优先遵循ANK汉化
毒药之颂，第七册
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2022-08-04更新
最新编辑:Lu_23333
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更新日期：2022-08-04
最新编辑：Lu_23333
毒药之颂，第七册
毒药之颂，第七册
崔斐斯站在拜里西麦恩的挡墙上，审视着火山。跟他眼前景象相较，诗人笔下的隐喻黯然失色。血液般的岩浆，让火山看来仿佛留着脓的伤口。也有人将之比喻为灰烬之王，那终年不歇的浓烟正是王冠。可是这些都不够到位，没有任何事物能精确呈现出这座山的纯粹壮丽。红山距堡垒有几里之遥，但却彻底占据了整个地平线。
他还没来得及感受到自己的渺小，就先听到有人叫唤他的名字。这倒是某种安慰，尽管相较于红山，他不足为道，然而他还是掌握了一定的权势和影响力。
“因督利尔·崔斐斯将军”拉尔指挥官开口。“东门出了乱子”
那个麻烦充其量不过是场小冲突。一个灰烬人大概仙饮喝多了，在后城门跟家族守卫打了起来。大家试着把两人拉开时，灰烬人的血亲也加入混战，情势迅速变成六个灰烬人对抗六名家族守卫。要不是那些贱民持有武器，这场纷争大概还没开始就结束了。等将军带着更多人手抵达时，两个灰烬人死了，其余的早已溜之大吉。
“都是他们脑袋里的烟”拉尔耸耸肩。“让他们疯了”
崔斐斯爬上楼梯，返回房间为晚餐治装。瑞多然·佛力克将军和拉鲁·挪梭可议员很快就会抵达，和他一同研讨神殿对晨风省家族领地重划的计划。哀伤之城将改名为爱玛蕾希雅，另外还要新建一座荣耀维瓦克的新城市，不过新城市该使用哪个家族的金币？崔斐斯的头都痛了。有许多细节必须考虑，今晚将异常漫长，充斥着争论、威吓和妥协。
将军满脑子烦心事，差点把家族长袍给穿反了。他也没注意到那个从挂毯后面溜出来把通往卧房的门关上的身影。直到听闻门闩落锁的声音，崔斐斯才转过身。
“趁我调解后城门骚乱的空档溜进来。很聪明啊，泰伊”他简洁说道。“或者该叫你达格斯·泰伊松呢？”
“你应该对我的名字了若指掌”年轻人吼叫着抽剑出鞘。“在你残杀我家人，试图毁我家族之前，我是泰伊松。然后你带我回你家，灌输我跟自己族人对抗的毒药，我成了泰伊。现在，复仇就是我的名字”
敲门声响起，泰伊松和崔斐斯依然四目相对。轻敲成了重捶。“因督利尔·崔斐斯将军，你还好吧？有什么不对吗？”
“孩子，如果你要杀我，最好赶快下手”崔斐斯咆哮。“再两分钟，我的人就会拆了那扇门”
“你没资格命令我，‘叔叔’”泰伊松摇着头。“我的先祖之颂会指引我。它告诉我你杀死我父亲之前，让他哀求你饶他一命，我也要你苦苦求饶”
“如果你的祖先全知全能”崔斐斯微笑。“为什么他们全死了呢？”
泰伊松从喉咙深处发出非人类的怒吼，猛往前冲。门开始因为猛烈的捶击而略微松动，但它依然相当坚实而牢靠。将军断言它只剩两分钟性命显然错得离谱。
捶门声愕然中止，取而代之的是一个熟悉的嗓音。
“泰伊”蓓娜拉唤道。“听我说”
泰伊嘻嘻笑道：“你刚好赶上你叔叔求我饶他一命的好戏，‘堂姐’，我还怕你迟到呢。你听到的下一个声音，将会是奴役我家族之人的垂死挣扎”
“奴役你的是那首歌，不是崔斐斯叔叔。你不能尽信它，它正在毒害你。因为它，你先被那个老女人玩弄于股掌间，现在则落入那个自称是你妹妹的邪恶巫婆雅可拉手中，随她揉捏”
泰伊多施了些压力，如今剑尖已经抵住将军的喉咙。年长男人后退，而泰伊进逼。崔斐斯的眼神随剑身移动至紧握的手，达格斯的银戒染上窗外城墙远方的火山红光。
“泰伊，请你别再伤害任何人了。拜托。一下下就好，请你听我而不是那首歌的话，你就会知道孰是孰非。我爱你”蓓娜拉忍住呜咽，让声音平稳又清晰。她身后的楼梯井传来声响，将军的卫兵终于带着破城槌抵达。
房门裂成两半。因督利尔·崔斐斯将军手遮喉咙，看着窗外。
“叔叔！你还好吗？”蓓娜拉跑过去。他缓缓点头，移开他的手。他的脖子上仅有极轻微的刮伤。“泰伊呢？”
“他跳出窗户跑了” 崔斐斯说，指着远方一个骑着轧兽往火山而去的身影。“我以为他要自杀，结果他居然逃了”
“我们会抓到他，将军大人”拉尔指挥官说道，下令要卫兵登上座骑。蓓娜拉目送他们离去，很快啄吻了叔叔，然后跑向中庭骑上她的轧兽。
泰伊越来越靠近红山的山峰，大汗淋漓。轧兽呼吸沉重，跋涉的脚步变得缓慢，不时发出抱怨高温的小小哼声。终于，他舍弃了座骑，开始往上攀爬。灰烬刮过火山表面，吹进他的双眼。在视力几乎全失的状况下，要忽视那首歌持续不断的高昂乐音简直不可能。
散布着结晶体的柔滑深红岩浆从几尺外涌出，近得泰伊可以感觉到他的血肉开始烧灼起水泡。他转个方向，看到烟雾中浮现一个身影。是蓓娜拉。
“你在做什么，泰伊？”她扯开喉咙，压过火山的怒吼。“我不是叫你别听那首歌吗？”
“这是第一次，那首歌和我的目标一致！”他喊回去。“我无法要你原谅我，那么就忘了我吧！”
他爬得更高，超出了蓓娜拉的视线。她叫着他的名字，攀爬着岩石，直到她发现自己位在开阔的火山口附近。一阵又一阵的滚烫气体冲刷过她的身躯，她不禁跪下喘息。一波波的沼气之中，她看到泰伊站在火山口，火舌从他的衣服和头发奔窜而出。他转向她，露出笑容。
然后回头一跃而下。
蓓娜拉爬下火山，在这段漫长又危险的路途中，她陷入恍惚状态。她开始想起眼前该做的事。她在葛尼岛上的家中，有足够的食物库存供给家族会议的与会来宾吗？那些议员有可能会被迫待在岛上几星期，甚至几个月。有好多事情要准备。在下山的路上，慢慢的，她开始遗忘。她不可能永远忘记，但起码是个开始。
达格斯·雅可拉尽可能地靠近火山口，站在那儿眨着眼睛抵抗灰烬，沐浴在热气之中。她四下张望，然后露出微笑。有着达格斯家族封印的银色戒指躺在地上。泰伊松留了太多汗让戒指滑落了。她捡起戒指戴上。她抚着肚子，她听到晨风毒颂再次响起新的乐音。
The Poison Song, Book VII
The Poison Song, Book VII
Triffith stood on the parapets of Barysimayn and considered the volcano. Metaphors the poets used fell rather flat in his view. A festering wound it could be called with its blood-like lava. The King of Ash, too, could be applied, when one looked at its perpetual crown of smoke. And yet, none of that would do, for nothing in his experience could convey the sheer magnitude of the mountain. Red Mountain was many miles away from the fortress, and yet it filled the horizon utterly.
Before he could feel too small, however, he heard his name being called within. It was some consolation that though he was insignificant compared to the mountain, he was still in possession of certain power and influence.
"General Indoril-Triffith," said Commander Rael. "There's trouble at the east gate."
The trouble was scarcely more than a skirmish. An Ashlander, drunk perhaps on shein, had begun a fight with the House guards at the back gate. As they tried to drive him away, his cousins joined him, and soon there were six Ashlanders altogether brawling with a dozen of Triffith's guards. If the n'wahs had not been well-armed, the fight could have been finished almost before it began. As it was, by the time the General arrived with more of his guards, two of the Ashlanders were dead and the others had taken flight.
"It's the smoke in their brains," Rael shrugged. "Makes them mad."
Triffith climbed back up the stairs and returned to his chamber to dress for dinner. General Redoran-Vorilk and Counselor Hlaalu-Nothoc would be arriving very shortly to discuss the Temple's plans for reorganizing the House lands of Morrowind. Mournhold was to be renamed Almalexia. A great new city in honor of Vivec was to be built, but with whose gold? It made his head hurt. There were so many details, a long night of argument, threats, and compromises were ahead.
The General's mind was so occupied that he nearly put his House robes on backwards. He also did not notice the shadowy figure steal out from behind the tapestry and close the door to the bedchamber. It was not until Triffith heard the sound of the latch-bolt fall that he turned around.
'Slipped in when I was distracted by the fracas at the back gate. Very clever, Tay," he said simply. "Or do you call yourself Dagoth-Tython these days?"
"You should know all my names," the young man snarled, unsheathing his sword. "I was Tython before you butchered my family and sought to dispel my tribe. I was Tay when you brought me into your House to poison me against my own people. Now you may call me Vengeance."
There was a knock on the door. Tython and Triffith did not move their eyes from one another. The knocking became a loud pounding. "General Indoril-Triffith, are you well? Is there something wrong?"
"If you're going to kill me, boy, you'd best do it quickly," Triffith growled. "My men will have that door down in two minutes."
"You don't tell me what to do, 'Uncle,'" Tython shook his head. "I have the Song of my ancestors to instruct me. It tells me you made my father beg for his life before you killed him, and I want to see you do the same."
"If your ancestors are all-knowing," Triffith smiled. "Why are they all dead?"
Tython made an inhuman noise in the back of his throat and advanced. The door began to buckle at the pounding, but it was sturdy and secure. The general's estimate of its life expectancy at two minutes seemed clearly erroneous.
The pounding suddenly stopped. A familiar voice replaced the sound.
"Tay," called Baynarah. "Listen to me."
Tython smirked, "You're just in time to hear your uncle beg for his miserable life, 'cousin.' I was afraid you'd be too late. The next sound you'll hear will be the death rattle of the man who slaved my House."
"The Song is what's enslaved you, not Uncle Triffith. You can't trust it. It's poisoning you. It let you be manipulated first by that mad old woman, and now by that evil witch Acra who calls herself your sister."
Tython pressed the tip of his sword so it touched the general's throat. The older man stepped backwards and Tython advanced. His eyes followed the length of his arm to the grip of the blade. The silver ring of Dagoth caught the red light of the volcano from the battlements outside the window.
"Tay, please don't hurt anyone anymore. Please. If you just listen to me, and not the Song just a moment, you'll know what's right. I love you." Baynarah stifled her sobs to keep her voice clear and calm. There was a noise on the stairwell behind her. The general's guard had finally arrived with the battering ram.
The door splintered and burst open in two strikes. General Indoril-Triffith was holding his throat, staring out the window.
"Uncle! Are you all right?" Baynara ran to him. He nodded his head slowly, and removed his hand. There was only the barest of scratches on his neck. "Where's Tay?"
"He jumped out the window," said Triffith, pointing out into the distance where a figure was riding a guar toward the volcano. "I thought he was going to kill himself, but he had an escape figured out."
"We'll get him, serjo general," said Commander Rael, calling to the guards to get their mounts. Baynarah watched them go, and then kissed her uncle quickly and ran out to her own guar in the courtyard.
Sweat drenched Tay's body as he rode closer and closer toward the summit of Red Mountain. The guar was breathing hard, trudging along even more slowly, letting out little grunts of complaint about the heat. Finally, he abandoned his steed and began to climb the near vertical surface. Ash blew down the face of the volcano into his eyes. Near-blind, it was almost impossible to ignore the persistent, clamorous notes of the Song.
A silken stream of crimson lava studded with crystalline formations surged a few feet away, close enough that Tay could feel his flesh begin to burn and blister. He turned from it, and saw a figure emerge through the smoke. Baynarah.
"What are you doing, Tay?" she cried over the howl of the volcano. "Didn't I tell you not to listen to the Song?"
"For the first time, the Song and I both want the same thing!" he yelled back. "I can't ask you to forgive me, but please try to forget!"
He pulled himself higher, out of Baynarah's sight. She screamed his name, scaling the rocks until she found she was close to the open crater. Waves of boiling gas washed over her, and she dropped to her knees, gasping. Through the rippling miasma, she saw Tay standing at the mouth of the volcano. Flames erupted from his clothes and hair. He turned to her just for a moment and smiled.
Then he leapt.
Baynarah was in a daze as she began the long, treacherous climb down the volcano. She began to think of the projects ahead. Were there enough provisions in storage at her house in Gorne for the meeting of the Houses? The councilors were bound to stay there for weeks, maybe months. There was much work to be done. Slowly, as she descended, she began to forget. It would not last, but it would be a start.
Dagoth-Acra stood as near to the mouth of the volcano as she could stand, blinking her eyes at the ash, soaked by the heat. She watched all, and smiled. On the ground was the silver ring with the seal of the House Dagoth. Tython had been sweating so much, it had slipped off. She picked it up and put it on her own finger. Touching her belly, she heard a new refrain of the Poison Song of Morrowind begin.
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