do with what I'm asking? Everyone knows that Master Luhan can't see blood. No one thinks it's anything except Coplin and the Kanga family." "It matters, boy, that people don't always think or act the way you think they do. These people who live here...even when the hailstones smash their crops into the mud, and the wind blows away all the roofs, the wolves Killed most of the livestock, and they'll roll up their sleeves and start all over again. They'll whine, but they won't waste their time whining. Now everyone knows that Aes Sedai and false dragons are in Haydan. If only everyone Guess for myself, maybe many people think that Haidan is on the other side of the Shadow Forest not far from here, so the Aes Sedai may choose to go to Haidan via here instead of taking the road from Caemlyn to Lugard; So that war will also fall on our heads. At that time, maybe half of the villagers will fall into panic, and it will take several weeks to eliminate this panic. Of course, a good Chinese New Year is also wasted. So Brown got people thinking before they started guessing." "They've seen the village council discuss this seriously and now they're going to hear the council's decision. I think they chose us to form the council because they trust us to make the best decisions for the village on everything. .Anyway, they will know that there is nothing to worry about, and they will believe it. Of course, the villagers can come to this conclusion themselves, but we must not ruin our festival, and we should not let anyone feel bad. Possibilities to worry about for weeks. Even if there were... well, the patrols would have us alerted in time, though I don't believe there will be such an alert." Rand puffed out his cheeks and let out a breath.很显然，村议会的工作远比他想象的更复杂。大车轮在采石大道的路面上滚动着，辚辚作响。 “除了佩林之外，还有人见到那名骑马的陌生人吗？”谭姆问。 “麦特见到了，但……”兰德眨眨眼，再次望向父亲，“你相信我？我必须回去，我必须告诉他们。”谭姆的喊声阻止了已经转回身的兰德。 “停下，小子，停下！你认为我等了这么久才提到这件事，是没有原因的吗？” 兰德不情愿地继续走在静静拉车的贝拉旁边，“是什么让你改变主意的？为什么我不能告诉其他人？” “他们会知道的。至少佩林会的。至于麦特，我还不确定。再过一个小时，伊蒙村所有十六岁以上的人——也就是能为自己行为负责的人，都会知道有一名陌生人正潜伏在村子附近，不是那种能够被邀请来参加节日欢庆的陌生人。只是这个消息被传到农场去的时候不应该显得那么可怕。冬天本身已经很可怕了，特别是对年轻人而言。” “参加欢庆？”兰德说，“如果你看见他，你就会希望他在十里之内都不要出现，也许应该是一百里之内。” “也许，”谭姆平静地说，“他也许只是来自海丹的一名难民，或者更有可能是一个认为这里比巴尔伦或塔伦渡口有更多油水可捞的盗贼。但我们没有什么财产，承受不了盗窃的损失。如果那个人只是想逃避战争……嗯，没有道理为了这个就让人们害怕。等巡逻队组建完毕之后，就可以找到他，或者是把他吓走了。” “我希望能把他吓走。但为什么你早晨不信我，现在却信了？” “那时我必须相信我的眼睛，小子，而我什么都没看见。”谭姆摇摇头。“看样子，只有年轻人看到了那家伙。当哈兰·卢汉提到佩林被影子吓到的时候，我就觉得这不是一般的错觉。琼·赛恩的大儿子也看见他了，还有萨姆·克劳的儿子班迪。嗯，你们四个都是诚实的小伙子，所以我们开始考虑也许真的有些不寻常的人物，不管我们是否看见了。当然，只有森布仍然不相信。不管怎样，这就是我急着回家的原因。如果我们两个不在，那个陌生人很可能在我们家为非作歹。如果不是为了节日，明天我都不会进村来的。但我们不能只是因为那样一个人，就让自己成为家中的囚犯。” “我不知道班迪和勒姆看到了什么，”兰德说，“明天我们就要去把这件事告诉村长，但我们也在担心他不会相信我们。” “头发变灰不代表我们的脑浆也凝固了，”谭姆的话里带着一点揶揄，“所以你最好提高警觉。也许我也能看见他，如果他再次现身的话。” 兰德立刻听从了谭姆的话。他惊讶地发现，自己的脚步轻快了许多，肩膀上的紧绷感也消失了。他仍然感到害怕，但和刚才的心情已经截然不同。谭姆和他就像早晨一样在采石大道上行进着，但他觉得仿佛整个村子都和他在一起。其他人理解并相信他，这让一切都不一样了。只要伊蒙村人齐心协力，那个穿着黑斗篷的家伙必定搅不起任何风浪。