Chapter 6

Chapter Six IN WHICH Jared Fulfills the Phooka's Prediction Across the grove the branches parted and three beings stepped out from the trees. They were about Mallory's size, with freckled skin browned by sunlight. The first was a woman with apple green eyes and a green sheen across her shoulders and at her temples. Leaves were tangled in her tousled hair. The second was a man with what looked like small horns along his brow. His skin was flushed a deeper green than the woman's skin and he held a gnarled staff in his hands. The third

第六章贾里德实现福卡的预言穿过树林，树枝分开了，三个人从树林里走了出来。 他们和马洛里差不多大，皮肤上布满雀斑，被阳光晒成了棕色。 第一个是一个有着苹果绿眼睛的女人，她的肩膀和太阳穴都有绿色的光泽。 树叶在她蓬乱的头发中纠缠不清。 第二个是一个额头上长着小角的男人。 他的皮肤比女人的皮肤更红，手里拿着一根粗糙的棍子。 第三个

elf had thick, red hair woven with red berries and two large seedpods that stuck up on either side of his head. His skin was brown, speckled with red at his throat. "These are elves?" Simon asked. "No one has followed this path for a long time," said the green-eyed elf as though no one had spoken. She held her head high, like one accustomed to being obeyed. "All who might have stumbled into this grove have been led astray. But here they are. How curious." "The grass," Jared whispered to his brother. "They must have it," the red-haired elf declared to his companions. "How else would they come this way? How else would they discover the means to stay on the path?" He turned to the three children. "I am Lorengorm. We would bargain with you." "For what?" Jared asked, hoping his voice wouldn't shake. The elves were beautiful, but the only emotion he could read on their faces was a strange hunger that unnerved him.

Elf长着一头浓密的红头发，上面结满了红色的浆果，脑袋两边长着两个大种子荚。 他的皮肤是棕色的，喉咙处有红色的斑点。 “这些是小精灵？”西蒙问。 “很久没有人沿着这条路走了。”绿眼小精灵说，好像没有人说话似的。 她昂着头，就像一个习惯于被服从的人。 “所有可能误入这片树林的人都被引入了歧途。 但它们就在这里。怎么好奇。” “草地。”杰瑞德低声对哥哥说。 “他们必须得到它。”红发精灵对同伴们宣布。 “不然他们怎么来的？” 除此之外，他们还能怎么找到保持在这条路上的方法呢？”他转向三个孩子。 “我是洛伦格姆。我们可以和你讨价还价。” “为了什么?”杰瑞德问道，希望自己的声音不会颤抖。 精灵们都很漂亮，但他能从他们脸上读出的唯一情感是一种奇怪的饥饿，这让他感到不安。

"You want your freedom," said the elf with what had looked like horns. Jared realized that they were actually leaves. "We want Arthur's book." "Freedom from what?" Mallory asked. The leaf-horned elf indicated the border of trees with one hand and smiled an unkind smile. "We will guest you until you tire of our hospitality." "Arthur didn't give you the book. Why should we?" Jared hoped they couldn't tell that he was

“你想要自由。”那个长着犄角似的东西的小精灵说。 贾里德意识到它们其实是树叶。 “我们想要亚瑟的书。”“摆脱什么？”马洛里问道。 长着叶角的精灵用一只手指了指树的边缘，露出了不友善的微笑。 “我们会招待你，直到你厌倦了我们的款待。” “亚瑟没有把书给你。 我们为什么要这么做？”杰瑞德希望他们看不出他是

guessing. The leaf-horned elf sniffed. "We have long known that mankind is brutal. Once, at least, humans were ignorant. Now we would keep knowledge of our existence from you to protect ourselves." "You cannot be trusted. You cleave the forests." Lorengorm scowled and his eyes flashed. "Poison the rivers, hunt the griffins from the skies and the serpents from the seas. Imagine what you could do if you knew all of our weaknesses."

猜测。长着叶子角的小精灵闻了闻。 “我们早就知道人类是残酷的。 至少，人类曾经是无知的。 现在我们不让你们知道我们的存在，以保护我们自己。” “你不可信。你在砍伐森林。” 洛伦戈姆皱起眉头，眼里闪着光。 “在河流中下毒，从天上猎捕狮鹫，从海里猎捕蛇。 想象一下，如果你知道我们所有的弱点，你会怎么做。”

"But we never did any of those things!" said Simon. "And no one even believes in faeries," Jared said. He thought of Lucinda. "No one sane, anyway." Lorengorm's laugh sounded hollow. "There are few enough faeries left to believe in. We make our homes in the sparse forests left to us. Soon even those will be gone."

“但是我们从来没有做过这些事情！”西蒙说。 “甚至没有人相信有仙人，”贾里德说。 他想起了露辛达。“反正没人是理智的。” 洛伦戈姆的笑声听起来很空洞。 “能让人相信的仙子已经不多了。 我们在留给我们的稀疏的森林里安家。 很快，这些也会消失。”

The green-eyed elf lifted one hand toward the woven wall of branches. "Let me show you." Jared noticed all types of faeries, sitting in the circle of trees, peering through the gaps in the wood. Their black eyes glittered, their wings buzzed, and their mouths moved, but none entered the grove. It felt like a trial, with the elves acting as both judge and jury. Then a few branches untwined and something else stepped through.

绿眼小精灵举起一只手，指向树枝编织成的墙。 “让我示范给你看。”贾里德注意到各种各样的精灵，他们坐在树圈里，从树林的缝隙里窥视着。 它们的黑眼睛闪闪发光，翅膀嗡嗡作响，嘴巴翕动着，但没有一只进入树林。 这感觉就像一场审判，精灵们既是法官又是陪审团。 然后几根树枝散开了，别的东西走了进来。