4 Into the Palace

CHAPTER Four Into the Palace "Psss-psss-psss!" Khan whispered. The groggle obeyed, circling high over the city. "There it is!" Keeah exclaimed. "The Guardians' palace has the tallest tower." Below them stood a palace of shiny gray stone. From its top a tower coiled up to the sky. It was the tallest and strangest of all the buildings in the city. The groggle landed clumsily on a small street near the palace and the kids piled off. The streets were deserted. "The people of Ro are peaceful," Khan said. "They will likely be hiding."

第四章进宫“嘘——嘘——嘘！”汗低声说。 那只麻瓜照做了，在城市上空盘旋。 “在那儿！”Keeah喊道。 “守护者的宫殿有最高的塔。” 在他们下面矗立着一座闪闪发光的灰色石头宫殿。 一座塔从它的顶端盘旋直上天空。 它是这个城市所有建筑物中最高、最奇特的。 小精灵笨拙地降落在宫殿附近的一条小街上，孩子们纷纷离开。 街上空无一人。 “罗的人民是和平的，”汗说。 “他们可能会躲起来。”

"First things first," said Eric. "We need to find a cure for Neal." "No," said Neal. "First we stop Sparr." "Finding the Guardians will help us do both," said Keeah. Julie pointed into the air. "We'd better find them soon. Here comes Sparr's silver ship." They watched from the corner as Lord Sparr's airship landed in a large square in front of the palace. Almost immediately, a hatch opened and Lord Sparr himself appeared. "Princess Keeah," Khan whispered, "I will try to find your father and tell him where we are. With my nose, I should be able to sniff myself past Sparr and his chubby guards." The kids wished the Lumpy king good luck. Suddenly, the street beneath them rumbled. The stones vibrated under their feet. "We're flying!" Neal said. "Ro is going up!" They peered between the buildings to see the foothills slip away below them. The air grew colder. Clouds drifted over the rooftops. Ro was in the air once again. "Let's roll!" Julie cried. "Before it's too late!" The band of friends crept into the first hallway they could find. It was dark and cool. "Okay," said Eric. "Where should we go?"

“重要的事情先做，”埃里克说。 “我们得找到治愈尼尔的方法” “不，”尼尔说。“首先我们要阻止斯帕尔。” “找到守护者对我们两者都有帮助。” 朱莉指着空中。 “我们最好快点找到他们。 斯帕尔的银船来了。” 他们从角落里看着斯帕尔勋爵的飞艇降落在宫殿前的一个大广场上。 几乎立刻，舱门打开了，斯帕尔勋爵本人出现了。 “姬娅公主，”可汗低声说，“我会设法找到你父亲，告诉他我们在哪里。 凭我的鼻子，我应该能嗅过斯帕尔和他那帮胖乎乎的卫兵。” 孩子们祝矮胖王好运。 突然，他们脚下的街道轰隆作响。 石头在他们脚下震动。 “我们都要飞起来了!”Neal说。 “Ro在上升！”他们在建筑物之间凝视，看到山麓在他们脚下逐渐消失。 空气变冷了。云在屋顶上飘过。 罗又一次飞到了空中。 “滚吧!”朱莉哭了。 “趁还来得及！”这群朋友爬进了他们能找到的第一个走廊。 天又黑又凉。“好吧，”埃里克说。 “我们该去哪儿？”

Keeah pointed into the darkness. "My father says, when in doubt, head for the center." "Looks kind of spooky in there," Julie said. "I like the dark," said Neal. "I can actually see better. I hear voices, too. Not Ninns, though. I think this is the way." They followed Neal deeper into the palace. Julie turned to Keeah. "Why does Ro become invisible?" "To protect the Tower of Memory," the princess answered. "Everything that happens in Droon is written in the Tower. The Guardians are keepers of the Tower and of the whole history of our world. My father and I hoped they might tell us what happened to my mother." "Do you think they can help debug me?" Neal asked. Keeah nodded. "That's my plan." "Cool," said Neal. "Then that's my plan, too!" Together, the four friends scurried up a set of steps to another level. They could still feel the city rising higher and higher into the air. Strange noises echoed behind them. Eric wondered if the Ninns were on their trail. Did Sparr already know they were there? And if he found them, what would he do? Splat? "The Guardians rule over the people of Ro," Keeah added. "They're the last of a band of knights who have lived since the earliest days of Droon."

姬娅指着黑暗。 “我父亲说，如果有疑问，就去中心。” 朱莉说：“里面看起来有点吓人。” “我喜欢黑暗，”尼尔说。 “实际上我看得更清楚了。 我也能听到声音。但不是Ninns。 我认为这就是出路。”他们跟着尼尔深入宫殿。 朱莉转向基娅。“为什么罗会隐形？”“为了保护记忆之塔。”公主回答。 “在德鲁恩发生的一切都写在塔楼里。 守卫者是高塔的守护者也是整个世界历史的守护者。 我父亲和我希望他们能告诉我们我母亲发生了什么事。” “你觉得他们能帮我调试一下吗？”Neal问道。 Keeah点点头。“这就是我的计划。” “酷，”尼尔说。“那这也是我的计划！”四个朋友一起匆匆走上另一层台阶。 他们仍然能感觉到这座城市在空中越升越高。 奇怪的声音在他们身后回响。 埃里克想知道小矮人是不是在追踪他们。 斯帕尔已经知道他们在那里了吗？ 如果他找到了，他会怎么做？ 长条木板?“守护者统治着罗的人民，”基亚补充道。 “他们是德鲁恩早期生活的最后一批骑士。”

Suddenly, Neal stopped short and everyone bunched up behind him. "What's the matter?" Eric asked. "The hall ends here," his friend said. "Well, that's dumb," said Julie. "Why would they have a hall that leads nowhere?" Keeah chuckled. "The hall may end, but the way continues." In the dim light, she pointed to a strange mark on the wall above them.

突然，尼尔停了下来，所有人都挤在他身后。 “怎么啦？”埃里克问。 “大厅到此为止，”他的朋友说。 “嗯，这太愚蠢了，”朱莉说。 “他们为什么要建一个不通向任何地方的大厅？”Keeah咯咯地笑了。 “大厅也许结束了，但路还在继续。” 在昏暗的灯光下，她指着他们上方墙上一个奇怪的标记。

"What is it?" Julie asked.

“什么事？”朱莉问。

"It's an ancient language," Keeah said, peering close. "I don't know all the words, but I know this one. It means… the Guardians!" Keeah pushed at the wall. Vrrrt! It slid aside easily. The children slipped through the opening. They found themselves in a tall room with a curved ceiling. "I should tell you one more thing about the Guardians," Keeah said. "They are—" "Oh, my gosh!" Julie gasped. "Whoa!" Eric grunted. "I think we found where they keep the dinosaurs!" Neal whispered.

“这是一种古老的语言。”基娅说，凑近了看。 “我不知道所有的单词，但我知道这一个。 意思是……守护者！”姬娅推着墙。 Vrrrt !它很容易滑到一边。 孩子们从洞口溜了出去。 他们发现自己置身于一间天花板弯曲的高大房间里。 “我应该再告诉你一件关于守护者的事。” “他们是——”“噢，我的天哪！”朱莉气喘吁吁地说。 “哇!”埃里克哼了一声。“我想我们找到了他们保存恐龙的地方！”Neal低声说。