Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Shipwreck

The cool sea breeze blows. The last day of hot summer is over, followed by fine autumn rains and the first winter snows are just a few weeks away.Pug sat in his room, poring over an ancient text on the use of will to unleash magic.He has recovered from the joy of being promoted to the Duke's mansion, and has returned to the ordinary life of an apprentice. Although the mysterious confrontation with the ogre left Kulgan and Father Tarry baffled and discussed all night, Pug found himself still just a fledgling apprentice, but his skills were constantly improving.Now, he is proficient in using various scrolls and magic items. At one time, he even secretly tried to reproduce the skills he accidentally performed while fighting ogres.

He memorized the spell of an object levitating from the book, and then tried to cast it from his mind. He felt the familiar mental block, and he failed.The candlestick didn't move at all, but trembled for a few seconds. The brief commotion was as if some part of his will had touched the candlestick.Whether this progress satisfied him made the boy walk out of the shadow of depression and regain his confidence and vitality in his studies. Kulgan still asked him to find his way alone, and they discussed the properties of magic at length, but most of the time Pug was left alone. A faint shout came from the square downstairs. Pug walked to the window and saw a familiar figure. He leaned out, "Hey! Thomas! What happened?"

"Pug! A ship sank last night, and the wreckage washed up on the Sea Cliff of the Sailor's Mourn. Let's go and see together!" "I'll be down right away." Pug ran to the door and put on a cloak. Although the weather was sunny, he would still feel the cold autumn wind coming near the sea.He ran down the stairs and walked through the kitchen, almost bumping into the pastry chef Ofan who was about to push the door in. He heard the chef shout, "Look at this, boy! Or I'll twist your ears off!" The chef in the kitchen They didn't change their attitude towards Pug because of his achievements and promotion. They already regarded the boy as one of them and were proud of him.

"I'm sorry, Chef!" Pug responded with a smile. O'Fan waved at him, but Pug had already passed through the outer door, turned the corner, and rushed to Thomas who was waiting.As soon as he saw his friend appear, Thomas immediately turned and ran to the city gate. Pug grabbed his arm, "Wait, did the Duke and the ministers know about this?" "I don't know, the news came from the fishing village a few minutes ago." Thomas replied impatiently. "Come quickly, or the villagers will loot the wreck." It was legal to salvage the wreck until the Duke's officials arrived.As a result, villagers often report accidents to officials "not in a timely manner".Bloody conflicts also occur from time to time. The surviving crew members may stick to the cargo on the sunken ship. Violent confrontation and even death will result from this. Only the military can stop it.

"Oh no," wailed Pug, "if there's any trouble there and the Duke finds out that I haven't reported it to anyone, I'll be in trouble." "Pug! Don't you know if you don't report to the Duke?" Thomas stroked his hair. "The courier is probably already reporting to him in the hall. Swordsman Vannon is on patrol, and Kugan is temporarily on duty. Not coming back." The mage had been secluded in the jungle hut for a week with Makmoth, and had no intention of coming back anytime soon. "This may be our only chance to see the shipwreck!" Thomas was in high spirits, his face full of excitement. "Pug, I've already thought about it, you are a member of the royal family now, come on, once you get there, you can declare that you are here on behalf of the Duke." A premeditated and proud expression appeared on his face, "Then, We might find a heap of treasure—or two, who knows!"

"I know," Pugs said, "I can't announce that I'm here on behalf of the Duke, and then stuff what I found into my pocket..." Seeing Thomas' disapproving expression, he quickly added, "... And he can't allow his soldiers to take anything without permission." Thomas looked embarrassed, and Pug patted him, "But we can still go to see the sunken ship together, let's go!" Pug suddenly made up his mind to take advantage of his new status, and the Duke would appreciate him greatly if he could get to the wreck and control the situation before it was plundered or anyone injured. "Okay," he said, "I'll go and saddle the horse so we can get there before anything gets stolen." Thomas grabbed Pug as he opened the wooden stable door. "But, Pug , I've never ridden a horse! I can't at all!"

"That's easy," said Pug, pulling out the bridle and saddle from the tool shed, and set them on the back of Big Gray, the horse he had ridden with the Princess. "I'll ride, you sit behind me, just hold my waist tightly and don't fall off." Thomas looked a little disbelieving, "You want me to rely on you?" He shook his head, "Don't forget, who has been taking care of you all these years?" Pug smiled mischievously at him, "Of course it's your mother, now you go and put on your armor and put on your long sword, maybe there will be trouble for your friends, and you may have to play a warrior!"

Thomas had an expectant smile on his face, and then ran out quickly.A few minutes later, Da Hui dragged the two boys through the city gate awkwardly, and ran along the road towards the Sea Cliff of the Sailor's Mourn. The raging waves and the wreckage of the sunken ship came into the boy's field of vision at the same time.Only a few villagers gathered there, and they scattered when they saw the knight appearing.There was no need for Pug to say anything, they took it for granted that it must be a noble from the palace sent by the Duke to salvage the sunken ship.Pug reined in, and there was no one around.

"Come on," said Pug somewhat disappointedly, "let's go around and see if there's anyone else." The boys got off their horses, leaving Big Ash to rest on the grass by the rocks, and they galloped across the sand, laughing happily.Thomas raised his long sword high and made his voice as rough and hoarse as possible, imitating the "battle cry" learned from ancient adventure stories. He didn't expect to use this ancient skill with his own ability to achieve any special effects , but it would make anyone who tried to attack them think twice—at least enough for the guards in the city to hear about it.

Thomas let out a low cry as they approached the wreck, "The ship isn't on the rocks, Pug, it looks like it's sailing into a storm." "A ship on the rocks will be smashed to pieces, and this one?" Thomas scratched his ears, "Well, the bow was just broken. I don't understand. There was no storm last night, just a small wind. How could the ship be damaged so badly?" "I don't know," Pug noticed suddenly. "Look at that prow. What's that painted on it?" The bow of the ship was raised high on the reef, and the waves beat the bottom of the ship.Below the deck line, the hull is painted light green, shining in the sun, as if coated with a layer of smooth glaze, and the complex pattern of front yellow replaces the usual sculpture of the bow, and the bottom of the ship is black below the waterline.A few feet behind the bow was painted a giant blue and white eye, and all the railings on the deck were painted white.

Pug grabbed Thomas by the arm. "Look!" He pointed to the water under the bow, and Thomas saw the broken mast billowing in the foam of the waves. Thomas stepped forward. "It's certainly not a kingdom ship," he turned to Pug, "probably from Quail." "No," Pug replied, "I've seen many ships from Quagan, and never a ship from Quail or Freedom like this. I don't think a ship like this has ever arrived This sea. Let's look around." Thomas suddenly became vigilant, "Be careful, Pug, something is not quite right here, I have a bad feeling that something might still be here." The two boys looked around for a while, "I don't think so, whatever shredded the mast, snapped the bow and threw the wreck on the rocks would have killed us if it was still here." said Greg not confidently. The boys carefully went forward to check. Some debris rolled and collided between the waves and the reef, including broken ceramics, wooden boards, torn and tattered canvas, and tangled ropes. Pug stopped and picked up a strange-looking dagger , made of some strange metal, with a grayer gleam darker than steel, but sharp nonetheless. Thomas tried to climb the railing, but couldn't find a suitable foothold on the slippery reef.Pug explored the wreckage alone until he found that his pants were in danger of getting wet from the waves.There was a possibility of entering the great hold of the broken wreck if they waded through, but Pug didn't want to sacrifice his new clothes just yet, and he went back to Thomas, who was standing there studying the wreck. Thomas pointed behind Pug. "If we can climb that ledge, we can go up to the deck." Pug looked at the cliff. A rock jutted out twenty feet to their left, stretching up to the top of the hull, and it didn't look too difficult to climb.Pug nodded, and they climbed up the cliff, the path narrow, the boys taking each step carefully lest they tumble together.They finally reached the top of the hull. "Look! Corpse!" Thomas shouted. Lying on the deck were two men, both wearing blue-fronted armor made of unknown metal, one of them had his head smashed by the stump of the mast that fell, and the other was lying face down on the deck with nothing visible on his body. scars.A broadsword and a curious dagger are slung across his back in a sash.His head was covered by an equally peculiar blue helmet, ceramic-like in texture and blazing with fiery light. "I'll go down first, and then you throw the sword to me, so that I can protect you when you come down." Thomas' shout was swallowed up by the turbulent waves. Thomas handed Pug the sword, and groped his way down carefully, his face and knees pressed against the almost vertical cliff face, down.It wasn't until the whole body was almost in the air that he let go, jumped and landed on the deck, and retreated a few times abruptly, finally regaining his balance.Pug threw the sword to Thomas, and slid down like his friend. A few minutes later, both boys were safely on the deck.The foredeck twisted and snapped worrisomely into the water.They can feel the floor moving slowly under their feet. "There's a high tide!" cried Thomas. "The tide will carry away the wreckage and debris between the reefs, leaving nothing behind." "Look around," responded Pug loudly, "see if there's anything worth saving, we can throw it over the rocks." Thomas nodded, and the boys searched the deck, keeping Pug as far away as possible as they passed the two bodies.Throughout the deck, scattered and piled-up fragments create a chaotic and bizarre landscape, making it all the more difficult to find anything of value in it.The stern is full of broken railings, and the only thing left intact on the main deck is the steps leading to the lower cabins.Pug was sure it wasn't flooded down there, a few feet at most.If the reef hadn't lifted the ship high, the broken hull would have been swept away by the tide. Pug stretched his neck on the deck and looked down the ladder from the hatch. He saw a door on the right side of the ladder. He called Thomas and carefully climbed down the stairs.The deck suddenly sank downward and shook violently, and the supporting beams bent inward and creaked.Pug scrambled to hold on to the banister of the steps for balance until all was calm.Thomas stood beside him, took a few steps carefully, and then walked over. The door was ajar. He leaned in carefully, followed by Pug. The room was dark and dark, and the only light came from a small porthole.In the dim light, they could see jumbled debris and a broken table, with a low, narrow bed lying in a corner.Broken boxes and cabinets were overturned and scattered on the ground, as if a giant hand was stirring in the room. Thomas tried to search the chaos, but could discern nothing of importance or value.He found a strangely decorated cup, with a pattern painted in bright colors on one side.He tucks it into his shirt. Pug stood quietly. Something in the room tugged at his nerves. As soon as he stepped into the room, a strange sense of oppression suddenly hit him. The hull shook violently again, Thomas lost his balance, dropped his long sword and fell to the ground. "The boat is moving! We better get out of here!" Pug didn't answer, all his attention was focused on that strange feeling, Thomas grabbed his arm, "Go, the boat is about to fail." Pug shrugged him off. "Wait a minute, here's something..." His voice trailed off, and suddenly, darting across the chaotic room, he yanked out an overturned cabinet drawer, which was empty.He pulled away a second, then a third, and in it was what he was looking for.He took out a sheepskin scroll wrapped in black ribbon and a black seal, and stuffed it into his underwear pocket. "Let's go!" he yelled over Thomas, and they ran up the steps to the deck, where the waves had pushed the hull towards the higher top of the reef, and they easily scrambled up the side cliffs and slumped on the ground. The waves beat against the ship, crumbling on the rocks, and a huge wave hit, and the violent spray splashed the boy's face. They saw the bow slide down the rocks, and there was a low sound of wood breaking, like the dying man's voice. moan.The bow was lifted again, and the boys felt the rocks shiver under their feet under the violent pounding of the waves. The hull drifted helplessly in the waves, slowly overturning, until the ensuing waves lifted it up again. The heavy hull hit the rocks, and Thomas grabbed Pug's arm and pulled him back to the beach the same way.The loud explosion made the two of them turn their heads to look, and saw the wreckage of the sunken ship hit the rocks, and with a scream, it was scattered like building blocks. The fragile bracket could no longer support it, and it overturned and shattered, and the wreckage on the deck was dumped into the sea. Suddenly, Thomas grabbed Pug's arm sharply, "Look!" He pointed to the wreckage rolling in the waves. Pug looked in the direction, but saw nothing. The raging sea swallowed everything almost instantly. "what?" "I think I saw just one dead body on the deck!" Pug looked at him, Thomas's expression was serious and worried, and suddenly became angry again, "Damn it!" "what?" "I dropped my sword when I fell in the cabin, for God's sake! I lost my sword! Van Noorn will wring my ear off!" Like a hundred simultaneous thunderclaps, the final roar of a tormented shipwreck is chewed to pieces between rocks and waves.Now only broken pieces remain, and in a few days they may drift back and scatter the coast a few miles to the south. A low, short moan made the boys turn away.Behind them stood the missing body on the boat. The strange broadsword has been held from the back into the left hand, the point of the sword pointing to the ground.His right arm was clamped tightly at his side; blood gushed from under his blue breastplate and helmet.He took a faltering step forward.His face was pale, and his eyes were full of pain and bewilderment.He shouted incomprehensible words to the boys.The boys backed away slowly, raising their hands to show they were unarmed. He took another step toward them, but his knees snapped.He stood up again with difficulty, closed his eyes and took a rest.He is not tall and a little fat.Has thick arms and legs.Under the breastplate, a blue skirt is worn.There are also armor on the forearms, and greaves on the legs that appear to be some kind of leather, attached to the boots.He put his hands to his face and shook his head.Opening his eyes, he stared at the two boys again.This time he spoke more weird language. Seeing that the two boys did not answer, he seemed a little angry, and switched to another unfamiliar language loudly, judging from the tone, he seemed to be asking. Pug estimated the distance, wondering how he could pass the stranger across the narrow beach without being stopped.He felt that he didn't need to worry too much about the almost broken sword in the man's hand.As if seeing through the boy's thoughts, the soldier staggered a few steps to the right, cutting off all the boy's escape routes.He closed his eyes again, and the last bit of blood on his face seemed to have disappeared.His gaze became distracted, and the long sword slipped from his fingers.Pug took a cautious step forward, it was obvious that he could do them no harm now. Just as he was about to approach the man, a cry from the sea cliff stopped him.Pug and Thomas saw a whole company of knights appearing on the sea cliff, followed by Prince Arusha.The wounded soldier turned his head to the direction of the sound in pain, then his eyes widened, and an indescribable fear appeared on his face.He tried to escape, took two or three stumbling steps forward, and then fell headlong into the sand. Pug stood by the door of the Duke's conference room.A few steps away were the duke's councilors sitting around the conference table.In addition to the Duke and his sons, there were Father Tari, Kulgan, who had hurried back an hour ago, the master swordsman Van Nuorn, and Ogan, the master horseman who sat beside him.The atmosphere was dignified and tense, and the sudden appearance of strange ships made the kingdom feel the potential danger. Pug stole a glance at Thomas, who was standing on the other side of the door.Thomas had never attended a meeting with so many nobles, except when he was doing chores at the dinner party, the atmosphere in the duke's meeting room made him nervous.Master Vannon spoke, and Pug returned his attention to the conference table. "Come and see what we know," said the elder sword master. "Obviously, those people are completely foreign to us." He picked up the bowl Thomas had found from the ship. "Our master potter knew nothing about the craft of making this bowl. At first he thought it was just a simple firing of faience and clay, but on closer inspection it turned out not to be the case. It was made by some unknown technique. made, circles and circles of fine lines on the surface suggest that it—probably wood—was applied in multiple layers of resin. It’s something we’ve never seen before.” To prove it, he slammed the bowl on the table.There was a dull sound, and some broken flakes fell off. "Now, even more confusing are the weapons and armor." He pointed to the pile of blue breastplates, helmets, swords and daggers. "They're made using a similar process." He let go and let the dagger drop to the table with the same dull thump as the bowl. "Their surfaces reflect light almost as well as our best steel." Bolick nodded. "Tari, you've seen a lot more than any of us. Have you ever heard of or seen any such ships?" "No." Tali stroked his bare chin absently. "Neither in the Bitter Sea, nor in the seas of the Kingdom, nor even in the great Kesh, have I heard of such a ship. I can send A message. They know more than anyone else. Maybe they'll have information about those people." Bob nodded. "Do it then. We can also send a message to the elves and dwarves. They lived here long before we came, and we can ask their wisdom." Tarry agrees. "Queen Aglaana might know those people if they came across the Endless Sea. Perhaps they've been to that shore before." "Ridiculous," scoffed Ogan, the master equestrian. "No one has ever crossed the Endless Sea. Otherwise it wouldn't be called the 'Endless' Sea!" Kulgan showed a tolerant expression. "Theoretically, there are other continents beyond the endless sea. It's just that our ships are not yet capable of handling such a long-distance voyage." "Theoretically," said Organ nonchalantly. "Whoever those strangers are," Arusha said, "we'd better find out as much as we can about them. Organ and Ryan looked at him suspiciously, while Kulgan and Tari didn't comment.Bolik and Van Nuoen nodded for Arusha to continue. "From the boys' description, the ship was clearly a warship. The heavy bow and bowsprit were clearly designed for ramming, the high forecastle perfect for archers, the low middeck Used to set up a step to attach to other boats they might catch. I can imagine it has a high after deck as well. If there are more wrecks preserved, I can guess that we will find the paddle boards for the rowers." "A battleship?" Orgen asked. Van Nuorn looked impatient. "Of course, you idiot." The two masters maintained a friendly rivalry that sometimes turned into a not-so-friendly bickering. "Look at the weapons of our guests." He pointed to the two-handed broadsword. "Do you want to stand on horseback and face a man wielding such a weapon? He'll chop off your mount's head first and then yours. Those armors are very light, finely constructed and brilliantly colored. I'm sure of that He's an infantryman, he's strong, he can run for half a day and go on fighting." He stroked his beard. "There are fighters among those people." Organ nodded slowly.Arusha sat back in his chair, clasped his hands, fingers crossed. "One thing I don't understand," said the Duke's young son, "why he would try to escape. We have no weapons or threats. He has no reason to run away. " Bolick looked at the old priest. "Is there anything else we should know?" Terry looked very concerned, his eyebrows knit together. "There was a long plank embedded in one side of his body, beneath the breastplate, and his head was equally badly damaged. It was his helmet that saved his skull. He was feverish and bleeding profusely. He may have Can't survive. I can try telepathy, if he regains consciousness." Pug knew about telepathy; Tarry had explained it to him before.Only a few priests can use this skill, which is extremely dangerous for both the caster and the recipient.The old priest must have felt that the information he received from the wounded must be of great importance to decide so. Bolick turned his attention to Kulgan. "What scroll did the boy find?" Kugan waved absently. "I've done a preliminary, brief, check. There's no doubting that it's a magic item. That's why Pug would have felt something compel him to that little cabin and the chests in it, I suppose, any one like Anyone as sensitive to magic as he is will feel it." He looked directly at the Duke. "I, at any rate, don't want to break that seal until I know what it's for. Breaking that seal could be very dangerous. If the seal is damaged, that scroll may self-destruct, or worse, attempt to destroy it.I have seen traps set on scrolls of great power. " Bob tapped his fingers on the table. "Good, then. Let us adjourn. If we get more information, either about the scroll or the wounded stranger, I will call you all again." He turned to the Tower. "Go and see how the stranger is doing, and if he wakes up, gather as much information as you can." He stood up, and the others followed suit. "Ryan, send a message to the Elven Queen and the dwarves of the Rock Mountain and the Gray Towers, tell them what happened, and ask for their advice." Pug opened the door.The duke went out and the others followed.Pug and Tomas were the last to leave, coming to the hall like the others, Thomas approaching Pug. "We're really in big trouble this time." Pug shook his head. "We simply found the man first. If it weren't for us, someone else would." Thomas looked slightly relieved. "If it gets worse, I want them to remember that too." Kulgan followed Tari up the stairs to his private chambers in the tower, where Tari's assistant was tending to the wounded man.The duke and his sons turned and walked through the gates to their private mansion, leaving the boys alone in the hallway. Pug and Thomas walked through the pantry and into the kitchen.Mag was supervising the work of the cooks, and several of them waved to the boys.When he saw his son and adopted son, he smiled and said, "Okay, where are you two boys going now?" Mag was a slightly plump and flabby, with sandy hair and a cheerful face.He was something like Thomas, like a rough sketch.He was a genial middle-aged man, but lacked Thomas's good looks. Mag laughed, "Everyone is trying to hide the news about the man in the tower room, but the rumor has spread everywhere, from one place to another. Last time I saw it spread so quickly The best news is the visit of Prince Kenodo seven years ago." Thomas picked up an apple from his plate and hopped on to the table and sat down.While eating, he told his father what had happened. Pug leaned against the counter and listened.Thomas tells the whole story with a little embellishment.When he had finished, Mag shook his head. "Yeah, ok. Strange ship, huh? I hope they're not marauding pirates. We've been used to a long time of peace. Since those Darkpath Brotherhoods ten years ago"—he sneers gesture - "Curse their evil spirits for causing all that trouble with the goblins. I don't like going through that mess again, sending all the reserves out to the villages. Can only rot on the basis that those things will rot first" Rotten after the meeting to cook. I couldn't cook a decent meal for a whole month." Pug smiled.Mag was always able to take serious problems and simplify them: no matter how complex they were, they all started in the sink. Thomas jumped off the ledge. "I'd better go back to the barracks and wait for Master Vannon at once. See you later." He ran out of the kitchen. Mag said, "Is it serious, Pug?" Pug shook his head. "I can't really be sure. I don't know. I know Tarry and Kulgan are worried, and the Duke thinks it's serious enough to need to talk to the elves and dwarves. It could be really serious." Mag looked at the gate Thomas had just passed. "It's a really bad time for war and killing." Pug could see the unmistakable worry on Mag's face, not knowing what to say to the father of a son who had just become a soldier. Pug forced himself off the desk. "I've got to go, that's it, Mag." He waved goodbye to the other cooks in the kitchen, and then left the kitchen and walked into the courtyard.He was a little smart academically, and the worried and serious warnings of the duke's councilors at the meeting made it clear to him.While no one has said it directly, it is obvious that the alien ship was likely the vanguard of an invasion fleet. Pug wandered the side of the castle and took a few steps into the princess's little garden.He sat on a stone bench surrounded by rows of roses covering most of the view in the courtyard.He could still see the patrolling guards walking up and down the high walls. He didn't know if this was his imagination, the guards seemed to be extra vigilant today. A sweet voice turned him back.Standing on the other side of the garden was Princess Karin, and Sir Roland and two young maids.The girls smiled secretly. Pug's glory in the castle was not over yet.Karin waved them away, "I want to talk to Sir Pug alone." Roland was a little overwhelmed, her body stiffened.He gave Pug a savage look, turned and left with the young maid. The two young ladies looked at Pug and Karin, giggling, which only added to Roland's irritation. Pug bowed awkwardly to the approaching Karin.She said curtly, "Oh, sit down. That bitch is tired and I can't be bothered to talk to him." Pug sat down.The girl sat next to him, and they were silent for a while.Finally, the girl broke the silence, "I haven't seen you in almost a week. Are you busy?" Pug felt a little uncomfortable, a little confused by the girl's enthusiasm.She had only spent one day with him three weeks ago, when he rescued her from an ogre, and the town was full of gossip.She's always had a bad temper with everyone else, especially Ser Roland. "I've been busy with my studies." "Oh, you've been in that dreadful tower too long." Pug didn't think the tower was very scary, except for one thing - it was a little too drafty in there.That was his tower, and he felt comfortable there. "We can go for a ride, my lord, if you like." The girl smiled, "Of course I would. But I'm afraid Ms. Malna won't allow it." Pug was taken aback.He had expected the girl's surrogate mother to accept him after his adventure protecting the princess. "why not?" Karin sighed. "She said you were just a commoner and you might hold your lands. Now you're a courtier, but she suspects you've got something going on." She smiled. "An attempt?" Pug asked puzzled. Karin said a little shyly, "She thinks you have the wildness to keep climbing. And she takes it for granted that you'll do it by getting close to me." Pug stared at Karin.Suddenly understood what she meant, "Oh," he said at a loss, "Oh! My Highness. He stood up. "I never thought about it that way."I mean, it never occurred to me to... I mean..." Karin stood up abruptly and glared at Pug. "Boy! You are such a fool." She threw up her long green robe and ran away like a storm. Pug sat down slowly, more confused than before.What is this... He tried to clear his mind.It seemed to indicate that she liked her, and it worried him even more.Karin was not the pretty girl he had imagined a fairy-tale princess would be.The stomp of one little foot of hers could set up a storm in the salt shaker, another stomp would shake the whole castle.The princess is a girl with complicated emotions who combines two very different personalities. Further contemplation was interrupted by Thomas.He yanked his friend up, holding Pug almost out of breath. "The duke wants to see us. The man in the boat is dead." They assembled hastily again in the duke's conference room, except for Kulgan, whose door the messenger knocked on, but received no answer.Perhaps he was too devoted to the study of that mysterious scroll. Father Tari looked pale and twisted.Pug was struck by the change in him.Only left for no more than an hour, the old pastor looked like he hadn't slept for several nights, his red and swollen eyes were sunken in dark circles.His face was pale, with tiny beads of sweat on his brows. Bolick opened the wine cabinet and gently filled the old priest with a glass of wine and handed it to him.Tarry hesitated, being a temperate man, and then he took a deep sip.Everyone else sat around the round table in their seats. Bolick looked at Tari and asked simply, "How is it?" "The soldier was only awake for a few minutes before he died. During that short time I took the opportunity to communicate with him and get inside his head. I followed him through his last crazy dream, trying to understand as much as possible. Him. I barely had time to break the connection." Pug paled.During telepathic communication, the priest's mind becomes one with the person being communicated.If the tower hadn't broken the connection when the man died, the priest could have died together or gone mad because the two shared feelings, fears, emotions, and thoughts.He understood Talina's almost dying look now: the old priest had used tremendous energy to stay connected to the uncooperative communicator and had felt the agony and terror of the dying man firsthand. Terry took another sip of his wine, then continued. "If the man's dying dreams were not the result of feverish hallucinations, I'm afraid his presence is a harbinger of a grim situation." Tari drank the last few drops of his drink and pushed the glass aside. "The man's name is Xomich. He is a common soldier of the Hong clan, from an empire called the Tsurangani." "I've never heard of this nation or empire," Bolick said. Tari nodded, "I'd be surprised if you've heard of it. The ship the man was on didn't come from any part of the sea in Kemir." Pug and Thomas looked at each other, and he felt a chill, Apparently Thomas felt the same way, his face pale. Terry continued. “我们只能推测他们是如何做到的。但是我清楚这船来自另一个世界，一个远离我们的时间和空间。”在任何人来得及提问之前，他继续道，“请让我解释。” “这个男人高烧虚弱，他的神志不清。”塔里的脸上闪烁痛苦的回忆。“他是某人——他的思想中仅有'伟大之人'——的荣耀的守护者之一。那些画面有些混乱，我不能肯定，但看起来他们对所进行的这次旅行感到奇怪，他们为了'伟大之人'而随行同时也肩负着种族的使命。我获得的唯一确定的信息是——那'伟大之人'并不需要坐船航行。远超过那个，我只得到一些电光火石般支离破碎的印象。有一座被他称为炎考若的城市，然后刮起了一场可怕的风暴，紧接着突然而至耀眼至盲的光耀，也许是闪电击中船体，但我想不是。他们的船长和船员们被抛出了甲板。最后船撞在了礁石上。”他停了一会儿。“我不能肯定那些图像是否是真实的，我想全体船员们都在那眩目的光耀后失踪了。” “为什么？”博利克问。 “不要打断我，”塔里说。“首先我想先解释一下为什么我认为这个人来自另一个世界。” “这个奥密士是建立在一个强大军队所统治的男权大陆上。他们是一个尚武的种族，控制着海洋。但是是哪个海洋？据我所知没有任何没有任何资料提及过那些人。没有其他合理的解释。伟大的城市，远比那些克米尔的中心城市更庞大，我们几乎想象不到。假日里军队在街上游行，分列前进等待检阅；城市的驻军远超过整个西部的国王军队。” 奥根插嘴道，“但是，这不能说明他们就来自”——他停住了，似乎有些难以启齿，“穿过无尽之海。”这似乎比说来自某个这个世界以外的世界更好些。 塔里恼怒地停了下来。“这当然能，太能了。我跟随他的梦境，看到了他的故土。那些他记忆中的生物都是我不曾见过或听过的，长着六条腿拖着马车的像公牛一样的动物，还有其他的生物，有些就像是某种昆虫或爬虫，但却像人一样说话。他的大陆炎热，还有他记忆中的太阳远比我们的大而且散发着绿色的光芒。这个男人不属于我们的世界。 ”最后一段话说完后，扫清了房间中所有人的怀疑。 塔里没有十分的把握绝对不会枉下结论。 整个房间一阵沉默，每个人都在仔细思考他们刚刚所听到的。男孩们静静地看着，分担着紧张的气氛。没有人说话，好像如果出声就会打开封印让老牧师所言成为事实，而保持沉默则能让这一切如同梦境一般过去。博利克站起身来漫步走到窗口。望向城堡后的高墙，似乎在寻找什么，好像那里有什么东西能回答他头脑中所有的疑虑。他迅速地转过身来问道，“他们是怎么来到这里的，塔里？” 老牧师耸耸肩。“或许库甘可以从理论上讲明白。我只能这样告诉你们：那艘船遭遇了风暴的袭击；失去了船长和大部分船员。最后求助于那'伟大之人'，或者无论他是什么，施展了一个法术将船从风暴中移开，或者改变了天气，或是施加了其他什么强大的影响。结果，那艘船脱离了他们的世界来到了我们这里，出现在水手之哀的海岸上。那艘船在他们自己的世界以极快的速度航行，它出现在这里后可能保持了同样的速度，这里的西风很猛烈，几乎没有船员，船就直直地撞上了礁石。或是它只是简单地直接出现在了礁石之上，在瞬间到达这里的时候撞毁在上面。” 凡诺恩摇摇头。“来自另一个世界。这怎么可能？” 老牧师抬起他的手做出一个未知的手势。“有一点可以参考。在埃莎芬的神庙中存放着很多古老的卷轴。一些古老文献——来自更古老的卷轴的抄本——的副本。那些古老文字可以追溯到混乱之战。其中提及了有关'其他位面'和'其他维度'，我们已经遗失了这些概念。但无论如何，有一件事是清楚的。他们提及一些不未知的国家和人并暗示一个男人曾到过另一个世界，或是从其他世界来到了克米尔。几个世纪以来这一直是宗教争论的中心，不过没有人可以确定其中到底有多少是真实。”他停下来，然后继续道，“直到现在。如果我没有看到奥密士的思想，我也决不会用这种理论解释今天发生的事情。但是现在……” 博利克走向他的座椅并站在其后，他的双手交叉抓住后背。“这似乎是不可能的。” “可那船和那些人确实在这里，父亲。”莱恩说。 阿鲁沙接过他兄弟的话。“而且我们必须搞清楚这种可能是否会再次出现。” 博利克对塔里说，“你刚才说这可能是一个严酷局势的先兆。是否指一个强大的帝国将他的注意力投向了卡瑞德和王国。” 塔里摇了摇头。“博利克，你离开我的监护如此长久难道还没有自己主见？”他竖起枯骨般的手掌象是在向公爵拒绝。“忘记我吧，我的领主。我老了，累了并且已经忘记了我的礼貌。但是实事仍旧是实事。他们是一个强大的种族，或是一个文明的种族，然而如果他们想要到我们这里来，那将会是非场可怕的，但最重要的是，那个'伟大之人'可能是一个高深的魔法师或牧师。而且如果他不是唯一的一个，如果那个帝国内有很多和他一样的人，并且他们的确试图通过魔法进入我们的世界，那就真的是我们的末日了。” 看到桌旁的其他人仍然没有对他的暗示表现出理解，塔里只得继续，就像一位耐心的导师在教导一群反映迟钝的学生。“这艘船的出现可能只是一个偶然的错误，如果是这样，它只会导致强烈的好奇心。但如果它是被有意送到这里来的，使用超出我们想象的魔法将一艘船从另一个世界运送到过来，那我们就在危险之中。如果那些人——他们自称簇朗尼——知道我们在这里，并且决心要来到这里，那时恐怕伟大的克尔士所要恐惧的对手就不只是他们的军队了，还有它们可怕的力量。当它们抵达这个世界的边远角落，我们也必须面对那些比我们所知强大得多的魔法。” 博利克点点头，结论已经很明显了，呼之欲出。“我们需要库甘立刻到这里来商讨一下！” “有一件事，阿鲁沙，”塔里说。王子从他的椅子上抬起头，惊醒于刚才陷入的沉思。 “我知道为什么奥密士摇试图从你和你的人面前逃跑。他以为你是一种他的世界中所有的生物，一种类似半人马的生物，叫做斯恩（Thn），簇朗尼惧怕它们。” “他为什么会那么想？”莱恩问，看上去迷惑不解。 “他从没有见过马，或是任何类似的生物。我估计那些人从没有见过。” 鲍爵再次坐下来。用手指敲打着桌子。“如果塔里神父所说属实，那么我们必须果断地做出抉择。如果确实如此，但只是一场意外使得这些人来到了我们的海岸，那我们还可以不必如此恐慌。假如，无论如何，假如他们的到来是有计划的，我们就要面临严峻的威胁。这里只有王国少数的驻军，并且敌人将是难以应付的。” 其他人窃窃私语着表示同意，公爵继续说道，“我们最好先清楚刚才这里所说的都还只是推测，尽避我倾向于同意塔里的大部分观点。我们将请库甘来分析一下这些人的实质。”他转向帕格。“年轻人，去看看你的老师是否有空来加入我们。” 帕格点点头然后开门穿过城堡。他跑到高塔前三步并做两步地跑上楼梯。他举起手敲打着门并感到了一种奇怪的感觉，就象是靠近闪电一般，使他的头发和汗毛竖起。一种可怕的感觉突然传遍全身，他使劲砸着大门。“库甘！库甘！你还好吗？”他叫道，但没有任何回答。他试图打开门却发现门锁住了。他用肩膀猛地向门冲去，试图将门撞开，可它太结实了。一种奇怪的感觉再次传遍全身，库甘的沉默使他的恐惧倍增。他想寻找什么东西来砸开门，但一无所获，他跑下楼去。 他慌乱地跑进长长的门厅。守卫们在那里坚守着自己的岗位。他向离着最近的两个大喊，“你们两个，跟我来。我的大师有麻烦了。”他们毫不犹豫地跟着男孩跑上楼去，靴子猛烈地敲击在石头台阶上。 当他们到达魔法师的大门前，帕格命令道，“砸开它！”他们迅速放下长矛和盾牌用肩膀撞击着大门。一次，两次，三次，木板和门锁发出破碎的呻吟。最后一撞将门板撞飞开来。守卫们停住脚步向后退去以免跌倒在门板上，脸上露出不知所措的神情。帕格从他们中间挤进来望向屋内。 库甘毫无知觉地躺在地板上。他蓝色的长袍凌乱不堪，一只手臂挡在面前，似乎在防卫。两英尺之外，是他的工作台，一个闪烁的裂隙悬在空中。帕格凝视着空中的那个地方。一个巨大的灰色球形散发着浅灰色的微光形成一道道破碎的光谱。他无法看透它，但那里面本来就是一片虚无。从那片灰色的区域伸出一只人类的手臂，向魔法师移去。当他碰触到法师的长袍，他停了下来用手指反复摸索着布匹，似乎在鉴定是什么东西制成的，他继续移动到法师的身体，直到他分辨出库甘的手臂。那手抓住他试图钻回到裂隙中。帕格惊恐地站在那里，无论是谁或是什么东西在裂隙的另外一边，他在试图将强壮的法师拖入并穿过裂隙。另外一双手伸出来抓住了法师的另一只手臂，库甘被拽向裂隙。 帕格转身拿起一把惊恐得不知所措的守卫靠放在墙边的长矛，在任何一个守卫有所反应前，将它瞄准灰色空间掷出。 长矛飞射出去越过库甘消失在裂隙中。短暂的停顿后，那些手臂放开了库甘缩了回去。 突然那灰色的裂隙闪烁着，空气的漩涡卷入其中然后消失了。帕格跑到库甘的身边跪下。 魔法师还在呼吸，但他的脸色苍白布满汗珠。他的皮肤冰冷而潮湿。帕格跑到库甘休息的床上扯过一条毛毯，盖在法师身上，“快去找塔里神父。”他向守卫喊道。 帕格和汤玛士彻夜难眠，无法入睡。塔里为魔法师做了检查，得出的结论还算好。库甘只是过度震惊，一两天内就能恢复。 博利克公爵询问了守卫和帕格他们的所见，并且现在全城搅得沸沸扬扬。所有的守卫都被召集起来，公国（Duchy）巡逻的守卫比往常多出了一倍。公爵不清楚突然出现的船只和魔法师的奇异遭遇到底有何联系，但是为了他领地的安全不得不小心防范。所有的城墙上，火把通明，守卫们被派到了长点灯塔和城镇中驻守。 汤玛士坐帕格身边，公主花园的长椅，城堡中少数几个安静的地方之一。汤玛士若有所思地看着帕格。“我想是那些簇朗尼人来了。” 帕格将一只手插入头发中。“我们不能确定。” 汤玛士的声音疲惫。“我只是有种感觉。” Pug nodded. “我想明天库甘会告诉我们发生的一切的。” 汤玛士望向高墙。“我从没见到这里如此紧张过。就是当初遭到黑暗之途兄弟回和鬼怪的攻击下也没有如此。那时我们还小，记得吗？” 帕格点点头，沉默了一会儿，然后说道，“那时我们清楚我们将要面对什么。黑暗精灵只间断的攻幻此几次城堡并很快远远地撤退了，人们几乎不记得了。至于鬼怪……嗯，它们毕竟只是鬼怪。” 他们坐在那里沉默了很长时间；直到靴子的声音提醒他们有人来了。剑术大师凡诺恩身穿锁甲和绣有纹章的战袍停在了他们面前。“怎么？这么晚了？你们都应该呆在床上。 ”老战士转头向城堡的城墙上望去。“那里很多人今晚都无法入睡了。 ”他又转向男孩。“汤玛士，一个士兵需要学习无论什么情况下都能安然入睡的窍门，动荡的日子会很长久。还有你，帕格爵士，你也应该好好的睡一觉。现在，为什么不去让自己去休息一下？ " 男孩们点点头，向剑术大师道了晚安，离去了。灰发的公爵护卫长望着他们离去并静静地站在花园里呆了一会儿，独自陷入杂乱的思绪。 帕格被经过他房门的脚步声所惊醒。他快速地穿上衣服匆忙地跑到库甘的房间，透过敞开的房门，他看到公爵和塔里神父正站在库甘的睡榻之前。帕格听见了大师躺在床上用虚弱的声音抱怨着。“我告诉你们，我很好，”库甘顽固地说，“让我下床走两步，我就会立刻恢复正常。” 塔里的声音听起来仍然很疲惫，“躺下，你不舒服。靠你那无力的威胁维持着，库甘。但哪怕一点小小的刺激都会让你再次陷入昏迷的。你真幸运，本来可能更糟的。” 库甘看到了安静地站在门口不想打断他们的帕格，“哈，帕格，”他说，他的声音洪亮多了。“进来，进来。我知道我得谢谢你让我避免了与未知的朋友进行一次意外旅行。” 帕格笑了，库甘依旧是老样子，不管他的脸色如何苍白，他仍然开朗快乐，“我真的没有做什么，先生。我只是觉得那里有什么事不太对劲，然后我就做了我所能做的反应。” “你的反应很及时也很正确，”公爵微笑着说。“这个男孩再一次地证妹此他无愧于作为我的臣子（Household）。鉴于其英勇表现我不得不授予他小小鲍爵皇家守护者的称号。” 帕格笑了，对公爵的称赞开心不已。Borric转向法师。“好了，看样子你已经信心百倍了，我想我们明天将要好好讨论一下这件事。你能行吗？” 库甘似乎被这个问题所激怒。“当然，我已经好了。十分钟以来我一直想告诉你们这一点。”库甘开始从床上坐起身来，但眼前一片眩晕，塔里扶住他的肩膀，堆起一大堆枕头让他靠着。 “你在这里说就可以了，谢谢。现在，待在床上。” 库甘没有抗议。他感觉好一点了便说道，“好，但我要我的烟袋，能递给我吗？” 帕格从库甘德袍子中取出烟斗和烟袋，像老法师过去做过的那样在烛台上取下一截燃烧的蜡烛。库甘接过满意地点燃烟斗，心满意足地躺回去，“现在，”他说，“我们从哪里开始？” 鲍爵很快地复述了一遍塔里神父所做出的结论，老牧师补充了一些公爵所遗漏的细节。 当他们说完，库甘点点头。“你关于那些人来源的假设很符合逻辑。当我看到那些从船上发现的物品和遭遇了昨天的事件后我也怀疑过类似的可能。”他停顿了一下，仔细地思索着。“那个卷轴是一封私人信件属于他们当中的一位魔法师，来自簇朗尼，是给他妻子的。那个封印强迫持有者念出写在消息末尾的咒语。该咒语使得他可以顺利的阅读卷轴而无论是否懂得那里面的文字。” “妙极了。”公爵说道。 塔里点头，“这太不可思议了。” “对我来说这也是个全新陌生的概念，”库甘表示赞同。“无论如何，我废除了那个法术以放在阅读信件时可能落入魔法的陷阱，那是一个魔法师写的普通家信。文字当然非常古怪陌生，我释放了另一个咒语来翻译它们。尽避通过这个法术我可以了解其中的意思，但我不能弄清每一个细节。” “那是一个叫范纳萨的魔法师随船在他的世界中旅行。在海上度过了很多天，他们遭遇了巨大的风暴。船失去了主桅杆，很多的船员也被卷入海中。魔法师在匆忙之中写下这个卷轴——非常地匆忙潦草——然后在上面释放了一个咒语。看起来这个男人似乎可以随时离开船安全地回到他的家或是其他的什么地方。但他不能将船上的船员和货物弃之不顾。我不清楚究竟为什么，但信中表明他将为船上的其他人冒生命危险。他提及了他所要尽忠的另一个令人迷惑的东西，被叫做'战争大帝'。我只是通过文字，但其中的语调让我可以想到这与荣誉或承诺有关，而不仅仅是某个人的职责。无论如何，他写完了信件，将其封印，然后到船甲板上去试图使用魔法移动船只。” 塔里怀疑地摇了摇头。 "incredible." “就我们所知的魔法，这是不可能的。”库甘显得十分兴奋。 帕格注意到公爵没能分享法师们的专业兴趣，他看上去忧心忡忡。男孩记得塔里说过那些强大的魔法意味着那些人入侵王国的可能。老法师继续道，“对于这些人所拥有的力量我们只能推测。那个魔法师明确的表妹此几点——能将这么多的意思压缩进如此简短的信件中可以看出他有一个异乎寻常逻辑的头脑。” “他带着极大的痛苦向他的妻子保证他将尽其所能地回到她身边。他将试图打开一道裂隙通往'新世界'，因为——我并不十分清楚其中的含义——桥已经建立，他缺乏一些设备……某种能力或其他的什么来移动船在他的世界。从这些情况来看，这是一场绝望的赌博。他在卷轴上设置了另外一个咒语并最终让我险些被抓走。我本以为废除了第一个，第二个也就不会奏效。但我错了。第二个咒语在任何人读完卷轴后自动释放，法术将打开另一个裂隙，使得信件能被传送到他妻子所在的一个叫'埃瑟鲍'的地方。我险些被那个裂隙连同信件一起传送过去。” 帕格走向起，未加思考地脱口而出，“那些手可能是他的朋友们在寻找他。” 库甘望着他的学徒点点头。“有可能，我们可以从中获得很多信息。我们只能从推断中了解那些簇朗尼人有控制魔法的能力。对于那裂隙我们了解甚少，并对它们的性质一无所知。” 鲍爵颇感惊讶。 "please explain it." 库甘深深地吸了一口烟斗，然后继续道，“魔法，它的性质，是不稳定的。有时法术会发生扭曲——为什么？我们不知道——变化成另一种效果，它……撕毁世界的结构。短时间地出现时空的裂隙，形成通道，通往……某个地方。对这种现象我们知之甚少，除了它需要释放大量的能量。” 塔里补充道，“那都是理论上的，但没有人明白为什么一个咒语，或是魔法物品，经常地以这种方式爆炸，是什么导致了这种不稳定性。曾经发生过这样的事件，但是我们只能获得第二手的资料。因为那些当事人不是死去就是消失了。” 库甘再次接过话题。“它被理所当然地认为他们和那几英尺的裂隙一起毁灭了。”他思嗣此一下。“按理说我也应该被那个在我研究是突然出现的裂隙杀死。” 鲍爵打断他。“按你的意思，那些裂隙，就像你说的，是危险的。” 库甘点点头。“也是无法预料的，它们是一种从未被发现的无法控制的力量。如果这些人知道并掌握了如何制造并控制它们，来制造一个通往其他世界的大门，并安全的带领他们通过，那么他们的力量就太强大了。” “我们曾经怀疑猜测过裂隙的性质，但这是我们第一次得到确凿的证据。”塔里说道。 库甘哼了一声，“呸！很久很久以前就曾突然出现过陌生的人和未知的物品，塔里。这可以很好的解释他们是从哪里来的。” 塔里显得有些不愿意认同这个观点。“仅仅是理论上，库甘；没有任何证据。那些人都死了，还有那些设备……没有人了解，都无一例外的烧毁或被扭曲得无法辨认了。” 库甘微笑道。“真的吗？那么那个二十年前出现在萨拉多的男人呢？”他向公爵说道，“这个人说着无人能懂得语言和奇怪的衣服。” 塔里阴沉的看着库甘。“他因绝望而疯狂了并且从没有说出一句能让人理解的话。神殿收容了他很长时间在他——” 博利克脸色苍白。“天哪！一个好战的种族，军队是我们的数倍，将接近我们的世界。 让我们希望他们不要把目光朝向王国。 " 库甘点点头吹出一个烟圈。 “到目前为止，我们还没有听说有其他的陌生人出现，因此我们还不需要太害怕他们，但我有个感觉……”他思索着。变换身子的姿势，好像那里有些小小的不适，然后继续道，“可能不会有什关系，但那个信息中所提及到的桥烦扰着我。它似乎意味着一道永久的通道已经假设在两个世界之间。我希望我错了。”楼梯上传来匆忙的脚步声让所有人都向门口望去。一个守卫快速地走了进来并向公爵致礼，将一张小小的纸条塞给他。 " 鲍爵挥手示意那人离开并打开纸条。他很快地看了一下，然后递给塔里。“我派遣了快马去联系精灵和矮人，信鸽已经带来了回复。精灵女王稍口信来她正在赶往卡瑞德的路上并将在两天内到达。” 塔里晃动着脑袋。“我这一辈子还没听说过阿格拉安娜女士离开过伊万达呢。这让我的骨头发冷。” 库甘点头，“她的到来将使得整件事情转向更严峻的方向。我希望我错了，但看起来我们不是唯一获得有关簇朗尼新闻的人。” 沉默充斥了整个房间，帕格感到了一种绝望的气氛。他试图抛开这种感觉，但它将跟随他很长时间。