10 The Thirteenth Knight

CHAPTER 10

第十章

The Thirteenth Knight Clara and Gilbert hurried to the bottom of the volcano, sword and shield still in hand. Their faces were smudged and scorched. The crowd whistled and cheered as the two entered the arena. The Head Spire congratulated both of them. Then he lifted his hands toward the sky. "And now the judge will select a winner!" A great shadow swooped over the crowd, and the yellow dragon landed gracefully in front of Clara and Gilbert. The judge had arrived. A hush fell over the crowd. The great beast stepped forward and sniffed Clara. Then it sniffed Gilbert. The dragon stalked around the contestants in a circle. Clara noticed that the dragon had a missing scale at the base of his neck—just like the golden scale she held in her hand.

第十三个骑士克拉拉和吉尔伯特急匆匆地跑到火山底部，手中仍然拿着剑和盾。 他们的脸又脏又焦。 当两人进入竞技场时，人群吹起了口哨并欢呼起来。 尖塔向他们俩表示祝贺。 然后他向天空举起双手。 “现在评委将选出一名获胜者！”一个巨大的阴影掠过人群，黄龙优雅地降落在克拉拉和吉尔伯特面前。 法官来了。人群中顿时安静下来。 那头巨兽走上前去，嗅了嗅克拉拉。 然后它嗅了嗅吉尔伯特。龙在参赛者周围围成一圈。 克拉拉注意到龙的脖子底部少了一块鳞片——就像她手里拿着的金色鳞片一样。

Finally the dragon bowed its mighty head to the ground... right in front of Clara. "We have a WINNER!" the Head Spire cried. "Lady Clara is hereby declared the Thirteenth Knight!" The crowd jumped to its feet and cheered. Each of the three Spires stood.

最后，龙低下了它那巨大的头…… 就在克拉拉面前“我们有赢家了！”尖塔尖叫道。 “克拉拉小姐特此被宣布为第十三位骑士！”人群跳起来欢呼起来。 三个尖塔都耸立着。

The Head Spire spoke first. "Lady Clara, by choosing the dragon scale, you showed great cleverness." He bowed and stepped back. The second Spire stepped forward. "And by using the scale as a shield, you showed quick thinking." He bowed and stepped back.

尖塔头先说话了。 “克拉拉小姐，你选择龙鳞，显示了你的聪明才智” 他鞠了一躬，退了回去。 第二个尖塔走上前来。 “你用天平做挡箭牌，表现出了敏捷的思维。” 他鞠了一躬，退了回去。

Then the third Squire stepped forward, holding a golden sword. "By throwing yourself in front of the dragon's flame, you protected your friend. This showed great bravery." Then she handed the sword to Clara. The crowd jumped and cheered for the new Knight Spire. They chanted, "CLARA! CLARA!"

然后第三个乡绅走上前来，手里拿着一把金剑。 “你把自己挡在龙的火焰前，保护了你的朋友。 这表现了极大的勇气。” 然后她把剑递给克拉拉。 人群跳了起来，为新的骑士尖塔欢呼。 他们高呼：“克拉拉！克拉拉!”

Gilbert held out his arms and hugged Clara. "You truly deserve this honor," he said. Then the royal family, Ruskin, Tublock, and Clara's parents came down to congratulate the winner. "My best friend is a Knight Spire!" Lucas cried proudly.

吉尔伯特伸出双臂拥抱了克拉拉。 “你真的配得上这份荣誉，”他说。 然后，王室成员、罗斯金、塔布洛克和克拉拉的父母都下来祝贺获胜者。 “我最好的朋友是骑士尖塔！”卢卡斯骄傲地叫道。