9 A Piece of a Star

Chapter 9, A Piece of a Star. Teddy dropped down to a ledge. Jack and Annie followed. Hidden in the shadows, they crouched together, their dark feathers touching. They peered out at the moonlit lair of the Raven King.

第九章 一块星星的碎片 泰迪落到一块岩架上，杰克和安妮跟在后面。 他们躲在阴影里挤作一团，深色的羽毛挨在一起。 他们朝外盯着乌鸦王被月光照亮的巢穴。

The king's giant nest was tucked under a rocky overhang. It was made of mud, twigs, and long strips of tree bark. Two raven sentries were guarding its dark entrance. Okay, Jack softly croaked, what's the plan? Listen carefully, Teddy answered. In tiny creaks and caws of raven whispers, he spelled out a plan. I'll distract the guards. Any you keep watch at the entrance. Jack, you go into the nest and get the diamond. Then both of you head back to the castle and wait for me there. What about the raven king? Croaked Jack. I sense he's not here, croaked Teddy. I see no legions of bodyguards, but we should hurry before he returns. Jack had lots more questions about the plan, but before he could ask them, Teddy lifted off his perch and flew toward the entrance. Let's go, cried Annie rising into the air. Jack was in a panic. He fluffed out his feathers and croaked. Wait, you guys.

乌鸦王巨大的巢穴藏在一块突出的岩石下方。 巢穴是用泥巴、树枝和一长条一长条的树皮搭建的。 两名乌鸦哨兵正守在黑漆漆的巢穴入口处。 “好了，”杰克哑着嗓子轻声问，“计划是什么？” “仔细听好。”泰迪回答。 他用乌鸦那种细微的嘎嘎低鸣，把计划一点点讲了出来。 我去引开哨兵。 你在入口放风。 杰克，你进巢穴去拿钻石。 之后你们俩先回城堡，在那里等我。 那乌鸦王怎么办？ 杰克哑声问。 “我感觉他不在这儿。”泰迪哑声回答。 我没看到大批护卫队，不过我们得赶在他回来之前快点行动。 杰克对这个计划还有好多疑问，可还没等他问出口， 泰迪就从落脚的地方飞起来，朝入口去了。 “走吧！”安妮喊着飞到了半空。 杰克慌了神。 他炸起浑身的羽毛，嘎嘎叫着： 等等，你们俩啊！

But it was too late. Teddy was already dive -bombing the Raven Sentries. Ark, ark, ark! The two Sentries left their watch and flew at Teddy with short shrieks. They chased him high into the sky. Annie zipped to the entrance of the nest. Come on, Jack! She croaked. Jack jumped off the ledge and flew on to the giant nest. Without thinking, he stepped through the entrance. He jerked his head from side to side. With his raven sight, he saw walls packed with dried mud, animal fur, vines and sticks. The floor was covered with moss. Jack took a few steps forward. He stopped. He saw no sign of the Raven King. He cocked his head from side to side, listening. All was quiet.

可已经太晚了，泰迪已经朝着乌鸦哨兵俯冲过去。 嘎！嘎！嘎！ 两名哨兵放弃了值守，尖叫着朝泰迪飞过去。 他们追着他飞到了高高的天上。 安妮嗖地一下飞到了巢穴入口。 快过来，杰克！ 她哑声叫道。 杰克从岩架上跳下来，朝着巨型巢穴飞去。 他想都没想，就迈步走进了入口。 他猛地左右晃了晃脑袋。 用他乌鸦的眼睛看去，巢穴的墙是用干泥垒成的， 还混着动物皮毛、藤蔓和树枝。 地面上铺着厚厚的苔藓。 杰克往前迈了几步。 他停住了脚。 他没看到半点儿乌鸦王的踪迹。 他歪着脑袋左右转了转，仔细听着动静。 四周一片安静。

Jack looked around the nest. One part of the nest's wall looked different. It was black and shiny. He stepped toward it. He touched it with his beak. It wasn't a wall at all. It was a curtain of feathers. Jack pushed through the feather curtain. Moonlight shone into the space behind it. Heaps of gold and silver coins glittered in the cool light. Pale pearls, emeralds and rubies shone amid all the treasure was a blue -white crystal. It was no bigger than a marble, but it shone with a light all its own, like a piece of a star. Jack knew at once the stone was the diamond of destiny. His raven heart thumping, he walked to the diamond and nudged it with his beak. As he walked, he heard a voice calling to him from outside. Creak, croak, they're coming. Jack carefully picked up the diamond with his beak. He felt a surge of strength and courage.

杰克环顾巢穴四周，有一面墙看起来不太一样，黑亮黑亮的。 他朝那面墙走过去，用喙碰了碰，那根本不是墙，是一道用 羽毛做的帘子。杰克钻过羽毛帘，月光洒进帘子后面的空间，一堆堆 的金币银币在清冷的光下闪闪发亮，莹白的珍珠、祖母绿和红宝石也亮着光 在所有财宝的正中央，有一块蓝白色的水晶，它才弹珠那么大，却散发着 独属于自己的光，就像一块星星的碎片。杰克立刻认出，这就是命运钻石 他那颗乌鸦的心脏怦怦跳着，走到钻石旁，用喙轻轻碰了碰它。就在这时 他听到外面有声音在喊他：嘎嘎，他们回来了！ 杰克小心翼翼地用喙叼起钻石，他感觉到一股力量和勇气涌了上来。

Annie called another warning, but Jack wasn't afraid at all. He calmly walked out of the Raven King's nest back into the night. More sentries had been alerted. They were flying toward the mountaintop, calling madly in alarm. Croak, croak, croak! Jack saw Annie perched on the ledge. Hurry, Jack, hurry! she croaked. Annie flew off the mountain, holding the diamond in his beak. Jack gracefully flapped his wings and lifted into the air after her. As he and Annie sailed down from the mountaintop, a chorus of cracks split the night. Thousands of roosting ravens rose into the sky like a giant black cloud. Their beating wings rumbled like thunder. The cloud of ravens covered the light of the moon. The night was completely black. Spree, spree! Annie croaked. Fly, fly!

安妮又喊了一声警告，可杰克一点都不怕。 他淡定地走出乌鸦王的巢穴，回到外面的夜色里。 更多的哨兵已经被惊动了。 他们正朝着山顶飞来，慌慌张张地乱叫着。 嘎！嘎！嘎！ 杰克看到安妮正停在岩架上。 “快，杰克，快点！”她哑声叫道。 安妮飞离了山顶，钻石正叼在杰克的喙里。 杰克优雅地拍打着翅膀，跟在她身后飞到了半空。 就在他和安妮从山顶往下飞的时候，一阵此起彼伏的嘎嘎声划破了 夜空。 成千上万只栖居的乌鸦飞到天上，像一团巨大的乌云。 他们扇动翅膀的声音像打雷一样轰隆隆响。 这团乌鸦云遮住了月光。 整片夜空变得漆黑一片。 飞呀！飞呀！ 安妮哑声叫道。 快飞！快飞！

She and Jack glided down through the dark sky toward the Duke's castle. The wing beats of the raven army still thundered above the mountaintop, but none of the ravens were chasing them. They don't know what to do without their king, Jack thought. He wondered where their king was, but with the diamond of destiny in his beak, he felt no fear. The farther Jack and Annie flew from the mountain, the more distant became the sound of the raven soldiers' wings. The Duke's castle came into sight. Jack saw the light of Teddy's lantern in the nursery, but he didn't want to stop flying just yet. Instead, he swooped over the castle keep, over the courtyard, the gatehouse, and the bridge, over the candlelit cottages and oak forest. Annie flew with him. Finally, they both glided smoothly back to the castle and landed on the window ledge of the nursery. The diamond of destiny was safe.

她和杰克穿过漆黑的夜空，朝着公爵的城堡滑翔而去。 乌鸦大军扇动翅膀的声音还在山顶上方轰隆隆响着，不过 没有一只乌鸦追过来。 没有国王在，他们不知道该怎么办，杰克心想。 他很好奇乌鸦王去了哪里，不过命运钻石叼在自己的喙里， 他一点都不害怕。 杰克和安妮飞离大山越远， 乌鸦士兵们扇翅膀的声音就变得越远。 公爵的城堡映入了眼帘。 杰克看到育儿室里亮着泰迪的提灯，不过 他现在还不想停下来。 相反，他俯冲着飞过城堡主楼，飞过院子、门楼，还有 小桥，飞过点着蜡烛的村舍和橡树林。 安妮陪他一起飞着。 最后，他俩平稳地滑翔回城堡， 落在了育儿室的窗台上。 命运钻石安全了。