Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Brigade

His boat is hidden in a cave, just beside a large rocky headland, which the nearby villagers call the "Yunyan Cape".A villager gave them a large bowl of smoldering fish for dinner.After eating, the vast day was coming to an end, and they used their last peripheral vision to walk down the cliff to the beach.The "cave" is really a narrow cleft in the rock about thirty feet inwards, where the fine sandy ground is rather wet, as it is situated just above the high tide.The opening of the cleft could be seen from the sea, so Ged said they should not start a fire, lest the night fishermen who came and went along the coast in their rafts should see it and be curious.So the two could only lie miserably on the wet sand for the night.The sand on the ground is fine if you touch it with your fingers, but to the two tired bodies, it is as hard as a rock.Tenar lay and listened to the waves washing and swallowing and lapping against the rocks just yards below the mouth of the cave;The sea water repeatedly makes the same sound, but it is always different, and it never stops.It rises and falls with restless waves on the shores of the islands of the world, never resting, never standing still.The deserts and mountains she knew stood still, never shouting with that monotonous grand voice.The ocean is always talking, but she not only speaks their language, but feels alive.

When the first light of day came and the tide was still low, she got up from restless sleep just in time to see the wizard come out of the cave.She saw him go out barefoot in his eastern-waisted cloak, looking for something under the black-striped rocks below the cavern.The narrow cavern was dark when he returned. "Hey," he said, handing her a handful of wet, horrible things that looked like purple rocks with orange lips. "what is this?" "Musssels, from the rocks out there. The other two are oysters, which taste better. Look—eat like this." He took out the dagger she had borrowed from his key ring when he was in the mountains, and pried it Open the shells and eat the orange mussels with seawater as a dip.

"Don't you cook it? You actually swallowed it alive!" Ged was a little ashamed, but he continued to pry open the shells one by one and ate them all.She would not watch while he was eating. As soon as he had eaten, he walked through the cave to his ship.The bow of the boat was forward, and some long driftwood lay on the bottom of the boat.Tenar had seen the ship the night before, and not only could she not trust her, she could not understand her at all.It was much larger than the boat she had imagined, three times her height.There were a lot of things in the ship that she didn't understand the purpose of, and the ship seemed unreliable.An eye was drawn on either side of its nose (she called the "bow" its "nose"), so that when she was half asleep last night, she always felt that the ship was staring at her.

Ged went into the boat and rummaged for a while, and came back with something: a bag of hard bread, packed carefully to keep it from drying out.He handed her a large slice. "I'm not hungry." She looked displeased, and he gave her a deep look. He wrapped the bread as it was and set it aside, then sat down at the entrance. "In about two hours, the tide will come in," he said. "We'll be leaving then. You didn't sleep well last night, why don't you use this time to sleep." "I am not sleepy." He didn't answer, and sat sideways with his feet folded in the dark rock archway as usual.She looked from inside the cave, first saw his silhouette, and then saw the ripples of the sparkling sea water.He didn't move, he was as still as a rock, and the calm atmosphere around him was like the ripples created by a stone falling into the water.His silence is not the state of "not speaking", but has become a thing, similar to the silence of the desert.

After a long time, Tenar rose and went to the opening of the cave.He still didn't move.She looked down at his face, that face was cast like bronze, exuding a dignified majesty, the black eyes were open but looking down, the mouth was narrow and aloof. He was like the sea, far beyond her reach. Where is he now?Where did his consciousness go?She could never follow him. He had made her follow him here.He summoned her by calling her name; she obeyed his bidding and appeared like a desert hare he summoned from the darkness.Now that he has the armband, the tomb is broken, and the priestess of the mausoleum is forsaken forever, he has no need of her, and he is gone where she cannot follow.He will not stay with her.He finished fooling her and planned to abandon her.

She bent down and stretched out her hand, and quickly pulled out from his belt the forged steel dagger she had lent him.He remained motionless, still like a statue—a robbed statue. The blade of the short sword was only four inches long, with a sharp edge, and was a small sacrificial knife.It is part of the equipment of the priestess who guards the mausoleum. On weekdays, she must carry this short sword, a key ring, a horsehair belt and other small things of unknown use.She never used the short sword, except during the Black Moon Dance where she had to throw it before the throne and catch it.She'd always loved that show, the wild dancing, no music, just the stamping of her feet.In the beginning, she often cut her fingers. After practicing and practicing, she was finally able to grasp the dagger every time.Its blade is sharp enough to cut deep into the flesh of a finger to the bone, or sever an artery in the throat.She will continue to serve her mistresses even though they have failed and abandoned her.But today this last dark operation, they will guide and move her hand.They will accept this sacrificial offering.

She turned to the man, holding the knife in her right hand on her lower back.At this time, he looked up at her slowly, with the appearance of a person who came from a far away place and witnessed something terrible.His face was calm but filled with pain.As he raised his head to stare at her, and seemed to gradually see her clearly, his expression gradually cleared up.At last he said, "Tenar," as if in greeting, and reached up to touch the pierced silver ring on her wrist.He did this, as if making another reassurance to himself.He didn't pay attention to the dagger in her hand, but turned his head to look at the churning waves below the rock wall, and tried to speak: "It's time...we should go."

As soon as he heard his voice, his anger fled away.She just felt scared. "You will leave them, Tenar. You are becoming free," he said, jumping up suddenly.He stretched and refastened the belt of his cloak. "Come and help me push the boat? It's easy to push with the log on the bottom. Yes, push... again. Okay, okay, okay. Get ready to jump in the boat, and when I say 'jump', you jump Get in. It's not an easy place to board!" Again.preparation!Jump! He jumped into the boat right after him. Seeing that her center of gravity was unstable, he helped her to sit on the bottom of the boat, then stood beside the oars with her legs apart, and pushed the boat out with a wave of low tide. In this way, the boat passed the buoy. foaming headland into the sea.

After leaving the shallow waters for some distance, he stopped his oars and leaned against the mast.The boat seemed so small now with Tenar inside and the sea outside. He spreads the sails.Although the dark red sail has been carefully repaired, the whole ship is quite clean and tidy, but the machinery and equipment on board still reveal the weathered and old condition of years of use. It looks like the owner of the ship, who has not been treated well despite the long voyage. "There," he said, "well, we're gone, and we're safe and clean. Do you feel it, Tenar?"

She did have the feeling that a black hand let go of the restraint on her heart for a long time.However, she was not as happy as she was in the mountains. Instead, she buried her head in her arms and cried, her cheeks were stained with salt and hot tears dripped down her cheeks.She weeps that many years were wasted in the bondage of useless evil.She wept bitterly because she was free. She gradually realized the heaviness of "freedom".Freedom is a heavy burden, a monstrous and strange load on the mind, and it is not at all easy.It is not a free gift, but a choice, and it can be a hard choice.The road to freedom is an uphill road, leading to light, but travelers with heavy loads may never reach the end.

Ged let her cry without saying a word of comfort; and when she finished crying, and sat looking back at the dark blue land of Otuan, he said nothing.His face was stern, as if wary of something, and as if he was alone.Quickly and silently he took care of the sails and steered the rudder, always keeping his eyes on the front. In the afternoon, he pointed to the direction of the sun where they were sailing, and said, "That is the Isle of Carrigo." Tenar looked in the direction of his finger, and saw the mountains in the distance like clouds and smoke, which was the great island where the God-King is now.Etuan Island was long behind and disappeared.Her heart was heavy, and the sun struck her eyes like a golden mallet. Dinner is dry bread, smoked dried fish with water.She didn't like the smell of dried fish, and Ged had drawn the water the night before from the stream at Cloudy Point beach in the bucket on the boat.Winter nights come quickly, and the chill is deep at sea.For a moment in the distance to the north there was a tiny point of light, the yellow light of the seaside fishing village of Karigor, but it was soon obscured by the mist rising from the sea.There is no starlight this night, they are a lone boat sailing the sea alone. Tenar was already curled up in the stern; Ged lay in the bow, with a bucket for his pillow.The ship moved steadily. Although the sea breeze was only slightly blowing from the south at this time, the waves still gently hit the sides of the ship.After getting away from the rocky shore, the sea outside the boat was very quiet, only making a little noise when touching the boat. "If the wind blows from the south," Tenar whispered as the ocean whispered, "doesn't ships go north?" "Yes, unless we turn around. I made the spell wind on the sails, and now the ship is sailing west. By tomorrow morning, we will be completely out of the waters of Karrigol, and I will let her sail with the natural wind." "Will the boat steer itself?" "Yes," said Ged earnestly, "just give her proper directions. But she doesn't need much. She's sailed the open seas, she's gone beyond the easternmost islands of the East Reach, and she's been to the farthest west Eriabai the dead Celedon. She is a wise and crafty ship, my Vision, and you can trust her." The girl sat in this enchanted boat that sailed across the sea, staring up into the darkness.She had been gazing at the darkness all her life, but in comparison, the darkness on the ocean this night was vast and boundless, it had no top, it stretched beyond the stars, and no mortal force was pulling it.It existed before light, and it will exist after light; it existed before life, and it will still exist after life.It extends infinitely beyond evil. She spoke in the darkness: "Is the small island where you received the amulet also in this sea?" "Yes." His voice came out of the darkness: "It may be somewhere in the south, and I have been unable to find it again." "The old aunt who gave you the ring piece, I know who she is." "You know?" "I heard this story. It was one of the things that the first priestess had to learn. Saar told me, and Kosuan was there when she told it the first time. Later, when Saar was alone with me, she told To be more careful, that was the last time she spoke to me before she died. The story goes that there was a noble line in Hupang who fought against the High Priest of Avabas. The founder of that noble line was King Thoreg , among the great treasures which he bequeathed to his heirs was a broken piece, which Eriah bequeathed to him in the early years." "This story is also clearly mentioned in the poem "The Deed of Eriaba". The content of the song-in your Kargian words: When the ring was broken, half was still in the hands of the high priest Intesin, and the other half In the hands of the hero Eriyabai. Afterwards, the high priest sent half of the broken ring to Etuan Island, and gave it to the unknown person who was as old as this world. The half of the broken ring sank into the darkness, into the lost area. But Eriyabai gave his half to Tiora, an unmarried daughter of the Wise King, and said: "Let it remain in the splendor of the maiden's dowry, and let it remain in the empire until it is united with the other half." The day of reunion,' said Eriyabai before sailing west." "In this way, the half of the broken ring must have been handed down by the daughters of that family for countless years, and it was not lost as you people in the inner ring island thought. However, later the high priest proclaimed himself the priest king, the priest The king rebuilt the empire and began to call himself a god-king. During this period, the Soreig family became more and more humble and weak. In the end, as Sar told me, the Soreeg family was passed down to only two people. It was a little boy and a little girl. At that time, there was a prophecy indicating that a son of the Huponsurig family would eventually destroy the empire. The god king who lived in Avabas, who is the father of the current god king, was shocked when he heard about it. In desperation, he ordered people to steal the two children from Hupang's palace, and took them to an isolated island far away in the sea, leaving them nothing but their clothes and a little food. He didn't dare to suffocate and poison to death. After all, the two children have the blood of the royal family, and even with the honor of the god king, murdering the royal family will attract curses. Those two children, one is Ansa and the other is Anxiu. I will send you to break the ring The film is about Anxiu." There was a long silence before he said, "So the story is complete, like the armband. But it is a cruel story, Tenar. The two children, the little island, the old uncle I met, the old Auntie...they barely speak human language." "I want to ask you something." "Just ask." "I don't want to go to Havnor, the Inner Isle. I don't belong there, I don't want to be in the big city, among strangers. I don't belong to any of the islands either. I have betrayed the people of our empire, and I have no people, and I You did a very evil thing. So you put me alone on a small island, just like the king's son was treated in those days, choose a deserted island to put me down. Then, you put the complete armband Take it to Havnor. It's yours, not mine, and it has nothing to do with me, nor your people. Let me die!" At this time, in the darkness in front of her, a light like a small moonrise appeared, although it was slow, it still startled her; it was the magic light born in response to his command.The light was attached to the end of his wand, and he sat facing her in the bow, holding the wand upright with one hand.The silver-white light of the spelllight reflected the underside of the sail, the side of the ship, the inner floor, and his face.He looked directly at her. "Tenar, what evil have you done?" "I ordered three male prisoners to be locked in a dark room under the tombstones, and let them die of hunger and thirst. When they died, they were buried directly in the tomb. The tombstones collapsed on their graves." She couldn't go on. . "Is there any more?" "Manan." "His death is on my account." "No, he will die because he loves me and is loyal to me. He thinks it is protecting me. He held the sword above my neck during the sacrifice. When I was young, he loved me very much. Every time I cry..." She couldn't go on anymore, tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't want to cry any more, and she squeezed the hem of the black robe tightly with both hands. "I was not kind to him," she said. "I won't go to Havnor. I won't go with you. Find an island where no one will come and put me down and leave me alone. There is a price for evil. I Not free." The shimmer of magic was obscured by the mist on the sea, but it still bloomed between the two of them. "Listen to me, Tenar. You were but an instrument of evil, and now evil is emptied, finished, and buried in its own grave. You were never born cruel and dark; you were born light, Like a burning lamp, it contains and shines brightly. I found this lamp unlit and did not want it left on a desert island. If I did, it would be like finding something and throwing it away. I will take you to Havnor , and told the princes of all the seas, saying: "Look, gentlemen! I have found this light in the dark place, and found her heart. Through her an ancient evil has been destroyed; through her I have come out of the grave; through her, the broken The ring is restored to integrity, and resentment becomes peace from now on.』” "I won't," Tenar said bitterly. "I can't. Nothing you tell is true!" "Then," he continued calmly, "I'm going to take you away from those princes and rich lords, because you're right, you can't fit in that kind of place. You're too young and wise. I'm going to take you to myself Isle of Gont, where I was born, I hand you over to my master, Ogion. Although he is old, he is a very good mage, a man of peace of mind. Everyone calls him "Silence He lived in a hut on the cliff in Raiyabai Town, overlooking the sea. He raised some sheep and had a garden. Every autumn he roamed alone on the island, walking through forests, foothills, and river valleys. I I lived with him when I was younger than you are now; but I didn't live long, and I didn't know how to live. I went away and looked for evil, and I did find it... But you are different, you came to hide from evil, Find freedom, you can stay there quietly for a while, wait until you find the way of life you want. Tenar, in my master, you will find kindness and peace. Stay there, your lamp will be as good as the wind It will light up. Will you go?" Gray-white sea fog floated between the two faces, and the boat swayed gently on the long waves.Around them was night, and below them the sea. "I am willing." She let out a long breath, and said after a long time: "I wish it would be faster... I wish I could go there now..." "Not long, little man." "Will you come here often?" "It will come when it can." The magic light faded away, and the surroundings of the two were completely dark. After several sunrises and sunsets, their winter journey finally arrived in the Inner Pole Sea after alternating calm and windless winds with freezing strong winds.They were sandwiched between the big ships and luxury boats, sailed through the crowded waterways, went north to the Ibanor Strait, entered the bay deep in the heart of Havnor, and then crossed the bay to the great port of Havnor.They saw white towers—in fact, the whole city was gleaming in the snow.The roofs of the bridges and the red roofs of the houses were covered with snow, and the rigging of hundreds of ships in the harbor was frozen and shining in the winter sun. The patched red sails of "Zhan Yuan" are so well known in various seas in this area that the news has already spread before they arrive in Hong Kong.A large crowd of people gathered on the snowy pier, and the pennants of various colors flapped above everyone's heads against the bright and cold winter wind. Tenar sat upright in the stern, in her old black cloak.She glanced at the armband on her wrist, then looked up at the crowd, the colorful columns and the palace towers.She raised her right hand, the sun shining on the silver armband.A cheer came across the turbulent waters, faint but joyful in the wind.As Ged steered the boat into the wharf, a hundred hands stretched out simultaneously to catch the cables that Ged had thrown to the anchorage.He sprang onto the pier platform, turned and held out his hand to Tenar, smiling and saying, "Come on!" She got up and went ashore.She took his hand and walked solemnly beside him, up the white streets of Havnor together like a child coming home.