Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Disaster Strikes

They only had time to unload the carriage and check the magic seal before the monster in the center of the earth appeared.Sylvie didn't have the energy to cook, and everyone had no appetite because of their heavy hearts, so they could only eat cold bread, toast and sausage to fill their stomachs.As soon as the sun went down, the monsters in the center of the earth began to test the magic seal force field. Whenever the magic light flickered and repelled the monsters in the center of the earth, Norian couldn't help but scream.Maria didn't eat anything, just sat on the straw mat, hugged her feet with her hands, rocked back and forth, choked up and cried.Sylvie packed the tableware and didn't come out after entering the kitchen. Aaron could vaguely hear her crying.

Aaron tried to comfort her, but Jeff grabbed his hand. "Come talk to me, Aaron," he said. They went into Aaron's little room, which was furnished with straw bedding, beautiful pebbles and boulders from the stream, feathers and bones.Jeff picked up a bright feather about ten Brianna's length and touched it as he spoke, never looking directly at Aaron. Aaron was used to his body language.When his father talked to him without looking at him, it was a sign that he was uncomfortable with the conversation. "What you and the courier saw on the road—" Jeff began. "Regan explained it to me," Aaron said. "Uncle Corley died a long time ago, but I didn't realize it. Sometimes people escaped the clutches of the devil and still couldn't survive."

Jeff frowned. "Not quite what I was going to say," he said, "but yes. Corley..." "A coward," Aaron said. Jeff looked at him in surprise. "Why do you say that about your uncle?" "He hid in the cellar because he was afraid of dying; then he killed himself because he was scared out of his wits," Aaron said. "It would have been better if he'd picked up an ax and fought to the death." "I don't want to hear that," Jeff raged. "You can't fight the devil, Aaron. No one can, and of course killing yourself doesn't do any good."

Aaron shook his head. "The demons are like Kobe," he said. "They attack me because I'm too scared to fight back. When I beat them with a stick, they dare not mess with me again." "Kobe's not a stone demon," Jeff said. "A stick won't scare them away." "There must be a way," said Aaron. "People used to kill demons. All the old legends say so." "In legend, only the ancient magic seals can subdue the monsters in the center of the earth." Jeff said, "but those attack magic seals have been lost." "Regan said that some places are still fighting the demons, and he said we have a way to kill the demons."

"I'm going to talk to this messenger," Jeff murmured. "He shouldn't be instilling such ridiculous ideas in you children." "Why not?" Aaron asked, "If all the men had picked up axes and spears, perhaps not so many people would have died last night..." "They're not immune to it either," Jeff continued. "There are other ways to protect yourself and your family, Aaron. It takes wisdom, patience, and doing what you can. Fighting a battle you can't win Not a show of bravery." "If all the men in the town are laying down their lives for unkillable goblins, who's going to take care of the women and children?" he went on. "Who's going to chop the wood and build the houses? Slaughtering livestock? Who will impregnate women? If all men die, the earth core monsters will win."

"The monsters in the center of the earth have already won." Aaron muttered, "You keep saying that the population of the town is decreasing year by year. If we don't fight back, the demons will come to us." He looked up at his father. "Don't you feel that way? Don't you ever want to fight back?" "Of course I do, Aaron," Jeff said, "but don't fight back for no reason. When it matters, when it really matters, all men stand up and fight. Animals run when they have the chance, fight when they have to, and humans do too. Same. But the spirit should only be used when necessary.”

"If you're outside and the Goblin is around," he said, "or your mother, I swear I'll fight to the end so you don't get hurt, do you know the difference?" Aaron nodded. "I think I understand." "Good boy," Jeff said, patting him on the shoulder. That night, Aaron dreamed of a towering mountain, a pond big enough to accommodate a town, endless yellow sand, and a strong fortress hidden in the woods. But while watching all this, there were two legs swinging slowly before his eyes.He looked up and found himself hanged from the tree with a blue face-so he woke up suddenly, the straw mattress was soaked with sweat.It was still dark, but there was dawn on the horizon, a tinge of red against the indigo sky.He lit a candle, put on his coat, and staggered into the living room.He found some crusts, chewed them, and put the egg basket and milk jug by the door.

"You woke up so early." A voice came from behind.Startled, he turned and Norian was watching him.Maria was still lying on the straw mat, but she didn't sleep well. "The days don't lengthen while you sleep," said Aaron. "My husband used to say that," she nodded. "He'd say, 'The Bears and the Carters can't work by candlelight like the people in the square.'" "I have a lot of things to do." Aaron said, estimating through the window leaves how long it would take for him to cross the magic seal. "At noon today, there is a bard's performance in the central square of the town."

"Of course," Noriane agreed. "When I was your age, bard performances were the most important thing in the world. I'll help you with your work." "You don't have to help," Aaron said. "Dad said you should get more rest." Norian shook her head. "Breaks just make me think about things I shouldn't be thinking about," she said. "If I'm going to live in your house, I should be doing something. I've spent most of my life chopping down trees, and I don't care about feeding pigs or growing corn." How painful it will be."

Aaron shrugged and handed her the egg basket. With Noelian's help, the morning's work was done in no time.She is a quick learner and is very good at strenuous work and lifting heavy loads.When the house smelled of fried eggs and bacon, all the animals had been fed, the eggs had been gathered, and the milk had been milked. "Don't wriggle around in your chair while eating," Sylvie said to Aaron. "Little Aaron can't wait to see the bard show," Norian said. "Maybe tomorrow," Jeff said. Aaron's face changed drastically. "What!" cried Aaron, "but—"

"No but," Jeff said, "I didn't do a lot of work yesterday, and I promised Celia that I would go to the forest village to help in the afternoon." Aaron pushed away the plate and ran into his room angrily. "Let the child go." Norian said after waiting for him to return to the room, "Maria and I will help at home." Maria looked up when she heard her name, and then continued to fiddle with the food on the plate . "Yesterday must have been a tough day for Aaron," Sylvie said.She bit her lip. "For us, too. Let the bard bring him a little joy, there's no work at home that can't wait." After a moment, Jeff nodded. "Aaron!" he called.When the boy came out with a sullen face, he asked, "Old Hogg said, how much does it cost to watch the bard's performance?" "Free." Aaron said immediately, not wanting to give his father any reason to refuse. "Because, yesterday I helped him unload the courier's van." This is not true, and Hogg may be angry because he forgot to tell everyone about the show, but as long as he is calling friends on the way to the square , It is still possible to find some people, plus two trading points, maybe he can enter the show to watch the show. "Whenever the messenger came to town, old Hogg would be very generous," Norian said. "It should be, he has been exploiting us all winter." Sylvie responded. "Okay, Aaron, you can go," Jeff said. "After the show, meet me in the forest village." If you walk along the road, you will have to walk for two hours to the town square.The hard-dirt trail that Jeff and other locals usually maintain can only be passed by a horse-drawn cart-and there are many detours to cross the bridge built at the shallowest part of the creek.Aaron is flexible in his hands and feet, and can directly jump over the slippery stones on the water to cross the river, saving half the time. Today, more than usual, he needed to save time so he could spread the news of the bard's performance along the way.He walked as fast as he could along the muddy stream bank, dodging dangerous tree roots all the way, and confidently crossed this shortcut that had been taken countless times. Whenever he passed other farms, he would run out of the woods, but he never saw anyone.Everyone either went to work in the fields, or returned to the forest village to help. It was almost noon when we arrived at Yudong.A few fishermen were punting in the small pond, but Aaron saw no point in yelling at them.The fish hole was empty except for them. When he came to the town square, he felt a little puzzled—Hogg might have been kinder than usual yesterday, but Aaron had seen how he treated people who had caused him losses.It's good enough that Hogg didn't scold himself severely. It is absolutely impossible for him to use two trading points to enjoy the bard's performance. When he arrived, he found more than three hundred Tibbey Creek residents gathered in the square, from the swamp of Boggin Hill and Bell in Fish Hole.Of course, there are also residents near the square area, tailors, mill workers, bakery teachers, etc. all came.No one from South Whistle came, the people there hated bards. "Aaron, good boy, you did a good job!" Hogg yelled as soon as he saw him. "I've left an empty seat for you in the front row, and I've prepared a bag of salt for you to carry home!" Aaron looked at him curiously until he saw Regan standing beside Hogg.The messenger winked at him. "Thank you." Aaron said to the messenger after Hogg ran to greet the others. Daisy and Katrin are busy selling food and ale. "People here should see a good show." Regan shrugged. "But it seems that you have to discuss the content with your pastor first." He pointed to Kirin, who was arguing loudly with Pastor Harlow. "And don't spread any nonsense about the great plague like that bard last time!" Harlow said, poking Qilin's chest vigorously.He was more than twice the weight of the bard, and he didn't grow any fat on his body. "Nonsense?" Qi Lin said with a pale face. "In Miln, the priest will hang any bard who does not preach the Great Plague!" "I don't care what the rules of the Free Cities are," said Harlow. "These are good people. Their lives are hard enough. People pay for a show, not to tell them they're suffering because they don't have enough." Piety!" "What...?" Aaron wanted to ask, but Qilin had already turned and walked towards the center of the square. "You'd better get a seat quickly," Regan suggested. As Hogg said, Aaron found the seat he reserved for himself in the front row, in the seating area usually reserved for children.Everyone else was jealous of his treatment.Aaron also felt very excited, because he rarely had the opportunity to be envied by everyone. The bard was tall, like all Myrn men, in bright patchwork clothing that he looked like he had stolen from the dyer's rag-bin; he had a small goatee, and his The same carrot-colored hair, but the goatee is still a long way from a real beard, and it seems to be easily removed with a simple swipe.Everyone, especially the women, was talking about his bright hair and emerald green eyes. Taking advantage of the time when people were seated, Qilin walked up and down the stage, throwing colorful wooden balls, telling jokes, and warming up the scene.Hogg gave him a signal, and he immediately turned around, took out the lute and began to play, singing loudly with a loud voice.The audience was beating to songs they had never heard before, but when he played something that had been performed at Tibe Creek, the crowd would sing in unison, overpowering the bard's voice without a care.Aaron didn't care either, and sang as loudly as everyone else. After the concert, juggling and magic shows followed.During the performance, Qilin occasionally interspersed some jokes about teasing her husband, making the woman laugh and scream while the man frowns slightly, and some jokes about teasing his wife, making the man clap his hands and cheering, while the woman glared. Finally, the bard pauses the performance and raises his hands to ask the audience to be quiet.The audience began to whisper, and the parents pushed the children forward, wanting them to listen carefully to the bard's story.Five-year-old little Jessie Bokin climbed onto Aaron's lap to get a better view of the performance.Aaron had given her the newborn puppies of the family bitch a few weeks ago, and now she stalks Aaron whenever she sees him.He hugged her and listened to Qilin start to tell "Return to the Legend". His tone was sometimes high-pitched and sometimes low-pitched, which fascinated the audience. "The former world was very different from what you know today." The bard said to the children, "Oh, no. There was a time when humans and monsters in the center of the earth were evenly matched. We call that ancient era the 'Great Mist' Times'. Does anyone know the reason?" He looked at the children sitting in the front row, and several children immediately raised their hands. "Because there were no magic seals at that time?" a girl said when Qilin called. "That's right!" the bard said and turned somersaults, and the children immediately screamed with excitement. "The Hongmeng Era was a terrifying age for humans, but there were not many demons at that time, and there was no way to kill everyone. Humans would work hard to build during the day, and demons would ravage wildly at night, destroying our achievements, just like now Same." "In the struggle to survive," Kirin continued, "we adapted to the situation, learned to hide food and livestock from demons, and how to avoid them." He looked around, pretending to be frightened, and ran to a small child Behind him, a look of shrinking. "In order not to be discovered by the devil, we hid in the cave." "Like a rabbit?" Jessie asked with a smile. "That's right!" Qilin shouted, stretching out a finger with each hand, putting it behind his ears, and twisting his nose while imitating a rabbit to hop. "We lingered on," he continued, "until we invented writing. Soon after writing appeared, we discovered that some writing could ward off the inner-earth monsters. What kind of writing is that?" he asked, putting his hand to his ear as if to listen. "Magic Seal!" Everyone shouted in unison. "Correct answer!" The bard rewarded everyone with a backflip. "With the sigil, we can resist the monsters in the center of the earth, so we continue to draw the sigil to strengthen our skills. People find more and more sigils, until someone finds a sigil that can not only block demons, but also hurt them .” The children took a deep breath.Although Aaron had heard similar stories every year since he could remember, he still found himself taking a deep breath; he was willing to trade everything he had for such a magic seal. "The demons are not willing to see this kind of development." Qilin grinned, "They are used to seeing us hide and hide, and when we turned around to attack, they were not to be outdone and launched a fierce counterattack; this was the case in the first demon war unfolded, and mankind thus entered a second age, the 'Age of the Liberators'." "The Liberator is a hero who came to the world in response to the call of the Creator and led the human struggle. Under his leadership, we have won repeatedly!" He punched the sky, and the audience cheered in unison.This emotion is contagious, Aaron was delighted, tickling Jessie's itch with a smile. "As our magic and tactics improved," Kirin said, "the overall lifespan of humans began to increase, and the population began to expand. Our armies grew in size, and the number of demons decreased year by year. We have every chance to wipe out the demons in the center of the earth in one fell swoop. " The bard paused for a moment, and assumed a serious expression. "Then," he said, "without warning, the demon fled back into the ground. There was no demonic night in history. Day after day, night after night, no trace of the demon was seen, We're confused." He scratched his head in confusion. "Many people believe that the demons were severely injured in the war, so they died in the center of the earth." He cowered away from the children, whining like a cat, and trembling all over, as if he was frightened.Some children got into the scene more deeply and started yelling at him threateningly. "For the liberators who used to spend their nights fighting against the demons, these lies were simply not believed. But months passed, and the demons were still gone, and the army began to disintegrate," Qilin said. "Humanity lived a few years in peace, reveling in the joy of victory," Kirin continued.He picked up the lute, played lively tunes, and danced among the audience. "As the years passed without a common enemy, the alliance formed by humans gradually disintegrated and finally disappeared completely. So, for the first time in history, humans began to kill each other." The bard's voice became low. "Wars are raging, and all forces demand that the Liberator come forward to lead, but he proclaimed to the world: 'As long as there are demons in the center of the earth, I will not participate in meaningless brotherhood!' He turned and left, leaving the war to continue land, and the world fell into chaos." "After several great wars, several mighty nations were formed," he sang, playing a more heartening tune. "Humanity has opened up territories and spread its footprints all over the world. The era of liberators has come to an end, and mankind has entered the age of science." "The age of science," said the bard, "is the most glorious age in human history, but in this great age mankind made its deadliest mistakes. Can someone tell me what that mistake was?" The older child Know the answer, but Kirin hints to them to hold off and let the younger children answer. "Because we forget magic." Jim Carter said, reaching out the back of his hand and rubbing his fleshy nose. "You're right!" Qilin snapped his fingers while speaking. "We've learned a lot about how the world works, about the mechanics of medicine, but we've forgotten magic. Worse, we've forgotten the monsters. After centuries of silence, no one believes they ever existed. " "That's why," he said solemnly, "humans are so defenseless when they suddenly come back." "For centuries forgotten by the world, demons kept multiplying. Then, one night three hundred years ago, they crawled out of the center of the earth and took back the world by an incalculable number." "Several cities were destroyed on the first night that the monsters in the center of the earth celebrated their return. Humanity fought hard, but even the most powerful weapons of the scientific age could not resist the demons. The scientific age ended, and the era of destruction followed. " "The second war between humans and demons has begun." Aaron witnessed the scene of that night in his heart. He saw the city burning and people fleeing in panic, only to be massacred by the long-awaited earth core monster. He seemed to see men sacrificing themselves to buy time for their families to escape, and seeing women bear the claws of the monsters in the center of the earth instead of children.Most importantly, he seemed to see groups of earth core monsters licking the blood from the corners of their mouths and sharp claws and cheering happily. The children recoiled in terror, but Qilin pressed forward. "This war lasted for several years, and human beings were massacred again and again. Without the leadership of the liberator, human beings are no match for the monsters in the center of the earth. Many great countries and city-states were reduced to ruins overnight. Burned in wild laughter. "Scholars desperately searched for answers in the wreckage of the library. Old science was of no help, and finally found salvation in legends that were once dismissed as fantasy and superstition. People began to draw complex symbols on the ground to prevent the evil spirits from approaching. The effect of the magic seal is still there, but the drawn magic seal is often wrong, and once you make a mistake, you must pay a painful price. "The surviving scholars began to gather together to protect people in the long night. These people later became the first generation of magic sealers, and they still guard us today." The bard pointed at the audience. "So the next time you meet a magic sealer, remember to thank him, because you owe him your life." It was the first time Aaron had heard of this part.Magic Sealer?In the town of Tibe Creek, when everyone is old enough to draw with a branch, he must learn to draw a magic seal.Many people don't have the talent to draw sigils, but Aaron can't imagine how anyone wouldn't take the time to learn the basic forbidden sigils against stone, fire, wind, water, and wood demons. "So now we can stay in the magic seal field safely and keep the demons out." Qilin said, pointing to Regan. "Messengers are the bravest men who ever lived, traveling for us from city to city, escorting travelers and goods, and bringing news from faraway lands." He walked around, staring sharply at the terrified child. "But we're strong," he said, "aren't we?" The children nodded, but their eyes were still full of fear. "What?" he asked, putting his hand to his ear. "Yes!" cried the audience. "Are we ready when the Liberator returns?" he asked. "Will the demons learn to fear us again?" "Yes!" roared the audience. "They cannot hear you!" cried the bard. "Yes!" the crowd shouted in unison, pumping their fists in the air; Aaron shouting loudest.Jessie imitated him, waving and yelling like a demon.The bard bows, waits for the audience to quiet down, then picks up the lute and leads them into another melody. Hogg kept his word and let Aaron leave the square with a bag of salt.Even if there were extra Norian and Mariah in the house, this bag of salt would last them for weeks.The salt hadn't been ground yet, but Aaron knew his parents would rather grind it themselves than pay Hogg to have someone do it.Most people thought this way, but Old Hogg never gave them a chance to choose. He always grinded the salt as soon as he got it, so as to ask the townspeople for extra money. On the way to the forest village, Aaron's steps were as light as if his legs were on springs.It wasn't until he passed the big tree that Koli hanged himself that his heart became heavy.He thought again of Regan's words about fighting against the monsters in the center of the earth, and his father's words of humiliation. He thought his father might be right when he said: hide when you can, fight when you have to, and even Regan seemed to agree.But Aaron kept thinking about what Regan said when Uncle Corley hanged himself—hiding can hurt people too, but it's just in places where they can't see it. He meets his father in the forest village.Seeing the bag of salt, his father gave him a pat on the back in praise.In the afternoon, he was busy helping the adults rebuild the village, running back and forth.Before night fell, they repaired the second house and painted the sigil.According to this progress, within a few weeks, the forest village will return to its original state.This is good news for everyone to be excited about.They also hope to have enough wood to survive the winter. "I promised Celia that I will come to help in the next few days." Jeff said in the afternoon when he packed his tools and got on the car. "You're the man of the house while I'm away. You have to check the rune posts and pull weeds in the fields. I saw you working with Noriane in the morning, and she can help out with some of the barn chores, Maria can help your mother in the house." "Okay." Aaron replied.Pulling weeds and checking rune posts was hard work, but he was proud of his father's trust. "I'll leave everything to you, Aaron." Jeff said. "I won't let you down," Aaron promised. For the next few days, nothing happened.Sylvie still cried occasionally, but she had other things to do, so she never complained that there were two more people in the family for dinner.It was natural for Norian to take care of the livestock, and even Mariah started to step out of her own world, helping with sweeping and cooking; sitting at the loom after dinner and weaving.Before long she and Noelia took turns at the barn.Both women seemed determined to share the housework, but when they were free they looked sad. Aaron's palms were blistered from weeding, and his back and shoulders ached every evening, but he didn't complain.The only one of these new responsibilities that he enjoyed was checking the rune stakes.Aaron has always enjoyed drawing sigils, getting familiar with the basic defense symbols before most kids learn sigils, and then learning more complex sigils; Jeff doesn't even check his sigils anymore up.Aaron's hands were stronger than his father's.Although drawing a magic seal is not the same as attacking the monsters in the center of the earth with a spear, at least it is a way to resist the monsters in the center of the earth. Every night, Jeff came home at dusk, and Sylvie had drawn water from the well to help him wash.Aaron helps Noelian and Mariah secure the livestock before they all enjoy dinner. On the fifth day, the wind started to pick up in the afternoon, the yard was full of dust, and the barn door kept banging.Aaron could smell the rainstorm, and the dark sky confirmed it.He hoped that Jeff would also see these signs and go home early, or stay in the forest village.The dark clouds represent early dusk, and early dusk sometimes means that the monsters of the inner earth will appear before the sun has fully set. Aaron left the field and began helping the women drive the frightened animals back to the barns.Sylvie also ran out, sealed the cellar door with wooden boards, and confirmed that the magic seal stakes near the corral were tied tightly.They didn't have much time when Jeff returned with his buggy.It was getting dark quickly, and there was no longer any direct sunlight.The monsters in the center of the earth will appear at any time. "There's no time to untangle the wagon," Jeff yelled, whipping his whip and driving Mishi to speed towards the barn. "Let's talk tomorrow morning. Everyone go into the house, immediately!" Sylvie and the other women followed the instructions, turned and ran towards the house. "Hurry up before it's too late." Aaron rushed to his father and shouted amidst the howling wind. If he carried the harness all night, Mishi would be listless for the next few days. Jeff shook his head. "It's getting too dark! It's going to die if it doesn't take off the harness all night." "Then lock me in the barn," Aaron said. "I'll unharness him and wait out the storm with the animals." "Do as I say, Aaron," Jeff yelled, jumping out of the carriage, grabbing the boy by the arm, and half-dragging him to leave the barn. The two closed the door of the barn and set up the planks.A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the sigil drawn on the barn door, heralding the impending attack of demons; the air smelled of rain. They ran all the way towards the house, always paying attention to whether there was any fog in front of them that represented the precursor of the appearance of the earth core monster.The road was fairly safe.When the first big raindrops fell on the dirt in the yard, Maria opened the door and they rushed in. Maria was about to close the door when a howl came from the yard.Everyone froze in place in fright. "It's a dog!" Maria yelled, and then covered her mouth with her hand. "I tied it to the fence!" "Leave it alone," Jeff said. "Close the door." "What?" Aaron exclaimed in disbelief.He turned immediately to face his father. "There are no geocentric monsters outside!" Maria shouted, and then rushed out of the room. "Maria, no!" Sylvie yelled, and then chased after her. Aaron rushed out the door as well, but Jeff grabbed the shoulder straps of his coat and pulled him back. "Stay inside!" he ordered, and moved to the door. Aaron fell back a few steps, then rushed forward again.Jeff and Norian were standing outside on the front porch, but within the outer sigil circle.By the time Aaron reached the front porch, the dog, still on a leash around its neck, had rushed past him and turned into the house. There was a strong wind in the yard, and the raindrops were blowing over like sand and gravel.He saw Maria and his mother running towards the door, and at the same time, the earth core monster had begun to condense its form.As always, the fire demons emerged first, their misty forms erupting from the ground.The fire demon is the smallest monster in the earth's core. When it appears, it is on all fours and its shoulders are no more than eighteen inches from the ground.Their eyes, nostrils, and mouths breathe mist. "Quick, Sylvie!" Jeff yelled, "Come here!" Seeing that they should be able to arrive in time, Maria stumbled.Sylvie turned to help, and at that moment, the first earth core monster had already condensed.Aaron tried to rush to his mother, but Norian's hand gripped his arm, holding him in place. "Don't do anything stupid," the woman whispered. "Get up!" Sylvie shouted, grabbing Maria's arm. "My ankle—" Mariah said, "I can't run anymore! Leave me alone!" "I won't abandon you!" Sylvie roared, "Jeff! Come and help!" At this time, there were earth core monsters appearing everywhere in the whole courtyard.Jeff stood still in shock, watching as the demon spotted the two women, screamed with joy, and approached them step by step. "Let go!" Aaron yelled, aiming at Norian's foot and stomping hard.She screamed, and Aaron broke free immediately.He picked up the milking barrel at hand and rushed into the yard. "Aaron, don't!" Jeff yelled, but Aaron didn't bother to listen to him. A fire demon that was only slightly bigger than a wild cat jumped on Sylvie's back, scratched her skin with one claw, and tore the clothes on her back into bloody pieces amidst her screams.Then the fire demon spit out a flame from Sylvie's back towards Maria's face.The woman screamed, her skin melted and her hair burned. Aaron arrived immediately and threw the barrel at the fire demon with all his might.The wooden barrel shattered into pieces with the sound of the impact, but the demon was also smashed and fell off his mother's back to the ground.Sylvie collapsed, and Aaron immediately stepped forward to support her.More fire demons approached them, and even the wind demons began to spread their wings.Then, a dozen yards away, a stone demon also began to gather its shape. Sylvie groaned, but still struggled to stand up.Aaron pulled her away from Mariah and her whimpers of pain, but they ran back full of fire demons.The stone demon also found them and started chasing them frantically.A few wind demons that were about to take off blocked the way of this huge monster. It waved its sharp claws and easily threw them aside like a sickle cutting straw.The wind demon fell from the sky, and the fire demon immediately rushed up and tore them to pieces. Taking advantage of the demon's distraction, Aaron took the opportunity to drag his mother away from the house.The road to the barn is also impassable, but there is no obstacle between them and the several barns for the time being, as long as they can arrive before the earth core monster.Sylvie kept screaming, she didn't know whether it was out of fear or pain, but she still stumbled and ran forward with him, even though she was wearing a wide skirt, she still didn't lag behind. Just as he was running wildly, fire demons from all directions also chased him up.The rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the wind is blowing faster and faster.Lightning pierced the sky, illuminating their pursuers, and the stables seemed to be close at hand, yet far away. The soil in the yard was gradually muddy due to the rain, but fear kept their limbs flexible and on alert at any time.The stone demon approached quickly with thunderous charging steps, and the whole ground vibrated following its steps. Aaron stopped in front of the corral, frantically trying to open the door.The fire demon is close enough to use a deadly weapon.They breathed flames, hitting Aaron and his mother.He could feel his clothes on fire and smell burning hair.A sharp pain hit him, but he ignored it and managed to open the gate to the corral.As he pulled her into the corral, another fire demon landed on her back, digging its claws deep into her chest.Aaron pulled violently, pulling his mother into the magic seal force field, and the monster in the center of the earth was thrown out of the door by the dazzling magic light.The sharp claws that were deep in her body pulled away along with the blood and flesh. Their clothes are still burning.Aaron threw his arms around Sylvie and threw himself to the ground, rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames. They haven't had time to close the doors yet.Many demons rushed up, surrounded the corral and violently attacked the magic seal net, arousing bursts of magic light.But it doesn't matter if the gate is closed or not, and it doesn't matter whether there is a fence or not.As long as the magic seal pile is not down, the earth core monsters cannot harm them.But the wind and rain were okay, the icy rain poured down, and the wind whipped them like whips.Sylvie was unable to get up after falling to the ground, her body was covered in blood and mud. Aaron didn't know if she could survive such a severe injury and a stormy night.He stumbled over to the feed trough, kicked it over, dumped out the leftovers from the pigs' dinner, and left them to rot in the mud.Aaron saw the stone demon attack the sigil, but the sigil didn't move, and the demon couldn't break through.Through the lightning and the flames emitted by the demons, he saw a group of fire demons surrounding Maria, each of them bit off a piece of meat, and then happily ran aside to eat. Not long after, the stone demon gave up the attack, strode back, stretched out its giant claws, and grabbed Maria's feet.The fire demon scurried around, allowing the stone demon to throw the woman's limbs into the air.She groaned hoarsely, apparently she wasn't dead yet.Aaron screamed and made a gesture to go out through the sigil to save her.然而就在此时，她残存的肢体摔落到地面，发出一阵可怕的骨头碎裂声——亚伦在恶魔开始享用她的躯体前挪开了目光，任由大雨洗去眼中的泪水。他拖着饲料槽来到希尔维身边，撕下她裙子的内衬，在雨水中浸湿。他尽可能地擦干净母亲伤口上的泥巴，然后在伤口中塞入更多内衬。这样做称不上干净，但总比猪圈里的泥巴要干净多了。 希尔维浑身颤抖着，于是他躺在她身边，试图给她取暖，然后将散发恶臭的饲料槽翻过来盖在他们身上，以抵挡倾盆大雨及地心魔物饥渴的目光。 盖下饲料槽时，借助能看到的最后一道闪电，他瞥见父亲仍一动不动地僵立在前廊。 如果和恶魔在外面的人是你……或是你母亲……亚伦想起他的话。但不管他承诺过什么，世上似乎没有任何事能迫使杰夫·贝尔斯挺身作战。 漫长的黑夜仿佛永无尽头，大雨在饲料槽上敲打出稳定的节奏，冰冷的泥巴地，猪粪的臭气，都让亚伦根本无法入眠。希尔维神志不清，而且浑身颤抖。亚伦紧紧拥抱着她，试图将自己的体温传达到她身上，他的手脚已经麻木到没有感觉了。绝望感如海浪般袭卷而来，他拥在母亲的肩上号啕大哭。但她仍在呻吟声中轻拍他的手背，如此简单的本能反应立刻驱走了他的恐惧、绝望及痛苦——他对抗一头恶魔，而且活了下来。他站在处处是恶魔的院子中，最后逃了出来。恶魔或许有不死的能力，但并非不能智取，要跑赢它们也不是不可能。 而从石恶魔将其他地心魔物摔到一旁的情况来看，它们也不是不会受伤。 但是当世上充满杰夫这种懦夫，甚至抛弃家人龟缩在一旁冷眼旁观——这一切又有什么意义？他们能有什么希望？ 他们在黑暗中苦熬数小时，脑海中满是父亲那麻木的眼神，躲在安全的魔印力场中无动于衷—— 雨势在黎明前开始转小。亚伦趁着雨小推开饲料槽，但是立刻后悔，因为槽内凝聚的热气立刻逸散。他再度盖上饲料槽，偶尔偷看外面一眼，直到天色开始转亮。 等天色亮到可以看清楚东西，地心魔物已消失得无影无踪，靛蓝的天空变成淡紫色了。他爬起身来，徒劳无功地试图拍掉粘在身上的泥浆和粪便。 他手臂僵硬，稍微伸展都感到针扎般刺痛。他低下头，看见被火焰喷中的皮肤呈亮红色。在泥巴里躺一夜起码还有这个好处，他想，如果不是一整晚躺在冰冷的泥巴里，他和母亲的灼伤必定会更加严重。 亚伦扶着母亲走出畜栏，蹒跚着朝前走。 “亚伦，不要！”前廊上传来一声呼喊。亚伦抬头，看见杰夫裹在一条毯子里，躲在前廊的魔印力场后观看。“天还没完全亮！再等一下！” 亚伦没有理他，走到畜棚门口，打开大门。米希依然套在车上，看起来很不高兴，但应该还能去广场。 当他领着马走出畜棚时，手臂突然被人抓住。“你找死吗？”杰夫大叫道，“你让我好担心，孩子！” 亚伦甩开他的手，厌恶得懒得看父亲一眼。他说道：“妈需要去找可琳·特利格。” “她还活着？”杰夫难以置信地问道，脑袋连忙转向妻子所躺的泥堆。 “都是被你害的。”亚伦说，“我要带她去镇中广场。” “我们一起带她去。”杰夫纠正他，冲过去抬起妻子，扶上马车。他们要去镇上，留下诺莉安一个人照顾牲畜，并收拾可怜的玛莉雅的残骸。 希尔维全身冒汗，灼伤不比亚伦严重，但被火恶魔抓伤的地方还在渗血，伤口成恶心的紫红色。 “亚伦，我……”杰夫在途中开口说道，朝儿子伸出颤抖的手掌。亚伦向旁一侧，偏过头去，杰夫好像被火灼到般赶紧缩回手去。 亚伦知道父亲十分羞愧。一如瑞根所说，或许杰夫甚至像科利那样痛恨自己。尽管如此，亚伦没办法同情他，母亲因为杰夫的懦弱而付出了惨重代价。 一路上他们再也没有交谈。 可琳·特利格居住在位于广场一侧的双层房舍，那是提贝溪镇最大的建筑之一，屋内摆满了床铺。除了住在楼上的家人，可琳至少会收留一名病患。 可琳个子矮小，鼻子很大，没有下巴。还没有三十岁就生了六个孩子，她的腰围很宽，衣服上总是有股烧焦的烟草味，她开的药常常离不开一种味道很糟的茶。提贝溪镇的居民喜欢拿那种茶来开玩笑，但是所有人生病时都会心存感激地乖乖喝茶。 草药师一看到希尔维，立刻吩咐亚伦和杰夫把她扶进屋里。她没有问问题，这样也好，因为亚伦和杰夫都不知道如何讲述事发经过。她割开每道伤口，挤出恶心的脓汁，腐败的臭味充满了整个屋子。她以清水和药草清洗处理的伤口，接着动手缝合。杰夫脸色发青，突然伸手捂住嘴。 “要吐出去吐！”可琳吼道，伸出食指指示杰夫离开房间。杰夫夺门而出。她转向亚伦。“你也要吐？”她问，亚伦摇头。可琳凝视他片刻，然后认同地点点头。“你比你父亲勇敢。”她说，“把那个研钵和碾杵给我，我教你制作灼伤软膏。” 可琳一边治疗希尔维，一边向亚伦讲解药柜里各式各样药罐和药袋的名称，引导他找到所需药材，解释混合它们的方法、比例。当亚伦在母亲灼伤处涂抹软膏时，她还在处理恶心的伤口。 帮希尔维处理完伤口后，她转身检查亚伦的伤势。一开始他有点抗拒，但是软膏确实发挥功效，当冰凉感沿着手臂蔓延开后，他才发现灼伤处有多刺痛。 “她会好起来吗？”亚伦看着自己母亲问道。她的呼吸均匀了，但是伤口附近的肤色很难看，空气中仍弥漫着腐烂的气味。 “我不知道。”可琳道。她毫不委婉地继续道，“我从没见过伤势如此严重的人。正常来讲，如果恶魔接近到这种距离……” “你就死定了，”杰夫站在门口说，“要不是因为亚伦，希尔维也本来难逃一死。”他步入屋内，视线垂下地面。“昨晚亚伦给我上了一课，可琳。”杰夫说，“他让我了解恐惧是我们的敌人，比恶魔更可怕的敌人。” 杰夫伸手搭上儿子的肩。“我不会再让你失望了。”他保证道。亚伦点点头，偏过目光。他很想相信父亲，但是他脑中不断浮现父亲蜷缩在前廊上，害怕到无法动弹的画面。 杰夫走到希尔维身边，握起她湿黏的手掌。她还在冒汗，不时会在睡梦中颤抖。 “她会死吗？”杰夫问。 草药师长长叹了口气。“我是接骨好手。”她说，“也是接生专家。我可以让病人退烧、治疗感冒，只要没有受伤太久，甚至有办法清理恶魔造成的伤口。”她摇一摇头。“但这是恶魔感染。我已经开药为她减轻疼痛、帮助睡眠，然而想要解药，你必须去找比我高明的草药师。” “还能找谁？”杰夫问，“你是提贝溪镇唯一的草药师。” “去找我的老师。”可琳说，“老梅·弗里曼。她住在阳光牧地的郊外，距离这里两天的路程。如果有人能够治疗这种感染，那一定就是老梅了，但是你们动作要快，感染扩散的速度很快，如果拖太久，就连老梅也帮不了你们。” “我们要怎么找她？”杰夫问道。 “你们不太可能迷路。”可琳说，“只有一条路通往那里。只要别在岔路那里转进森林就行了，除非你想耗上几个星期前往密尔恩。信使几个小时前才往阳光牧地出发，但是他还要先在镇上几个地方停留。如果你们脚程够快，或许还能赶上他们。信使随身携带魔印圈，只要赶上他们，你们就可以全程赶路直到太阳下山，而不用停在半路找地方借宿；信使能够帮你们加快行程。” “我们会找到他。”杰夫说，“不惜任何代价。”他的语气十分坚定，亚伦心中燃起一丝希望。 亚伦眼看着提贝溪镇慢慢消失在马车后方，心中突然升起一种奇特的感觉。这是第一次，他要前往离家超过一天路程的地方。他将看见另一座城镇！一个星期前，像这样的冒险是他梦寐以求的事。但现在，他只希望一切能够恢复原状——回到农场安全的时候；回到母亲没有受伤的时候；回到他不知道父亲是懦夫的时候。 可琳承诺会派她的儿子赶往农场，告知诺莉安他们会离开约一个星期，并在他们不在家时帮忙照顾牲畜、检查魔印。邻居都会主动帮忙，不过诺莉安承受的打击太大，不敢独自面对黑夜。 草药师还给了他们一张粗略的地图，他谨慎地卷起地图，放入皮筒中。纸张在提贝溪镇是稀有物品，绝对不会轻易送人。亚伦对这张地图深感兴趣，一直研究了好几个小时，虽然他根本看不懂标示地名的文字；因为亚伦和他父亲都不识字。 地图上标示出通往阳光牧地的道路，以及路上会遇到的地标，但没有详细标明距离。路上有几座农场可供他们借宿，但是却完全看不出农场之间相隔多远。 母亲全身不停冒汗，神智恍惚，时断时续地昏睡，有时候她会说胡话或大叫。亚伦总是拿湿布帮她擦脸，然后又强迫她喝一点草药师给他的刺鼻药茶，但似乎没有多大帮助。 下午稍晚，他们路过豪尔·坦纳的房子。他是住在提贝溪镇郊外的农夫。豪尔的农场距离森林村落不过两个小时的路程，但是当亚伦和父亲抵达时已是下午了。 亚伦记得每年都会在夏至庆典看到豪尔和他的三个女儿，不过自两年前豪尔妻子死在地心魔物手中后，他们就不再出现了。豪尔离群索居，他的女儿也随他一起深居简出；就连发生森林村落的惨剧也没赶来帮忙。 豪尔家的田地有四分之三化为焦土；只有最接近他们家房子的田地才有守护播种的魔印。一头瘦弱的奶牛立在泥泞的院里咀嚼反刍的食物，绑在鸡笼边的山羊瘦得连肋骨都数得清楚。 豪尔家是一栋以石块垒的平房，以泥巴和黏土固定而成。较大的石块上绘有斑驳的魔印。亚伦认为这些魔印画得很糟，不过怎么说也已经撑这么久了。屋顶是斜的，腐败的茅草屋顶上突出几根短短宽宽的魔印桩。屋子的一面连接一座小畜棚，窗户钉满木板，门片半垂在门框中。院子对面还有一座大畜棚，但是状况看起来更糟。魔印或许还能维持有效状态，但是畜棚本身似乎随时都会崩塌。 “我从来没有到过豪尔家。”杰夫说。 “我也没有。”亚伦说谎。除了信使之外，没几个人有理由前往森林村落以北的地方，对镇中广场的人而言，住在这附近的人也只是茶余饭后的话题，随便聊聊。亚伦曾不止一次溜来偷看疯子坦纳的农场。这里就是他以前离家最远的地方。想要在日落前回家，他必须以最快的速度奔跑好几个小时才行。 有一次，就在几个月前他差点没能赶回家，他一直想要看看大女儿伊莲。其他男孩都说她有提贝溪镇最大的胸部，他想亲眼见识见识。他等了一天，最后看见她哭哭啼啼地跑出屋外。她哀伤的样子十分美丽，虽然她比他大上八岁，亚伦很想过去安慰她；他没有那个胆，但是仍然偷看了很久，结果差点付出惨痛的代价。 当他们接近农场时，一只脏兮兮的狗开始大叫，接着一名年轻女孩开门来到前廊，哀伤地看着他们。 “我们可能得在这里借宿。”杰夫道。 “还有几个小时天才会黑。”亚伦摇头说道，“如果到时没赶上瑞根，地图上指示在通往自由城邦的岔路附近还有一座农场。” 杰夫自亚伦的肩膀后方看着地图。“那很远。”他说。 “妈的伤不能等。”亚伦说，“我们今天不能抵达目的地，但是每多走一小时就表示我们可以早一小时拿到解药。” 杰夫回头看向浸在汗水中的希尔维，然后抬头看了看太阳，点了点头。他们对前廊上的女孩挥手，不过没有停留。 接下来几个小时，他们又走了很远，但都没发现信使或者其他农场的踪影。杰夫抬头望向布满橘色晚霞的天空。 “再过不到两个小时，天就会全黑了。”他说，“我们得回头。如果快一点，还可以及时回到豪尔家。” “那座农场可能再转一个弯就到了。”亚伦争辩，“我们会找到它的。” “我们不能确定。”杰夫说着，朝一边吐了口痰。“地图标示不清，我们要趁着还有机会时回头，没得商量。” 亚伦难以置信地瞪大双眼。“这样我们会少掉半天的路程，更别提一整晚无法赶路，妈或许撑不过这段时间！”他叫道。 杰夫回头看向妻子，她裹在毯子里不停冒汗，呼吸急促而虚弱。他哀伤地看着地上逐渐拉长的影子，压抑着想打哆嗦的冲动。“如果入夜后还在外面，”他小声地回应，“我们都会死。” 话还没说完，亚伦已经使劲摇头，拒绝接受他的决定。“我们可以……”他微带迟疑地道，“我们可以在地上绘制魔印。”他终于说道。“画满马车外围。” “如果刮来一阵风吹散魔印呢？”他父亲问，“到时候该怎么办？” “那座农场可能就在下一座山丘后！”亚伦坚持道。 “也有可能还在二十里外。”他父亲吼回去，“甚至一年前就毁于一场大火，谁知道这幅地图画好后出过什么事？” “你是说妈不值得你冒险吗？”亚伦谴责道。 “不用你告诉我她值不值得冒险！”他父亲大叫，差点把男孩撞出车外。“我爱她一辈子了！我比你还清楚她值不值得我冒险！但是我不打算赌上我们三人的性命！她可以撑过今晚，她非撑过今晚不可！” 就这样，他猛拉缰绳，停下马车，然后掉转方向。他对着米希的侧腹狠狠抽了一鞭，命令它沿着原路快速奔驰。马儿恐惧即将到来的黑夜，发狂似地疾奔。 亚伦回头看向希尔维，将满腔怒火咽下肚子。他看着母亲随车轮驶过凹凸不平的路面而摇晃，但无论路途有多颠簸，她一直没有任何反应。不管父亲怎么想，亚伦知道她存活的机会已经减少了一半不止。 抵达豪尔的农场时，太阳差不多完全下山了。杰夫和米希似乎有着共同的恐惧，同时张嘴大叫。亚伦跳入后座，试图在剧烈震动的车内扶稳母亲的身体。他紧紧抱着她，为她挡下多次猛烈的撞击。 但是他没有办法全部代她承受。他感觉得出来，可琳的缝隙绽开，伤口再度裂开。希尔维即使没有死于恶魔感染，也很可能死于旅途奔波。 杰夫直接驾着马车冲到前廊边，高叫：“豪尔！我们要借宿！” 他们还没跳下马车，屋门已经开启。一个身穿旧外套的男人手握干草叉冲出屋子。豪尔很瘦，但肌肉结实，如同肉干。紧跟而来的是伊莲，这名健美的年轻女子手握金属头的短铲。亚伦上次见到她的时候，她哭哭啼啼，一脸惊恐，但现在的她眼中没有丝毫恐慌。她无视蠢蠢欲动的黑影，大步来到马车前。 豪尔朝正抬希尔维下车的杰夫点头。“带她进屋。”他命令道，杰夫立刻照做，通过魔印时吁了一大口气。 “打开大畜棚门。”他对伊莲道，“小畜棚停不下马车。”伊莲拉起裙子，拔腿就跑。他转向亚伦。“驾车前往畜棚，孩子！赶快！” 亚伦按照吩咐做。“没时间卸除马具了，”农夫道，“它必须撑一个晚上。”这已经是连续两个晚上了。亚伦怀疑米希还有没有机会卸除马具。 豪尔和伊莲迅速关上畜棚大门，并且检查魔印。“你在等什么？”男人对亚伦吼道，“到屋里去！恶魔马上就要现身了！” 话才说完，恶魔就已经开始凝聚形体，他们死命奔向农舍，看着仿佛自地面上长出来的魔爪以及有着尖角的脑袋。 他们左右闪避逐渐成形的死神，恐惧和肾上腺素大幅提升他们的敏捷和速度。第一批地心魔物完全现形，一群动作迅速的火恶魔展开追逐，迅速逼近。亚伦和伊莲继续奔跑，豪尔转身将干草叉朝恶魔掷去。 武器击中领头恶魔的胸口，它摔入伙伴之间。尽管体形瘦小，火恶魔的皮肤还是坚韧得能挡住干草叉。怪物捡起干草叉，张口喷火，烧断木柄，随手丢弃。 尽管地心魔物没有受伤，这一掷还是争取了一点时间。恶魔穷追不舍，但是在豪尔跳上前廊的同时，它们的攻势立刻受阻，仿佛撞上砖墙般撞上魔印力场。一时之间魔光大作，所有恶魔全都摔回院子。豪尔迅速进屋，他甩上大门，闩上门，转身背靠门上。 “赞美造物主。”他无力地说道，气息急促，脸色发白。 豪尔茅屋里的空气又闷又热，充满着一股浓厚的发霉物和排泄物的混合味道。尽管地上长虫的芦草吸收了部分自屋顶渗下的积水，但屋里的湿气还是很重。两只狗儿和几只猫与主人同处在屋里，所有人走路时都必须留意脚下，担心踩着它们的脚或尾巴。火炉上吊着一口大黑锅，为满屋的酸腐味添加些炖肉味：不过味道越来越淡。一个角落悬着一块缀满补丁的油帘，隐约遮掩一下后方的尿桶。 亚伦尽可能帮希尔维重新包扎，接着在伊莲和妹妹班妮的帮助下，将她抬入她们的房间。而豪尔最小的女儿瑞娜，则为亚伦和他父亲拿了两个满是裂痕的木碗，放在晚饭的餐桌上。 农舍中只有三间房子，一间女孩们共用，一间是豪尔的卧房，剩下的就是供他们煮饭、进食、工作用的客厅。客厅中一块破破烂烂的布帘隔开煮饭和吃饭的地方，一扇绘有魔印的木门通往小畜棚。 “瑞娜，趁大人讲话时带亚伦去检查一下魔印，我和班妮准备晚餐。”伊莲道。 瑞娜点头，牵着亚伦的手拉他离开。她将近十岁了，与十一岁的亚伦差不多大，尽管脸上满是脏污，依然难掩其秀丽的面容。瑞娜身穿一件朴素的连衣裙，破洞不少，但都是经过仔细的修补，棕色头发用一条破布巾绑在脑后，不过有许多未绑住的发丝垂落在她的圆脸旁。 “这个魔印花掉了。”女孩说着指向一道画在窗沿上的魔印。“一定是被哪只猫踩花的。”她自魔印工具中取出一根炭棒，小心翼翼描绘模糊掉的线条。 “这样不行，”亚伦说，“线条不够圆滑，这会削弱魔印的威力，你应该全部重画。” “他们不准我重画魔印。”瑞娜低声道，“如果发现无法修补的魔印，我们应该去找父亲或伊莲。” “让我来。”亚伦说着接过炭棒。他仔细抹除之前的魔印，然后重画新的，动作迅速，自信满满。画完后，他后退一步，打量窗户外围，然后又将其他几个魔印抹掉重画。 豪尔一看见他在做什么，立刻紧张兮兮地想要起身阻止，但是杰夫比了个手势，很有把握地说了几句话，说服他再度坐回椅子上。 亚伦满意地欣赏着自己的作品。 “就算是石恶魔也无法突破这道魔印。”他骄傲地念叨，接着转过身来，发现瑞娜瞪大眼睛在看他。 "What for?" “你比我印象中长得高些了。”女孩说完带着羞怯的微笑低下头去。 “是呀，都两年不见了。”亚伦回答，也不知道再说些什么。所有魔印都检查一遍后，豪尔把瑞娜叫了过去，低声交谈了几句。亚伦发现她不时偷看自己，但是听不见他们在嘀咕什么。 晚餐是牛蒡、玉米与一种不明肉类炖成的火锅，不过还是足以填饱肚子。吃饭时，杰夫和亚伦说出了他们的遭遇。 “你们应该先来找我们的，”豪尔听他们讲完后说道，“我们常去老梅·弗里曼那里看病。比大老远跑到广场去找特利格要近多了。如果你们快马加鞭走了两小时才赶回我们这里，那么距离马克·佩斯特尔的农场已经不远了。老梅她家距离那里不到一个小时，她向来不喜欢城镇生活。真要赶起路来，说不定今晚就可以赶到。” 亚伦重重放下汤匙。桌上所有目光都集中在他身上，但是他根本没有注意，因为眼中只盯着自己的父亲。 杰夫无法忍受这道目光，他垂头丧气。“当时我们无从得知。”他凄苦地说。 伊莲轻拍他的肩。“不要怪自己太谨慎。”她说。接着转向亚伦，一脸责备。“等你大一点就会了解。” 亚伦突然起身，跺步离开餐桌。他穿过布帘，靠上窗沿，透过破损的窗叶看着外面的恶魔。它们一次次地试图穿越魔印力场，一直不得其门而入，但魔法不能为亚伦提供任何安全感。他觉得自己被魔法禁锢了。 “带亚伦去畜棚玩。”众人用完晚餐后，豪尔吩咐两个年幼女儿道。“伊莲洗碗，不要打扰大人谈话。” 班妮和瑞娜同时起身，蹦蹦跳跳地步出布帘。亚伦没有心情玩耍，但女孩们不给他拒绝的机会，一边一个，一把拉起他，穿过通往畜棚的木门往畜棚而去。 班妮点燃一盏破烂的油灯，昏暗的灯光照亮了畜棚。豪尔养了两头奶牛、四只山羊、一头母猪、八头小猪以及六只鸡，全都骨瘦如柴、营养不良，就连猪的肋骨都隐约可见。看来，家里的粮食几乎不够养活豪尔和他的女儿们。 畜棚本身的状况也好不到哪里去。半数的窗叶都已损毁，地板上的干草也都烂光。山羊咬穿了羊栏的木板，正在抢夺奶牛的干草。猪栏里积满了淤泥、馊水及粪便。 瑞娜拖着亚伦逐一参观畜栏。“爸不喜欢我们帮动物取名。”她坦承道，“所以我们只能私底下叫，这是胡妃。”她指向一头牛道。“它的奶是酸的，但爸说没有问题。它旁边的是葛郎琪，在你挤奶太用力或是不够快的时候，会踢人。这些山羊……” “亚伦对这些动物没有兴趣。”班妮教训妹妹道。她抓起他的手臂，把他拉开。班妮比她妹妹高，年纪也大一点，但是亚伦倒觉得瑞娜比较漂亮。他们爬上干草棚，一屁股坐在干净的干草堆上。 “来玩骰子吧。”班妮说。她自口袋中拿出一个小皮囊，在干草棚的地板上倒出四颗木头骰子。骰子六面会有符号：火、石、水、风、木和魔印。骰子的玩法有很多种，但是大多数规则是要先掷出三面