6 The Red Wolves of Droon

CHAPTER Six The Red Wolves of Drone "It's like a tomb in here," Eric said as they entered the cave. "And darker than I remember it." "Thanks for scaring me again," said Neal. Keeah pulled a flaming torch from the wall outside and handed it to Max. She took another for herself. "It gets even darker down below." Carefully, the five friends tiptoed into the darkness. Soon, the rocky cave floor gave way to rough, carved steps. Sssss! The torches sizzled as the thick ice on the ceiling melted down onto the flames.

“这里就像一座坟墓，”当他们进入洞穴时，埃里克说。 “比我记忆中的还要黑暗。” “谢谢你又吓到我了，”尼尔说。 基娅从外面的墙上拿出一支燃烧着的火炬递给马克斯。 她又拿了一个给自己。 “下面更黑了。” 五个朋友小心翼翼地蹑手蹑脚地走进黑暗中。 很快，岩石洞穴的地面被粗糙的雕刻台阶所取代。 Sssss !当天花板上厚厚的冰融化在火焰上时，火把发出嘶嘶声。

Eric felt bad about letting Sparr in. There was nothing he could do now, except help make it right. He hoped they‐could reverse the curse. "How did the wolves get here?" he asked. Keeah stepped carefully down the frosted steps. "Long ago, a terrible creature named Zor fought the wolves who lived in the hills here." "Who is Zor?" asked Julie. Keeah took a deep breath. "He was a giant." "A terrible giant! If the stories are to be believed," Max said with a shiver. "My mother took the giant's power away," Keeah said. "He vanished. Finally, he died." Max nodded. "To thank Relna, the wolves promised to guard forever the amulet that gave Zor his power." "What's an amulet?" Neal asked. "A kind of crest," Keeah said. "A big piece of jewelry with a crystal in the center. It's hidden below our city, in the cavern of the wolves." "So that's what Sparr is after!" Eric said. Julie frowned. "But if Zor is dead, what exactly will Sparr do with the giant's old jewelry?" "I don't know," Keeah whispered. "But something tells me we'll find out soon enough."

埃里克觉得不该让斯帕进来。 现在他什么也做不了，只能帮忙把事情纠正过来。 他希望他们能解除诅咒。 “狼群是怎么到这里来的？”他问。 姬娅小心翼翼地走下结霜的台阶。 “很久以前，一个叫佐尔的可怕生物和住在这里山上的狼作战。” “佐尔是谁？”尤莉问。 基娅深吸了一口气。“他是个巨人。” “一个可怕的巨人！如果故事可信的话。”马克斯说着打了个寒颤。 “我妈妈拿走了巨人的力量，”Keeah说。 ”他消失了。最后，他死了。” 马克斯点点头。为了感谢蕾尔娜，狼人承诺永远守护给佐尔力量的护身符 “护身符是什么？”Neal问道。 “一种冠，”基娅说。 “一件中间有一颗水晶的大珠宝。 它就藏在我们城市的下面，在狼群的洞穴里。” “原来这就是斯帕尔想要的！”Eric说。 朱莉皱起了眉头。“但如果佐尔死了，斯帕尔要拿巨人的旧珠宝做什么呢？”“我不知道，”基娅低声说。 “但直觉告诉我，我们很快就会知道的。”

They stepped off the final step onto a smooth floor. Before them was an opening into a stone room. Beyond that was an even smaller room. "Oh, no!" Julie gasped. "The poor wolves!" There, in the flickering torchlight, were three large wolves. One lay motionless near the entrance to the inner room. Another was standing on all fours, its long ears pointed up, its eyes as still as glass. A third crouched by the stairs, its fangs bared, as if ready to pounce. The bright red fur of each wolf was now silvery-white with ice. All three were frozen solid. "Just like my master," Max chirped softly. "According to the old stories, there was only one thing that could stop them," Keeah said. "Let me guess. Being frozen," Eric said. "And that's why Sparr used a curse of ice to attack the city. He knew he could get Zor's amulet." "He already did," Julie said. She pointed to the inner room. It was empty. Neal joined her and gazed up. "There's a hole in the ceiling here. The Ninns must have busted their way in with those nasty hammers." Max shot sticky silk at the ceiling and swung up to the hole. "I'll see what I can find out."

他们踏下最后一级台阶，来到光滑的地板上。 在他们面前是一个通往石屋的入口。 再往前是一个更小的房间。 “哦,不!”朱莉气喘吁吁地说。“可怜的狼！”在摇曳的火把下，有三只大狼。 其中一个一动不动地躺在靠近内室入口的地方。 另一只四肢着地，长长的耳朵向上翘着，眼睛像玻璃一样一动不动。 第三只蹲在楼梯旁，露出獠牙，好像随时准备扑过来。 每只狼鲜红的皮毛现在都变成了银白色的冰。 三个人都被冻住了。 “就像我的主人一样。”麦克斯轻声说。 “根据古老的故事，只有一件事可以阻止他们，”Keeah说。 “让我猜猜。被冻住了，”埃里克说。 “这就是为什么斯帕尔用冰咒攻击这座城市。 他知道他能拿到佐尔的护身符。” “他已经说过了，”朱莉说。 她指着里面的房间。 它是空的。尼尔也跟着她抬头凝视着。 “天花板上有个洞。 肯定是那些小鬼用那些可恶的铁锤破门而入。” 麦克斯把黏糊糊的丝绸扔向天花板，然后荡到洞口。 “我看看能找到什么。”

Keeah took a deep breath and opened her velvet bag. She sprinkled powder on the wolves. Zzzz! The air sizzled over the frozen beasts.

姬娅深吸了一口气，打开她的天鹅绒袋子。 她把粉末撒在狼身上。 睡眠!空气在冻僵的野兽上空嘶嘶作响。

"It's working!" Eric said. "The magic is working!"

“这是工作!”Eric说。 “魔法起作用了！”

The creatures' eyes softened instantly. One wolf yawned and stretched. The others shook themselves from head to tail, spraying a thousand icy needles across the stones. "Yes!" Julie cried. "They're alive!" Keeah knelt and whispered to the red wolves. "Sama teku mey?" The animals seemed to answer her with purring sounds and soft growling. She has the power, Eric thought. He glanced at his friends. Their eyes were wide with wonder. Keeah turned back to the kids. "I must help Galen. Even if it means facing Sparr. I must trust the magic. That's what my mother's words mean." "Her words mean something to us, too," Eric agreed. Max swung back into the room. "Those nasty Ninns are taking Zor's amulet to the throne room. Sparr is waiting for it there." Keeah's eyes flashed. "The king's room? Only my father should sit there!" The wolves growled, sensing Keeah's anger. "We'll bring your father back," said Eric. "We'll make things right again. We have to." Julie nodded. "We'll do it." "We make a great team," Neal added. Keeah smiled. "Then come. We have work to do!"

动物们的目光立刻变得柔和了。 一只狼打了个哈欠，伸了个懒腰。 其他人从头到尾抖了抖身子，在石头上喷射出一千根冰冷的针。 “是的!”朱莉哭了。“他们活着!”姬娅跪下来，低声对红狼说。 “Sama teku mey?”动物们似乎用咕噜咕噜的声音和柔和的咆哮来回答她。 她有力量，埃里克想。 他瞥了他的朋友们一眼。 他们惊奇地睁大了眼睛。 基娅转身面对孩子们。 “我必须帮助盖伦。即使这意味着要面对斯帕尔。 我必须相信魔法。这就是我妈妈的话的意思。” “她的话对我们也有意义，”埃里克表示赞同。 马克斯转身回到房间。 “那些可恶的Ninns正把佐尔的护身符带到正殿去。 斯帕尔在那儿等着呢。” 姬娅的眼睛闪着光。“国王的房间？” 只有我父亲才应该坐在那里！”狼群感觉到基厄的愤怒，开始咆哮。 “我们会把你爸爸带回来的，”埃里克说。 “我们会让一切重回正轨的。 我们必须这么做。”朱莉点点头。 “我们会这么做的。”“我们是一个伟大的团队，”尼尔补充道。 Keeah笑了。“那来。我们有工作要做！”