7 The Forbidden City

CHAPTER Seven The Forbidden City "Take Leep at once," Galen told Eric and his friends as they stood outside the tower. "And take this invisible cloak. It may come in handy." "And take me!" Max twittered. "I may come in handy, too. Besides, I know the way to Plud." Galen smiled. "Good luck, my young friends, and remember what I am about to tell you. Droon is a secret to your world. When you return home, tell no one about us. Also, you must not take anything from Droon with you, nor leave anything from the Upper World behind." "Why?" Eric asked.

第七章紫禁城“马上睡觉，”盖伦告诉埃里克和他的朋友们，他们站在塔楼外面。 “还有这件隐形斗篷。 它可能会派上用场。”“带我去吧！”马克斯twitter。 “我也可能派上用场。 再说，我知道去普拉德的路。” 盖伦笑了。“祝你们好运，我年轻的朋友们，记住我要告诉你们的话。 德鲁恩是你们世界的秘密。 你回家后，不要告诉任何人我们的事。 还有，你们不能带走德鲁恩的任何东西，也不能留下任何上面世界的东西。” “为什么?”埃里克问。

"For every object left here, a thing from Droon will appear in your world," the wizard replied. "And it may not be a good thing!" Max added. Neal blinked. "You mean like… a Ninn?" "Or worse," Galen said. "Now I must go to Jaffa City and you to Plud. Be careful!" Then, without another word—zamm!—Galen Longbeard, first wizard of Droon, vanished. And his tower vanished with him. Hrrr! The shaggy pilka whinnied. "Well, what are we waiting for?" said Eric. With the three children on her back and Max sitting on her head, Leep galloped out of the forest. She rode across open meadows while the pink sky darkened into late afternoon. It grew colder as the light faded. A shape moved across the sky above them. "Groggles?" said Julie. Neal looked up. "No," he said. "A falcon. A white one. I think I saw it before, too. I remember falcons from our zoo trip last year." Eric watched the bird soar away. "This one was in the forest when we first saw Sparr." Hrrr! Leep whinnied sharply and slowed her gallop. "Hush now," Max whispered. "We are close."

“这里每留下一件东西，就会有一件德鲁恩的东西出现在你们的世界里。” “这可能不是一件好事！”马克斯说。 Neal眨了眨眼睛。“你是说像……一个奶妈？”“或者更糟，”盖伦说。 “现在我必须去雅法城，你必须去普拉德。 小心!”然后，不用多说了！——长胡子盖伦，德鲁恩的第一个巫师，消失了。 他的塔也随之消失了。 Hrrr !蓬头垢面的皮尔卡呜呜地叫着。 “那我们还在等什么？”埃里克说。 利普背着三个孩子，马克斯坐在她的头上，疾驰着走出了森林。 她骑马穿过开阔的草地，粉红色的天空渐渐变暗，进入傍晚。 天色渐暗，天气也越来越冷。 一个人影在他们头顶上划过天空。 “格勒斯？”朱莉说。尼尔抬起头来。 “不，”他说。“猎鹰。白色的。 我想我以前也见过。 我记得去年我们去动物园旅行时看到的猎鹰。” 埃里克看着那只鸟飞走了。 “当我们第一次看到斯帕尔时，这只是在森林里。” Hrrr !利普发出尖锐的呜呜声，放慢了她飞奔的速度。 “安静，”马克斯小声说。 “我们接近了。”

He pulled the reins, and the pilka plodded up a low hill to a jagged ridge.

他拉着缰绳，骑着皮卡缓缓地爬上一座低矮的小山，来到一个参差不齐的山脊上。

The high black walls of a large city loomed before them. The sky was thick with clouds. The air smelled of smoke. "Let me guess," Neal said. "This is Plud." The three riders slid to the ground in a grove of trees. Max jumped down with Leep's cloak. "Don't forget this. Invisibility might be useful." "So would a magic key," Julie said. "Those walls are super high. How do we get in?" Rrrr! The ground began to rumble. "A car?" Eric whispered. "Yes, Sparr's car! The gates will open for him. He's our way in!" Ooga! Sparr's car roared loudly up the road. Hrrr! The pilka reared, spooking at the sound. "Leep, wait!" Max shouted. But the animal broke away from him. He scurried down the hill after her. "Leep! Leep!" "Come back, Max," Julie said. "We need you!" The car roared by. The gates of Plud opened. "We're losing our chance," Eric hissed. "Come on!" He grabbed Neal and Julie. The three of them dashed in after the yellow car. They jumped behind a low wall just as—chong!—the huge black gates closed. Sparr's car screeched to a stop in a courtyard. A group of Ninns raced out to greet their master. "The princess is in the main tower," one said.

一座大城市的黑色高墙隐现在他们面前。 天空乌云密布。 空气中有烟味。“让我猜猜，”尼尔说。 “这是普拉德。”三个骑手滑倒在树林里。 麦克斯拿着利普的斗篷跳了下来。 “别忘了这一点。隐形也许有用。” “一把神奇的钥匙也可以，”朱莉说。 “那些墙太高了。 我们怎么进去？”Rrrr !地面开始隆隆作响。 “一辆车?”Eric低声说。“是的，斯帕尔的车！”大门会为他打开。 他是我们进去的路！”Ooga !斯帕尔的汽车在路上呼啸而上。 Hrrr !野猪听到这声音吓得直立起来。 “之,等等!”马克斯喊道。 但那动物挣脱了他。 他急忙跑下山去追她。 “之!之!”“回来吧，麦克斯，”朱莉说。 “我们需要你！”汽车呼啸而过。 普拉德的大门打开了。“我们正在失去机会，”埃里克嘶嘶地说。 “来吧!”他抓住了尼尔和朱莉。 他们三个人跟着那辆黄色的汽车冲了进来。 他们从一堵矮墙后面跳了过去！巨大的黑色大门关上了。 斯帕尔的车在院子里尖声停了下来。 一群Ninns跑出来迎接他们的主人。 “公主在主塔里，”其中一人说。

Without a word, Sparr stomped into the fortress. The Ninn guards marched in after him. "Okay," Eric whispered. "Let's go. Quietly." They slipped into the fortress. The hallways were as narrow and dark as the streets outside. Ninn footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floors. Julie stopped. "Wait. Do we have a plan?" Eric peered into the dark. "There are some steps ahead. If we sneak up to the main tower, maybe we can get to Keeah before Sparr does." Neal nodded. "And get back out, too. Right?" "Of course," Eric said. "Sounds good," said Julie. "Lead on." They tiptoed up the long stairway. After what seemed like hundreds of steps they reached the top of the main tower. At the end of a short hallway was a door. Two big Ninns in black armor guarded it. "Do we have to… fight them?" Neal whispered, out of breath. Eric shook his head. "No. Now we use some magic." He pulled Galen's cloak over himself. "I like it," Julie said. "Poof, you're gone!" "Hide in the shadows," Eric said. Then, completely invisible, he slipped down the hall. He jabbed one of the guards in the shoulder.

斯帕尔二话没说，大步走进堡垒。 Ninn卫兵跟着他走了进来。 “好吧，”埃里克小声说。“我们走吧。 安静地。”他们溜进了堡垒。 走廊和外面的街道一样又窄又黑。 她的脚步声在石头地板上回响着。 朱莉停了下来。”等。我们有什么计划吗？”埃里克凝视着黑暗。 “前面还有一些步骤。 如果我们偷偷爬上主塔，也许能赶在斯帕之前找到基娅。” Neal点点头。“也滚出去。 对吗?”“当然，”埃里克说。 “听起来不错，”朱莉说。 “领导”。他们踮着脚尖走上长长的楼梯。 他们似乎走了几百级台阶才到达主塔顶。 在一条短走廊的尽头有一扇门。 两个穿着黑盔甲的大个子守卫着它。 “我们必须……和他们作战吗？”尼尔低声说，上气不接下气。 埃里克摇了摇头。“没有。现在我们使用一些魔法。” 他把盖伦的斗篷披在身上。 “我喜欢，”朱莉说。“噗，你走了！”“躲在阴影里，”埃里克说。 然后，完全看不见的他溜进了大厅。 他猛击了一个警卫的肩膀。