百密一疏 Hollowspun

作者：Dana Luery Shaw

卡莎贴着隧道口向外张望，感觉自己正站在世界的尽头。

Kai’Sa peers out from the mouth of the tunnel and feels like she’s standing at the edge of the world.

一道深入地底的大裂谷，阳光也无法触及底端。周围是其他数十条隧道的开口。这些钻进地底深处岩层的隧道，如今暴露在她面前，不时有岩块剥落。

A chasm, so deep that sunlight doesn’t hit the bottom. Surrounding it are the openings of dozens of other tunnels. All are carved into rock that sits deep below the surface, now exposed and crumbling.

曾经，这里栖息着一大窝虚空生物。这些隧道都是它们挖出的地洞，杂乱无章，随意的程度与物质被解构时相类。突然的转角、戛然而止的死路、重叠往复的螺旋……每一条隧道似乎都只是为了“吃掉这个世界”。这就是虚空——没有心智的活体构造，一切行动都遵循战斗、吞噬、破坏的本能，从来不考虑未来。她已经通过无数次猎杀认识到，这些生物再无更复杂的头脑。

Once, this had been home to a vast colony of Void creatures. These had been their burrows, formed with the randomness of unmade matter. Sharp corners, dead ends, coils upon coils... all constructed without a plan beyond “eat the world.” That is the Void—mindless organic machines, driven by instinct to fight and consume and unmake with no thought beyond the present. She’s killed enough to know there is nothing deeper to the creatures than that.

但卡莎现在所处的这个隧道不一样。它并非形成自漫无目的的破坏。它笔直地通往北方，她已经追踪了将近四天。这条隧道，这条走廊，是特意开凿而成的。目标明确。这不合理……

But the tunnel Kai’Sa stands in is different. It is not random unmaking. It is practically a straight line running north, one she’d followed for nearly four days. This tunnel, this passage, was made with intention. With a goal. It doesn’t make sense...

卡莎会找到合理的解释，首先要知道的就是这条走廊通往何处。

Kai’Sa would make it make sense, starting with where this passage led.

于是，她来到了这条大裂谷。

So far, it has led to this chasm.

卡莎检视着对面的洞口。每个石洞都看不出有多深。不过她敢赌上自己的第二层皮肤，其中一个石洞一定和她所在的这个走廊连通。

Kai’Sa eyes the openings on the opposite side. Hard to tell how deep any of them go. But she would bet her second skin that one of them is a piece of the same passage she stands in now.

她活动了一下肩膀。活体铠甲醒来了，将自己的皮肉紧紧贴到她身上。这是她唯一的陪伴，从她很小的时候就和她一起成长。它曾是一只虚灵，那群怪兽杀害了她全家，全村。后来卡莎披上了它的甲壳，成了人们眼中的怪物。但没有这身甲壳，她就无法与虚空战斗，保护这个世界。

She rolls her shoulders. Her living armor wakes, pulling its flesh tightly against her own. It has been her only constant, growing with her from the time she was a little girl. It had been one of the voidling beasts that killed her family, her village. Covered in its carapace, Kai’Sa would always be seen as a monster. But without it, she could not keep the world safe from the Void.

没有它，她就会化为虚无。

Without it, she would be nothing.

双肩上鳞片层叠的荚囊收缩绷紧，随着她选好第一个目标，嵌在荚囊上面的晶体开始发出荧光。晶体不断升温，挤出一发电浆飞弹，瞄准了一处洞口。飞过裂谷用了六秒钟。非常宽。又过了一秒钟，飞弹撞上了转弯。不是这个。不是她要找的洞口。

The scaly pods at her shoulders flex, and the embedded crystals illuminate as she selects her first target. The heat from the crystals spawns a plasma missile; she launches it down the mouth of a tunnel deep below the surface. It takes six seconds to cross the chasm. Massive. Another second, and the missile hits a curve. Nope. Not what she’s looking for.

接下来要做的，就只是瞄准和射击，交替重复。多数飞弹都在一两秒内撞上了墙。但卡莎最不缺的就是耐心。无论还要多长时间，她都奉陪到底。

From here, it’s point and shoot, over and over. Most missiles hit something a second or two in. But Kai’Sa is nothing if not patient. She will go at this as long as it takes.

就在太阳开始落山的时候，她找到了那个隧道。她等到飞弹越过了大裂谷，然后开始计数。一。二。三。

She finds the tunnel she’s looking for just as the sun begins to set. She waits for her missile to cross the chasm, then starts the count. One. Two. Three.

四。五。六。就是它了。这条路就是走廊的下一段。

Four. Five. Six. This is it. This one’s the other end of the passage.

她露出笑容，朝着洞口周围发射了一轮弹幕，作为标记。先前那发飞弹依然还在飞行……直到她听见一声可怕的怪叫，不知是什么东西被击中了。

Grinning, she fires a barrage around the opening to mark it. Her earlier missile is still going... until she hears the horrible screech from whatever it struck.

她收起肩上的荚囊，对折起来隐藏荧光。她安静地等待猎物现身。

She turns her shoulder pods inward, pressing them together to hide their light. She waits silently for her prey to show itself.

又一声怪叫。一只虚灵从洞口钻了出来。在过去的几年里，卡莎一直在对虚灵进行作战、观察和分类。而这一只是她从未见过的种类。这只怪兽的身体光滑圆滚，上面有飞弹留下的伤痕。它张开长长的下颚，身体也跟着变形。它的嘴里长满了透明的细针状牙齿，凶恶地向外突。它的身体两侧不停地扩张收缩，像是在呼吸。

Another screech. A voidling creature emerges from the other side of the passage. Kai’Sa has spent years fighting and observing and cataloging voidlings. This is not one she’s seen before. The creature’s smooth, rounded body, injured from her missile, deforms as it opens its long lower jaw. Its mouth is filled with translucent needle-like teeth jutting out at dangerous angles. Its sides expand and contract like it’s breathing.

或是在捕捉气味。她一边想着，一边看着怪物转身。没有眼睛，但依然能找到我。她瞄准的同时，太阳从地平线落下。那只虚灵开始……发光。有什么东西——舌头？——从它嘴里伸了出来，放出柔和的蓝光，就像是人类挖掘的矿坑里的挂灯。从来没见过这样的虚灵。她注意到，它身上的伤口也在发光。

Or taking in scent, she thinks as it turns. No eyes, but it can still find me. She takes aim as the sun dips below the horizon. The voidling begins... to glow. Something—a tongue?—emerges from its mouth and emits a soft bluish light, looking like the hanging lamps in humans’ mines. Haven’t seen a voidling do that before. She notices that its injury is glowing, too.

那就叫它“荧灯”吧。她射出了一枚飞弹。荧灯换了个姿势。它发出一声高亢悠长的鸣叫，躲开了卡莎的打击。该死。卡莎再次瞄准射击。

Guess I’ll call it a Lamplight. She lets a missile fly. The Lamplight’s posture changes. It lets out a high, sustained shriek and dodges Kai’Sa’s blast. Dammit. Kai’Sa lines up another shot.

它身后的那个隧道突然被蓝光照亮。上千只荧灯冒了出来。它们全都张开嘴，舌头吐在空中发出亮光。卡莎强迫自己放缓呼吸。她曾处理过更棘手的状况。全都聚在一起。很好。卡莎放出一轮弹幕，希望可以一举消灭所有虚灵。

The entire tunnel behind it blooms with blue light. Hundreds of Lamplights join the first, mouths open, tongues raised and glowing. Kai’Sa forces herself to breathe slowly. She’s fought worse odds. All in one spot. Excellent. Kai’Sa unleashes a barrage, hoping to take out all the voidlings at once.

就在飞弹簇穿过大裂谷的时间里，那些虚灵像沙尘被吹散一般，在岩壁上铺展开来。弹体从它们身边呼啸而过。

In the time it takes the missiles to cross, the voidlings spill out like dust, clinging to the walls of the chasm as the barrage whistles past them harmlessly.

什么……

What...

由那只受伤的荧灯带头，所有虚灵开始一致行动。向卡莎袭来。

Led by the injured Lamplight, they move as one. Toward Kai’Sa.

……搞什么鬼？

... the hell?

她双手高举，向着蜂拥而至的虚灵快速射击。有一些荧灯被击中了，但并不足以造成明显的数量削减。而它们已经跑过了四分之一的距离。卡莎迅速环顾周围。没有太多选择：据守洞口；沿着走廊后撤；跳下去拼命；试着向上爬，到地面上战斗；

She raises her hands and fires rapidly at the swarm. She hits a few, but not enough to make a dent in their numbers. And they are already a quarter of the way to her. Kai’Sa looks around wildly. Not many options. Fight from her current location. Run back down the passage. Take her chances and dive down. Try to climb, fight them from the surface.

她抬头瞥一眼，又打量了一下虚灵群。它们已经跑过一半了。要向上爬。卡莎左右交替朝上方射击——每个弹孔都是她抓握和踩踏的扣点。她将自己拉离地面，开始向上攀爬。

She glances above, then at the swarm. They’re halfway around. Climb. Kai’Sa shoots into rock four times in a zigzag—one for each of her hands to grip and her feet to balance. Pulling herself up, she begins the climb.

射击、抓扣、拉升。射击、抓扣、拉升。卡莎以最快速度攀爬。肩上的荚囊不停地向虚灵群射击。它们已经很近了，但卡莎的节奏很好。她已经爬完了一半的距离，很快就能到——

Shoot, grab, pull. Shoot, grab, pull. As fast as she can, Kai’Sa makes her path. Her shoulder pods shoot at the swarm. They’re near, but Kai’Sa’s pace is good. She’s more than halfway to the—

她的手摸到了沙子。

And her hand hits sand.

她再次射击。飞弹打中一片空洞，射穿了沙层，立刻有沙子流出来填补空洞。没有可以抓握的凹点了。她能直接跳出去吗？卡莎咬紧牙，扭头看向那些怪物。如果她要死在这，那就要最后再多杀几只。

She shoots again. There’s nothing for her missile to pierce. It blows through the sand, and more seeps down to fill in the empty spot. There’s nothing to grab. Can she jump the rest of the way? Jaw clenched, Kai’Sa turns toward the monsters. If she’s going to die, she’ll take as many of them with her as she can.

突然，虚灵周围的岩壁出现了裂缝。

Suddenly, the wall around the voidlings cracks.

随后崩塌了。

And crumbles.

好几百只荧灯和碎石一起掉落下去，被大裂谷的黑暗吞没。只有三只还在向着卡莎冲刺。这个数量她可以应付。它们已经很近了，她甚至可以看到它们舌头上的棘刺。

Hundreds of Lamplights drop with the falling stone, their light swallowed by the darkness of the chasm. Only three of them still rush toward Kai’Sa. That’s a number she can handle. They’re close enough that she can see barbs on their tongues.

三发光弹射出。两只荧灯跌下去。剩下一只。

Three shots fire. Two Lamplights fall. One left.

它布满棘刺的舌头抽中了卡莎的肋骨。她撞到岩壁上，护甲之下的肋骨断了几根。她挣扎着吸进一口气，护甲外皮开始修复她的损伤。她用左手抓住岩壁，右手抓住怪物没长棘刺的舌根。紫色的能量急剧涌出。荧灯的舌头在她手上融化。它尖叫着后撤。卡莎耐心瞄准。

It smacks its thorny tongue against Kai’Sa’s ribcage. Her ribs crack beneath her armor as she slams against the rock. She struggles to take a breath while the suit repairs over her injury. Gripping the wall with her left hand, she grabs the creature’s tongue just below the barbs with her right. Violet power surges. The Lamplight’s tongue melts around her hand. Screaming, it backs away. Kai’Sa takes aim.

这一次，她没有射偏。

This time, she doesn’t miss.

好的。卡莎喘了口气。好的。下一步。她必须想办法到地面上去。

Okay. Kai’Sa breathes. Okay. Next step. She’ll have to find a way to the surface.

这时她才注意到，沙墙上凸出一块方方正正的岩石。

That’s when she notices the stone cube sticking out from the sand.

刚才还没有的。卡莎伸手去抓——正好符合她手掌大小。她试着把体重转移到那只手上。石块很稳固。她禁不住好奇，侧过身向上张望。大约每隔一臂的长度，就又出现一个方形岩突。这突如其来的好运，过后再去质疑吧。

That wasn’t there before. Kai’Sa reaches out and grabs—it is exactly the right size for her hand. She tests part of her weight on it. It holds. Curious, she leans to one side and looks farther up. Jutting out every armspan or so is another one of these stone cubes. She’ll question this turn of good luck later.

卡莎一步一步向上攀登，最后爬出了地面。她借着月光环顾四周，没有看见任何地标，只有沙丘和峭壁。远处正扬起一场沙暴。她望向谷底。如果用力看的话，似乎可以辨认出光亮……

Kai’Sa scrambles up, one cube at a time, until she’s out. Looking around in the moonlight, she sees no landmarks, just dunes and rocky cliffs. A sand storm kicks up in the distance. She glances down into the chasm. If she squints, she can almost make out a glow...

风声渐大。沙暴正在迅速靠近。。她转身面向狂风。在风暴的中心，是……

The wind gets loud. Storm’s approaching fast. She turns to face it. At the center of the storm is...

一个姑娘？

A girl?

卡莎脚下的地面突然炸开，她被抛上了半空。卡莎朝着风暴的方向，一只手挡住断裂的肋骨。同时调整姿态，将双肩的荚囊折到身前，像攻城锤一样架好。如果她的对手打算靠这样拉近距离，那就是大错特错。

The ground explodes under Kai’Sa’s feet. She hurtles through the air toward the storm, an arm in front of her broken ribs. She shifts position mid-air, her shoulder pods folding in front of her like a battering ram. If Kai’Sa’s attacker wants to bring her closer, that’s their mistake.

有什么东西缠住了她的荚囊和手腕，把她重重地拽倒在地上。她的肋骨火烧火燎，而且是头部着地，头盔也裂开了。

Something wraps around her shoulder pods and wrists, pulling her down, slamming her to the ground. Her ribs feel like they’re on fire, and her helm cracks where her head meets the earth.

她站起来，两只手腕挣脱束缚。一条红色围巾滑落，上面还嵌着小石子。她低吼一声，把双手点亮。

She gets to her feet and forces her wrists apart. A red scarf, studded with stones, falls away. With a guttural yell, she sets her hands alight.

可她看到那个姑娘一脸的惊讶和恐惧，便停住了动作。虽然已经过了这么些年，但每当有人看她的目光像是在看待一头怪物，都会让她想起自己小时候。

She’s stopped by the look of surprise and horror on the girl’s face. Even all these years later, she is still taken aback when someone looks at her and sees only a monster.

要坚强，卡莎。她再次举起双手，准备攻击。

Push past it, Kai’Sa. She brings her hands up again, ready to attack...

“你是人类？”

“You’re human?”

卡莎意识到她正透过头盔上的裂口与那个姑娘对视。原来是这样。

Kai’Sa realizes she’s looking at the girl through the crack in her helm. Oh.

“你……能看见我？”都一样的。人类始终都害怕她，就算知道她是同类也一样害怕。不过这个姑娘的表情却让卡莎产生了一丝不切实际的希望。或许这一次不一样。卡莎小心翼翼地让头盔向后蜕去，露出完整的面庞。

“You... see me?” It doesn’t matter. Humans are always afraid of her, whether or not they know she is one of them. But the girl’s expression gives Kai’Sa a foolish hope. Maybe this time could be different. Cautiously, Kai’Sa lets the helm pull away from her head, revealing the rest of her true face.

那个姑娘两腿一软，跪坐在地。卡莎感到喉头有些发紧。“对不起。”那个姑娘说，“我以为你是——”

The girl drops to her knees, and Kai’Sa’s breath catches in her throat. “I am so sorry,” the girl says. “I thought you were—”

“怪物？”

“A monster?”

“呃，对啊。”那个姑娘指了指大裂谷，“一般人在这样的地陷里都很难活命。”她目不转睛地看着卡莎的第二层皮肤，“而且你看上去也……不太像人类。除非仔细看。”

“Well, yeah.” The girl gestures toward the chasm. “People tend not to survive long in these collapses.” She gazes at Kai’Sa’s second skin. “And you don’t... look human? At first glance.”

那个姑娘并非像她想象的那么年轻，而是应该和她自己差不多大，甚至还要年长一点。卡莎眼看着那条围巾抵着边缘的石子自己立了起来。“石头，”她轻声说，“你能控制石头。”姑娘点点头，那条围巾像是被魔法操控一般，自行围到她脖子上。“是你在沙墙上制造出了方形的岩块。”

The girl is not as young as she’d thought; she must be around her own age, or older. Kai’Sa stares as the scarf lifts from the ground by its stony ends. “The stones,” she says quietly. “You control the stones.” The girl nods as the scarf wraps itself around her neck as though by magic. “You made those cubes come out of the sand.”

那个姑娘耸耸肩，笑着说，“我能感知到有人正在下边与那群怪兽混战。所以我想试着帮忙。”她的笑容渐渐散去，“我已经这样好几星期了。还是好几个月？数不清了。”

The girl shrugs, smiling. “I could feel someone was down there with those monsters. So I tried to help.” Her smile slips. “It’s all I’ve been doing for weeks now. Months? Hard to keep track.”

卡莎眨眨眼，好像进了沙子。除了我还有别人也在对抗虚空。她心里想道，虽然方式不同，但……“你是谁？”

Kai’Sa blinks, eyes suddenly stinging. Someone else is fighting the Void, she realizes. Not the same way I am, but... “Who are you?”

姑娘的笑容又回来了。“我叫塔莉垭。”

The smile returns. “My name is Taliyah.”

两人来到了塔莉垭的营地，迎接她们的是跳动的火光。不过真正吸引卡莎的是烤肉的香味。她有点意外，塔莉垭居然没有自己先回来提醒其他人，叫他们不要害怕怪物。她并不会怪罪他们的恐惧，毕竟她的活体盔甲正在因为饥饿而颤抖，随时想要吞噬旁边靠得太近的人。

一座座帐篷，由织物碎片和坚硬的石板拼凑而成，看样是塔莉垭造的。营地里一共三十多人，多数是老人和儿童，正围坐在中心的篝火边。他们看她的那种眼神——一个个默不作声，瞪大眼睛，弓背耸肩——熟悉得令她害怕。

那是恐惧。卡莎没有与任何人对视。免得他们不自在。但其实，她是怕自己不自在。

Dancing firelight greets the two women as they enter Taliyah’s camp, but it’s the scent of roasting meat that holds Kai’Sa’s attention. She’s surprised that Taliyah doesn’t go first to warn the others not to be afraid of the monster. Not that she could blame them when her living armor rumbles with hunger, ready to devour anyone who gets too close.

塔莉垭张开双臂向大家介绍卡莎，随后声情并茂地讲述她们如何相遇。人群中唯一的动静是跳动的火光。塔莉垭讲完故事后，人们的反应只有静止和沉默。

The tents, cobbled from scraps of fabric and solid slabs of rock, look like Taliyah’s work. A group of thirty or forty, mostly children and elders, surround a large firepit at the center of the camp. The way they look at her—silently, with wide eyes and hunched shoulders—is horribly familiar.

“我可以走。”卡莎喃喃地说。

Fear. Kai’Sa doesn’t meet anyone’s gaze. It’s for their comfort. But really, it’s for her own.

塔莉垭摇摇头，“你受伤了。我怎么能让你饭也不吃觉也不睡就走呢。不可以。”

Taliyah’s arms are open wide as she introduces Kai’Sa, diving into a dramatic retelling of their meeting. The only movement in the crowd is the flickering of flames. Stillness, and silence, is their only response as Taliyah finishes her tale.

一个围着红斗篷的孩子站了起来，个头有她一半高，“你确定她是人类吗？”他眯缝着眼睛仔细看，“没准这是某种伪装。”两个年长一些的女孩把他拉回到座位上，他几乎是向后躺着倒下去的。

“I don’t have to stay,” Kai’Sa mumbles.

塔莉垭大笑一声，“你见过会笑的虚空怪物吗，萨米？”她反问道。“没见过。”

Taliyah shakes her head. “You’re injured. I can’t send you back out there when you haven’t eaten or rested. I won’t.”

所有人都满怀期待地看向卡莎。她尽全力做出一个大概是微笑的表情，同时双唇紧闭，意思是她不吃人。似乎没有吓坏小孩子。算是成功。

A child half her height, a red cowl wrapped around his shoulders, stands. “You sure she’s human?” He squints. “Maybe it’s just some kinda disguise.” He almost falls backward from the force of two older girls pulling him down into his seat.

那个叫萨米的小男孩又站了起来。“好吧。”他一边说着一边向卡莎走过来。他递过来一串吃了一半的肉串。“我吃过的沙蝣蛇，你不会嫌弃吧？”

Taliyah laughs. “Have you seen a Void monster that can smile, Samir?” she retorts. “I haven’t.”

Everyone looks at Kai’Sa expectantly. She does her best approximation of a smile, close-lipped so as not to look too aggressive. It doesn’t seem to scare the children. A victory.

The boy, Samir, stands again. “Fair enough,” he says as he walks toward Kai’Sa. He offers her a half-eaten piece of meat on a stick. “Want the rest of my sandsnake?”

卡莎接过肉串，所有人似乎都松了一口气。她从签子上扯下肉块，嚼都没嚼一下就直接吞下去。她的盔甲发出满足的呼噜声。扎伊法，那个年长一些、辫子里穿着玉珠的女孩，又分给了卡莎几串肉。这一次，卡莎稍稍放慢了速度，品味到了肉桂、柠檬和乌-嗒哇莓。

Everyone else seems to breathe easier as Kai’Sa accepts the food. She rips the meat from the stick and swallows without chewing, her suit purring in relief. Zaifa, one of the older girls with jade beaded through her hair, offers her more. This time, Kai’Sa slows down enough to appreciate the flavoring of cinnamon, sour lemon, and smoky ul-tawaat berries.

这个味道勾起了回忆，曾经和父母一起的生活，父亲在明火上做饭，母亲用研杵捣碎乌-嗒哇……

The taste brings back old memories, of life with her parents, of her father cooking over an open flame while her mother ground the ul-tawaat with her pestle...

卡莎摇摇头回过神来——陷入那些回忆没有任何好处。她其实不需要休息，吃的东西已经足够让肋骨开始愈合。

Kai’Sa shakes her head to clear her mind—no good can come from dwelling in those memories. She really doesn’t need the rest, and she’s already eaten enough for her ribs to start healing.

整座营地的气氛已经放松下来，人们边吃边聊。有人已经敢背对着她。这个举动意味着信任。而且塔莉垭眼神中的希望是确凿无疑的。请留下。那双眼睛应该是在说，别急着离开我们。

But the camp has already started to relax, with people chatting over their own meals. Some have even turned their back to her. A show of trust. And the hope in Taliyah’s eyes is unmistakable. Please stay, they seem to say. Don’t leave us yet.

“我多待一阵子吧。”她做出了让步。“养伤。”

“I’ll stay awhile,” she concedes. “To heal.”

那条走廊反正明天也还在那个地方。

The passage will still be there tomorrow.

这晚，卡莎放纵地沉浸在食物和故事中。每个人都有故事可讲。年幼一些的孩子讲他们的家如何陷入黄沙，他们如何想念双亲和兄弟姐妹，他们如何希望与家人团聚。

Through the night, Kai’Sa indulges in both food and stories. Everyone has a tale to tell. The younger children speak of how their homes fell into the sand, how much they miss their parents and siblings, how they hope to reunite with them soon.

他们都死了。被虚空杀了。我的家人就是如此。卡莎没有把心里想的说出来。

They are dead. Killed by the Void, as my own family was. Kai’Sa does not say what she is thinking.

一些老人说起了那些太阳赐福的飞升战士。另一些人讲述了末代皇帝的故事，还有他死后接踵而至的乱世。扎伊法说起了被黑暗侵染的飞升者，如何堕入疯狂与邪恶。没有一个故事听着像是真的，但卡莎始终认真地听着。

Some of the elders speak of the sun-blessed Ascended warriors. Others tell the story of the last emperor, and the chaos that followed his death. Zaifa describes the darkness that infected the Ascended and drove them to madness and evil. None are believable, but Kai’Sa listens intently.

另一个稍微年长、带着岩石臂环的女孩，卡迪拉。她讲述了最离奇的一个故事。她说有一个地方叫佐兰，在可哈丽塞的另一端，已经在魔法的保护下存续了千年。“据说那里是一片乐土。”她叹息道，“有书库，有花园，还有清澈的水，看到多远就流到多远。每个人都是安全的，什么都不用怕。”

The story told by Kadira, an older girl with rocky arm braces, is by far the most outlandish. She talks of a place called Xolan, across the Sai Kahleek, that has been magically protected for millennia. “It is said to be a paradise,” she sighs. “With libraries, and gardens, and water that flows as far as the eye can see. And everyone is safe, without fear.”

卡莎发现卡迪拉和孩子们都在看她，这时才意识到自己刚才不由自主地发出了轻蔑的哼笑。“虚空当前，没有哪个地方是安全的。”卡莎说，“尤其在可哈丽塞的旁边。肯定是瞎编的。”

Kai’Sa does not realize that she has scoffed until Kadira and the children look at her. “No place is safe from the Void,” Kai’Sa says. “Especially so close to the Sai Kahleek. It’s a myth.”

“是真的。”卡迪拉并不退让，“不然你以为我们这是往哪儿赶呢？”

“It’s real,” Kadira insists. “Where do you think we’re all headed?”

卡莎没再说什么，站起来离开了说故事的人们。

Without another word, Kai’Sa stands and leaves the storytellers to their tales.

她发现塔莉垭正靠在一座帐篷旁，跟扎伊法和萨米专注地交谈，照亮他们的更多是月光而非火光。扎伊法用手指在一张摊开的卷轴上划拉着。

She finds Taliyah leaning against one of the tents, deep in conversation with Zaifa and Samir, lit more by moonlight than by firelight. Zaifa traces her finger across an open scroll.

“你们不是真的要去找佐兰。”卡莎并不是反问的语气，“只为了一个故事传说就要横穿可哈丽塞，你们这是在自投罗网。”

“You aren’t actually searching out this Xolan.” Kai’Sa doesn’t frame it as a question. “You’d be putting yourselves in real danger, crossing the Sai Kahleek over a fantasy.”

塔莉垭和扎伊法交换了一下眼神，扎伊法把卷轴递给卡莎——这是东部恕瑞玛的地图。她点着可哈丽塞北侧的一个位置。那是佐兰。正北。和那条走廊的方向一样。卡莎眉头紧锁。

Taliyah exchanges a look with Zaifa, who hands Kai’Sa the scroll—a map of eastern Shurima. She points to a dot to the north of the Sai Kahleek. Xolan. North. The same direction as the passage. Kai’Sa frowns.

“要想给这些人找个能安居的地方，这里最有可能。”塔莉垭耐心讲解道，“他们的家园都被摧毁了，他们的家人也都……四散各地。他们需要看到希望。”

“It’s the best chance we have of finding safety for these people,” Taliyah explains. “Their homes have been destroyed, their families... separated. They need hope that things will be okay.”

“虚假的希望没法救命。面对虚空你只能逃跑，同时祈祷自己跑得足够快。”

“False hope helps no one. When it comes to the Void, the only thing you can do is run and hope you’re fast.”

塔莉垭摇摇头，“如果我们从塞外绕过去，粮食不够吃。如果我们留在原地，粮食不够吃。如果我们原路返回，只能看到一片废墟。我们还能往哪逃？”

Taliyah shakes her head. “If we go around the sai, we’ll run out of food. Stay where we are, we run out of food. Go back, and all we’ll find are the towns that fell. Where else do we run?”

卡莎盯着塔莉垭说，“你知道可哈丽塞里有什么东西吗？有什么吃人的东西吗？”

Kai’Sa stares at Taliyah. “Do you know what lives in the Sai Kahleek? What hunts there?”

“艾克塞。我们都听过那些传说。”

“The xer’sai. We’ve all heard the stories.”

“不。佐兰才是传说。”卡莎说，“艾克塞是真的。我跟它们打过，同时对付好几只。这里就是它们的窝。横穿过去就是自寻死路。”

“No. Xolan is a story,” Kai’Sa says. “The xer’sai are real. I’ve fought them before, many at a time. This is their nest. Trying to cross it is a death sentence.”

“我也跟虚空生物打过。你不会是忘了我怎么救的你吧？”

“I’ve fought Void creatures too. Or did you forget that I saved you?”

“那些不是艾克塞。”

“Those weren’t xer’sai.”

“不管它们是什么，在你束手无策的时候是我击败了它们。”卡莎可以看到塔莉垭下颌咬紧，意志坚决。“如果佐兰是我们唯一的希望，那我就要带领大家到那里去。”

“Whatever they were, I defeated them when you couldn’t.” Kai’Sa can see determination in the set of Taliyah’s jaw. “If Xolan is our only hope, then that’s where I’m going to lead everyone.”

“再说了，我们已经制定好了计划。”萨米兴高采烈地说，“塔莉垭会在沙地上造起一座桥，或者一面墙，之类的东西，然后我们带着大家一起过去。”

“Besides, we’ve got a plan,” Samir says, excited. “Taliyah’s going to build a bridge or wall or something over the sand, and we’ll take people across together.”

他的年纪和我被虚空夺走时差不多。她开口问，“怎么，你也会控制石头？”

He can’t be that much older than I was when the Void took me. Aloud, she asks, “What, can you move stone too?”

“我可是个一流的石蜢。”萨米露出自信的笑容，“给我一块滑沙板，那帮怪兽都得在我后边吃土。要是它们穷追不舍？”他模仿着地面爆炸的样子，“塔莉垭就用石爆把它们打退。”

“I’m the best rock hopper you’ve ever met,” Samir says with a confident grin. “None of those monsters can move as fast as my sandboard. And if they try?” He mimes a blast from the ground. “Taliyah drives ’em back with some rock-splosions.”

“你什么都不懂。”卡莎狠狠地说。萨米的笑脸垮了下去。“它们都是雷克塞生出来的怪物……它们唯一会的就是吞噬。有东西敢挡在它们前面？那就都没了。”她逼近萨米：“如果它们听到你的动静，你就成了它们的猎物。它们根本不会停下，迟早要咬住你的骨头。”

“You sound like a child,” Kai’Sa spits. Samir’s smile drops. “The children of Rek’Sai... all they do is devour. Anything that gets in their way? Gone.” She leans in close. “When they hear you, they hunt you. They don’t stop until their teeth close around your bones.”

“你吓唬他干什么。”扎伊法用责备的语气说着，轻轻扶稳萨米的肩膀。

“You’re scaring him,” Zaifa accuses as she puts a steadying hand on Samir’s shoulder.

“没错，就是要让他知道害怕。”

“Good. He should be.”

“那就跟我们一起来吧。”塔莉垭信心满满地说，“你可以帮忙来保护大家。”

“So come with us,” Taliyah says confidently. “You can help keep everyone safe.”

“不。因为你们不能走。”卡莎指着萨米说，“你不能让这些孩子去找死。他们必死无疑。我劝你们绕道走塞外的路。能带几个就带几个。跟不上的人就甩掉，省下来的粮食可以——”

“No. Because you’re not going.” Kai’Sa points to Samir. “You are not putting these children in that kind of danger. They’ll die. Make your way around the sai. Take as many as you can. Leave the slowest behind, use their rations to—”

“不可能！”萨米顶撞到卡莎面前，抬起头怒目而视，“塔莉垭会保护大家。我会保护大家。”他气鼓鼓地说，“我要帮助所有人，他们所有人都将抵达终点，因为……因为他们每个人的生命都有意义。”他跺着脚走向篝火，扎伊法跟着追过去。

“We won’t!” Samir stands toe to toe with Kai’Sa, glaring up at her. “Taliyah will protect us. I will protect us.” He puffs out his chest. “I’m going to help these people, and they’re all going to make it across because... because each of their lives means something.” He stomps back toward the firepit, with Zaifa chasing after him.

“这是你唯一的胜算。”卡莎静静地说，“否则，你就会害死所有人。”

“It’s your only chance,” Kai’Sa says quietly. “Otherwise, you’re condemning them all to death.”

“不。”塔莉垭走到卡莎面前，不让她移开目光，“我们这个世界就是一张挂毯，每个生命都是一根不同颜色的丝线。我们每个人的存在都让这个世界更美好。”

“No.” Taliyah steps in front of Kai’Sa, refusing to let her look away. “Our world is a tapestry, and every life is a thread of a different color. Each one makes the whole more beautiful.”

呜呃。比喻修辞。“那虚空就是一把火。”卡莎反驳道，“它碰到什么就破坏什么。如果你的挂毯着了火，就会被彻底烧光……除非你把带火星的丝线切断。那样你还能救下大半张。”

Ugh. Metaphors. “Then the Void is a flame,” Kai’Sa replies. “It unmakes everything it touches. If your tapestry catches fire, the entire thing will burn... unless you cut the smoldering threads away. Then you still save most of it.”

“你错了。断掉的线头会成为缺口，最后让挂毯脱丝散架。”阳光从天边洒来，塔莉垭眼中泛起金光。“我不愿放弃任何人。”

“You’re wrong. Any threads that drop make it all unstable, easy to unravel.” Sunlight appears at the horizon, and Taliyah’s eyes flash gold. “I’m not willing to let any of them go.”

营地里的人们在睡眠中度过了炙热的白天。卡莎在日落几小时前醒来。人们背上行囊，卷起铺盖，准备上路。孩子们负责发放干面包片和奶酪。她不经意间听到一个孩子拽着卡迪拉的罩袍害羞地问，她能不能帮忙把“吓人姐姐”的食物送过去。

The camp sleeps through the heat of the day. Kai’Sa wakes a few hours before sunset. People shoulder packs and gather bindles, ready to move on. Children hand out flatbreads and cheese. She overhears as a child pulls at Kadira’s robe and shyly asks if the older girl could take “the scary lady” her food.

塔莉垭把石砌的结构推倒埋回土里，几乎没有留下他们来过的痕迹。卡莎看着这一切，小口地揪着面包慢慢吃，舍不得马上吃完。

Taliyah collapses the stone structures back into the earth, leaving little sign that they were ever there. Kai’Sa watches and nibbles at her bread, trying to make it last.

“我猜你应该没有改主意。”塔莉垭说，“你会和我们一起走。”卡莎看到她眉头上渗出一层汗。她的体力消耗很大，只是在假装轻松。

“I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind,” Taliyah says, “and decided to join us.” Kai’Sa sees the sheen of sweat on the girl’s brow. This exhausts her more than she lets on.

“不。我得去一个地方。”她叹息一声，“而你也没有改主意。”

“No. I have somewhere else to go.” She sighs. “And you haven’t changed yours.”

塔莉垭耸耸肩，“我也得去一个地方。”她回头继续操纵石块。“我很失望。你对付虚空生物的本领……可以帮助这些人。”

Taliyah shrugs. “I have somewhere to go, too.” She turns back to her work. “I’m disappointed. You know what you’re doing with these Void monsters. You could help these people.”

我能提供的最大帮助，就是查清楚那条虚空走廊是什么东西挖的。挖走廊的东西是有目的的……这很可怕。但她并没有说出口。她只是说，“我希望你能靠自己帮助他们。”

The best way I can help is to figure out what made that Void passage. It was made with a purpose in mind... and that scares me. But she doesn’t say that. Instead, she says, “I hope you can help them yourself.”

那条走廊和之前一样：笔直向前。

The passage proceeds much as it had earlier: in a straight line.

只是现在感觉更孤独了。卡莎怀疑自己不应该和塔莉垭待那么久。她大半个人生都是独自度过的。只有她自己一人，面对地下深处的虚空怪兽。她此前从未意识到，做一个普通人的感觉这么好。

Except it feels lonely now. Kai’Sa wonders if she shouldn’t have spent so much time with Taliyah. She’s been alone for more than half her life, just her and the Void monsters that dwell below the surface world. She didn’t realize how good it would feel to be a person again.

她与自己的思绪为伴，几乎无法感知时间的流逝。不多久，她看到了更旧的隧道，许许多多巨大的坑洞穿过这条走廊的外壁，通向别处。是艾克塞的隧道。我已经来到可哈丽塞的地底。不过依然看不到也听不到任何艾克塞的踪迹。

Alone with her thoughts, she hardly notices the time pass. Soon, she sees older tunnels, enormous holes punctuating the passage walls and leading elsewhere. Xer’sai tunnels. I’m below the Sai Kahleek. But she still doesn’t see or hear any xer’sai.

她在其中一条隧道的远方看到一处淡蓝色的光亮。卡莎不发出任何声音，不做任何多余动作，探头望向洞口里的黑暗。

She spots a bluish glow down one of the tunnels. Quietly, and with as little motion as possible, Kai’Sa peers down the opening into the darkness.

她看见几只体型较小的艾克塞，她此前见过这个品种，也起过名字。这是一群“怪嚎”，是一种肢体纤细的二足怪兽，长了四只能张嘴的爪子，此刻正在相互小声鸣叫。它们的嚎叫声能够穿透沙层，把其他艾克塞叫过来一起狩猎。它们身边站着几只长着尖刺的幼体，现在的体型就已经超过了怪嚎，还要继续长到更大。这些艾克塞一起围成圈，中间是几十只荧灯。

She sees a few smaller xer’sai of a kind that she has encountered and named before. A group of Callers, reedy bipedal creatures with four prehensile jaw-talons, chirp softly to one another. Their shrieks can cut through the desert, alerting others to the presence of fresh prey. Spiky hatchlings, already larger than the Callers and due to grow much larger still, stand beside them. Together, they encircle dozens of Lamplights.

其中一只身体侧面的蓝色闪光像是烧伤的痕迹。是被我击中的那只，卡莎意识到一个可怕的事实，塔莉垭的手段没能杀死它。可能一只都没杀死。

One of them has a glowing blue mark like a burn on the side of its body. That’s the one I shot, Kai’Sa realizes in horror. Taliyah’s attack didn’t kill it. It might not have killed any of them...

她继续张望，其中一只幼体悄悄走到那只有伤痕的怪兽旁边。它伸出舌头，贴到幼体的犄角上。

As she watches, one of the hatchlings stalks over to the marked creature. It extends its tongue and touches it to the hatchling’s horn.

柔和的蓝光将那只幼体包裹。它开始发光。

A soft blue light engulfs the hatchling. It glows.

那群怪嚎突然发出一阵骚动，卡莎倒抽一口凉气。它们在干什么？她的心跳到嗓子眼，又有几只幼体和怪嚎走到荧灯旁边，接受它们发出的光。它们正在滋补艾克塞吗？她摇摇头整理思绪，然后瞄准那个带伤痕的荧灯。

The sudden chattering of Callers drowns out Kai’Sa’s gasp. What are they doing? Her heart beats in her throat as more hatchlings and Callers go toward the Lamplights to receive their own glow. Are they making the xer’sai more powerful? She shakes her head to clear her thoughts, and takes aim at the marked creature.

无论这是在干什么，我必须阻止它们。

Whatever it is, I’m going to stop them.

这时，轰隆一声，地动山摇。

That’s when a loud boom shakes the earth.

一只巨大的艾克塞——“穿沙角”突然穿透石壁冲了出来，八只眼睛上边顶着一支带锋刃的独角。它下颌骨上的利爪刻进岩石，豁开深深的口子。它每一步都让地面震颤，让猎物恐慌。它发出嘶吼，摇晃着独角横扫荧灯，一下就切开了三只。它们泄了气的躯体流淌出明亮的血液。

An enormous xer’sai Dunebreaker cuts through the stone wall with the bladed horn above its eight eyes. The talons along its jaw scratch into the rock, leaving deep gashes. Every step shakes the ground to drive fear into its prey. It hisses, swiping its horn at the Lamplights. It slices three of them at once, their deflated bodies leaking bright blood.

穿沙角不喜欢这群荧灯。

The Dunebreaker doesn’t like what the Lamplights are doing.

那群荧灯细声尖叫着，向走廊——也就是卡莎这边逃窜。她感到一股熟悉的力量涌上来。她的盔甲变成透明，刚好让荧灯和紧随其后的穿沙角从她面前跑过，奔向北方。穿沙角的独角在走廊顶端划开一道裂口。裂口向内坍陷。

The Lamplights screech and flee toward the passage—toward Kai’Sa. She feels the familiar rush of power as she and her suit become invisible just in time for the Lamplights, then the Dunebreaker, to rush northward past her. The Dunebreaker’s horn rips a deep gash through the top of the passage. It bows inward.

走廊要塌了。

The passage is going to collapse.

她向前疾冲，打算跟在巨型艾克塞身后，保持在它视线范围之外。我要知道走廊通向何处。我必须搞清楚。

She dashes ahead, trying to keep up with the massive xer’sai while it can’t see her. I need to know where this leads. I have to understand.

可随后，从她背后的方向……传来尖叫声。人类的尖叫声。

But then, from somewhere behind her... Screams. Human screams.

卡莎放弃隐身能力，向地面猛冲，任一切在她身后坍塌。她用力眨眼，头盔的面罩开始适应日光下的亮度。扬尘遮挡了视线，落石的碰撞声震耳欲聋，但她依然能听见惊慌失措的人群。她向着那个方向跑去。

Kai’Sa drops her invisibility and dashes up toward the surface before everything crumbles beneath her. She blinks as her helm readjusts to the sunlight. The dust clouds make it hard to see, and the crash of rockfall pierces her ears, but she can still hear the sounds of panic. She runs toward them.

在她面前，是穿沙角割裂走廊以后形成的沟壑。一块巨大的石台正悬在边缘，不过大部分面积都还浮在黄沙上，不肯落入裂缝中。石台上的人们正在喊叫，但有一个身影看着非常冷静。塔莉垭。她的石桥。全靠她在勉力维持。她拼尽全力，双手在颤抖。不过慢慢地，她提起了石台前方，往地面升去。

Ahead of her, she sees the crevasse that formed where the Dunebreaker’s horn tore through the ceiling of the passage. A stone platform is dangling over the edge, though most of it remains on the sand, refusing to fall into the fissure. The people standing atop the platform are screaming, but a lone figure remains calm. Taliyah. Her stone bridge. She’s the only thing keeping it up. Her arms shake from the strain, but slowly, she lifts the front of the platform back toward the surface.

下面传来一个孩子的呼喊声。有人掉进走廊了。

A child’s shout comes from below. Someone fell into the passage.

卡莎奔向塔莉垭。“你快回去！”卡莎说着，看到石桥正在渐渐上升。“下边要塌方了，全都赶紧撤！”

Kai’Sa sprints toward Taliyah. “You need to get back!” she shouts as the bridge rises. “The whole thing is going to collapse beneath you all if you don’t move!”

“萨米还在下边！”塔莉垭喊道。这时石桥终于升上地表，扑通一声落到沙土中。“我不会抛下他！”

“Samir’s down there!” Taliyah screams as the bridge finally makes it to the surface, settling onto the ground with a thud. “I’m not going to leave him!”

她费力地大喊一声，然后一只手在空中用力推。石桥呻吟着一点点往远处蹭，渐渐去到远离塌方的安全地带。然后她纵身跳进了沟壑。

She lets out a strangled yell and pushes against air with one hand. The bridge groans as it scrapes away from her, pushing it a good distance away from the collapse. Then she dives into the crevasse.

卡莎站在边缘凝望下方。如果我不帮忙，她会死在下面。

Kai’Sa stares over the edge. She’s going to die down there if I don’t help her.

卡迪拉和扎伊法从石桥那边跑过来。卡莎对着她们脚下打出一发光弹。

Kadira and Zaifa come running from the bridge. Kai’Sa fires at their feet.

“你干什么？！”卡迪拉大叫一声向后跳去。

“What are you doing?!” Kadira shouts, jumping back.

“那只大艾克塞随时可能会回来。”卡莎说，“去带其他人离开这里。”

“That huge xer’sai could turn back any minute,” Kai’Sa says. “Get the others out of here.”

“除非能确保塔莉垭和萨米的安全，否则我们哪都不去。”扎伊法紧握双拳说道，“我们能帮上你的忙。”

“We’re not going anywhere until we know Taliyah and Samir are safe,” Zaifa says with clenched fists. “We can help you.”

我没时间废话。卡莎心想着，展开了肩上的荚囊，晶体蓄积的能量发出电弧。如果我杀了这两个，其他人就会跑。

I don’t have time for this, Kai’Sa thinks as her shoulder pods unfold, crystals crackling with power. If I kill these two, the others will run.

卡迪拉和扎伊法手牵着手，但她们没有退却。卡莎想起她们在篝火边讲的故事。她们分享给她的食物。她们对她的恐惧，还有那一夜的共处如何消除了恐惧。

Kadira and Zaifa join hands, but they do not move. Kai’Sa remembers the stories they told around the firepit. The food they shared with her. Their fear of her, and how it left them over the course of the night.

……我不想伤害她们。“我下去救他俩。请你们，回到大家身边。他们现在需要的是你们的坚强。”

... I don’t want to hurt them. “I’ll go down and help them. Please, go back to the others. They need someone to be strong for them.”

“好吧。你可一定要把他们带回来。”扎伊法咬着牙说道。随后她便和卡迪拉向石桥跑去。

“Fine. But you have to bring them both back,” Zaifa spits out as she and Kadira run back toward the bridge.

　我会的。我保证。卡莎头也不回地跳进不断扩张的深沟里。

I will. I promise. Without glancing back, Kai’Sa leaps into the growing hollow below.

她双脚重重落地，冲击力足以折断常人的骨头。远处，她看到虚灵发出的光——不仅有荧灯，而且还有它们触碰过的幼体和怪嚎。它们围着一处光滑的半圆形岩石蛋壳。塔莉垭和萨米一定就在那里。

Her feet hit the bottom hard enough to snap any normal person’s bones. In the distance, she sees glowing voidlings—not just the Lamplights, but the hatchlings and Callers they’ve converted—surrounding a smooth stone dome. That must be where Taliyah and Samir are.

她听到远处传来一阵微弱的轰隆声。穿沙角回头了。她意识到，如果它的目标是荧灯……那肯定会追到这里。

She hears a subtle shift in the rumbling sound from afar. The Dunebreaker’s turned around, she realizes. If it’s after the Lamplights... it’ll be coming right back here.

卡莎唤醒了活体盔甲的每一寸力量。她的手腕被紫色的光芒环绕，随后光芒消失——卡莎再次进入隐身。

Kai’Sa digs deep into the power of her living armor. Her wrists are surrounded by violet light, until they’re not. Invisible again.

她向怪嚎开火。五只怪物一声没吭就死了。几只幼体转过身，寻找袭击的来源。只有那些盲眼的荧灯，能够通过气味感知到她的存在。还没等它们确定她的具体位置，她就已经解决了所有幼体。

She fires on the Callers. All five die without making a sound. The hatchlings turn, looking for the source of the attack. Only the blind Lamplights, tasting the air, can sense her. Before they can pinpoint her, she’s already taken out the hatchlings.

现在她有麻烦了。几十只荧灯向她冲过来。她遁入隐身状态，以最快速度跑开。

Now she’s in trouble. Dozens of Lamplights rush toward her. She fades back into visibility and dashes away as fast as she can.

只过了几秒钟，它们就追了过来。她胡乱射击，只有少数几只倒下。一只怪兽碰到了她的脚踝，用舌头上的棘刺划破了她的护甲。她试着躲开后续的攻击，扑倒在地。但它们从四面八方袭来，制造伤口的速度远超过她的护甲的自我缝合能力。她的双臂、双腿、脸颊都在滴血。鲜血淌进她嘴里，带来一股强烈的青铜味道……

They’re on her in a matter of seconds. She fires wildly, but only a few of them drop. One catches her by the ankle, slicing through her suit with the barbs on its tongue. She falls as she attempts to dodge more attacks. But they slice at her from all sides, faster than her suit can knit itself back together. Blood drips from her arms, her legs, her cheek. She tastes the tang of copper as it runs over her lips...

然后地上不知是什么东西爆炸了。荧灯全都被远远地崩飞了出去。

And then something explodes from beneath. The Lamplights are propelled back and away.

它们愣住了，不知发生了什么。卡莎望向它们后方。岩石后探出了塔莉垭的脑袋。她正在叫喊着什么。卡莎的头盔开始重组。她听到塔莉垭在喊，“往我这跑！”

They pause, confused. Kai’Sa looks beyond them. Taliyah’s head pokes through the top of the dome. She’s shouting something. Kai’Sa’s helm reforms, and she hears Taliyah shout, “Come toward me!”

卡莎团身半蹲，“推我一把！”

Kai’Sa crouches. “Give me a running start!”

她脚下的地面爆开，推着她飞到空中，越过那群虚灵，飞向塔莉垭。她用没受伤的那只脚落地，准备狂奔——但跑不起来。她只好继续依赖铠甲的力量，让它吸收她的储备能量，加速脚踝的愈合。她无法维持长时间的奔跑。

The earth explodes beneath her, propelling her through the air, over the voidlings and toward Taliyah. She lands on her good ankle, and tries to sprint—she can’t. So she dips back into her suit’s power, letting it drain her reserves of energy to speed the healing of her ankle. She can’t run for long.

但她要让自己的每一步都有价值。

But she’ll try to make it count.

怪物们越来越近，塔莉垭再一次将卡莎推向自己。这一次她落脚的地面不一样，地上冒起了锐利的凸起。卡莎从上面跑过，想让那些荧灯跟着自己，别把塔莉垭当做目标。冲在最前面的那一只带着她留下的伤疤，眼看就又要碰到她……

As the monsters get closer, Taliyah propels Kai’Sa toward her again. The ground she lands on is different, with sharp bumps dotting the earth. Kai’Sa runs over them, trying to get the Lamplights to follow her rather than go toward Taliyah. The one in front bears her mark, and gets close enough to reach for her again...

它突然被炸成碎片，发光的血液溅了一地。卡莎惊讶地停下脚步。

An explosion tears it to pieces, staining the earth with glowing blood. Kai’Sa stops in shock.

“接着跑！”塔莉垭喊道，“跑哪哪炸！”

“Keep running!” Taliyah shouts. “That’s what triggers the explosions!”

于是她开始绕着塔莉垭奔跑。

So she does, circling around Taliyah.

几只荧灯逐渐接近。塔莉垭的“石爆”炸穿了它们。其他怪物似乎吸取了教训，慢了下来，但这样它们就成了卡莎的靶子。

A few Lamplights get too close. Taliyah’s “rock-splosions” tear through them. The others seem to learn, slowing down, but they become a target for Kai’Sa’s missiles.

没用多久，它们的数量就明显减少。但隆隆的声音越来越大，穿沙角就要跑回来了。我们时间不多了。

It doesn’t take long to thin their ranks. But the rumbling grows louder as the Dunebreaker bores its way back. We don’t have much time.

只剩下三五只。卡莎站在岩石蛋壳附近，体力透支，用最后的能量射出一轮飞弹。由于忌惮雷区而放慢了速度，每一只虚灵都被飞弹击中了。

There’s only a handful left. Kai’Sa stands near the dome, exhausted, and fires the last missiles she has the energy to make. Slowed by the minefield, each voidling takes the hit.

她露出笑容，看向塔莉垭。这姑娘面色煞白，被尘土呛的连连咳嗽。她一只手臂搂着萨米颤抖的肩膀，而他则在努力搀扶她站立。

Grinning, she turns to Taliyah. The girl is pale, coughing from the dust in the air. Her arm is around a frightened Samir’s shoulders, as he struggles to keep her upright.

“我不行……”塔莉垭费力地喘息，“地面……不稳定。没法一直维持……”

“I can’t...” Taliyah pants. “The ground... It’s unstable. Can’t keep holding it up...”

卡莎抱起塔莉垭。她示意萨米爬上她后背，然后向着沟壑的侧壁跑过去。我已经没力气了。不知道我能不能带着这两个人冲到地面上。

Kai’Sa takes Taliyah in her arms. She beckons for Samir to cling to her back, then runs toward the walls of the hollow. I’m at my limit. I don’t know if I can make it up to the surface like this.

突然，塔莉垭从卡莎的怀抱中扭开，一跃而起，从她脚下召唤出一块拔地而起的石台。她拽着卡莎，带着他们一起弹上去。在快到地面的时候，她力量用尽。卡莎和塔莉垭抓住边沿，努力不松手……

Suddenly, Taliyah twists out of Kai’Sa’s grip and leaps, summoning a rising platform beneath her feet. She pulls Kai’Sa toward her and propels them all upward. Her strength gives out just short of the surface. Kai’Sa and Taliyah grab the ridge and do their best to hold on...

十多只手伸了下来，个个都沾满尘土。这是真的吗？卡莎不敢相信，她伸直了胳膊。两只手把她拉了上去。是真的。她抬头看去，有几张熟悉的脸，都是塔莉垭营地里的人。抓住她手腕的人里，有卡迪拉一个。我得救了。

A dozen hands reach down, covered in dirt and dust. Is this real? Kai’Sa wonders as she stretches up toward them. Two hands pull her up. It is. She looks up, recognizing some of the faces from Taliyah’s camp. One of the hands around her wrists belongs to Kadira. I’m being rescued.

“扎伊法！”他们三人全都回到坚实的沙地上以后，塔莉垭喊了出来，“卡迪拉！你们折回来了！”

“Zaifa!” Taliyah cries once they’re all on solid ground again. “Kadira! You came back for us!”

“而且还找来了帮手。”卡莎对她们点头，“很聪明。谢谢你们。”

“And brought help.” Kai’Sa nods at them both. “Smart. Thank you.”

在沟壑之底，穿沙角冲回到裂隙中。卡莎竖起一根手指挡在嘴唇前，用口型说不要动。穿沙角的听觉感觉和视觉都只能捕捉到移动的物体。如果我们一动不动保持安静，我们就能活下来。

Below, the Dunebreaker bursts back into the hollow. Kai’Sa holds a finger to her lips and mouths don’t move. Dunebreakers can only sense things they can hear or feel or see moving. If we stay still and quiet, we’ll live.

怪兽用巨角戳了戳荧灯瘪掉的尸体。它摇摆着转身，看到发光的怪嚎和幼体也死了。

The creature prods the deflated bodies of the Lamplights with its horn. It shuffles around, finding the corpses of the glowing Callers and hatchlings.

它很满意，于是挖开岩石重新钻进地下。

Satisfied that its enemies are dead, it burrows back through the rock and down into the earth.

卡莎一直等到完全听不到它的声音，然后才让其他人移动。随后，精疲力竭、面色苍白的塔莉垭升起又一座石桥，让他们与其他人汇合。虚脱的卡莎和只是稍微有点打蔫的萨米在队尾殿后。

Kai’Sa waits until they can’t hear it anymore before she lets anyone move. Then Taliyah, exhausted and pale, lifts another bridge of stone from the ground and takes them all back toward the others. A drained Kai’Sa and an only somewhat humbled Samir bring up the rear.

“我自己也能爬上来的。”萨米笑着对卡莎说，“不过你回来帮忙真是太好了。不然我会拖慢大家的速度，还会引起许多麻烦事。”

“I would have made it back up on my own,” Samir says with a tired grin at Kai’Sa. “But it was nice of you to come help. What with me slowing everyone down and all.”

卡莎侧眼看着这个孩子，禁不住笑出来。“让我眼睁睁看着一流的石蜢一去不回，我怎么能甘心呢？”

Kai’Sa gives the kid a sidelong glance, and can’t help but smile. “Couldn’t sit back and lose the best rock hopper I’ve ever met, could I?”

熊熊燃烧的篝火照亮了夜晚。塔莉垭的石桥从危险的沙塞推了出来，变成了营地的围墙。

A roaring fire burns bright in the firepit. Taliyah’s stone bridges, pushed from the sai to safety, have become a wall around the camp.

卡莎躺在火光的范围之外，她不想显露出身体的酸痛。休息比吃东西重要。她可怜巴巴地想着，烤卷心菜的气味飘了过来。

Kai’Sa lies beyond the light, not willing to let on how sore her body still is. Better to rest than to eat, she thinks miserably, the scent of charred cabbage floating toward her.

塔莉垭在旁边静静坐下，递给卡莎满满一碗卷心菜粟米粥。卡莎把碗推开。

Taliyah sits and silently offers Kai’Sa a bowl full of cabbage and millet. Kai’Sa pushes it away.

“你不饿？”塔莉垭问。

“You’re not hungry?” Taliyah asks.

“我气饱了。”

“I’m angry.”

塔莉垭一脸意外。“为什么？”

Taliyah looks surprised. “Why?”

“你当时就该听我的。”卡莎忿忿地说，“结果呢？你根本没办法保护所有人——你以为那些虚灵被你杀死了，可它们就是后来袭击我们的那一群。你差点就失去了所有人。如果不是我恰好在场，你就死定了。”她看到塔莉垭嘴角纠结起来，下颌紧咬，露出了懊悔。“而且在他们最需要你的时候，你抛弃了他们。你把大家抛在沙漠里等死，而你只是为了尝试解救一条性命。”

“You should have listened to me,” Kai’Sa says bitterly. “Instead? You couldn’t protect your people—those voidlings you thought you killed were the ones attacking us. You almost lost everyone. If I hadn’t been there, you would have.” She sees the regret in the twist of Taliyah’s lips, the set of her jaw. “And when they needed you most, you abandoned them. You left them all to die so you could try to maybe save one person.”

塔莉垭安静了片刻。“不是我不知道感激，不过……你知道自己也做了同样的选择吧？就在你下来救我的时候。”

Taliyah is quiet for a moment. “Not that I’m not grateful, but... you know you did the same thing when you came down to help me, right?”

卡莎不知如何回答。

Kai’Sa doesn’t know how to respond to that.

“别去佐兰。”经过一段尴尬的沉默后，卡莎说，“那条垮塌的虚空走廊，我一直追踪的那条，正正好好就在你们前进的路线之下。我敢说那条走廊就通向佐兰。也就是说那里已经被虚空占领了。”

“Don’t go toward Xolan,” Kai’Sa says after a few moments of awkward silence. “The Void passage that collapsed, the one I’ve been following, was directly below your route there. I’m pretty sure that Xolan is where it leads. That means the Void already has it.”

塔莉垭点点头，双肩泄了气，“我会跟他们说，他们需要再找个地方。”

Taliyah nods, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll tell them they need to find another place.”

“他们？那你呢？”

“They? What about you?”

“我嘛。我要去佐兰。”

“Well. I’m going to Xolan.”

“塔莉垭——”

“Taliyah—”

“你也要去佐兰对吧？”塔莉垭叹息一声说，“我曾以为我可以保护这些人，带他们前往安全的地方。但你说得对——没有哪个地方是安全的。所以……我们得自己造一个。”

“That’s where you’re going, right?” Taliyah sighs. “I thought I could protect these people. Get them to safety. But you were right—there is no safe place. So... we’ll have to make one.”

“呃。你的意思是？”

“Uh. What do you mean?”

“如果虚空占领了佐兰……那我们就把它夺回来！让那里成为安居之所，成为大家的投奔之处……当然我们也要帮助已经在那的人。”塔莉垭的语气是那么乐观。

“If the Void is in Xolan... then we take it back! Make it safe enough to lead everyone to it... and try to help whoever is already there.” Taliyah sounds so optimistic.

“如果虚空真的占领了那个镇子……是不会留下活口等待救援的”

“If the Void has taken the town... there’s not going to be anyone left to save.”

“我们在这里怎么可能知道那么遥远的事呢。就算只有一个人需要我们帮助，也值得试一试。”塔莉垭靠近一步捧起卡莎的双手。塔莉垭的手掌温热而又粗糙，即使隔着第二层皮肤，卡莎也能感觉得到。“我没你不行，卡莎。我没法靠自己杀死那些荧灯……但只要有你，我就能做到。我们一起去寻找那个地方吧。”

“We can’t know that from here. Even if there’s one person who needs our help, that will be worth it to me.” Taliyah steps forward and takes Kai’Sa’s hands in her own. They feel warm and calloused, even through Kai’Sa’s second skin. “I can’t do it without you, Kai’Sa. I didn’t kill those Lamplights on my own... but I was able to when you were there with me. Let’s find this place together.”

当初我的家被虚空攻陷的时候，如果有她在……或许我会变得不一样。卡莎看着塔莉垭眼中的希望，眼眸深处的力量。但我已经成为了现在的我。世界需要这样的我。她也是。我也看到我们齐心合力的效果。我想，我同样也需要她。

If she had been there when my home fell to the Void... maybe I could have been something different. Kai’Sa looks at the hope in Taliyah’s eyes, the strength in it. But I am who I am. The world needs me like this. So does she. I’ve seen what we can do together. I think I need her, too.

如果佐兰真的还有活人，一定也会赞同的。

So does whoever might still be alive in Xolan.

卡莎吃了一口烤卷心菜，点点头说，“好吧。就当是为大挂毯再保下一根线。”

Kai’Sa takes a bite of the charred cabbage and nods. “Fine. Another thread for the tapestry.”

塔莉垭向她曾经的追随者们挥手告别，扎伊法带着他们渐行渐远。早些时候，扎伊法在地图上找到了一个地方，一座曾经的贸易城市，路上应该会经过牧场地带。“即使粮食吃完了，”她指着地图说，“也很有可能会在这一带找到猎物。”

Taliyah waves goodbye to her people as Zaifa leads them away. Earlier, Zaifa had found a spot on the map, a former trade city, that should lead them through grazing territory. “Even if we run out of food,” she had said, “there’s a good chance that we’ll be able to hunt there.”

“注意安全，多保重。”塔莉垭紧紧拥抱她说，“织母眷顾你们所有人。”

“Be safe and be well,” Taliyah had said, hugging her tightly. “The blessings of the Great Weaver upon you all.”

现在，他们已经走出视野。她转身面向卡莎，今后这段旅程的唯一旅伴。她肯定很高兴能有人陪。塔莉垭心想着，偷偷露出微笑。不过她肯定不承认。

Now, they are out of sight. She turns back to Kai’Sa, her only companion for the next leg of this journey. I know she’s happy to have the company, Taliyah thinks with a secret smile. Even if she won’t admit it.

她们乘着石桥浮在沙丘上，向可哈丽塞进发。二人的命运在此短暂交织在一起。

Together they set out across the Sai Kahleek on a floating stone bridge, their destinies momentarily woven into one.