轉(zhuǎn)自 貓撲 原帖作者：惡瞳  
整理編輯：塔特薩·白酒桶

扭曲的靈魂是美國McFarlane玩具公司設(shè)計(jì)的一套恐怖人偶，他的設(shè)計(jì)師Barker明顯超出了公司對他的期望。他不僅以驚人（或者說是變態(tài)）的設(shè)計(jì)完成了他的工作，還為這些可怕的作品創(chuàng)造了靈魂，一個(gè)讓它們更加能讓人記住的故事。和他的設(shè)計(jì)一樣，這個(gè)故事充滿了黑暗和扭曲，至少我們知道了Barker不是一個(gè)基督徒，他的故事可以說是褻瀆的，病態(tài)的。但無論如何，他出色的完成了他的任務(wù)，他創(chuàng)造了有史以來最成功的恐怖玩具（我想象不出孩子會(huì)喜歡這種東西，但是他們確實(shí)喜歡，不是嗎？），或者說是一個(gè)扭曲靈魂的扭曲世界。玩具的形象不再只是形象，而延伸為一種更為廣闊的認(rèn)知。現(xiàn)在，或許你了解我的意思了，下面的故事可能會(huì)令你不快或作嘔，如果你不喜歡這類黑暗的東西，就此停止吧。

=====================我是分割線====================================

Clive Barker's Tortured Souls Ⅰ [扭曲靈魂 I]
AGONISTES

I·The Secret Face of Genesis 揭開起源的神秘面紗

I

他能改造人類的形狀，他是魔鬼的制造者。但凡有人帶著足夠的理由，足夠的渴望前來向他要求進(jìn)行變異

，并且愿意承受這種變異將帶來的痛苦，那么他就會(huì)滿足他們的要求。最后，他親手將他們變成了形狀鬼

魅的生物；重塑后的身體遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超乎他們的想象。
He is a transformer of human flesh; a creator of monsters．If a Supplicant comes to him with

sufficient need，sufficient hunger for change – knowing how painful that change will be –

he will accommodate them．They become objects of perverse beauty beneath his hand; their

bodies remade in fashions that they have no power to dictate．

幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，這個(gè)超凡的家伙不斷變換不同的身份，用不同的名字出現(xiàn)在世間。但人們習(xí)慣用他最初的

名字稱呼他：阿岡尼司帝斯。
Over the years，over the centuries，indeed，this extraordinary creature has gone by many

names．But we will call him by the first name he was ever given: AGONISTES．

那些要求變異的人是在哪里找到他的呢？通常是在一個(gè)被他稱為“燃燒之地”的偏遠(yuǎn)沙漠里。但，有時(shí)“

燃燒之地”就在我們的家門口——當(dāng)愛和希望從我們灼熱的城市里蒸發(fā)殆盡時(shí)，他就會(huì)出現(xiàn)。
Where would a Supplicant find him？ Usually in what he calls 'the burning places': deserts，

for instance．But sometimes he can be found in 'the burning places' in our own inflamed

cities: places where despair has seared away all belief in hope and love．

他總是悄無聲息地出沒，無人能夠察覺到他的行蹤，漸漸地，他成了一個(gè)傳說里的人物。傳說他靜靜地等

待著那些需要他的人能尋找到他的蹤跡……
There he moves，silently，irreproachably，his presence barely more than a rumour．And there

he waits for those who need him to come to find him．

II

所有的*者都是心甘情愿的，沒有人會(huì)脅迫威*或是動(dòng)用武力，至少在他們簽字獻(xiàn)出自己的軀體之前是

這樣。然而，一旦變形開始，他們或者會(huì)改變初衷。事實(shí)上，大多數(shù)的*者后來都乞求阿岡尼司帝斯不

要再繼續(xù)為他們進(jìn)行變形手術(shù)了，他們寧愿放棄將要得到的力量去死。當(dāng)阿岡尼司帝斯用解剖刀和火把為

他們實(shí)施那恐怖的變形手術(shù)時(shí)，*者們呻吟著對他說這個(gè)過程實(shí)在是太痛苦了。但是，在阿岡尼司帝斯

游歷世界的漫長歲月里，他只允許一個(gè)*者在改變心意之后平靜地死去。那個(gè)人就是猶大。除此以外，

他從來對人們的抱怨充耳不聞，日以繼夜地進(jìn)行手術(shù)，一個(gè)部分完成傷口痊愈后他就立即回來做另一部分

。
When a Supplicant presents him or herself there is never coercion．There is never violence，

at least until the Supplicant has signed over his or her flesh．Then yes，there may be some

second thoughts，once the work begins．The truth is that on many occasions a Supplicant has

begged to die rather than continue to be ‘empowered’ by Agonistes．It hurts too much，they

tell him，as his scalpels and his torches work their terrible surgery upon him．But in all

the time he has been wandering the world Agonistes has only ever granted the comfort of

death to one Supplicant who changed his mind．That man was Judas Iscariot．The rest he works

on despite their complaints，sometimes for days and nights，coming back to his labours when

a piece of flesh has healed and he can begin on the next part of surgery．

有時(shí)候，阿岡尼司帝斯也會(huì)在手術(shù)時(shí)為那些受刑人提供一些小小的安慰來補(bǔ)償他們所受的痛苦。比如說，

他會(huì)為他們歌唱，據(jù)說他會(huì)唱世界上所有的催眠曲，無論何種語言的搖籃曲或童謠他都會(huì)唱，他用歌聲來

安慰這些痛苦中的男男女女。
There are some minor compensations for all this pain，which Agonistes will sometimes offer

his Supplicants as he works．He will sing to them，for instance，and it is said that he

knows every lullaby written，in every language of the world; songs of the cradle and the

breast，to soothe the men and women he is remaking in the image of their terror．

如果阿岡尼司帝斯因?yàn)槟承┰蛱貏e憐憫某個(gè)*者時(shí)，他甚至?xí)米钿h利的手術(shù)刀從自己的大腿內(nèi)側(cè)或

內(nèi)嘴唇上切下最柔軟的一條肌肉喂進(jìn)那受刑人的口中。傳說阿岡尼司帝斯的肉是世界上最細(xì)嫩可口、最具

有安撫作用的食物。只要放小小一條阿岡尼司帝斯的肉在*者的舌尖上就能使他（她）忘卻所承受的一

切痛苦，變得仿佛進(jìn)入天堂一般安詳。
And，if for some reason he feels particularly sympathetic to the Supplicant，Agonistes may

even give his victim a piece of his own flesh to eat: just a sliver，cut with one of his

finest scalpels，from the tender flesh of his upper thigh，or inner lip．According to legend

，there is no food more comforting，more exquisite，than the flesh of Agonistes．The merest

sliver of it upon the tongue of the Supplicant will make him or her forget all the horrors

they are enduring，and deliver them to a place of paradisiacal calm．

然后，一旦他的主顧們平靜下來，阿岡尼司帝斯就開始繼續(xù)完成他的工作：切割、縫合、燒灼、扭曲、重

新整形……
Then – once his client is soothed – Agonistes continues his work，cutting，infibulating，

searing，cauterizing，stretching，twisting，reconfiguring．

有時(shí)他會(huì)帶面鏡子給他的*者們，讓他們看看手術(shù)的進(jìn)展情況；有時(shí)他則會(huì)宣稱要給他們一個(gè)驚喜，工

作完成之前不會(huì)給他們看到自己的容貌，任憑他們在痛苦中想象自己將變成什么樣子。
Sometimes he will bring a mirror to show his Supplicants what he has so far created．

Sometimes he will announce that he wants the results to be a surprise; and so the Supplicant

is left to imagine，through the haze of pain，what Agonistes is turning them into．

III

阿岡尼司帝斯的工作稱得上是一門藝術(shù)。
It is an art，what Agonistes achieves．

他認(rèn)為這是一種最原始的藝術(shù)形式——?jiǎng)?chuàng)造一個(gè)嶄新的肉體，曾是上帝在創(chuàng)造生命時(shí)運(yùn)用過的一門藝術(shù)。

阿岡尼司帝斯信奉上帝，日夜向他祈禱，感謝上帝賜予他這樣一個(gè)充滿了絕望與復(fù)仇欲望的世界，只有這

樣才會(huì)有無數(shù)*者前赴后繼地追隨他的蹤跡，乞求他將他們重塑成想象中最可怕的模樣。
He claims it is The First Art，this creation of new flesh，being the art God used to call

life into being．Agonistes believes in God; prays to Him night and morning: thanking Him for

making a world in which there is so much hopelessness and such a profound hunger for revenge

that Supplicants will seek him out and beg him to reconfigure them in the image of their

monstrous ideal．

上帝顯然認(rèn)為阿岡尼司帝斯的所作所為并沒有冒犯到他，因此在過去的2500年間，他任由阿岡尼司帝斯的

足跡遍布全球，到處進(jìn)行他所謂的神圣藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作。事實(shí)上，阿岡尼司帝斯的事業(yè)非常興旺發(fā)達(dá)。
And it appears that God apparently finds no offence in what Agonistes does，because for two

and a half thousand years he has walked the planet performing what he calls his holy art，

and no harm has come to him．In fact he has prospered．

一些經(jīng)過他改造的人，例如：本丟·彼拉多（圣經(jīng)中的人物）等，在歷史上扮演了非常重要的角色。當(dāng)然

，更多的人依舊默默無聞。他為各色人等實(shí)施變形手術(shù)，有君王、土匪、過氣明星、建筑師，女校工、香

料商、訓(xùn)狗師、炭火工等等；甚至還有遭到丈夫背叛的妻子們前來要求變形，好讓她們捉奸在床進(jìn)行復(fù)仇

。上至達(dá)官顯貴，下至平民百姓，貴如皇族，賤如農(nóng)夫，只要他們是誠心的*者，祈禱的話語情真意切

，阿岡尼司帝斯就會(huì)來到他們的身邊，正所謂心誠則靈。
Some of the people who went under his knife，like Pontius Pilate，have a place in our

culture’s history．Many are anonymous．He has transformed potentates and gangsters，failed

actors and architects; women who’ve been cheated by their husbands and come seeking a new

form to greet their adulterer in their marriage beds; school mistresses and perfumiers，dog

-trainers and charcoal burners．The mighty and the insignificant，the noble and the peasant

．As long as they are sincere Supplicants，and their prayers sound genuine，then Agonistes

will be attentive to them．

這個(gè)阿岡尼司帝斯究竟是何方神圣？這個(gè)藝術(shù)家、流浪者、這個(gè)能夠改造人類血肉身軀的家伙究竟是誰？
Who is he，this Agonistes？ This artist，this wanderer，this transformer of human flesh and

bone？

事實(shí)上，答案從未被人知曉。在羅馬教廷圖書館中有一卷名為《論上帝的瘋狂》的藏書，由紅衣主教蓋利

米亞寫于十七世紀(jì)中期。在這本書中，蓋利米亞主教對《創(chuàng)世紀(jì)》所描述幾個(gè)上帝創(chuàng)造世界的細(xì)節(jié)提出了

質(zhì)疑，以下是主教論述的一段摘抄：第七天，上帝并沒有休息。相反，由于陷入了一種成就感所帶來的淡

淡欣喜之中，上帝興奮起來，繼續(xù)埋頭苦干。但這次，由于疲勞，他的作品與以往他為伊甸園所創(chuàng)造的那

些美麗生命大相徑庭。整整一天一夜，上帝迷失在創(chuàng)造的榮耀感中不能自拔，所創(chuàng)造出的新生命否定了一

切他先前工作中所運(yùn)用的美感。破壞者與魔鬼，它們成為了他前六天作品的敵人。
In truth，nobody really knows．There is a heretical volume in the Vatican library called ‘A

Treatise on the Madness of God’，written by one Cardinal Gaillemia in the mid-seventeenth

century．In it，Gaillemia argues that the Creation of the world offered in the Book of

Genesis is wrong in several particulars，one of which is relevant here: on the seventh day，

the Cardinal argued，God did not rest．Instead，driven into a kind of ecstatic fugue state

by the labours of His Creation，God continued to work．But the creations He summoned up in

His exhausted state were not the wholesome beasts with which He had populated Eden．In one

day and one night，wandering amongst the fresh glories of creation，He summoned up forms

that defied all the beauty of his early work．Destroyer and demons，these were the

antithesises of the wholesome forms that He had made in the first six days．

主教提到，其中的一件作品就是阿岡尼司帝斯。這就是為什么阿岡尼司帝斯能夠向他的天父祈禱并被接受

的原因。他是上帝親手制造出來的（至少根據(jù)蓋利米亞紅衣主教的結(jié)論是這樣的）。
One of the creatures Jehovah created，the Cardinal claims，was Agonistes．That’s why

Agonistes can pray to His Father in Heaven，and expect to be listened to．He is – at least

according to the Cardinal Gaillima’s account – one of God’s own creations．

毫無疑問，阿岡尼司帝斯盡管從事邪惡的勾當(dāng)，卻一直終于職守。千百年來，他滿足了無數(shù)祈禱者的愿望

，賦予了他們復(fù)仇的力量。
And there is no doubt that in his perverse way Agonistes serves a function．Over the years，

over the centuries，he has been the answer to countless prayers for deliverance from

powerlessness．

祈禱者的話語或許各不相同，他們的意愿卻是共同的：
The words may change from prayer to prayer，but the meat of them is always the same:

“哦 阿岡尼司帝斯 黑暗的使者
請將我變成仇敵的噩夢吧
讓我的肉體被您雕刻成他們恐懼的模樣
讓我的頭顱成為他們的喪鐘
讓我的歌聲令他們感到絕望
讓我用這絕望的歌聲夜夜令他們不得入眠

重塑我吧
重組我吧
改變我吧

倘若您不肯這么做
阿岡尼司帝斯
那就讓我放棄一切化做虛無

為了復(fù)仇
我不成功 便成仁”

“聽候您的安排 我的主人”
‘O Agonistes，dark deliverer，make me in the image of my enemies’ nightmares．Let my flesh

be the stuff from which you carve their terrors; let my skull be a bell which sounds their

death – knell．Give me a song to sing，which will be the song of their despair，and let

them wake and find me singing it at the bottom of their beds．
‘Unmake me，unknit me，transform me．
‘And if you cannot do that for me，Agonistes，then let me be excrement; let me be nothing;

less than nothing．
‘For I want to be the terror of my enemies，or I want oblivion．

‘The choice，Lord，is yours.’

II·THE SCYTHE – MEISTER 鐮刀手 - 梅司特

被扒去了臉皮，頭部帶有恐怖的環(huán)狀金屬器具，全身被金屬利器所纏繞，痛苦的表情已經(jīng)不能再臉上看到了。一排白森森的牙齒讓人心寒。

I

普利摩頓比神話或歷史上任何一個(gè)偉大城邦都要古老。事實(shí)上，根據(jù)許多史料記載，這是有史以來最造建造的一個(gè)城邦。遠(yuǎn)在特洛伊、羅馬、耶路撒冷建立之前，普利摩頓就已經(jīng)存在了。
The city of Primordium was founded before any of the great cities ofmyth or history．Indeed，it is according to many sources，the first cityever built．Before Troy，before Rome，before Jerusalem，there wasPrimordium．

長期以來，這個(gè)城邦由一個(gè)君主王朝統(tǒng)治著，其殘暴程度可以與古羅馬暴君愷撒相匹敵。就拿國王普菲多十一世來說吧，他在人民大起義爆發(fā)前統(tǒng)治了這個(gè)國家整整16年，是個(gè)極度腐敗、靈魂墮落的人。他的生活窮奢極欲，住在一座他自認(rèn)為堅(jiān)不可摧的宮殿中，對普利摩頓三百多萬民眾的死活毫不關(guān)心。
Until recently it was ruled by a dynasty of Emperors，whose long tenurehad steadily produced a capacity for cruelty that would have challengedthe worst excesses of Rome’s corrupted Caesars．The Emperor PerfettoXI，for instance，who controlled Primordium for sixteen years until theGreat Insurrection，was a man familiar with every corruption of mind andspirit．He lived in excessive luxury，in a palace he believedimpregnable，caring little or nothing for the two and three quartermillion people who occupied Primordium．

最后，他的末日來臨了。
In the end，that was his undoing．

等一下我們會(huì)說到的，現(xiàn)在先來說點(diǎn)其他的吧。
But we’ll come to that．

II

首先，讓我給你講講扎爾斯·克里奇的故事吧，他來自這個(gè)城市的最低層。童年時(shí)，他經(jīng)常去羅馬大競技場通道里找東西吃，那里到處都是有錢人吃剩下的美味佳肴，因此吃飯對他來說完全不成問題。克里奇非常幸運(yùn)地在如此惡劣的環(huán)境里存活了下來。根據(jù)某些自然觀點(diǎn)，經(jīng)歷能使絕大多數(shù)人重塑自我，扎爾斯的經(jīng)歷就使他強(qiáng)壯起來。13歲時(shí)，他就已經(jīng)比他所有的哥哥們都高大了。并且，在獲得了體能上優(yōu)勢之后，他開始對自己所居住的這個(gè)墮落城市是如何運(yùn)作的感到好奇。在尚未看清自己所處境地之前，他就認(rèn)定自己是無法逃脫這個(gè)陷阱的。
First，let me tell you about Zarles Kreiger，who came from the loweststrata of the city．As a child，it was common for him to eat at theVomitorium，where – as in ancient Rome – the rich food disgorged by thewealthy and over – fed could be purchased for a small amount ofmoney，and consumed a second time．It was Kreiger’s good fortune thatsuch a life of poverty did not kill him．By some physicalparadox，experiences that would have reduced most men to shadows oftheir former selves，served to strengthen Zarles．By the time he wasthirteen he was already larger than all his older brothers．And alongwith his physical prowess came something else: a curiosity about howthe infinitely corrupt city in which he lived actually worked．Withoutunderstanding the trap in which he was caught，he reassured，he wouldnever be able to escape from it．

14歲那年，克里奇成了東方城邦中一名叫做杜拉夫·卡斯卡利安的黑幫頭子的信使，并且很快在這個(gè)犯罪團(tuán)伙里得到了提升，原因很簡單：他愿意做吩咐他做的任何事情。作為回報(bào)，卡斯卡利安把他當(dāng)成自己的兒子一樣對待：為了不使他被捕，卡斯卡利安在克里奇每次殺人后都找人幫他清理后事。而克里奇則成了一個(gè)無惡不作的殺手，他不喜歡一刀命中要害，而喜歡用長鐮刀先把被害者的內(nèi)臟挖出來，然后再用他們自己的腸子將他們活活勒死。
As the age of fourteen he became a runner for a gangster in the EastCity called Duraf Cascarellian，and quickly elevated himself in thecriminal’s employ，simply because he was willing to do anythingrequested of him，In return，Cascarellian treated Keiger like a son;protecting him from capture by sending men out after Kreiger to cleanup after one of his murders．Kreiger was a messy killer．Not for him thesimple slit across the throat．He liked to use scythes，firstdisembowelling his victims then strangling them with their ownentrails．

即便是在普利摩頓這樣一個(gè)墮落的城市里，克里奇的罪行還是沒多久就敗露了。尤其是當(dāng)人們發(fā)現(xiàn)被害者大多是卡斯卡利安的政敵時(shí)，克里奇這個(gè)名字一下子便家喻戶曉了。那些對皇帝不滿的法官、議員、記者們常常成為克里奇的刀下鬼。對克里奇自己來說，他并不在乎自己殺的人是誰，血就是血，并不因身份不同而有所區(qū)別。無論是殺共和黨人還是皇親貴族，他都能從中獲得同等的樂趣。
Now such behaviour does not go unnoticed for long，even in a city asfilled with excesses as Primordium．And Kreiger’s reputation wasincreased considerably by the fact that the hits Cascarellian washaving him make were often political．Judges，congressmen，journalists whowere critical of the Emperor: these were often Kreiger’s victims．Bloodwas blood as far as Kreiger was concerned，and he took the same pleasurein it whether it poured from the flesh of a Republican or a Royalist．

然后，他遇見了一個(gè)名叫露辛迪克的女子，一切都改變了……
The he met a woman called Lucidique，and all that changed．

III

露辛迪克是一位議員的女兒，她的父親在最近的一次露天演講中對城市日漸頹廢墮落這一現(xiàn)實(shí)表示不滿。他指出普菲多王朝把人民的稅收用于滿足自己的欲望，而這一切必須被制止。
Licidique was the daughter of a Senator who had been lately complainingin open forum about the fact that the city was running into a state ofdecadence．The Perfetto Dynasty was using the people’s taxes to fund itsown pleasures，the Senator argued: it had to stop．

國王立即親自下了命令：替我把這個(gè)議員干掉。卡斯卡利安非但沒有對此表示異意，還滿心歡喜地建議國王派克里奇去殺掉這個(gè)惹麻煩的政客。
The order quickly came down from the Emperor: rid me of thisSenator．Cascarellian，not gibing a damn about the philosophicalissues，but happy to oblige his Emperor，sent Kreiger out to kill thepolitical troublemaker．

克里奇來到議員的住處，在種滿玫瑰的花園里抓住了他的目標(biāo)，輕而易舉地挖出了他的腸子然后把他抬進(jìn)屋子。正當(dāng)他把議員的尸體安置在餐桌上時(shí)，露辛迪克走了進(jìn)來。她正在沐浴，大概聽見不尋常的動(dòng)靜，便拿著兩把刀，渾身赤裸著跑來對付入侵者。
Kreiger went to the Senator’s estate，caught him in the garden amongsthis roses，gutted him and carried him inside.He was in the act ofarranging the Sanator’s body on the dinner table，when Lucidiqueentered．She was naked，having just came from bathing．But she was alsoprepared for the intruder．She carried two knives．

她繞著站在她父親鮮血和內(nèi)臟中間的克里奇走了一圈。
She circled Kreiger，as he stood amongst the blood and the innards of her father．

“你要是敢動(dòng)一下的話，我就殺了你，”她說。
“If you move I’ll kill you，” she said．

“就用這兩把餐刀？” 克里奇揮舞著他的鐮刀問道。“回去洗澡，就當(dāng)你什么都沒看到。”
“With two table knives？” Kreiger said，slicing the air with his scythes．“Go back to your bath and forget I was here.”

“可是你剛殺了我的父親！”
“This was my father you just murdered！”

“是的。你們長得很相象。”
“Yes．I see the resemblance.”

“我真想知道象你這樣的人在殺我父親之前有沒有動(dòng)過腦子想一想。他想推翻國王的統(tǒng)治為的正是讓你和所有象你一樣的人不再受到他們的剝削。”
“I would have thought a man like you would have thought twice abouttaking a knife to my father’s throat．He wanted to overthrow the Empireso that you and your like would not be exploited.”

“為我和象我一樣的人？你對我?guī)缀跻粺o所知。”
“Me and my like？ You don’t know anything about me.”

“但我可以猜想，” 露辛迪克說，“你出生貧寒，長期生活在陰暗骯臟的角落以至于漸漸無法明辨是非。”
“I can guess，” Lucidique said．“You were born in filth，and you’ve livedin filth so long you don’t even see what’s going on right in front ofyou．”

克里奇的表情起了微妙的變化，“這么看你或許知道那么一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)，”他很不自然地說道。這個(gè)女子的自信讓他感到很不自在。“我要走了，讓你好好哀悼你的父親，”他邊說邊從餐桌旁退開。
Kreiger’s expression changed．“So perhaps you do know a little，” he saidhis voice uneasy．The woman’s confidence unnerved him．“I will leave youto mourn your father，” he said，retreating from the table．

“等等！” 露辛迪克叫道，“別這么著急。”
“Wait！” the woman said．“Not so quickly.”

“‘等等’是什么意思？要知道我可以不費(fèi)吹灰之力就殺掉你。”
“What do you mean: wait？ I could kill you in a heartbeat if I wanted to.”

“但你不會(huì)這么做，否則你早就已經(jīng)殺了我了。”
“But you don’t want to，or you would have done it.”

“你叫什么名字？”
“What’s your name？”

“露辛迪克。”
“Lucidique.”

“那么好吧，你想從我這兒得到什么？”
“So then，what do you want from me？”

“我要你跟我一起去普利摩頓最陰暗的街道看一看。”
“I want you to come with me，into the filthiest streets of Primordium.”

“相信我，我已經(jīng)看過那些景象了。”
“Believe me，I’ve seen them.”

“那么你就讓我也看一看。”
“Then you show me.”

IV

這樣的一男一女并肩行走實(shí)在是件非常古怪的事情。雖然克里奇已經(jīng)洗去了身上的血污，他仍舊還是殺害議員的那個(gè)劊子手。而現(xiàn)在，他卻和受害者的女兒一起在夜幕下同行。
It was the strangest walk a man and a woman ever took together．ThoughKreiger had washed the Senator’s blood from his faces，hands and arms hestill stank of murder．And here he was，Walking beside the daughter ofthe man he’d just murdered，wrapped in dark linen．

他們就這樣一起目睹了普利摩頓最陰暗的一面：疾病，暴力以及從未得到過救濟(jì)的困苦生活。露辛迪克不時(shí)地指著國王冬宮的高墻和城堡，那里任何一個(gè)房間里的財(cái)寶都足以清除所有這些貧民窟，喂飽那些挨餓的孩子。
Together，they saw the worst of Primordium: the disease，the violence，andthe grinding，unrelieved poverty．And every now and then Lucidique wouldpoint to the walls and the towers of the Emperor’s Winter Palace，anyone room of which contained sufficient wealth to clear the slums of thecity，and feed every starving child．

多年來第一次，克里奇感受到了埋藏在心靈深處的真情實(shí)感，回憶起了他自己成長的環(huán)境——每次重病的母親賣身給國王警衛(wèi)隊(duì)的侍衛(wèi)時(shí)，他總是一個(gè)人孤零零地坐在普利摩頓街道的那些下水道里。走著走著，他的心中燃起怒火，這憤怒的情緒慢慢滋長起來。
And for the first time in many，many years Kreiger felt some measure ofreal emotion，remembering circumstances of his own up-bringing，left tosit in the open sewers of Primordium’s streets while his mother soldher drug-riddled body to one of the guards of the Emperor’sguards．There was anger in him as he walked．And it steadily grew．

“你想讓我做什么呢？”他問道，他被內(nèi)心的感受和無望的感覺擊倒了。“我是永遠(yuǎn)無法與國王抗衡的。”
“What do you want me to do？” he said，frustrated by what he felt，and his own helplessness．“I could never get to the Emperor.”

“別那么肯定。”
“Don’t be so sure.”

“你什么意思？”
“What do you mean？”

“不錯(cuò)，對于你這樣一個(gè)被雇來解決不安分議員的小殺手來說，王朝的確堅(jiān)不可摧。但要是你遠(yuǎn)比現(xiàn)在強(qiáng)大呢？那么你就完全可以推翻它。”
“You’re right，the Dynasty is untouchable as long as you’re just a man;a scabby little assassin hired to kill overweight Senators．But supposeyou could be more than that？ Then you could bring the Dynasty down.”

“要怎么做才行？”
“How？”

露辛迪克斜睨了克里奇一眼道：“在這兒我沒法告訴你。何況，我還得為我的父親辦后事。要是你真想知道更多的話，明天晚上到西城門外來找我。一個(gè)人來。”
Lucidique gave Kreiger a sideways glance．“It’s nothing I can show youhere．Besides，I have a father to bury．If you want to know more，then meetme tomorrow night outside the Western Gates．Come alone.”

“要是這是個(gè)陷阱……”克里奇說，“……想以此替你父親報(bào)仇的話……在你的人抓住我之前，我會(huì)把你的眼睛挖出來。”
“If this is some kind of trap…” Kreiger said，“…some way to revenge yourfather… then before they take me I’ll cut out your eyes.”

露辛迪克笑了，“你的情話真動(dòng)聽，”她說。
Lucidique smiled．“You make such pretty love-talk，” she said．

“我是認(rèn)真的。”
“I mean it.”

“我知道。我還不至于蠢到密謀害你。恰恰相反，我相信我們是命中注定要相識(shí)的。我注定會(huì)在你殺我父親的時(shí)候走進(jìn)來，而你則注定收手不殺我。這是我們之間的某種默契。你能感覺到的，不是嗎？”
“I know．And I wouldn’t be so stupid as to conspire against you．Quitethe reverse．I believe we were meant to know one another．I was meant towalk in on your killing my father，and you were ment to hold your handoff and not kill me．There’s some connection between us．You feelit，don’t you？”

克里奇看著他們之間隔著骯臟街道。這個(gè)夜晚他經(jīng)歷了前所未有的感覺。而現(xiàn)在，他又必須承認(rèn)自己與這個(gè)剛剛被他謀殺的人的女兒之間的親密感覺。
Kreiger looked at the dirty street between them．The night had beenfilled with feelings he had not anticipated experiencing．And now herewas another; admitting to the strange intimacy he felt for the daughterof the man he’d murdered．

“是的，”他說。“我感覺到了。”在很長的一陣沉默之后，他問道：“明天晚上什么時(shí)候？”
“Yes，” he said．“I feel it.” Then，after a long silence: “What time tomorrow night？”

“凌晨一點(diǎn)以后。” 露辛迪克告訴他。
“Sometime after one.” Lucidique told him．

“我會(huì)去的。”
“I’ll be there.”

V

第二天，普利摩頓的大街小巷里充滿了猜忌和議論：議員的死在引發(fā)了各種流言。這次謀殺是否是國王阻止民主化進(jìn)程的第一步呢？結(jié)果，參議院里的許多人匆匆離開普利摩頓，擔(dān)心自己成為國王謀殺名單上的下一個(gè)人。動(dòng)蕩不安的氣氛四處漫延開來。
The following day the streets of Primordium were alive with gossip andspeculation: the death of the Senator had started all kinds ofrumours．Was this murder the first indication that the Emperor would putup with no more moves towards democracy in the city？ Believing this tobe the case many members of the Senate left Primordium hurriedly，incase they were next on the Emperor’s hit list．There was a general senseof unrest，everyhere．

而在克里奇的心里，一種對不可知未來的復(fù)雜感受油然而生。
And in Kreiger，a profound sense of anticipation．

他一夜不眠，思索著昨天到底發(fā)生了什么。不，不僅僅是昨天。他在思考自己的人生：他已經(jīng)走了多遠(yuǎn)，以及——如果露辛迪克的諾言是真的——他將走向何方。
He had barely slept，thinking of what had happened the nightbefore．No，not just the night before．Thinking about his life: where ithad led him so far，and whrere — if Lucidique’s promise were a true one— it would go after this．

他不時(shí)地抬頭看一眼城堡的高墻（今天在那里巡邏的侍衛(wèi)是昨天的兩倍），想知道她說要想辦法讓一個(gè)人去推翻王朝究竟是什么意思？
Every now and then he’d glance towards the walls of the palace （whichhad twice as many guads patrolling them today as yesterday） and wonderto himself what she had meant about finding a way for one man to bringdown a Dynasty？

VI

凌晨一點(diǎn)鐘，克里奇坐在距離普利摩頓西城門一公里外的一塊巖石上守侯。大約在一點(diǎn)零九分的時(shí)候，兩匹馬從遠(yuǎn)處飛奔而來（與克里奇預(yù)想的相反，她不是從普利摩頓城的方向來，而是從城市西南面那片廣袤無邊的沙漠中來。）
At one o’clock in the morning，a mile outside the West Gate ofPrimordium，he sat on a stone and he waited．At nine minutes past one，apair of horses approached （not from the city，from which directionKreiger had expected her to come，but from the Desert，which lay，vast andlargely uncharted，out to the West and South-West of the city.）

他們越來越近，然后翻身下馬。
They drew nearer，and dismounted．

“克里奇……”
“Kreiger…”

“怎么？”
“Yes？”

“我想讓你見見阿岡尼司帝斯。”
“I want you to meet Agonistes.”

克里奇曾經(jīng)聽說過關(guān)于阿岡尼司帝斯的傳聞。它在殺手之間流傳甚廣，但更象是個(gè)傳說而不是現(xiàn)實(shí)。
Kreiger had heard rumours about this man Agonistes．It was the kind ofstory that was wxchanged between assassins，more of a legend than areality．

但是此刻，他確確實(shí)實(shí)在這兒。和帶領(lǐng)他來到的露辛迪克一樣真實(shí)。
But here he was．As real as the woman who’d brought him．

“我聽說你想使普利摩頓成為一個(gè)共和國，”阿岡尼司帝斯開口說道，“用你一個(gè)人的力量。”
“I hear you want to make Primordium a Republic，” Agonistes said．“Single-handed.”

“她勸說我相信我可以辦到，”克里奇回答說，“但是……我并不相信。”
“She persuaded me it was possible，” kreiger replied．“But… I don’t believe it is.”

“你應(yīng)當(dāng)自信一點(diǎn)，克里奇。我能讓你成為國王們恐懼的目標(biāo)，只要你自己有足夠的愿望這樣做。一切都由你自己決定。快點(diǎn)決定吧，要是你不想讓我為你服務(wù)的話今晚我還有其他更重要的事要去做呢。每時(shí)每刻，我都能聽見上百個(gè)禱告者的傾訴聲從普利摩頓城里傾瀉出來；人們正在等我去賦予他們力量來改變他們的世界。”
“Youshould have more faith，Kreiger．I can make you the terror of Emperors，ifyou want it badly enough．It’s up to you．Make up your mind quickly，for Ihave better business elsewhere tonight if you don’t require myservices．I can hear a hundred prayers pouring out of Primordium at thisvery moment; people wanting me to give them the power to change theirworld．”

露辛迪克抬起手放在克里奇的臉上。“此時(shí)此刻，我發(fā)現(xiàn)你并不想要它，”她說，“你害怕了。”
Lucidique put her hand up to kreiger’s face．“Now the moment’s here，I see you don’t want it，” she said．“You’re afraid.”

“我并不害怕！”克里奇說。他想起了他那死于瘟疫的母親，想起了童年時(shí)慘死在貴族馬蹄下的哥哥們，想起了他那精神失常的妹妹，她被送進(jìn)瘋?cè)嗽河肋h(yuǎn)也沒有恢復(fù)的可能了。
“I’m not afraid！” Kreiger said．He thought of his mother，dead of thepox，of his brothers killed in the street as children by noblemenpassing on horses，of his sister，in the asylum，never to be sane again．

“帶我走吧，”他說。
“Take me，” he said．

“你肯定嗎？”阿岡尼司帝斯問他，“記住，這可是一條不歸路。”
“You’re sure？” Agonistes asked him，“Remember，there’s no way back.”

“我不會(huì)回頭的。帶我走吧，讓我變形。”
“I don’t want to go back．Take me．Change me.”

他瞥了一眼露辛迪克。她正朝他微笑。
He glanced at Lucidique．She was smiling．

“把馬帶走，”阿岡尼司帝斯對她說。“我們不再需要它們了。”
“Take the horses，” Agonistes told her．“We won’t need them.”

然后，克里奇和阿岡尼司帝斯一起掉頭朝著沙漠走去。
So together，Kreiger and Agonistes turned round and headed into the desert．

VII

第二天露辛迪克掩埋了她的父親。城中的流言漸漸平息了，但潛藏在人們心中的陰影仍無法被磨去，雖然淡薄卻深入人心：普利摩頓是一個(gè)非常暴力的城邦；整個(gè)城市就象個(gè)大炸藥包，隨時(shí)都有爆炸的可能。
The next day Lucidique buried her father．The rumours quietened down alittle in the city，but there was still and undercurrent，subtle butpervasive: Primordium was in a very volatile state; like anexplosive，which might be set off with a jolt．

阿岡尼司帝斯帶著克里奇進(jìn)入沙漠之后的第八個(gè)夜晚，露辛迪克被附近皇宮里的尖叫聲吵醒了。
Eight nights after Agonistes had taken Kreiger out into thedesert，Lucidique—whose father’s house lay close to the palace—woke tothe sounds of screams．

她跑上樓，從窗戶向外眺望，看到皇宮里每個(gè)窗戶都亮著燈。大門被沖開了，侍衛(wèi)們四處逃竄，驚慌失措。
She go up，and went to the window．There were lights burning in all thepalace windows．The gates were flung wide．Guards were running around inconfusion．

她穿上衣服，喬裝打扮，走上街頭。喧鬧的聲音把整個(gè)城市的人都吵醒了；盡管國王的侍衛(wèi)們騎著馬橫沖直撞，試圖強(qiáng)制實(shí)施宵禁令，卻沒有人理睬他們。
She dressed，anonymously，and went down into the streets．The din hadwoken the city; and though the Emperor’s guards were riding back andforth，attempting to enforce an on-the-spot curfew，nobody was attendingto them．

露辛迪克走進(jìn)皇宮。尖叫聲已經(jīng)平息了，取而代之的是斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的輕聲祈禱。
Lucidique went into the palace．The screams had died down now; to be replaced by half-whispered prayers．

沒過多久，她就看到了那個(gè)曾經(jīng)是扎爾斯·克里奇的怪物所做的一切。皇宮里尸橫遍地，他不分對象地進(jìn)行了屠殺：男人、女人以及他們的孩子、嬰兒，甚至是還沒有出生的嬰兒全都沒有放過。
But it didn’t take her very long to discover what the creature who hadonce been Zarles Kreiger had wrought．There was death on every side．Andhis slaughter had been indiscriminate; men and women，yes; but alsotheir children，their babies; their unborn babies．

普菲多王朝在那個(gè)夜晚停止了對普利摩頓的統(tǒng)治，因?yàn)橐呀?jīng)沒有人活下來了，克里奇把他們?nèi)繗⑺懒恕?
The Perfetto Empire ceased to rule Primordium that night．There were none left alive to do so．Kreiger had killed them all．

當(dāng)露辛迪克站在血流成河的宮殿大廳里時(shí)，她突然感到了什么，于是抬起頭。
As Lucidique stood in the Great Hall of the Palace，in a pool of bloodthat reached to the walls，she caught a reflection．She looked up．

克里奇就站在她的面前，現(xiàn)在他是被重塑后的鐮刀手-梅司特了。從他身上幾乎沒有留下任何扎爾斯·克里奇的影子：阿岡尼司帝斯用他精湛的手藝把這個(gè)低微的殺手變成了丑陋的惡魔，他在之后的許多年里一直出沒于人們的噩夢以及普利摩頓的大街小巷間。
There he was．Kreiger，remade．THE SCYTHE-MEISTER．There was almost nothingleft of the man she’d known: Agonistes’ handiwork has transformed thehumble assassin into something that would haunt the nightmares，and thestreets，of Primordium，for many years to come．

他慢慢靠近她。她以為自己馬上就要被他殺死了，就象他殺死所有其他殘余的人一樣。但是，他沒有。他只是俯身在她耳邊輕聲囈語道：
He approached her．She wondered if this was her last moment; if heintended to kill her as efficiently as he’d dispatched all the rest．Butno．He simply leaned down and whispered in her ear:

“……你無法想象……”
“… you cannot imagine…”

然后他拂袖而去，消失在夜幕中，只在花園中的一個(gè)噴泉旁停了一會(huì)兒，洗了洗他那滿是血污的刀鋒。
Then he left the carnage behind him，and wandered out into thenight，pausing only to wash his blades in one of the many fountains inthe courtyards．

==========================光榮的分割線============================
下面這幾張圖 。。。。。沒對應(yīng)上故事。。。。。。。模型名字叫“AGONISTES”。。。。。。扭曲者？？
作者沒翻譯 我就瞎說了。。。。。故事里似乎也米有他  難倒是 梅斯特的第一形態(tài)？？？

III·LUCIDIQUE - THE AVENGER 復(fù)仇者 - 露辛迪克

全身皮裝的復(fù)仇者，古怪的發(fā)型，慘白的膚色，她似乎是個(gè)無情的施虐者，手持著帶血的利鉤，和鐵鏈，冷漠的給被虐者帶來無法用語言形容的噩夢。

I

扎爾茲·克里奇過去曾是一個(gè)普普通通的人。作為土匪頭子杜拉夫·卡斯卡利安的殺手，克里奇是個(gè)為了錢財(cái)

殺人不眨眼的家伙。但有些任務(wù)總會(huì)有些意想不到的代價(jià)，這就是其中一個(gè)：當(dāng)參議員美麗的女兒露辛迪克用

沾滿鮮血的雙手抓住克里奇，告訴他其實(shí)他也是個(gè)受害者的時(shí)候，克里奇竟然被說動(dòng)了。她說，他們所生活的

這個(gè)城市——普利摩頓——的統(tǒng)治者才是真正擁有罪惡靈魂的人，他們違背命運(yùn)的意志，隨意踐踏生靈，讓象

克里奇這樣的男人成為瘋狂的野獸，讓象她這樣的女子失去親人和愛人。
Zarles Kreiger was human once．An assassin working for the gangster Duarf Cascarellian，Kreiger

was a man who would do anything for a price，and this proved to be one of them．Caught red-

handed by the Senator's daughter，the exquisite Lucidique，Kreiger was persuaded that he in his

turn had been a victim．The rulers of the city in which they all lived - the vast，degenerate

city-state of Primordium - were the truly guilty souls; and until the dynasty was brought down

life would continue to be a bloody confusion in which men like Kreiger acted like rabid animals

and woman like Lucidique lost their loved ones．

這一切都必須停止，而露辛迪克知道該怎么做。她勸說克里奇去找一個(gè)叫阿岡尼司帝斯的遠(yuǎn)古神靈，他能讓克

里奇改頭換面。
It had to stop．And Lucidique knew how．She persuaded Kreiger to put himself into the hands of

an ancient entity called Agonistes，who would traumatically reconfigure him．

克里奇遵照她的話做了，在城外沙漠中度過整整八天八夜后，他以鐮刀手-梅司特的身份回到了普利摩頓，成

了一架威力無比的殺人機(jī)器，在短短幾個(gè)小時(shí)里將普菲多王朝從歷史的舞臺(tái)上徹底抹掉了。
He did as Lucidique suggested，and after eight days and nights out in the desert，he returned to

Primordium as The Scythe-Meister: a powerful engine of destruction，who in a matter of hours

brought the Perfetto Dynasty to a close．

在屠殺結(jié)束即將回到黑暗沙漠之前，他對露辛迪克說了一句值得玩味的話：
“……你無法想象……”
Before disappearing into the desert，he had words for Lucidique，three teasing words:
"…you cannot imagine…"

II

人們將那個(gè)王室被屠殺的夜晚看作是“大起義”的開始。這場屠殺喚醒了人們心中壓抑已久的仇恨，一系列的

起義在各地展開了。大法官、主教、神職人員、商會(huì)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)等等這些曾經(jīng)依附于普菲多王朝橫行于世的權(quán)貴們突

然發(fā)現(xiàn)自己變得孤立無援起來，他們現(xiàn)在不得不直接面對那些曾被自己欺凌壓迫的人民。
They called that night - the night the Emperor and his family were murdered - the Great

Insurrection．In its wake，a host of minor insurrections took place，as old enmities erupted．

Powerful figures who'd used the decadent reign of the Emperor Perfetto as a cover for their

corruptions - judges，bishops，members of the clergy，guild and union leaders - found themselves

unprotected，and face to face with the people they'd exploited．

即便是那些擁有私人軍隊(duì)，向來為權(quán)貴們效力的黑幫頭子們也開始感到害怕了。就拿土匪頭子杜拉夫·卡斯卡

利安來說，他從來都不是一個(gè)傻瓜，事實(shí)上，自從他的殺手扎爾茲·克里奇在“大起義”那個(gè)夜晚失蹤之后，

卡斯卡利安就開始懷疑王朝的突然顛覆與克里奇有關(guān)。而他的一個(gè)在皇宮做守衛(wèi)的探子報(bào)告說他曾經(jīng)在王室大

屠殺當(dāng)夜親眼見過那個(gè)被叫做鐮刀手-梅司特的怪物，當(dāng)時(shí)它正在皇宮的噴泉上濯洗它的武器，那個(gè)探子說雖

然自己也不確定是不是看錯(cuò)了，那個(gè)半人半鬼的鐮刀手-梅司特雖然機(jī)敏過人，但看上去長得確實(shí)有點(diǎn)象殺手

扎爾茲·克里奇。
Even those amongst the criminal classes who had private armies to protect them against this very

eventuality were fearful now．Take for example，Duarf Cascarellian．He wasn't by any means a

stupid man．The fact that his assassin，Zarles Kreiger，had disappeared the night of the

Insurrection made him highly suspicious that Kreiger's fate was tied in with the almost

supernatural fall of the Emperor．Indeed one of Cascarellian's spies，who had been a guard at

the palace the night of the slaughter，had seen the creature everyone called The Scythe-Meister

washing his weapons in one of the Palace's many fountains．The informant had escaped the

massacre without harm coming to him，and
reported that unlikely as it seemed the semi-mythical figure of The Scythe-Meister bore a subtle

but undeniable resemblance to Zarles Kreiger．

這可能嗎？卡斯卡利安想，難道失蹤了的殺手克里奇和鐮刀手-梅司特會(huì)是同一個(gè)人？難道有什么超自然的力

量作用于克里奇把他變成了威力強(qiáng)大的復(fù)仇者？如果真是這樣的話，那個(gè)和鐮刀手-梅司特說話的女子露辛迪

克在其中又扮演了什么樣的角色呢？
Was it possible，Cascarellian wondered，that the missing assassin and The Scythe-Meister were

somehow the same person？ Had some incomprehensible sea-change been worked upon Kreiger，turning

him into this unstoppable avenger？ And if so，what part did Lucidique - who
had been seen in a brief exchange with The Scythe-Meister - play in the process？

III

卡斯卡利安從此失眠了。他被噩夢纏身，總是夢到鐮刀手-梅司特破門而入，象闖進(jìn)皇宮一樣闖進(jìn)了他的家，

然后象殺掉皇宮侍衛(wèi)一樣殺掉他的副官，最后象來到國王床前一樣來到他的床前，將他千刀萬剮。
Cascarellian did not sleep well any longer．He had nightmares in which The Scythe-Meister broke

down his doors，as it had broken down the doors of the Emperor's Palace，killing his lieutenants

，as it had slaughtered the palace guards，and finally come to the foot of his bed - as the

killer had come to the Emperor's bed，pulling him from limb to limb．

他最后認(rèn)定，保護(hù)自己最好的辦法是利用露辛迪克。他派自己的三個(gè)兒子去綁架露辛迪克，囑咐他們一定要盡

量小心不要惹怒她。在他的內(nèi)心深處（盡管他不會(huì)對任何人承認(rèn)，即便對牧師懺悔時(shí)也不會(huì)承認(rèn)），他是有點(diǎn)

怕露辛迪克的。因此，他用比以往對待任何女性都恭敬的態(tài)度來對待她。
He decided the best way to protect himself from this unknowable force was through Lucidique．He

sent three of his sons out to take the Senator's daughter captive，ordering them to do as little

as possible to arouse her wrath．In his heart （though he would never have admitted this to

anyone，not even his priest） he was a little afraid of Lucidique．She needed to be treated with

more respect that he was used to proffering woman．

很可惜的是，他的兒孫們沒有能繼承下他的聰明才智。盡管他們被一再告誡綁架的時(shí)候要對露辛迪克有禮貌，

他們卻把父親的話當(dāng)成了耳邊風(fēng)。露辛迪克被他們肆意辱罵奚落了一番，要不是老卡斯卡利安當(dāng)天提前回家，

還不知道他們會(huì)對她做什么更過分的事呢。老卡斯卡利安及時(shí)制止了他的兒子們，勒令他們不許再辱罵這個(gè)人

質(zhì)。露辛迪克立刻質(zhì)問老卡斯卡利安為什么要綁架她。她告訴老卡斯卡利安說，她見過太多的死亡，對于他和

他的兒子們，甚至對于生命本身，她已經(jīng)厭倦了，要是他們想殺她的話盡管可以動(dòng)手。
Unfortunately，his offspring weren't as smart as he was．Though they'd been told to respect

their captive，they took the first opportunity to test the limits of their father's patience．

Lucidique was taunted，abused，humiliated．No doubt worse would have come her way had Old Man

Cascarellian not returned from his day of business early，interrupting his son's taunting of the

woman．Lucidique instantly demanded to know why she was being held．If Cascarellian intended to

kill her，why the hell didn't he get on with it？ She was sick and tired，she told him．Of him，

of his sons，of life itself．She'd seen too much blood．

“大屠殺那天晚上你在皇宮里，是嗎？”
"You were at the Palace，weren't you？ The Night of the Great Insurrection？"

“是的，我在那兒。”
"Yes．I was there."

“那你和那個(gè)怪物鐮刀手-梅司特之間是什么關(guān)系？”
"You have something to do with this creature: this Scythe-Meister？"

“這是我的私事，卡斯卡利安先生。”
"My business，Cascarellian."

“我完全可以把你交給我的兒子們，他們會(huì)在半個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)讓你開口的！”
"I could give you to my sons for half an hour．They'd have it out of you！"

“你的兒子們嚇唬不了我，你也一樣。”
"Your sons don't intimidate me．And neither do you."

“我并不想為難你。現(xiàn)在你在我的保護(hù)之下，僅此而已。你知道要是現(xiàn)在出去站在大街上會(huì)怎么樣嗎？整個(gè)普

利摩頓正在變得四分五裂！”
"I don't wish to make you uncomfortable．You're here under my protection; that's all．Do you

know what it's like out there on our streets？ Pandemonium！ The city is coming apart at the

seams！"

“你覺得把我關(guān)在這兒就能讓你擺脫厄運(yùn)？”露辛迪克問道。
"Do you think holding me here is going to protect you from what's coming your way？" Lucidique

said．

老卡斯卡利安的臉上閃過一絲恐懼。“我的厄運(yùn)？”他看著露辛迪克，“難道你能預(yù)測未來嗎？”
A look of superstitious fear crossed Cascarellian's face．"What's coming my way？" he said．"You

know something about the future？"

“不。”露辛迪克幽幽地回答道，“我可不是什么預(yù)言家。我不知道你將來會(huì)怎么樣也并不關(guān)心。我想要是世

界末日來臨了，你也不會(huì)好受到哪里去，不過……”她聳了聳肩，“……這又關(guān)我什么事呢？反正我也不會(huì)在

地獄里看到你受苦受難的樣子。”
"No." Lucidique said wearily．"I'm not a prophet．I don't know what's going to happen to you and

frankly I don't care．If the world ends tomorrow，I don't think you'll be judged very kindly，

but -" she shrugged．"- why should I care？ I won't be there to see you suffer in Hell."

老卡斯卡利安的臉色漸漸陰沉下來。盡管露辛迪克對自己話里的含義也一知半解，但她對這種結(jié)果非常滿意并

樂在其中。眼前的這個(gè)人是她的殺父仇人，看到他恐懼的樣子真讓人高興！
Cascarellian had grown pale and clammy while Lucidique spoke．She only half-knew what she was

doing to him，but she took a certain pleasure in it．This was the man who'd orphaned her; why

not enjoy his superstitious fear？

“你是不是覺得我很蠢？”他開口問道。
"You think I'm a stupid man？" he said．

“你是說你現(xiàn)在這樣瑟瑟發(fā)抖的樣子？是的，我覺得你這個(gè)樣子很可笑。”
"To be afraid the way you're afraid now？ Yes．I think that's pitiful."

“我并不需要你的侮辱。”老卡斯卡利安異常誠懇地說，“我的敵人夠多了。”
"I don't want your contempt." Cascarellian said，with a strange sincerity．"I have enough

enemies."

“那就別再讓我與你為敵了吧，”露辛迪克說，“放我走，讓我看看外面的天空！”
"Then don't make one of me." Lucidique said．"Let me go．Let me see the sky！"

“要是你想的話，我會(huì)放你出去的”
"I'll take you out，if that's what you want."

“真的？”
"You will？"

“當(dāng)然，我們可以一起去你想去的任何地方。”
"Yes．We'll go wherever you like."

“那好吧，我想去沙漠。遠(yuǎn)離這座城市。”
"I want to go out into the desert．Away from the city."

“是嗎？為什么？”
"Really？ Why？"

“我告訴你了，我想看看外面的天空……”
"I told you．I want to see the sky…"

IV

第二天，一支由三輛馬車組成的護(hù)衛(wèi)隊(duì)穿過混亂不堪的普利摩頓街道直奔西城門而去。打頭的一輛車上坐著卡

斯卡利安最出色的兩名手下，這兩個(gè)忠心耿耿的保鏢曾好幾次救過老卡斯卡利安的命。壓陣的車上是卡斯卡利

安三兄弟，他們這幾天來對父親的古怪行為越來越感到不理解，甚至懷疑老頭是不是瘋了。否則他為什么如此

縱容這個(gè)叫露辛迪克的女人，對她的怪念頭言聽計(jì)從呢？難道他不知道這個(gè)女人有足夠的理由恨他并設(shè)計(jì)陷害

他嗎？中間一輛車由為老卡斯卡利安駕車三十年的老車夫馬魯斯駕駛，上面坐著老卡斯卡利安本人和露辛迪克

。
The next day，a convoy of three cars wound through the chaotic streets of Primordium and headed

for the West Gate．In the first car，two of Cascarellian's best men - loyal bodyguards who'd

seen him through many attempts upon his life．In the back car，the three brothers，wondering
aloud （as they increasingly did these days） if a kind of lunacy had overtaken their father．

Why was he indulging this woman Lucidique in her whims？ Didn't he understand that she had every

reason to hate him，to plot against him？ In the middle car，chauffeured by Marius，

Cascarellian's driver for three decades，sat the Don himself，accompanied by Lucidique．

“現(xiàn)在你滿意了吧？”一出城門老卡斯卡利安就開口對露辛迪克說道，他們眼前的天空看上去無邊無際。
"Satisfied？" he said to her，once they were outside the gates，and in sight of the open sky．

“請?jiān)僮哌h(yuǎn)一點(diǎn)……”她說。
"A little further，please…" she said．

“你這個(gè)女人可別自作聰明以為可以耍得了我。或許你在女人里算是聰明的，可要是你想逃出我的手掌心可沒

那么容易！”老卡斯卡利安狠狠地說道。
"Don't think you can fool me，woman．You may be cleverer than most of your sex，but you won't

escape me，if that's your thought！"

接著，他們又在沙漠里默默地行駛了很長一段路。
They drove on in silence for a distance．

“我想我們走得夠遠(yuǎn)了，你看了一整天天空也該看夠了吧！”
"I think we've come far enough．And you've seen enough of the sky for one day！"

“我能下車散散步嗎？”
"Can't I just get out and walk？"

“你是說現(xiàn)在散步？”
"Walking now，is it？"

“求你了。難道這會(huì)有什么害處嗎？四周是一目了然的荒原我能往哪里跑呢？”
"lease．There's no harm in that surely？ Look…open ground in every direction."

老卡斯卡利安想了一會(huì)，然后喝令護(hù)衛(wèi)隊(duì)停車。就在此時(shí)，一陣沙塵掠過地平線，慢慢向路這邊靠近。
Cascarellian considered this for a moment．Then he called the convoy to a halt．A dust storm was

on the horizon，slowly approaching the road．

“你最好快點(diǎn)！”老卡斯卡利安囑咐露辛迪克。
"You'd better be quick！" the Don told her．

露辛迪克望著遠(yuǎn)處慢慢靠近的沙塵，回頭掃視了一眼正在下車的人們，尤其是那三兄弟，他們對她的注視報(bào)以

狡詐的微笑，其中一個(gè)還伸出舌頭舔著嘴唇做出猥瑣的表情。這是最后一次了吧，露辛迪克回頭背對著他，背

對著所有人，開始朝著沙墻走去。眾人立刻大聲警告她不許再走了。
Lucidique watched the approaching wall of sand，then glanced round at the men who were getting

out of the cars; particularly the brothers．They smiled slyly as they eyed her．One of them

flicked his tongue between his lips，the obscene inference plain．It was the last straw．

Lucidique turned her back on him - on them all - and began to walk towards the sand-storm．A

chorus of warnings instantly erupted behind her．

“要是你再往前走一步我就開槍了！”三兄弟中的一個(gè)叫道。
"Don't take another step！" one of the brothers said，"Or I'll shoot you！"

她掉頭看著他，張開雙回應(yīng)道：“那你開槍吧！”
She turned to him，her arms opened wide．"So shoot！" she said．

然后她轉(zhuǎn)身繼續(xù)大步向前走去。
Then she turned again and strode on．

“給我回來，你這個(gè)女人！”老卡斯卡利安喊道，“那兒除了沙子什么都沒有！”
"Come back here，woman！" the Don yelled．"There's nothing out there but sand."

沙塵暴帶來的風(fēng)吹動(dòng)了露辛迪克的頭發(fā)，沙塵遮掩住了她的面龐。
The wind from the storm was whipping up Lucidique's hair now．It was like a dark halo around her

head．

“你聽見我的話了么？”老卡斯卡利安在背后叫道。
"Do you hear me？" the Don called after her．

露辛迪克回頭望去。
Lucidique looked over her shoulder．

“跟我來呀。”她對他說。
"Come walk with me，" she said to him．

老人拼命抽了兩口雪茄，然后向前跟隨她向前走去。
The old man drew hard on his cigar，and then went after the woman．

他的兒子們齊聲抱怨起來：他在干什么？難道他瘋了嗎？
His sons set up a chorus of complaint: what was he doing？ Was he out of his mind？

然而老卡斯卡利安絲毫不理會(huì)兒子們的抱怨，默默地跟隨露辛迪克的足跡在沙漠中繼續(xù)前行。露辛迪克回頭看

了一眼緊跟其后的老人，他滿臉都是疑問和好奇。奇怪的是此刻他竟然覺得非常快樂，面對熱辣辣的颶風(fēng)和一

個(gè)美麗的女子，他感受到了多年來不曾感受到的快樂。看上去他現(xiàn)在非常聽從她的旨意，她收回目光繼續(xù)盯住

近在眼前的沙塵暴。沙塵舞動(dòng)的中心仿佛有什么東西，但露辛迪克看上去一點(diǎn)也不驚訝，雖然這之前她并沒有

刻意策劃所發(fā)生的這一切，但在內(nèi)心深處她仿佛隱約感覺到了將要發(fā)生的事情。自從踏進(jìn)客廳看到父親被害的

遺體和兇手克里奇的那一刻起，露辛迪克的生活就徹底改變了，一切都變得象夢境般離奇詭異，而夢中的她無

須對任何事情表示驚訝，因?yàn)橐磺卸加锌赡馨l(fā)生。
He ignored them．He simply followed in Lucidique's footsteps across the sand．She glanced over

her shoulder at the old man，who wore a curious expression．In some strange way he was happy at

that moment; happier than he'd been in many years，with the wind hot against his face，and the

beautiful woman calling to him to come with her - Seeing that he was obeying her，she returned

her gaze to the sandstorm，which was now no more than a hundred yards off．There was something

moving at its heart．She was not surprised．Though she hadn't planned the reunion that lay ahead

she had nevertheless known in her heart that it was coming．Her life since she'd stepped into

her father's death-chamber，and seen Kreiger at work，had been like a strange dream，which she

was somehow shaping without conscious effort．

她停下了腳步，老卡斯卡利安乘機(jī)追了上來一手抓住她的胳臂，另一只手上握著一把匕首對著露辛迪克的心口

：
“快說，他在哪兒？你的那個(gè)鐮刀手-梅司特在哪兒？！”老卡斯卡利安瞪著沙塵暴中心處那巨大的陰影質(zhì)問

道。
She stopped walking．Cascarellian had caught up wit her and seized her arm．He had a knife in

the other hand．He pressed it to her breast."So that's where he is！" said Cascarellian staring

at the dark giant in the heart of the storm．"Your Scythe-Meister."

這時(shí)，沙暴突然卷起一股沙子以迅雷不及掩耳的速度向他們甩去。“不許再靠近了！”老卡斯卡利安沖著沙暴

中的不明物體大叫起來，“否則我就殺了她！”
As he spoke，the sandstorm picked up a sudden spurt of speed and came at them – "Don't come any

closer！" the Don warned the creature in the storm．"I'll kill her."

他用匕首刺破了露辛迪克的皮膚，殷紅的鮮血流了出來。
He pressed the knife into Lucidique's skin，just enough to draw blood．

“叫他走遠(yuǎn)點(diǎn)。”他命令露辛迪克。
"Tell him to keep his distance，" he warned．

“這不是克里奇，這是傳說中的阿岡尼司帝斯，他是上帝的兒子。”露辛迪克平靜地回答說。
"It isn't Kreiger．It's a man called Agonistes．He has God's finger-prints upon him."

這邪惡的論調(diào)讓老卡斯卡利安感覺一陣陣胃部痙攣。“胡說八道！”他無法接受這種異教邪說，內(nèi)心中對上帝

的虔誠信仰驅(qū)使他沖動(dòng)地將匕首刺進(jìn)了露辛迪克的心臟。露辛迪克不可置信地伸手捂住傷口，在摔倒之前用她

沾滿鮮血的手指在老卡斯卡利安額頭上畫了一道血印。這是死亡的印記。
The heresy of this made Cascarellian's devoted stomach turn．"Don't talk that way！" he said，

and with a sudden spurt of righteousness he drove the knife into her heart．She reached out，and

touched the wound，then with her finger bloody grazed his forehead．A death mark．

老卡斯卡利安丟下露辛迪克的尸體，在沙暴卷到他之前飛一般朝他的車隊(duì)跑去。他深知自己并沒有擺脫最終的

厄運(yùn)，恰恰因?yàn)樽约簹⑺懒寺缎恋峡耍呢瑝舨艅倓傞_始。
Cascarellian let the body drop to the ground and ordered a quick retreat to the cars before the

storm reached them．The grim business wasn't finished，just because she was dead．He knew that．

It was just beginning．

老卡斯卡利安回去后立即把家搬進(jìn)一座堅(jiān)固的城堡里。他把門窗禁閉，每天用圣水做祈禱。他甚至用磚頭把所

有煙囪口砌了起來，規(guī)定侍衛(wèi)帶著狗日以繼夜地在城堡四周巡邏，一刻都不準(zhǔn)懈怠。
He turned the house into a fortress．He had the windows sealed，and blessed with holy water．He

bricked up the chimneys．He had guards and dogs patrolling the place night and day．

就這樣過了一個(gè)星期，他開始相信或許那些送給主教教區(qū)用來讓眾教士虔誠為他做祈禱的金銀財(cái)寶奏效了，或

許因此他已經(jīng)逃脫了厄運(yùn)。漸漸的，他放松了戒備。
After a week he began to believe that perhaps his faith and his gifts of money to the diocese，

buying congregations praying for his safety，were having some effect．He started to relax．

接著，在第八天的下午，城市的西面刮起了一陣大風(fēng)。大風(fēng)席卷著沙塵拍打著城堡禁閉的門窗，從門縫和地板

縫隙間呼呼地吹進(jìn)房間。老人服下兩副鎮(zhèn)定劑，又喝了一杯酒，然后象往常一樣去洗澡。每次坐在滿滿一缸熱

水里的時(shí)候他都覺得非常舒適和放松。正當(dāng)他昏昏欲睡的時(shí)候，房間里突然傳來露辛迪克的聲音，不知何時(shí)她

已經(jīng)悄無聲息地潛入了浴室。她怎么會(huì)沒有被他的匕首刺死反而穿墻而過站在這里的呢！
Then，on the afternoon of the eighth day，a wind came out of the West: a sandy wind．It hissed

at the sealed doors and the windows．It whistled beneath the floorboards．The old man took two

tranquilizers and a glass of wine，and went to sit in his bath．A pleasant torpor overcame him

as he sat in the warm water．His eyes fluttered closed．And then her voice．Somehow she'd got in

．She'd survived the knife to her heart and she'd got in．

“瞧你，”她溫柔地說道，“光著身子象個(gè)嬰兒似的。”
"Look at you，" she said．"Naked as a baby."

老卡斯卡利安下意識(shí)地抓過浴巾遮掩住自己的裸體，露辛迪克從陰暗的角落里走到他的面前，向他展示自己無

比美麗光輝的軀體。她再也不是他記憶中的那個(gè)露辛迪克了，一點(diǎn)都不是了。她整個(gè)身體都被改造過了，現(xiàn)在

，她已經(jīng)成了一件活殺人武器，全身上下都裝備了致命的利器。
He grabbed his towel to cover himself，but as he did so she stepped out of the shadows and

showed herself to him，in all her terrible glory．She was not the Lucidique he'd known; not

remotely．Her whole body was transformed．She'd become a living weapon．

“哦，上帝啊，救救我吧……”老卡斯卡利安囈語起來。
"Oh Jesus help me…" he murmured．

她慢慢靠近他，用鐮刀輕而易舉地割下了他的生殖器。老卡斯卡利安用雙手緊緊捂住傷口，跌跌撞撞地從浴缸

里爬出來倒在地上大聲呼救。可奇怪的是整幢城堡死一般的寂靜，沒有絲毫的回應(yīng)。他叫著兒子們的名字，一

個(gè)接著一個(gè)，可誰都沒有回答他。只有他的老狗穆勒斯在遠(yuǎn)處用叫聲回答著他的呼號(hào)。他從浴室掙扎著跑進(jìn)了

廚房，身后雪白的地毯上留下一長排鮮紅的血腳印。
She reached forward and she castrated him with one sweep of her scythe．He clamped his bloody

hands to his empty groin and stumbled out to the landing，calling for help．But the house was

silent from roof to cellar．He called his sons' names，one by one．None came．Only his old dog

Malleus answered his call，and when he trotted through from the kitchen he left red paw-prints

on the white carpet．He was eating something human．

“他們都死了。”露辛迪克靜靜地說。
"All dead." Lucidique said．

接著，她象母貓叼起頑皮的小貓一般輕輕地抓住老卡斯卡利安的后脖子，毫不費(fèi)力地將他騰空提了起來，鮮血

從他空蕩蕩的兩腿間滴落到地毯上，一滴一滴拍打著地面。她用鋒利的刀片劃開他的胸膛，挖出了他的心臟。

老卡斯卡利安的身體蹣跚地向后倒下，一路從臺(tái)階滾落下去……
Then，very gently，she took hold of the back of Cascarellian's neck，the way a mother-cat

catches hold of an errant kitten，and lifted him up，effortlessly．The blood from his vacant

groin slapped against the carpet．She put her blade to his chest and cut out his heart．Then she

let his body tumble back down the stairs．

最后，當(dāng)大風(fēng)停下，天上的星星清晰可辨時(shí)，露辛迪克走上街道，任憑卡斯卡利安官邸的大門敞開以便讓人們

盡快發(fā)現(xiàn)這場恐怖的屠殺。而她則掉頭穿越密密麻麻的大街小巷，直奔西城門而去，隱入那靜靜守侯著的荒漠

之中……
Later，when the wind had dropped，and she could see the stars clearly，she went out into the

street，leaving the door to the Cascarellian mansion wide open so that atrocity there should be

soon discovered．Then she headed out，through a variety of back streets and alleys，to the West

Gate，and thence into the waiting desert．

IV·TALISAC - OF THE SACRED HEART 圣心醫(yī)生 - 塔利薩克

I

繼國王全家慘死在鐮刀手-梅司特刀下之后，普利摩頓的又一個(gè)頭面人物黑手黨頭子杜拉夫·卡斯卡利安和他

的兒子們也遭到了露辛迪克的屠殺。漸漸的，全城陷入一種惶惶不安的沉寂之中。早先“大起義”之后爆發(fā)的

那些大大小小的爭斗打鬧突然間平息了下來 (后面的亂碼咯 自己翻譯的。。。。)仿佛人們都不希望自己被別人注

意，害怕那樣會(huì)成為城市里的邪惡力量的下一個(gè)殺戮對象。

With the Emperor and his family dead at the hand of The Scythe-Meister，and the head of the

Don of Primordium，Duarf

Cascarellian，slaughtered by Lucidique （along with most of his sons and bodyguards） an uneasy

peace had settled on the city．The minor brawls and battles that had erupted after the Great

Insurrection quietened down．It was as though nobody wanted to drawattention to themselves; not with so many murderous forces abroad inthe city's streets．

暴亂發(fā)生后接管這座城市的軍事集團(tuán)由三位將領(lǐng)共同領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，他們分別是：博哥特、烏班諾和蒙特法羅。他們?nèi)?/P>

個(gè)都是典型的軍人，生性殘酷和癡迷權(quán)力，正因?yàn)檫@樣才得以晉升到今天的位置。然而，在職業(yè)性的喪心病狂

和暴躁性情背后，三位將軍的內(nèi)心深處還潛藏著另外兩種特質(zhì)，盡管他們本人或許羞于承認(rèn)：其一，一種近乎

病態(tài)的多愁善感（集中體現(xiàn)在博哥特將軍和烏班諾將軍對待各自母親以及蒙特法羅將軍對待自己六、七歲幼女

的態(tài)度上）；其二，極端的迷信。
The Military junta that had taken charge of the running of the city during this crisis was

headed by a triumvirate of Generals: Bogoto，Urbano and Montefalco．They were no better nor

worse than any of their type: men who'd risen to the top of their belligerent trade by showing

the greatest propensity for cruelty and control．But beneath the institutionalized sadism and

their manic capacity for violence，two qualities well hidden in the hearts of the three Generals

，there also lay qualities that they would have been ashamed to confess they possessed．One，a

sickly sentimentality （focused upon their mothers in the cases of Generals Bogoto and Urbano，

and upon girls of six or seven in the case of Montefalco）．Second，a startling capacity for

superstition．

對于城中近期接連發(fā)生的詭異事件，雖然嘴上誰也不說，三位將軍卻都意識(shí)到了各自心中的恐懼，大家心照不

宣地保持著沉默的姿態(tài)。從來沒有哪座城邦象普利摩頓現(xiàn)在這般被各種鬼怪事件包圍，剎那間謠言四起，人人

談鬼說怪。謠言漸漸散布到軍隊(duì)里，士兵們時(shí)常圍坐在篝火旁討論各種無法解釋的超自然現(xiàn)象，這些話不久就

傳進(jìn)了將軍們的耳朵。到處流傳著關(guān)于鐮刀手-梅司特豢養(yǎng)的怪物、孩童的惡靈、女妖及被她們色誘的犧牲品

等等古怪的傳說，人們竊竊私語，繪聲繪色。
It went undiscussed，but they each knew the other was touched by a profound fear of the uncanny

．And there was no city presently more inundated in unholy matters than Primordium．Rumour was

rife here; and its subject was seldom rational．The stories that were passed around the

soldiers' campfires （and sooner or later reached the Generals' ears） were of unnatural

horrors: things that defied reason．Tales of monsters that had been bred from the loins of the

Scythe-Meister; of the vengeful ghosts of children; of succubi，their sexual attributes

discussed in clammy，but arousing detail．

一天夜里，三位將軍在喝得迷迷糊糊之后終于克服了心中的恐懼，開口討論起了這個(gè)話題。
One night，after some very heavy drinking，the three men vented their fears．

“我相信，”烏班諾將軍說道，“這座該死的城市是真的被鬼魂纏住了。”
"It is my belief，" Urbano said，"that this damned city is haunted."

另外兩位立即嚴(yán)肅地點(diǎn)頭表示贊同。
The other two nodded grimly．

“那你覺得我們該怎么辦呢？”博哥特將軍問道。
"What do you suggest we do about it？" Bogoto asked．

蒙特法羅將軍搶著回答說：
“首先……要是讓我說的話，我會(huì)下令燒死這里四分之一的非法移民。正是他們與絕大多數(shù)發(fā)生的詭異事件有

關(guān)聯(lián)。”
It was Montefalco who replied．"Well，for a start…if I had my druthers I'd burn the illegal

immigrant quarter to the ground．It's they who engage in most of these unholy goings-on."

“可他們是重要的勞力……”博哥特將軍反駁道，“殺了他們之后，誰接替他們來干那些倒屎盆子、埋葬麻風(fēng)

病人的臟活累活呢？”
"But the work-force…" Bogoto said．"Who'd empty our shit cans？ Who'd bury the lepers？"

蒙特法羅勉強(qiáng)同意了這個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，可他又說：
“但至少我們可以針對一些可能與邪惡勢力有勾結(jié)的目標(biāo)，有的放矢地采取行動(dòng)呀。”
Montefalco had to concede the point．"At least we could target any element we suspect of

intercourse with demonic forces."

“沒錯(cuò)沒錯(cuò)，”烏班諾將軍表示贊同，“可以實(shí)行全城戒嚴(yán)。”
"Good．Good." said Urbano．"Vigilance."

“還有新的懲罰制度，” 蒙特法羅補(bǔ)充道，“我們必須立即采用更迅速和嚴(yán)厲的方法——當(dāng)眾處決。”
"And punishment，" Montefalco went on．"Swift，draconian measures -"ublic executions."

“好！”
"Yes！"

“用火刑？”
"Burnings？"

“哦，不，那樣太富戲劇性了。槍決，干凈利落。還不用忍受焚燒的臭味。”
"No，too theatrical．Shootings are clean and fast．And they don't smell."

“你覺得氣味很重要嗎？”博哥特問。
"That bothers you？" said Bogoto．

蒙特法羅將軍打了個(gè)寒戰(zhàn)，回答道：“我討厭焚燒尸體的氣味。”
Montefalco shuddered．"I loathe the smell of burning bodies." He said．

II

正當(dāng)將軍們?yōu)榱烁鞣N酷刑爭論不休之時(shí)，露辛迪克正在睡覺，更確切地說是正打算睡覺。她回到了自己父親多

年前為她母親建造的老宅中，輾轉(zhuǎn)反側(cè)不能入眠，這座房子里有那么多美好的回憶，還有那么多的遺憾。
While the Generals debated the relative merits of this kind of execution or that，Lucidique was

sleeping - or attempting to sleep - in the house which her father had built many years ago for

her mother．Her slumbers were uneasy．So many memories．So many regrets．

很早以前，在沒有發(fā)生那么多變故之前的日子里，每當(dāng)失眠的時(shí)候，她總會(huì)出去散散步。而現(xiàn)在，她當(dāng)然再也

不能在大白天出門了。她那經(jīng)由阿岡尼司帝斯親手改造后的身體已經(jīng)變得面目全非了：強(qiáng)壯、柔韌、威力無比

……同時(shí)，卻也非常的駭人。每次出門，即便是在漆黑的夜晚，她都盡可能地選擇城中最僻靜的小路來避人耳

目。
Often in earlier，simpler times，when sleep eluded her，she would go out walking．Now，of course

，she could not go by day．The transformation of her body that had been wrought by Agonistes had

resulted in a physique which was strong，supple and powerful，but which terrified many who laid

eyes on her．When she did go out - even in the blackest night - she did her best to keep to the

quiet back-alleys of Primordium where she would not be seen．

今晚，她徹底打消了睡覺的的念頭，獨(dú)自漫步在這些羊腸小道上，可突然她意識(shí)到自己被人跟蹤了。她感覺到

了身后緊跟著的步伐，漸漸察覺了跟蹤者的身份——?dú)⑹衷鸂柶潯た死锲妗．?dāng)然，他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)是聳人聽聞的鐮

刀手-梅司特了。
Tonight，having given up on sleep，she went wandering in these alleys，and became aware that she

was being followed．After a little distance she sensed the rhythm of the step，and realized that

she knew who her pursuer was．It was Zarles Kreiger，the assassin turned Scythe-Meister．

她停下腳步轉(zhuǎn)過身。鐮刀手-梅司特就站在她身后不遠(yuǎn)處。他的軀體與她的一樣在夜色中發(fā)出微微的熒光，那

是阿岡尼司帝斯杰作的一部分：一種會(huì)發(fā)光的細(xì)菌。傷口越新，發(fā)出的光就越強(qiáng)，而他們身上的這些傷口是變

形手術(shù)時(shí)阿岡尼司帝斯故意留下的，永遠(yuǎn)無法完全愈合。
She stopped，and turned．The Scythe-Meister was standing a little distance from her．His flesh

had the same sickly luminescence that hers did; a bacterial brightness that was part of

Agonistes' handiwork．The rawer the wounds （and there were parts of both their transformed

bodies that were designed to never heal） the brighter the luminescence with which they burned．

“我以為你已經(jīng)離開這里了。”露辛迪克開口對他說道。
"I thought you'd left the city，" she said to him．

“是的。我是離開了一陣子。我去了沙漠，在我接受變形手術(shù)的地方思考了一些問題。”
"I did．For a while．I went out to the desert．Meditated on my changed state."

“那你已經(jīng)有答案了嗎？”
"And did you learn anything from your meditations？"

克里奇點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。
Kreiger shook his head．

“所以你回來了？”
"So you came back？"

“所以我回來了。”
"So I came back."

III

三位將軍敞開心扉訴說彼此對城中邪惡力量的恐懼之后沒過幾天，蒙特法羅將軍又一次把大家召集到一起來進(jìn)

行一次午夜之旅。
A few days after the three Generals had exchanged their fears about the presence of unsacred

powers in Primordium，Montefalco brought them together again for a midnight journey．

“那我們?nèi)ツ膬海俊?
"Where are we going？"

“去找一個(gè)叫塔利薩克的醫(yī)生，他以我的名義進(jìn)行實(shí)驗(yàn)許多年了。”
"There's a man called Doctor Talisac who has been conducting experiments on my behalf for

several years now."

“什么樣的實(shí)驗(yàn)？”烏班諾急切地想知道。
"What kind of experiments？" Urbano wanted to know．

“我希望他能為我造一個(gè)完美的戰(zhàn)士。一個(gè)不會(huì)感到恐懼的打斗機(jī)器。”
"I hoped he would perfect me a soldier．Make a fighting machine that was not susceptible to

fear."

“那他成功了嗎？”
"Has he succeeded？"

“沒有，早呢。至今我也沒有對他報(bào)很大的期望。他*于他自己的那些藥物和……好吧，你會(huì)見到他本人的

。雖然他上次做了一個(gè)次品，現(xiàn)在卻或許對我們有用了。”
"No．Not so far．Nor do I have great hope for him now．He's addicted to many of his own

medications，and ．．．well，you'll see for yourself．But there was one failure of his which

might be useful to us now."

“一個(gè)有用的次品？”博哥特問道，他顯然對這前后矛盾的話感到摸不著頭腦。
"A useful failure？" Bogoto said，somewhat amused by the paradox．

“我們需要一個(gè)能夠趕走普利摩頓城里鬼怪的家伙。而我相信他哪兒可以找到我們所需要的東西。”
"We need a creature that will drive the unholy elements out of Primordium．I believe he has such

a creature."

“呃……”烏班諾問道，“你的意思是說你要讓我們和你一起去看那個(gè)次品怪物？”
"Ah…" said Urbano．"So will you see this creature with me？"

“那個(gè)醫(yī)生在哪兒？”
"Where is he？"

“我把他藏在德利福斯山上的圣心救濟(jì)院里了。”
"I have him hidden away in what used to be the Hospice of the Sacred Heart，on Dreyfus Hill."

“可我一直以為那里沒有人。”
"I thought the place was empty."

“那是我一直以來制造的假象。要是有誰闖入了那片禁地，我就會(huì)殺掉他們?nèi)缓蟀咽w拋進(jìn)大運(yùn)河毀尸滅跡。

”
"That's the impression I intended to give the world．If anybody ventures in there I have them

killed and thrown in the canal."

“這么說那幾個(gè)被拋尸在運(yùn)河里的修女是你殺的咯？”
"Is that what happened to the nuns？"

蒙特法羅露出了詭秘的微笑：“我哪里會(huì)那么仁慈呀，要知道軍人的本性可是極端殘酷的喲。”
Montefalco smiled．"Nothing so humane，I'm afraid，" he said．"Soldiers can be brutish if left

to their own devices."

談話到此為止了，三位將軍動(dòng)身朝德利福斯山進(jìn)發(fā)。
The subject was left there，and the three headed up towards Dreyfus Hill．

IV

扎爾茲·克里奇全身舒展地躺在露辛迪克的床上，向她展示自己赤裸的身軀。露辛迪克用崇拜的目光細(xì)細(xì)打量

他：傷口上的血痂，阿岡尼司帝斯親手扭曲交錯(cuò)的肌肉，還有與金、銀、銅絲交織在一起的骨頭和經(jīng)絡(luò)。
Zarles Kreiger stretched out naked on Lucidique's bed．She looked at him admiringly: at the

plethora of scars; at the intricate way the machinations of his flesh had been bound to

Agonistes' own creations．Silver bonded with bone and nerve; gold and bronze the same．

露辛迪克輕輕爬上他的身體，水*融的那一剎那，藍(lán)色的電弧滑過他們的身體，在夜色中發(fā)出耀眼的光芒。
She climbed on top of him．Arcs of electricity leapt between them: nipple to nipple，eye to eye

．

多么銷魂的一刻呀！她想道，而此刻與她交歡的竟然是她的殺父仇人。從某種意義上說，他們其實(shí)又是同一個(gè)

父親的孩子，他們的父親名叫：阿岡尼司帝斯。
What a time this was！，she thought．Here she was mating with the man who had taken her father's

life．In a sense there was something even more taboo about their intimacy．They were both the

offspring of the same father．Both Agonistes' children．

“我不知道他是否允許我們這樣做。”露辛迪克懷疑地說道。
"I wonder if he'd approve？" Lucidique said．

“你是指阿岡尼司帝斯？”
"You mean Agonistes？"

“是的。”
"Yes."

克里奇沉默不語。露辛迪克清楚地知道阿岡尼司帝斯對于她情人的意義。
Kreiger didn't speak．It was Lucidique who realized what her lover's reference to Agonistes

implied．

“你在沙漠里見過他了？”
"You saw him in the desert？"

“是的。”
"Yes."

“那么是他派你回來的？”
"And he sent you back here？"

“是的。”
"Yes."

“來找我？”
"To find me？"

“來和你在一起。他說你是這個(gè)世界上唯一能令我快樂的東西。”
"To be with you．He said you were the only thing that would make me happy."

V

座落在德利福斯山上的圣心救濟(jì)院是幢巨大的建筑物，里面一片漆黑。房子的主人沒有讓三位將軍久等，幾分

鐘后，一個(gè)女侏儒舉著蠟燭出現(xiàn)在了他們面前，她自我介紹說她叫卡米爾。在卡米爾的指引和陪同下，三位將

軍穿行過堆滿垃圾的修道院回廊，又向下走了兩層陡峭的臺(tái)階方才到達(dá)塔利薩克醫(yī)生的實(shí)驗(yàn)室。
The Hospice of the Sacred Heart was an enormous edifice，its upper floors in darkness．But the

Generals didn't have to wait long for a guide．After a few minutes a female dwarf - who

introduced herself as Camille - came with candles．She escorted the uniformed trio through the

echoing cloisters （which were heaped with huge mounds of dirt） and down two flights of steep

stairs into Doctor Talisac's laboratory．

醫(yī)生的工作間實(shí)際上是一間巨大的地下室，這樣既可以裝下所有的實(shí)驗(yàn)裝備又能避人耳目。地面沒有鋪設(shè)瓷磚

，取而代之的是堅(jiān)硬的土地，墻壁也同樣是用泥土砌成的。冰冷的土腥味掩蓋住了其他氣味，多虧了這些能夠

吸附臭氣的泥土，否則將軍們早就被眼前這個(gè)墳場里的臭氣熏暈過去了。這么說一點(diǎn)也不夸張，因?yàn)樗_克

醫(yī)生實(shí)驗(yàn)用的原材料就是尸體，整間房子堆滿了尸體和各色殘肢斷臂。很明顯，醫(yī)生是個(gè)浪費(fèi)物資的高手，許

多尸體只被割下一條胳膊甚至一根手指，還有的尸體上單單被取走了一只眼睛或是嘴唇。
His workspace had been dug out of the earth so as to accommodate the scale of the Doctor's

experimentation and still preserve the secrecy of his location．In place of tile there was hard

trodden earth beneath the Generals' boots，and the walls were beaten dirt．The place stank of

cold earth: which served to complete the scene．For if the stench was that of the grave，so were

many of the sights before them．The dead were Talisac's raw materials，and they lay everywhere

around，in various states of amputation．He was an uneconomic consumer．In many cases the

corpses were lacking only a limb，or a portion of a limb; an eye，in one case，lips in another．

“醫(yī)生在哪兒？”烏班諾用命令的口氣問道。
"So where is he？" Urbano demanded to know．

卡米兒伸手指了指尸體堆后面一個(gè)陰暗潮濕的角落，塔利薩克醫(yī)生正在那里恭候他們的到來。
Camille pointed the way over a carpet of corpses to a dank corner of the immense chamber，where

Talisac awaited them．

將軍們驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，塔利薩克醫(yī)生看上去就和他那些尸體沒什么兩樣，他仿佛是上帝的一個(gè)惡作劇：恐怖、怪

異……超乎想象。他用一個(gè)奇怪的裝置把自己從嘴巴的位置吊了起來，就好象他是一條魚一樣。他用自己怪異

的頭腦（或者說天才的頭腦，又或者兩者兼而有之）為自己建造了一個(gè)外置的子宮——他的小腹外掛著一個(gè)半

透明的袋子，垂直懸掛在他的兩條長腿之間。那袋子里正孕育著一個(gè)生命。
He looked，to the Generals' astonished eyes，like one of his own victims; a terrible，

implausible experiment in the extremes to which a human carcass might be put．He hung by his

mouth from a device whose purpose was beyond the Generals' comprehension，his mouth hooked up，

as though he were a fish．In his perversity，or his genius，or both，he had created some kind of

external womb for himself．A semi-translucent bag hung from the lower portion of his abdomen，

down between his spidery legs．There was life inside．

“一個(gè)生化怪物（Mongroid）……”卡米爾小聲解釋道。
"A Mongroid，" Camille whispered．

蒙特法羅將貪婪邪惡的目光從子宮中抽搐的東西上轉(zhuǎn)向它的主人。
Montefalco took his eyes off the foul sight of the womb and its twitching contents，and

addressed its owner．

“塔利薩克？”他叫著醫(yī)生的名字，“我們想從你這兒要點(diǎn)東西。”
"Talisac？" he said．"We need something from you."

塔利薩克忽閃著眼皮望向蒙特法羅。他開口說話了，可被吊起來的嘴巴讓他說話含糊不清，最后卡米爾不得不

充當(dāng)翻譯的角色來向?qū)④妭兘忉屗f的內(nèi)容。
Talisac turned his fluttering eyes in Montefalco's direction．When he spoke the maimed form of

his mouth meant that what he said was virtually incomprehensible．It took Camille to translate

it．

“他說：什么？你們想要什么？”
"He says: What？ What do you need？"

“我們想要一個(gè)能讓魔鬼都覺得害怕的魔鬼，”蒙特法羅告訴他，“一個(gè)怪物中的怪物，一個(gè)能讓城中妖魔抱

頭鼠竄的厲害角色。”
"We need a fiend to put fear into the heart of the Devil himself，" Montefalco said．"A beast

among beasts．Something to scour the city of its monsters by being still more monstrous."

塔利薩克突然發(fā)出古怪的聲響，過了半天大家才發(fā)現(xiàn)他可能是在笑，直笑得他渾身顫動(dòng)吊在空中晃來晃去。而

他“腹中”的“胎兒”也用劇烈的痙攣回應(yīng)著“母親”的反應(yīng)。
Talisac made a strange sound - which might have been laughter; shaking as he hung from his hooks

．The creature in his womb responded to its parent's movement by spasming．

“這家伙到底是怎么弄出這個(gè)怪物的？”博哥特輕聲問身后的烏班諾。
"How the hell did he come by that thing？" Bogoto murmured to Urbano behind his hand．

“不要竊竊私語，”卡米爾打斷了他的話，“醫(yī)生不喜歡別人這樣。”
"Don't whisper，" Camille snapped．"He hates it."

“他只不過奇怪塔利薩克是怎么讓自己懷孕的而已。”烏班諾大聲說出了他們心中的疑問。
"He was wondering how Talisac got himself pregnant？" Urbano said．

這次塔利薩克用手把嘴唇盡量按回原形以便親自回答這個(gè)問題，答案非常簡短：“用科學(xué)。”他說。
This time Talisac pressed his lips into service，in order that he answer for himself．The reply

was a single word: "Science." he said．

“真的嗎？”烏班諾疑惑不解地說，為了進(jìn)一步確認(rèn)他跨過幾具殘缺不全的尸體走近塔利薩克細(xì)細(xì)查看。“我

很高興聽到你這樣說，要是這是某種亂倫行為的結(jié)果我會(huì)很沮喪的。”
"Really？" Urbano said，sufficiently reassured to step over some of the mutilated bodies to

examine Talisac more closely．"Well I'm pleased to hear that．I would have been distressed if

there's been some sexual impropriety here."

塔利薩克又大笑起來，可將軍們卻一點(diǎn)也不覺得這有什么好笑的。好不容易笑完了，他又開口說話了。這次依

舊需要卡米爾來翻譯給大家聽。
Again，Talisac laughed，though none of the Generals were in the mood to see the humor of the

situation．His laughter spent，he spoke again．This time Camille's services as a translator were

required．

“他說他有一個(gè)假人或許能滿足你們的要求，”女侏儒說，“他只有一個(gè)要求作為交換……”
"He has a golem he thinks would suit your purposes very well，" the dwarf said．"He only asks

one thing in return…"

“他要什么？”蒙特法羅問。
"And what's that？" Montefalco said．

“他要你們保證不會(huì)去傷害任何一個(gè)他的孩子。”
"That you shouldn't attempt to hurt any of his children."

“你是指這個(gè)嗎？”蒙特法羅沖著子宮中那抽動(dòng)著的怪物點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。
"Meaning that？" Montefalco said，nodding towards the twitching womb．

“恩。”塔利薩克回答說，“這……我的……孩……”
"Es." Said Talisac．"Is my ur chile."

“他說什么？”烏班諾問卡米爾
"What did he say？" Urbano said to Camille．

“他說這是他的孩子。”卡米爾回答
"He said it was his child，" Camille replied．
蒙特法羅聳聳肩。
“只要你把我們想要的東西給我們，沒有人會(huì)傷害這個(gè)‘小家伙’的，”蒙特法羅說，“我以我個(gè)人名義向你

保證。”
Montefalco shrugged．
"No harm will come of this Mongroid，if we are given a fiend of our own." Montefalco said．"I

will personally guarantee that."

“很好。”卡米爾說。接著，在塔利薩克沒有開口的情況下，她補(bǔ)充道：“他希望下次你們不要一起到這里來

，就讓蒙特法羅將軍一個(gè)人來。”
"Good." said Camille．Then，without Talisac speaking again，she added: "He would prefer if you

did not come here again together．Only General Montefalco."

“我個(gè)人對此一點(diǎn)意見都沒有。”博哥特邊說邊揮手往回走，“只要他把我們的怪物給我們，他愿意生多少個(gè)

小鬼就生多少個(gè)，我才不管呢，只要?jiǎng)e讓它們靠近我就成。”
"You'll get no argument from me on that account." Bogoto said，waving the horror away as he

retreated．"If he gives us our monster，then he can give birth to a thousand little brats as far

as I'm concerned．Just keep them the hell away from me."

VI

露辛迪克躺在沾滿血液和汗液的床上，身邊躺著她的情人。她看著窗外的月亮說道：
“我們不可能長久，你知道的。”
Lucidique lay on the blood and sweat stained bed beside her lover，and watched the moon through

the window．
"This can't last for long，you know．This thing between us."

“為什么不可能？”
"Why not？"

“兩個(gè)象我們這樣的人在一起能得到快樂嗎？”她說，“這是天理不容的。你殺了我的父親，我應(yīng)該恨你。”
"For two such as us to find some happiness together？" she said．"It's against nature．You

killed my father．I should hate you."

“而你則把我送到了阿岡尼司帝斯手里，我也應(yīng)該恨你。”
"And you put me through hell at Agonistes' hands．I should hate you."

“我們是怎么樣的一對呀。”
"What a pair we make."

“也許我們應(yīng)該回到沙漠里去，”克里奇提議，“那里對我們來說安全一些。”
"Maybe we should go back out into the desert." Kreiger said，"We'd be safer there."

露辛迪克笑了。
“聽你說的，更安全！難道不應(yīng)該是別人怕我們嗎？我們有什么好怕的。”
Lucidique laughed．"Listen to you．Safer！ Isn't the world supposed to be afraid of us？ Not the

other way round."

“我只希望情況一直能這樣繼續(xù)下去……希望我的感覺是錯(cuò)誤的。”
"I just want to hold on to this…h(huán)ope that I feel."

露辛迪克翻過身用她的長刀緊貼住克里奇的手臂。
“我們不能離開普利摩頓。”她說。
Lucidique reached across the bed and ran her blade along Kreiger's arm．"We can't leave

Primordium，" she said．

“為什么不能，這里遲早會(huì)天下大亂的。讓它去吧。”
"Why not？ It's going up in flames，sooner or later．Let it burn."

“可親愛的，是我們挑起了爭端，你和我，我們應(yīng)該留下把戲看完。”
"But love，we started the fire，you and me．We should stay and watch it to the end."

克里奇點(diǎn)頭表示同意：“如果你想的話。”
Kreiger nodded．"If that's what you want."

“這是世間萬物走向末日的規(guī)律。”
"It's the way things have to end."

“末日？為什么這樣說？”
"End？ Why do you say that？"

“噓，親愛的，別激動(dòng)。這樣更好，你會(huì)明白的。”她轉(zhuǎn)頭吻了他一下，“為我留下吧。”
"Hush，love．It'll be better this way，you'll see." She leaned over and kissed him．"Do it for

me."

“這是我聽過的最好的理由。”克里奇對她說道。
"That's as good a reason as any I ever heard，" Kreiger said．

“這么說你同意留下了？”
"So you'll stay？"

“是的，我留下。”
"I'll stay."

============================================================
TALISAC 吊瓶
“吊瓶”是本系列最受歡迎的一款。

如同外科醫(yī)生般的精確細(xì)致，把一個(gè)人體像處理藝術(shù)品一樣復(fù)雜的懸掛在奇特的金屬架子上，深深插入可憐的

人的體內(nèi)的管子通過空氣泵把他的血液一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)吸取干凈，無法知道是怎樣利用幾個(gè)鋒利的鉤子掛在他的臉上把

他懸空起來，但可以肯定這一幕一定是最讓人最讓人膽顫心寒的恐怖。

V·VENAL ANATOMICA - THE HAUNTER OF PRIMORDIUM 衛(wèi)奈爾·阿納托米卡 - 普利摩頓的幽靈

I

在安排好塔利薩克提供給他們一個(gè)生物后，三個(gè)將軍-博哥特，烏班諾和蒙特法羅回到他們的司令部等待。博

哥特是三個(gè)人中最緊張的一個(gè)。他曾經(jīng)歷過戰(zhàn)場；碎肉橫飛，毛發(fā)骨骼燒焦的氣味在空氣中彌漫：但是塔利薩

克病態(tài)的實(shí)驗(yàn)室讓他虛弱緊張。
Having made the arrangement with Talisac to provide them with a creature，the three Generals -

Bogoto，Urbano and Montefalco - returned to
Military Headquarters and waited．Bogoto was the most anxious of the three．He'd seen his share

of battle scenes; bodies blown to pieces，the
stink of burning hair and bone in the air: but the grotesqueries of Talisac's laboratory had

left him sickened and nervous．

他決定去做當(dāng)他的生命變得困難時(shí)就經(jīng)常作的事情：他夜間穿過城市去從一個(gè)叫葛瑞塔薩巴提爾的女人那里尋

求安慰，一個(gè)占卜者。盡管如果讓其他的將軍知道這件事會(huì)很不妙，薩巴提爾的建議已經(jīng)為博哥特服務(wù)多年：

比如該讓誰提升，或是讓誰降級(jí)；甚至是逃離某些戰(zhàn)事。而隨著普利摩頓城從平靜轉(zhuǎn)向瘋狂，博哥特也越來越

依賴薩巴提爾的智慧。他曾相信，她的牌正是指向他命運(yùn)的線索。不過在這個(gè)空氣中都彌漫著瘋狂的世界，沒

有什莫是值得相信的，從一個(gè)女人的一幅臟兮兮的撲克牌中尋求未來的幻想實(shí)在是荒謬之及。
He decided to do what he often did when his life became difficult: he drove across the city in

the night to seek the comfort of a woman called Greta Sabatier，a reader of fortunes．Though he

would have been appalled if he'd thought any of his fellow Generals knew it，Sabatier's advice

had been behind much of what Bogoto had done over the years: who he'd favoured amongst his

subordinates，and who he'd demoted; even，on occasion，how he'd run some of his military

campaigns．And as events in Primordium had steadily become more crazed，Bogoto had come to rely

more and more upon Sabatier's wisdom．Her cards，he had come to believe，carried vital clues to

his fate．In a world where madness was constantly in the air，and nothing and no one could be

trusted，it made a paradoxical sense to seek illumination from a woman who read the future from

a pack of dirty cards．

“你見到了某個(gè)很有力量的人，”那晚葛瑞塔告訴他，她抽出一張牌將它翻過來。“我無法看到它是男的或是

女的。”
"You've seen somebody powerful，" Greta told him that night，tapping one of the cards she'd just

turned over．"I can't tell if it's a man卭r a woman."

博哥特想到了塔利薩克，將他自己掛在鉤子上，那丑陋的人造子宮懸掛在他兩腿之間。薩巴提爾端詳著他的臉

。
Bogoto pictured Talisac，hanging up from his hooks，with that vile womb of his hanging down

between his legs．Sabatier was studying his face．

“你知道我說的這個(gè)人？”
"You know this person I'm talking about？"

“那末你不需要從我這里獲得任何警告了。他，或是她--是哪一個(gè)？”
"Well then you don't need any warning from me．He，or she - which is it？"

“他有些朋友或是別的什莫，恩我不確定那是誰或是什莫東西，這里牌所顯示得非常模糊。但是那是傷害之源

。”
"Well he has friends卆llies卛t's hard to be sure exactly who or what they are卼he cards are very

ambiguous．But there's harm from this
source，whatever it is."

“對世界造成的傷害。”“恩。”
"Harm to the world." "Huh."

“你不關(guān)心這個(gè)，是嗎？”
"That matters less to you，yes？"

“當(dāng)然。你認(rèn)為我是不是該考慮離開這個(gè)城市？”
"Of course．Do you think I should consider leaving the city？"

“你是一個(gè)軍人。這不是我第一次從牌上看到你的死亡，將軍。”這是薩巴提爾第一次提及將軍的職業(yè)。無論

如何她從牌上或是從符表上她獲悉了這一點(diǎn)。“但是我不曾看到它離你如此之近。”她繼續(xù)看著這些牌。
"Well厃ou're a military man．It's not the first time I've seen death in your cards，General."
This was the first time Greta had ever made mention of the General's profession．Whether she

knew it from the cards or from the broadsheets in which he was regularly eulogized was anybody's

guess．
"But I don't think I ever saw it so near to you，" she went on，looking at the cards．

“我明白了。”
"I see."

“那好，我想你該考慮離開。至少在這場動(dòng)蕩的天象結(jié)束之前。”
"So yes，I think you should consider leaving．At least until this unsettled period is over

astronomically."

“那末這不只是占卜牌說的了，這也是星象學(xué)？”
"So it's not just the cards，it's the stars too？"

“它們是互相聯(lián)系的：牌，星象，手像。無論你怎莫看它們都在述說同樣的故事。”
"They're all reflections of one another: cards，stars，palms．It's the same story wherever you

look."

她說著收起牌，一張牌掉在博哥特將軍桌前。這張牌叫做塔，上面描繪出-一種簡單的，原始的，形態(tài)上的高

塔輪廓被映照在閃電的轟擊下。它的上半部分爆裂開來噴發(fā)出隕落的碎石，和尸體；下半幅部分正欲崩潰。
She sorted through the cards as she spoke，and now dropped one down on the table in front of

General Bogoto．It was called The Tower，and it
represented - in a simplified，even crude，form，a tower struck by lightning．Its upper half was

erupting，raining down rubble，and bodies; the lower half was cracked and ready to explode．

“這是普利摩頓？”博哥特問道。
"This is Primordium？" Bogoto asked．

“這是這個(gè)城市的未來，”薩巴提爾點(diǎn)頭回答。“至少是其中之一。”
"It's the city's future，" Greta replied，nodding．"Or at least one of them."

“那末你也會(huì)離開嗎？”博哥特說，思考和這個(gè)女人一起離開。薩巴提爾就像她終曰在上審視占卜的陳舊的桌

子一般老舊而她的雙腿也不太靈活。他永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)離開普利摩頓；至少他是這樣想。
"So will you be leaving too？" Bogoto said，thinking to catch the woman out．Greta was as old as

the antiquated table she read her cards upon
and her legs were a good deal less reliable．She'd never leave Primordium; or so he thought．

“是的，我會(huì)離開。這將是你最后一次見到我，將軍。除非你也要去卡勒斯。”
"Yes，I'm leaving．This will be the last time you see me，General，unless you should come to

Calyx."

“你要搬到卡勒斯去？”
"You're moving to Calyx？"

“明天。在事情變得更糟之前。”
"Tomorrow．Before things get any worse."

II

在迪曼德大街的一間房子里，曾一度屬于被謀殺的參議員，后來自己也獲得了相當(dāng)?shù)拿暤姆孔印餮阅抢镉?/P>

一對愛人；或者是很多。白天或黑夜，路過者聽到交歡的聲音：喘息，嗚咽，不可抵制的呻吟。
The house on Diamanda Street，which once belonged to the murdered Senator，had gathered itself

quite a reputation of late．
There were lovers there，it was rumoured; several of them．Night and day，passers by heard the

sound of lovemaking: the sighs，the sobs，the
irresistible demands．

那里的房子幾乎都已經(jīng)被毀壞了，他們的擁有者早已跑到了安全的城市；或是更安寧的國家。做一個(gè)農(nóng)夫度過

平凡但卻安穩(wěn)漫長的一生。不過人們依然會(huì)回到迪曼德大街，只是為了探聽一下那唯一一所燈火依舊的房子所

散發(fā)出的聲音。不，不只是聽。在那個(gè)地方有一種感覺，在人們的皮膚之下。能量從打開的窗戶里滲透出來，

讓螢火蟲不可抗拒，隨之飛舞爭斗，最后精疲力竭，昆蟲的尸體布滿草叢。
The houses nearby were all virtually deserted，their owners having fled Primordium for safer

cities; or better still，for the country．Life on a pigfarm might be boring，but at least it had

a chance of being long．Nevertheless people came to Diamanda Street of late，simply to hear the

noise of pleasure out of the lamp-lit home．No，not just to hear．There was a feeling about the

place，which got under people's skin．The energy seeping out from open windows，was enough to

make the fireflies assemble in their many tens of thousands each dusk and describe elaborate

arabesques in their pursuit of one another，the air so thick with their passion，and their light

so insistent，that the house was festooned with their flight paths，which lingered long after

the deed was done and the insects lay exhausted and extinguished in the long grass．

有時(shí)候，猥瑣的人類來到房子附近的陰影中，企盼能偷窺到那對愛侶，并看到了他們希望他看到的東西。正如

這強(qiáng)大力量所顯示的，他們不是自然的生物，毫無疑問。
Sometimes the human voyeurs，who lingered in the shadows of the nearby houses，hoping to catch a

glimpse of the lovers，were granted what
they were here to see．As the strange force of the lover's din suggested，they were not natural

creatures，not by any means．

他們看上去就像某種混合體；三分之一的人類，三分之一的金屬，另外三分之一介于血肉與金屬之間，好像被

剝開刮碎然后又打磨光滑。
They seemed to be hybrids; one third human，one third metallic，one third the no man's land

between flesh and devices made to strip it and slash it and scour it．

當(dāng)他們起身他們在流血；但卻微笑著，親吻著對方的傷口，好像那些可怕的痛苦創(chuàng)傷都是熱戀的證明。
They bled as they rose from their nuptial sheets; but smiled，kissing one another's wounds as

though they were inconsequential，as though
these flaps and sores and gougings were proof of devotion．

世界依然在繼續(xù)。蒙特法羅將軍很快聽說了迪曼德大街的房子和它的名聲。他去了那里，在一天晚上。一切似

乎都縹緲不定：空氣充滿了波動(dòng)的光亮，房子在呻吟顫抖。然后歡愉而恐怖的叫聲從令人致盲的火光與黑影中

傳出，從一個(gè)房間到另一個(gè)房間，環(huán)繞傳遍每間房。
Word got round，quickly enough．It didn't take long for the General Montefalco to hear about the

house on Diamanda Street，and the reputation it had got for itself．He went to the location，

late one night．Things were in full swing: the air filled with weaving lights，the houses

moaning and shaking．Then shrieks of terrible joy out of the fire-lit interior and shadows on

the blinds，moving from room to room as the momentum of the lovers' passion carried them around

the house．

蒙特法羅從未曾見過，聽過或是感受過這樣的事情。迷信的東西席卷他的全身，翻攪他的腸胃豎起他的毛發(fā)，

他躲藏在窗口下，最終站了起來，逃離了那房子，手掌被汗水濕透。他聽到身后傳來的聲音，他轉(zhuǎn)過身。那是

烏班諾。他看起來就像是一個(gè)剛剛看到自己最恐怖的事實(shí)，或是上帝，或者兩者皆是的人。“我們要除掉這些

。”蒙特法羅說道，非常平靜。
Montefalco had never seen，heard or felt anything like it before．A wave of something like

superstition passed through his body，weakening his bowels and making his hair，which was a

quarter inch from widow's peak to nape，stand on end．He started to retreat from the house，

clammy-palmed．As he did so he heard a voice behind him．He turned．It was Urbano．He looked

like a man who had just discovered some truly terrible thing about himself，or God，or

both．"These we kill，" Montefalco said，very calmly．

烏班諾將軍開始點(diǎn)頭，但是他太恐懼了，他小便嚇尿尿水流在他擦得黑亮的鞋子上。他掏出手帕擦了擦他的嘴

唇；然后說：“是的。”
General Urbano began to nod，but the motion was too much for his sickened system．He puked a

yellowish puke，which spattered his immaculately polished boots．He took out a handkerchief and

wiped his mouth; then he said: "Yes."

“是？”
"Yes？"

“是。我們要除掉。”
"Yes．These we kill."

那晚晚些時(shí)候，蒙特法羅去見塔利薩克。他很明智的獨(dú)自一人去。沒有烏班諾或是博哥特愿意跟他去。
Later that night，Montefalco went back to see Talisac．He went alone，which turned out to be a

wise move．Neither Urbano nor Bogoto had the
guts for what awaited him there．

這個(gè)地方比他四十八小時(shí)前來的時(shí)候還要糟了；尸體依然到處都是，但是都有了新的形態(tài)。看上去到處都是霧

氣，還有能量，都在從它們身上被吸出來，讓它們枯萎。眼睛的地方塌陷只剩下一個(gè)黑洞，嘴唇干癟后退露出

牙齒，讓它們看上去就像是瞎眼的咧嘴尖叫的猴子。它們的血肉枯萎緊縛住骨骼；皮膚就像是薄薄的干枯紗布

，包裹著骨骼。侏儒卡米爾走了出來向蒙特法羅將軍致意，并踢了踢堆在一旁的尸體，它們翻滾著倒塌下來。
The place had deteriorated considerably in the forty-eight hours since he'd last stepped over

the threshold; the bodies were still everywhere，but they were in a new condition．It looked as

though all the moisture，all the energy，had been [****]ed out of them，leaving them withered．The

eyes had gone from the sockets and the lips had been drawn back from the teeth，giving them all

the look of blind，squealing monkeys．The flesh on their torsos had withered to bones; as had

the meat on their arms and legs．The skin itself was now like a thin layer of dried tissue，

covering the structure of the bone．When the dwarf Camille appeared to greet Montefalco，and

kicked a couple of the corpses aside，they rolled away from her kick like so many paper

mannequins．

“它完成了？”蒙特法羅問她。
"Is it done？" Montefalco asked her．

“是的，完成了，”卡米爾笑著說，“我想你會(huì)滿意的。”
"Oh yes，it's done，" Camille said with a twinkling smile，"and I think you're going to be very

pleased."

一個(gè)聲音從陰影中顯現(xiàn)，說著蒙特法羅無法領(lǐng)會(huì)的言語。
A voice emerged from the shadows，speaking words Montefalco could not comprehend．

“他要我展示它，”卡米爾說。
"He's asking me to unveil it，" Camille said．

將軍搜索著骯臟的房間，找到了那個(gè)所謂的“他”；在房間的盡頭他看到一個(gè)形體，被明顯是從地板上掀起的

毯子所包裹。
The General scanned the dirt-walled room，looking for what 'it' might be; and there at the end

of the chamber he saw a monumental form，covered with a threadbare tapestry obviously brought

down from the floor above．

“那個(gè)？”他說，不等任何回答就開始走向它。他踩過橫七豎八的尸體，它們在他腳下碎裂，化作塵土與碎塊

。很快房間里充滿了尸體的粉塵。
"That？" he said，not waiting for confirmation before approaching it．As he strode through the

bodies，they cracked beneath his heels，erupting into dust and fragments．Soon the room was

filled with spiraling bits of pale human stuff．

蒙特法羅抓起毯子。當(dāng)他這樣做的同時(shí)，卡米爾叫出了那東西的名字-“衛(wèi)奈爾·阿納托米卡。”
Montefalco grabbed hold of the tapestry．As he did so，Camille named the thing - "VENAL

ANATOMICA."

將軍一把掀開攤子將它展示出來。
The General pulled the tapestry off and revealed it．

從它在毯子下的體形就可以猜到，它有著巨大的形體，九英尺甚至更高一些。它有一張死人的臉，并裝備滿各

種古老的謀殺武器。長釘釘在它的肩膀和腿上。凝結(jié)的血液包裹著鋼釘，但當(dāng)它移動(dòng)時(shí)，血沫從它的身體里從

傷口中涌出。
As might have been guessed from its scale beneath the carpet，it was of heroic size，nine feet

or more．It had death's face，and was equipped
with a variety of medieval murder weapons．There were nails crudely hammered into its shoulder

and leg．Blood had coagulated around the
nails，but when Anatomica began to move （as now it did） fresh blood bubbled up from the wounds

and ran down its body．

“它認(rèn)識(shí)我？”將軍問。
"Does it know me？" the General asked．

“是的，”卡米爾說，“它已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好執(zhí)行您的命令了。”塔利薩克說，而卡米爾翻譯。“他說他沒有對它的

創(chuàng)造者并無忠心，只對您，蒙特法羅將軍。”
"Yes，" said Camille，"it is ready to obey your instructions." Talisac spoke，and Camille

translated．"He says he has no loyalty to its Creator，only to you，General Montefalco."

“這很動(dòng)聽。”
"That's good to hear."

蒙特法羅對它招了招手。
Montefalco beckoned to it．

“那末來吧。”
"Come on then."

那個(gè)生物猶豫地邁出一步。然后是另一步。
The creature made a hesitant step．Then another．

“我能和你一起去嗎？”卡米爾說。蒙特法羅低下頭看著幾乎裸體的她。“除非你把自己包裹好，”他說。
"Can I come with you？" Camille said．Montefalco looked down at her nakedness．"Only if you

cover yourself up，" he said．

她微笑著，然后走開去拿她自己那件被蟲蛀的皮大衣。
She smiled，and then went away to fetch herself a flea-bitten fur coat．

他們一起走入夜色：三個(gè)人。將軍，侏儒和它。
They went out into the night together: the three of them．The General，the Dwarf and Venal

Anatomica．

黎明即將到來。事事無定論。盡管葛瑞塔薩巴提爾已經(jīng)在去往卡勒斯的路上遭到了強(qiáng)盜的毒手 - 一個(gè)她沒有

預(yù)見到的命運(yùn) - 她在很多方面依然十分正確。一個(gè)時(shí)代已經(jīng)走向末曰：這對愛侶的時(shí)代。
Daybreak wasn't far off．Neither was the end of certain things．Though Greta Sabatier had been

killed by the bandits on the road to Calyx - a
fate she had not foreseen - she had been right about that much．An age was coming to an end: and

it was the Age of Lovers．

VI·MONGROID - THE SECOND COMING 孟格里德 - 基督再臨

I

塔利薩克醫(yī)生獨(dú)自一人躺在他的尸體堆里，靜靜地等待著神圣時(shí)刻的到來。他的身體從來沒有象現(xiàn)在一樣劇烈

地顫抖過。這一切都是因?yàn)槟莻€(gè)即將出生的孩子，他所懷著的孩子：克隆嬰兒孟格里德（MONGROID）。 回顧

自己這一生中的成功與失敗，塔利薩克開始深信自己真正想要的不是造一個(gè)卡米爾那樣的侏儒，而是一個(gè)真正

屬于他的孩子：一個(gè)與他有著相同基因，流著相同的血液的孩子。對他而言，這即將來臨的分娩是件神圣的事

情，從某種意義上說，他將是另一個(gè)圣母瑪利亞。
In his bunker of dirt and corpses Talisac waited alone，while his body - which was a thing

without precedent - twitched and jumped and spasmed．There was a child inside of him; the

MONGROID，the infant of the Second Coming．Or so he'd come to believe，after the years he'd

spent experimenting upon others，and himself．It wasn't until he had created a homunculus that

would be to all intents and purposes his child，its flesh made up of the same DNA as his，that

he had come to believe there was something holy in the imminent arrival．It was another Virgin

Birth．

再過幾個(gè)小時(shí)，他的孩子就將躺在他的懷抱中了。他不愿與任何人分享這成功的喜悅，他要獨(dú)享著一刻，要知

道在這一刻到來之前他忍受了多少的孤獨(dú)啊。他常常會(huì)在午夜時(shí)分被一個(gè)奇怪的夢驚醒，在夢中他的孩子走到

他面前告訴他世界即將滅亡，不過沒關(guān)系，因?yàn)樗麄冊谝黄稹Ｓ谑牵腥撕秃⒆右黄鹈鎸κ澜缒┤铡?
In only a matter of hours now，the child would be in his arms．He would have no one to share the

triumph of what he'd achieved，but so be it．He'd been alone all his life，even in the company

of his fellow human beings．Alone with his ambition，alone with his failures，alone with the

strange dreams that came to find him in the middle of the night; dreams of his child，speaking

to him，telling him that the world was going to end，but that it wouldn't matter，because they'd

be together，Man and Child，to the End of Time．

他開始感覺到分娩前的陣痛了，體內(nèi)的孩子正掙扎著要出來，他能聽到它掙扎時(shí)發(fā)出的微弱而尖細(xì)的聲音。隨

著陣痛的加劇，塔利薩克開始哭叫起來，廢棄的修道院里回蕩著他惡毒的詛咒……最終，“圣嬰”用他那小小

的手指和柔軟的指甲撕破了子宮的束縛，和帶著血腥氣的羊水一起滑落到地上，降生在了尸體叢中。
He could feel the child struggling to get out now．He could hear its tiny，high-pitched voice as

it worked to free itself．The pain was excruciating; a vicious hallucinogen．He sobbed and he

screamed; the Convent had never heard such cursings as it heard now．But finally the womb tore

as the Holy Child scrabbled with his little hands，his little nails，and in a gush of blood-

tinged fluids the Mongroid was disgorged onto the ground amongst the corpses．

II

“克里奇？”
"Kreiger？"

露辛迪克走到窗前向花園望去，口中呼喚著她的愛人——鐮刀手-梅司特變形前的名字。克里奇剛才下樓去花

園為她摘花，很久都沒有回來。臥室里散發(fā)著一種強(qiáng)烈的氣味，那是一種做愛后從他們變形身體上分泌出來的

特殊物質(zhì)，聞起來又苦又臭，與正常人分泌物咸咸的味道截然不同。
Lucidique went to the window and called down into the garden around her father's house．Zarles

Kreiger，The Scythe-Meister，who had lately become Lucidique's lover，had gone out into the

garden to bring her some perfumed flowers．The bedroom stank of the pungent oil that their

violently transfigured bodies gave off．It was a bitter and unpleasant smell; not the salty

smell of natural sex．

樓下的花園里開滿了馥郁芬芳的玫瑰，那香甜的氣味足以掩蓋房間里的怪味，而那些午夜后綻放的花蕊香氣最

為濃烈。現(xiàn)在已近凌晨兩點(diǎn)，正是一天中花香最濃郁的時(shí)候，陣陣花香從漆黑一片的花園里隨風(fēng)飄進(jìn)臥室。露

辛迪克又叫了一聲，克里奇依舊沒有回答，可她明明看見一個(gè)黑影在灌木叢中閃過，要是那是克里奇的話，為

什么他不回答呢？或者那根本就不是克里奇，而是有人挾持了他使他無法回答。一想到這兒，露辛迪克立刻飛

奔下樓沖進(jìn)了花園。
But the garden was full of sweet smelling flowers that would conceal the bitterness; and some of

the strangest scents were those of blossoms that opened after dark．It was now almost two in the

morning; and the smells that rose from the darkened garden were giddyingly strong．She called

Kreiger's name again．Then she seemed to see him; a dark presence moving through the bushes．If

it was indeed Kreiger，why didn't he answer her call？ Perhaps it wasn't him．Keeping her

silence now，she crept down the stairs and went out into the garden．

今天晚上的天氣很好，柔和的晚風(fēng)輕輕吹拂過灌木和花叢發(fā)出沙沙的響聲。雖然花園很大，曲徑通幽，但露辛

迪克從小在這里玩耍對每條小路都了若指掌，就算閉著眼睛，她也能毫不費(fèi)力地穿梭于錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的小徑之間，

每片樹林每個(gè)花叢都逃不過她的眼睛。很快，她就到達(dá)了剛才看見人影的地方。空氣中彌漫著金銀花和茉莉的

香氣，可除了花香，另一種氣味引起了露辛迪克的注意，那是一種陌生動(dòng)物或人身上的味道，而氣味的源頭就

在附近。
There was a gentle，balmy breeze tonight: it made the bushes and trees churn．The garden was

large，and its layout complex，but she'd been playing here since she was a child．She could have

found her way down its narrow，labyrinthine paths and around its rose patches and secret groves

with hers eyes closed．She went directly to the place where she thought she'd seen the man when

she'd been up at the bedroom window．Despite the sweetness of honey[****]le and the night-blooming

jasmine，her nostrils caught the scent of something else，somebody else，in the vicinity．

這氣味與她和克里奇身上散發(fā)出的那種澀澀的味道不同，那是一種讓她聯(lián)想到疾病、腐爛和死亡的氣味。露辛

迪克一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地站在原地，有什么東西在她周圍的灌木叢中移動(dòng)著，在漆黑的夜色下她只能看見那家伙的輪廓

：畸形的巨大腦袋，批著盔甲的肩膀，結(jié)實(shí)的胸膛。不管那到底是個(gè)什么東西，它走動(dòng)的時(shí)候明顯一跛一跛，

右腿艱難地拖著左腿。隨著它越來越近，那種腐敗的氣味也越來越濃烈起來。毫無疑問，這氣味就是從這個(gè)不

速之客身上傳來的。接著，附近響起她情人克里奇的聲音：
There was a stink that was not the bitter smell of her own body，or that of Kreiger．This was

something else．Something that made her think of disease，of corruption，of death．She stood

very still．Something moved through the bushes close by．She saw its form，silhouetted against

the starless sky: a vast misshapen head，armoured shoulders，the chest of an ox．Whatever it was

，it walked with a pronounced limp，dragging its left leg．The closer it came to her the

stronger the smell of corruption became．This trespasser was the source; no doubt of that．Then

，from the darkness close by，the sound of her lover's voice:

“露辛迪克！快離開這兒！快跑！”
"Lucidique！ Get away from here！ Quickly！"

接著，有什么東西打斷了他的叫聲。
There was something broken in his voice．

“你怎么了？” 露辛迪克焦急地問道，心中充滿了不安。
"What's happened to you？" she said，afraid of the answer．

那個(gè)不速之客循著聲音向她所在的地方轉(zhuǎn)過頭來，隱約可見這個(gè)家伙額頭部分的頭皮連著肉翻起來露出森森白

骨。和他們一樣，這是一個(gè)形容可怖的怪物，但又有一點(diǎn)不同：它肯定不是阿岡尼司帝斯的作品，至少，它肯

定不是出自上帝本人之手。
Hearing her voice，the trespasser looked in her direction．A hood of flesh slid slickly back

from the upper half of its face，revealing its skeletal features．This was - like them - a

monster．And yet it was not like them．Not Agonistes' handiwork，at least．Not the product of

the unsung architect of Eden．

這個(gè)不速之客看上去象是剛從停尸房出來，它的身體是用腐爛的死人肉、神經(jīng)和骨頭堆砌出來的，渾身散發(fā)著

死尸的惡臭。它大步朝露辛迪克走來，露辛迪克向后退去，并非因?yàn)椴恢撊绾螒?yīng)戰(zhàn)，而是這個(gè)家伙的樣子實(shí)

在讓她覺得不寒而栗。這家伙一定力大無窮，并且非比尋常，露辛迪克暗自思量，不知道它的致命處在哪里。
This trespasser was a charnel-house child if ever there was one．It was made of parcels of

rotten flesh and nerve and bone，all nailed together and given foetid breath．She retreated as

it strode towards her．She knew how to kill; that was not in doubt．But the creature still made

her afraid．It was a powerhouse; and indifferent，she guessed，to any pain she might be able to

cause it．

“快跑！”克里奇朝她大叫起來。
"Go！" she heard Kreiger yelling to her．

她順著聲音望去，借著臥室里傾瀉下來的微弱燈光看到自己的情人躺倒在地，渾身是血。
Her eyes flittered in his direction，and by the light shed from the bedroom window she saw him，

on the ground，blood pouring out of him．

“天哪！”
"Christ！"

露辛迪克朝克里奇跑過去，但那可惡的大怪物攔住了她的去路，伸出巨大的雙手想要掐死她。但露辛迪克并沒

有退卻，她不愿拋下她的愛人獨(dú)自逃跑。相反，她憑借自己對地形的了解穿梭在黑暗的花園里，試圖引誘這個(gè)

跛子怪物遠(yuǎn)離克里奇。
She started towards him，but the trespasser moved to intercept her，its vast hands eager to tear

out her throat．But she wasn't going to flee the garden; not with her lover lying there in the

dirt，bleeding from a hundred places．Instead she turned and led the limping slaughterer away

from Kreiger，dodging through the darkened garden，using her knowledge of its layout to double

the distance between them．

與她預(yù)料中一樣，怪物緊追不放，帶著龐大的身軀穿越錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的荊棘叢，喉嚨里發(fā)出一種恐怖的聲音，聽起

來象是動(dòng)物垂死掙扎是發(fā)出的喘息聲被放大了許多倍。
Still it came after her，throwing its weight through the tangle of thorny bushes，emitting a

guttural din as it did so，like the noise of some immense mechanism that imperfectly copied the

sound of a tormented animal; a bull，perhaps，beneath the slaughterer's hammer．It was horrible

to hear．

終于，露辛迪克跑到了她的目的地——一棵她兒時(shí)爬過無數(shù)次的大樹下，她開始迅速地攀爬起來，試圖借此擺

脫追蹤她的家伙。她的身手如此敏捷，以至于等她安全地藏在巨大的樹冠中時(shí)怪物才剛剛趕到。現(xiàn)在，她想，

要是那家伙能在樹下徘徊一會(huì)的話，她就有機(jī)會(huì)趁其不備從樹上跳下來割斷它的喉嚨了。露辛迪克想，即便它

真的是用死人造出來的，整個(gè)地切斷它的喉嚨還是應(yīng)該能將它殺死的。可是，就在離樹還有六步遠(yuǎn)的地方，這

個(gè)怪物停下了腳步，抬頭在空氣中嗅了嗅，警惕地環(huán)顧了一下四周。難道它已經(jīng)察覺到了這是個(gè)陷阱？露辛迪

克簡直不敢相信它竟然有如此智能，可它的的確確是在猶豫徘徊。就這樣過了一會(huì)兒，怪物轉(zhuǎn)身離開了露辛迪

克藏身的大樹，哼哼唧唧、一拐一瘸地沒入黑暗的樹叢里。
She had come to the place where she hoped to outwit her pursuer: a tree which she had climbed a

thousand times as a child，and now climbed again，so quickly that by the time the trespasser

came in sight of it she was already concealed in its verdant canopy．Now，she thought，if the

beast would only wander beneath the tree，she could perhaps kill it．Drop out of the branches

and cut open its throat．Even if it was something that was made from mortuary slops，it drew

breath; and if she could open its throat from ear to ear，it would be dead as any other slitted

thing．But about six feet from the tree the creature stopped，and sniffed the air，looking

around suspiciously．Did it sense that there was a trap laid for it here？ She couldn't believe

it had the wit to be so cautious．And yet it had halted，hadn't it？ And now it retreated from

the tree，loosing a low，barely audible noise in its throat，limping off into the darkness．

露辛迪克小心翼翼地?fù)荛_樹枝觀望周圍情況，她聽見從她剛才跑來的地方有什么動(dòng)靜，隱約間好象還有克里奇

痛苦的呻吟聲。上帝啊，不！她痛苦地想道：別讓這個(gè)怪物拿克里奇當(dāng)成誘餌吧……然而，幾分鐘后，她所擔(dān)

心的事情果然應(yīng)驗(yàn)了，那怪物重新出現(xiàn)在荊棘叢中，手里拖著一樣很重的東西。與露辛迪克預(yù)料中一樣，那個(gè)

看上去象個(gè)大麻袋一樣的東西是昏迷了的克里奇，她的情人，短短一會(huì)兒工夫里，他們竟然就被眼前這個(gè)不知

名的魔鬼弄到如此被動(dòng)的境地。
She carefully parted the foliage，to see if she could discover what it was up to．There was some

sound from the direction in which she'd come，and then an audible moan from Kreiger．Oh God，no

，she thought．Don't let the trespasser be smart enough to use Kreiger as bait… Her fears were

realized a moment later，as the creature reappeared between the thorn bushes，dragging a heavy

burden behind him．It was Kreiger，of course．This lover of hers，who was now reduced to little

more than a sack，hauled behind the nameless fiend，had been a terror in his own right not so

long ago．

在克里奇還是個(gè)殺手的時(shí)候他就已經(jīng)憑借自己非凡的武藝穿梭于普利摩頓城中的各個(gè)角落，令人聞風(fēng)喪膽了。

后來，他接受了阿岡尼司帝斯的變形手術(shù)，成為了鐮刀手-梅司特，讓這座城市的統(tǒng)治階層一夜間命喪他的鐮

刀下。可現(xiàn)在，看看他成了什么樣子！他臉上裂開了一道大口子，就好象是這個(gè)怪物用手指從嘴唇（那是露辛

迪克一個(gè)小時(shí)前還親吻過的雙唇啊）里撕開的一樣。身體的其他部分也同樣受過了酷刑折磨：肌肉被生生撕扯

下來，露出森森白骨。大面積的創(chuàng)口造成了大量失血，很難相信克里奇還活著。很顯然，他是在剛才下樓為自

己的愛人采摘玫瑰花時(shí)遭到了突襲，克里奇一定曾全力反擊直到精疲力竭，而偷襲者則很有耐性地在花園里等

待另一個(gè)目標(biāo)的出現(xiàn)，一邊眼睜睜地看著被打敗的獵物流血致死。而情況正如它預(yù)期那般，露辛迪克沒多久就

出現(xiàn)了。毫無疑問，那怪物原本是想給予她致命一擊的，但露辛迪克沒有讓它得逞，于是現(xiàn)在它不得不用克里

奇這個(gè)血淋淋的人質(zhì)來騙她現(xiàn)身了。
As the assassin Zarles Kreiger he'd once haunted the city of Primordium from the shanties to the

chateaus．Then，after the transformation worked upon him by Agonistes，as the Scythe-Meister，

he'd wiped out the ruling class of the city in one scarlet night．But now look at him！ His face

was torn open，as though the fiend had simply put his fingers into Kreiger's mouth （whose lips

Lucidique had kissed an hour before） and ripped it apart like a paper bag．The rest of his body

had been just as cruelly treated; the flesh torn away from its seating，exposing the breastbone

and the ribs and the long bone of his thigh．The loss of blood from these wounds was traumatic．

It was a wonder Kreiger was still alive．But plainly - having been surprised in the garden while

peacefully flower-picking - he'd fought back until he had no strength to fight with，at which

point his attacker had simply waited in the garden while one of its two victims slowly bled to

death，knowing the other would appear given time．And so she had．No doubt the creature had

expected to dispatch her in a heartbeat; now it was obliged to coax her out of her hiding place

with this bloody hostage．

怪物緊緊掐住克里奇的脖子，單手將他提到空中，用力將他的臉象大樹撞去。克里奇的頭無力地垂在脖子上，

雙目深陷，看上去和死了沒什么兩樣。而兇手此刻卻舉起了他的另一只手，朝著露辛迪克躲藏著的方向招了招

手，示意她出來，同時(shí)用手指把克里奇的腦袋前后搖晃起來，就好象他是一個(gè)木偶。看到這樣的場面，露辛迪

克心中的痛苦簡直無法用語言形容，眼前這個(gè)被人想木偶一樣玩弄擺布著的男人曾經(jīng)推翻過一代王朝，改寫了

歷史，他是她的摯愛，她的情人……這一切使她喪失了理智，盡管她清楚的知道樹下的偷襲者有足夠的力量可

以殺掉她，她還是無法看著克里奇在臨死的時(shí)候被人如此羞辱。于是，露辛迪克狂怒地尖叫著跳下枝頭，以迅

雷不及掩耳之勢刺瞎了怪物的雙眼。瞎眼了的怪物不得不丟下手中的人質(zhì)，口中發(fā)出令人毛骨悚然的吼聲。露

辛迪克敏捷地穿過怪物撲騰著的雙臂來到克里奇身邊。他已經(jīng)死了。
It grabbed Kreiger's neck and lifted him up by one hand，thrusting his broken face towards the

tree．Kreiger's head lolled on his neck; his eyes rolled back into their sockets．He was as

close to dead as made no difference．Then his killer lifted its other hand and beckoned to the

woman in the tree．As it did so it twitched Kreiger's head back and forth，like that of a doll．

For Lucidique it was agonizing beyond words to see her lover，a man who had brought down a

dynasty，bobbing around like a ventriloquist's doll．It made her lose all reason．Though she

knew the trespasser below had the physical power to kill her，she could not watch Kreiger's last

moments played out as a humiliating puppet-show．She leapt from the tree with a shriek of rage，

and before the creature could bring down its visor of flesh，she had slit both of its eyes with

her weapon，blinding it．It dropped Kreiger，and let out a roar that sounded pleasingly like

panic．She ducked under its flailing arms and went to Kreiger．He was dead．

露辛迪克回頭看著殺害她情人的兇手，此刻那個(gè)怪物就象是個(gè)受到驚嚇的孩子一般，已經(jīng)從怒吼轉(zhuǎn)為嚎啕大哭

，哭了一會(huì)兒以后慢慢開始低聲嗚咽起來。她原本可以再給予它致命一擊的，或許，在數(shù)次進(jìn)攻之后她甚至可

以取它的性命為克里奇報(bào)仇。但她卻無暇顧及這個(gè)瞎眼怪物了。她必須立即將克里奇轉(zhuǎn)移到什么地方去，或許

還有機(jī)會(huì)能讓他死而復(fù)生。
She glanced back at his killer，who was indeed in a state of child-like terror．His roar had

turned into howls that were close to descending into whimpers．She could have wounded it again

easily enough; and perhaps，after a dozen woundings，or two dozen，she might have claimed its

life．But she didn't have any time to waste with the blinded thing．She needed to take Kreiger

somewhere he had a hope of resurrection．

就這樣，露辛迪克帶著她情人的尸體走進(jìn)沙漠去尋找他們的主人阿岡尼司帝斯（克里奇的身體比她預(yù)計(jì)的要輕

，仿佛這軀體里某些蘊(yùn)涵生命的物質(zhì)已經(jīng)一去不返了，即便是魔法也無力回天）。她努力說服自己不要有這樣

悲觀的念頭，丟下玫瑰花叢中憤怒發(fā)狂的瞎眼怪物，扛著愛人的尸體走到前院，溫柔地將他放進(jìn)馬車廂里，駕

車朝著郊外飛奔而去……
Out into the desert．Out to find Agonistes．She lifted her lover's body up over her shoulders （

he was lighter than she'd expected; troublingly so，as though the mass of his life had gone from

him and would never be returned，even by a miracle）．She would not let such pessimism linger in

her mind however．Leaving the blind trespasser to rage amongst the roses，she headed to the

forecourt of the house．She gently laid the corpse in the back of the car，and then drove out of

the city，in search of a sandstorm．

III

塔利薩克醫(yī)生低頭看著這個(gè)從他體內(nèi)分娩出來的小家伙，他的小孟格里德。他看到自己兒子身上比他漂亮的地

方，但隨后，他也看到了丑陋的地方。這個(gè)小家伙比任何其他出生才五分鐘的生物都要來得獨(dú)立，它開始行走

起來，更確切地說是用它四條纖細(xì)的胳膊爬了起來，同時(shí)，它的口中發(fā)出含糊不清的聲音，仿佛是在自我介紹

。
Talisac looked down at the creature that had spilled from his body: his Mongroid．He'd seen

prettier things，but then he'd seen uglier too．It had more self-reliance than any creature five

minutes old should reasonably have; it walked，crab-like，on four hands; it made rudimentary

attempts to express itself．

塔利薩克醫(yī)生輕輕地呼喚它的名字，就好象在叫條小狗一樣，但那孩子并沒有回答。此刻它被眼前到處都是的

尸體深深吸引了，正用它那翻轉(zhuǎn)過來的腦袋仔細(xì)研究著，聞著這些發(fā)臭的樣品。就塔利薩克醫(yī)生的技術(shù)而言，

孟格里德的頭腦看上去發(fā)育健全。這里面多少有點(diǎn)家族遺傳的因素，醫(yī)生想。他已經(jīng)放棄去吸引它的注意了，

可突然，那小嬰兒的眼睛落在了他的身上，它邁著笨拙可笑的步伐慢慢靠近他，一路上不時(shí)打量房間里的其他

地方，看起來它的思路非常清晰。這是它出生后做出的第一個(gè)判斷：活的和死的。
He called it to him，as he might a dog，but it wouldn't come．It was too interested in the

bodies that lay everywhere about the chamber，examining them with its inverted head，sniffing at

the ranker examples．It seemed to have a well-formed head，as far as Talisac could make out．
There was some family resemblance there，he thought．He had given up trying to draw its

attention，but now - paradoxically - its eyes came to rest on him，and with its ungainly，

sideways gait it approached him．It cast a glance around the charnel house as it did so，and its

thought processes were perfectly clear．It was making the first distinction of its young life:

between the living and the dead．

“非常正確……” 塔利薩克用一種鼓勵(lì)的語氣對它說，“……他們都死了，他們對你已經(jīng)沒什么用了。而我

是唯一一個(gè)你必須幫助的人。我是你的父親。”
"That's right…" Talisac said，attempting an encouraging tone，"…they're dead．They're no use

to you．I'm the one you have to help．I'm your father."

孟格里德究竟聽明白了多少，又或許它一句都沒有聽明白，塔利薩克對此也一無所知。應(yīng)該是聽懂了一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)吧

，他猜想無論如何他們得從頭開始。教育和撫養(yǎng)這個(gè)小家伙必定是件漫長而瑣碎的事情。他曾希望自己能生下

一個(gè)更完美的后代，一個(gè)能夠直接呈獻(xiàn)給蒙特法羅將軍的作品，那樣的話他就能夠得到更多的資助來完成更宏

大的研究計(jì)劃了。現(xiàn)在，他必須先讓將軍見見他的這件作品。雖然這個(gè)從充滿精子和海水的人造子宮中降生的

小家伙遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)沒有達(dá)到他心目中完美邪惡的要求，但這又有什么關(guān)系呢？它只是一個(gè)開始，接著還會(huì)有其他孩子

降生的。現(xiàn)在他所需要做的只是去抓住它，然后解剖一下，查看失敗的原因以便下次不再犯同樣的錯(cuò)誤。就在

離他幾碼遠(yuǎn)的地方，這個(gè)小怪物突然停了下來，低頭開始研究那個(gè)孕育了自己十七個(gè)星期之久的人造子宮。血

依舊從里面汩汩地涌出，淌落到骯臟的地面，只見孟格里德將它翻轉(zhuǎn)過來，深出舌頭開始吮吸流出的液體。
How much of this - if any - the Mongroid understood，Talisac had no idea．Very little，he

guessed．But they had to begin somewhere．It would be a long，weary business，rearing this thing

．He had hoped to give birth to something more praiseworthy; something he could show Montefalco

，and thus be funded for further，more ambitious researches．Now，he would have to do some fast

-talking to get the General to see his vision of things．The crab homunculus produced from his

sac of semen and sea-water was very far from the perfect，vicious child he'd hoped to produce: a

hymn to the glories of testosterone．But never mind，there would be others．In time he'd subdue

this one，and vivisect it to see if he could work out where the errors lay．Then he'd try again

．The creature had come to a halt a few yards away from him，and was studying the sac from which

it had been contained for seventeen weeks．Blood still dripped from it，onto the dirt floor．It

scuttled over and put its tongue to the pool，tasting the fluid．

“不，”塔利薩克厭惡地對它說道：“別這樣。”
"No，" Talisac said，faintly revolted by its display．"Don't do that."

他可不希望這個(gè)怪物有對血或者人肉之類奇怪的嗜好，至少不喜歡它象現(xiàn)在這樣吮吸從他身體里分泌的體液，

更何況他自己還沒有從掛鉤上被放下來呢，這樣的姿勢讓他覺得不太安全。
He didn't want it getting some unnatural appetite; for blood，or flesh，or whatever other juices

ran from him freely as he hung there．He was altogether too vulnerable in his present state．

可是孟格里德看上去好象對禁令之類的事情并不感興趣。它這么做完全是出自本能，而它的本能告訴它這些是

可以吃的食物。它順著血水的源頭象上望去看到了懸掛著的塔利薩克醫(yī)生，這個(gè)曾經(jīng)孕育它的身軀。它的目光

讓醫(yī)生感到非常恐懼，更讓他不安的是怪物那漸漸隆起的腹部，就好象是它正胃口大開準(zhǔn)備好好吃上一頓的樣

子。孟格里德順著醫(yī)生那沾滿血污的袍子慢慢地爬上了他的身體，而他腹部的皮膚依舊在不斷的膨脹。
But the creature wasn't interested in being forbidden anything．It was a creature of instinct，

and its instinct told it that there was a meal to be had here．It traced the source of the pool

to the hanging corpse of flesh that had been its makeshift womb．He didn't like the look in the

creature's eyes at all．Nor did he like the way its belly was distending，as though its aroused

appetite was awaking a change in its anatomy．The Mongroid was pulling on the loose bloody

tatters of his flesh now，its belly skin still swelling obscenely．

“卡米爾！” 塔利薩克醫(yī)生大叫起來，恐懼讓他忘記了女侏儒卡米爾已經(jīng)跟隨蒙特法羅將軍走了，現(xiàn)在他是

孤單一人了。此時(shí)此刻，他就這樣被孤伶伶一個(gè)人吊在半空中晃來晃去，無助地看著他親生子的腹部脹裂成一

張血盆大口，口中是兩排完整而鋒利的牙齒。
"Camille！" Talisac yelled，forgetting in his fear that the dwarf had left in the company of

General Montefalco．He was alone．And now，as he swung there，helpless，the belly of his

offspring split open，revealing a vast mouth，completely arrayed with glistening teeth．

“哦，天啊！我的天啊！”
"Jesus！ Oh Jesus！"

這句話成了塔利薩克醫(yī)生的遺言。
They were the last words Talisac uttered．

孟格里德用它的四條手臂支撐起身體向滑落在地上的子宮爬去，它腹部的那張大嘴吞沒了自己的“母親”后正

慢慢合攏，鋒利的牙齒用力地咀嚼著塔利薩克醫(yī)生的身體。醫(yī)生臨終前的祈禱化成了令人毛骨悚然的尖叫。孟

格里德將滿口的腸子、內(nèi)臟重新吐到地上，再從中挑選出那些可以吃的部分。
Using its four hands to spring up towards the womb from which he had so recently been delivered

，the thing closed its gaping jaws on the groin of its parent，its teeth digging deep into

Talisac's flesh．The cries to Jesus became a solid shriek．The Mongroid took a healthy mouthful

of gut and manhood and womb，and dropped down to the ground again to devour what it had bitten

off．

塔利薩克醫(yī)生的內(nèi)臟從被咬斷了的下身流了出來，五臟六肺灑了一地。這個(gè)圣心救濟(jì)院里的天才醫(yī)生最終沒有

了聲息……
Talisac's innards，with their lower half removed，simply fell out of his body: uncoiling innards

followed by liver and kidneys and spleen．The genius of the Hospice of the Sacred Heart stopped

screaming．

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