水 Water

希维尔的喉咙像是被贴了一层碎玻璃。她干裂的嘴唇像火烧一般灼痛。她的双眼不听使唤，无法聚焦。我已经给了他们太长时间等他们离开。

Sivir's throat felt like it was coated in a layer of broken glass. The cracked flesh of her lips burned. Her eyes refused to focus. I've given them more than enough time to move on.

她俯身从巨石的边缘探头观察。旅队依然还在泉水旁边，没有要离开的迹象。

She leaned around the edge of the boulder. The caravan was still at the spring and showing no signs of moving on.

为什么偏偏是萨恩斯人？有许多部落想要她死，萨恩斯人的坚持不懈是最突出的。

Why did they have to be Kthaons? Of the many, many tribes that want her dead, the Kthaons stood out in their persistence.

希维尓再次扫视这群游民，寻找任何可以表明他们准备离开老河床继续上路的迹象。她活动了一下双肩，试图判断自己的肌肉是否足够对抗这6个人。她必须突然袭击才能有获胜的可能。

Sivir scanned the tribesmen again, looking for any sign the caravan might climb out of the old riverbed and continue its journey. She rolled her shoulders trying to judge if her muscles were up to fighting a half-dozen men. She'd have to take them by surprise to stand a chance.

那个光鲜亮丽的诺克萨斯娘们可是真让我猝不及防。

That prissy Noxian got the drop on me...

她晃了晃头，想要集中精神。现在不能想那些事。我因为缺水而变得涣散。我为什么没多带点水？

Sivir shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Now wasn't the time for those thoughts. I'm becoming scattered from the lack of water. Why didn't I bring more water?

都城里波光粼粼。雕像吐出来大股的水柱，全都只因为古代人的一声令下。他治愈了我的伤，拯救了我的命。然后他就又回去重建那些神庙，用古代腔调吟唱着奇怪的语句。他在死寂的黄沙之城中自言自语。我必须尽快出来，说不定过一会这个法师又决定将一切都埋回地底 ——或者他突然觉得我欠他的。

The city had been bursting with it. Huge streams poured from statues, all at the command of an Ancient. He healed my wound and saved my life. Then he returned to rebuilding the temples around him, calling out strange words in an old dialect she could barely make sense of. Talking to himself in a dead city filled only with sand. I had to get out before that sorcerer decided to sink it all back beneath the dust – or that I owed him.

下意识的吞咽动作给希维尓的喉咙带来新的剧痛。她又看了看那口泉水，棕色的小水坑静静地躺在旅队中央。

Swallowing brought fresh agony to Sivir's throat. She looked at the spring again, a simple puddle of brown water in the center of the caravan.

我已经给了他们一整天时间，她在心里计算。我会死的，除非他们先死。无论是为了几滴水，还是为了几枚金币，这就是沙漠的存亡之道。

I've given them a day, she reasoned. I will die, or they will die. For a few drops of water or a few slivers of gold. That is the way of the desert.

她一边冲向第一个守卫，一边调整好十字刃的姿态。在他转过身之前，是否有足够的时间靠近？她计算着距离。十四步，十二，十。绝不能让他发出声音。两步。她用力一跃。她的刀刃完全穿透了他的脖子，插入了他的肩膀。

Sprinting toward the first guard, she readied her crossblade. Would there be enough time to reach him before he turned back around? She counted the distance. Fourteen strides. Twelve. Ten. He can't make a sound. Two strides. She jumped. Her blade sank completely through his neck, down into his shoulder.

鲜血喷涌而出，她将守卫死死压倒在地。她的动势让血浆向外侧泼洒，全都溅到了守卫站岗所站的乱石矮墙的后面。她抓住了他的双手。他胡乱地扭动着，似乎是在否认自己已经死亡的事实。守卫的血将希维尓淋湿，他无力地呼出了最后一口气。这个人原本不需要死。

Blood erupted as she crashed down on him. Her momentum drove them behind the line of rocks on which he'd been standing. Sivir grabbed his arms. He struggled against her, refusing to accept he was already dead. The guard's blood drenched Sivir as he took a final gurgling breath. This man didn't need to die.

希维尓脑海中再次浮现了卡西奥佩娅的匕首。那个诺克萨斯婊子从背后捅了我一刀。我死了。这应该意味着什么。

Sivir thought again of Cassiopeia’s blade. That Noxian bitch sunk a blade in my back. I died. That should mean something.

远处传来一阵轰鸣。马蹄声？沙墙崩塌声？没时间去仔细想了。希维尓悄悄爬过乱石矮墙。旅队很快就会发现少了一名守卫。她的下一个目标正在沿着旱坝的丘脊走动。她必须在他走远之前动手。这一击必须分毫不差。她掷出了十字刃。

A distant rumble sounded. Horses? A sandwall collapsing? There wasn't time to wonder what it meant. Sivir crawled across the hard stones. It won't take the rest of the caravan long to notice the guard's absence. The next target was moving high along the ridge line. She needed to hit him before he walked away from the ledge. The shot has to be perfect. She threw the crossblade.

十字刃击中了第二名守卫，将他拦腰斩断。飞旋的刀刃向上画了一道弧线，到达最高点以后逐渐慢了下来，然后逆转了飞行的方向。就在十字刃返回的途中，它削掉了第三个人的头颅。她已经没机会再从暗处扔十字刃了，因为它的弧线即将画完，正在径直飞向水塘的中央。她只需要准时跑到落点就可以了。这一招已经被她用得信手拈来，屡试不爽。她将接住十字刃，用最后一记旋转飞刃一次性解决剩下的三个人。

It hit the second guard, cutting him in half. The flying blade arced upward, but as it reached its apex, it slowed before reversing its direction. As it flew back toward her, it clipped the neck of the third man. There wouldn't be time for another throw now – the blade completed its arc, flying down toward the center of the water. She only had to reach it in time. The maneuver was an old standby. She would catch the weapon and kill the three remaining men in a single, spinning summersault.

但她一边跑，一边感到双腿发沉，她灼痛的双肺似乎再也无法获取足够的空气。三十步。她必须在第二个人的尸首落地之前跑完这段距离。二十步。她的双腿一阵绞痛，不再听她使唤。十五步。她只觉得脚下打滑，踉踉跄跄。不，还不能倒下。

But as she ran, her feet became heavy, and it seemed impossible to draw enough air into her pained lungs. Thirty strides. She had to make the distance before the second man's body hit the ground. Twenty strides. The muscles in her legs cramped, refusing to obey her commands. Fifteen strides. She found herself sliding, stumbling. No. Not yet.

预估的时间应该还没到，但第二个人的尸首已经摔落下来，撞到了乱石上。磕碰的声音不可能听不到。

Then, sooner than she had expected, the second man's body completed its fall and impacted the rocks. The sound was impossible to miss.

一个错误就已经足以致命。萨恩斯人是沙漠民族。还没等她再迈出一步，剩余的守卫就已经刀剑出鞘。

One mistake was enough. The Kthaons were a desert people. The remaining guards had weapons drawn before she took another step.

她的十字刃落在了她和那群人的中间。距离他们有五步，距离她有十步。

Her crossblade hit the water between the men and her. Five strides in front of them. Ten strides from her.

我能做到的。希维尓全身每一寸力量都在催她前进。相反，她突然停了下来，差点向前栽倒。

I could make it. Every reflex in Sivir's body willed her forward. Instead, she slid to a halt, nearly falling forward.

没有带够水，等待太久才动手，错误判断了距离，我从来都不会犯这样的错误。为什么会这样？希维尓的另一部分思绪回答了这个问题。她回想起卡西奥佩娅的匕首刺入她后背以后的瞬间——她并没有感觉到匕首本身，而是感到有一份猝不及防的重量压垮了她的肺腑，让她找不到呼吸的力量。

Failing to bring enough water. Waiting too long to attack. Misjudging distances. I don't make these mistakes. Why? Some other part of Sivir's mind answered. She remembered the moment after Cassiopeia’s dagger had pierced her back – she couldn't feel the blade itself. Instead, she felt a sudden, unexpected weight that seemed to steal her breath and crush her lungs.

“我杀了你们三个人，你们一直都没听到动静。”她干咳着说。

"I killed three of you before you heard me," Sivir coughed.

“你手里没有武器。”最大个子的萨恩斯人说。

"You don't have a weapon," the largest of the Kthaons said.

“那是因为我不想让你们的血流进水里。”她在虚张声势。

"Only because I didn't want your blood in the water," she lied.

三个幸存的人互相使了个眼色。他们认出我了。

The three remaining men exchanged glances. They've recognized me.

“一年以前，我杀了你们的首领，还有二十四名精锐战士，只为了一袋轻飘飘的金币。他们的命可够贱的了。”她盯着这三个人的眼睛。他们在水塘附近散开，想要包围她。

"A year ago, I killed your chieftain and two dozen of your finest for a bag of thin gold. It was a cheap price for their lives." She met the three men's eyes. They were spreading out from the water, attempting to flank her.

“我杀掉你们首领和同胞换来的钱去哪了？”她问道。“我在赌场里一晚上就输光了。”

"The gold I earned from killing your chieftain and kinsmen?" she asked. "I gambled it away in a single evening."

“我们会为他们报仇雪耻。”大个子说。

"We will avenge them and your insult," the largest man responded.

“我当初不应该杀他们，”她说。“不应该贪那种小财。所以不要逼我为了几口水杀了你们。”

"I shouldn't have killed them," she said, "not for that gold. Don't make me kill you for a few cups of water."

领头的萨恩斯人紧张地重新握好手中的武器。

The Kthaons’ leader nervously adjusted the grip on his weapon.

“我在提醒你，不等你们做出反应，我就能拿到武器。”希维尓解释说。“而如果我决定拿起武器，你们就必死无疑。”她示意了一下那池脏水。“你们不值得为这个送命。”

"I'm telling you I can make it to the blade before you can act," Sivir explained. "And if I run for my blade. You will die." She indicated the foul brown water. "Your lives are worth more than that."

“那就让我们光荣战死。”大个子决定地说，不过他的两个同伴并不是那么确定。

"Then we will die with honor," the largest man decided, though his fellows seemed less certain.

“我在杀掉那二十人的时候用那柄武器了吗？还想为他们报仇？”希维尓警告他说。“你们人太少了。”

"Did I need that weapon to kill the twenty men you want to avenge?" Sivir warned. "You are too few."

那三个人迟疑了。他们知道希维尓的名声。另外两个人把大个子拉开了，回到了他们的坐骑旁边。

The three men hesitated. They knew Sivir's reputation. The other two pulled the largest man away, before backing to their mounts.

希维尓向水塘缓缓靠近。

Sivir edged toward the water.

“我们会带着族人们回来复仇的。”

"We will return with our tribesmen for vengeance."

“许多人都试过这套，”她说。“他们从来都没成功过。”

"Lots of people have tried that," she said. "Never worked out for them."

希维尓用浮肿的舌头舔了舔上颚，尽力平复自己的焦躁。她身体的每个部分都想要跪到水塘前面大口畅饮。我必须等他们穿过远处的沙丘。

Sivir rolled her swollen tongue against the top of her mouth, desperate for relief. Every part of her wanted to kneel down to the water and drink. I have to wait until they cross the far dune.

那三个人爬上鞍座，骑行离开了，这时远处又传来了一阵轰鸣声。声音越来越大，不是马蹄声，也不是沙暴声。希维尓转向声音来源的方向，看到了三英尺高的湛蓝水墙沿着远古的河床奔腾而来。是来自都城的水。

As the men climbed into their saddles and rode away, the strange rumbling sounded again. It was loud and growing louder. It’s not horses or shifting sands. Sivir turned to its source and watched as a three foot wall of blue water rushed down the ancient riverbed. The water from the city.

就在水花冲击到希维尓之前的瞬间，她感到了一阵冰冷潮湿的空气驰骋在洪流的前沿。它像一枚甜蜜的吻突如其来，让希维尓错愕哑然。

The moment before the water hit Sivir, she felt the rush of cold, damp air in front of the flood. It shocked her like an unexpected kiss.

第一朵浪花几乎让希维尓失足跪倒。波浪的冲击寒冷刺骨，但随着水流漫没了她的腰肢和双腿，凉爽的温度开始为她带来抚慰。希维尓躺在水中，任凭河水冲刷她的全身。沙漠的燥痛被冲走，她的秀发自由地漂在水中。

The first wave nearly took out her knees. The impact stung with cold, but as it enveloped her waist and legs, it became soothingly cool. Sivir laid in the water, letting it wash over her. She could feel the painful grit of the desert washing away as her hair floated weightless and free.

我死过一次。我必须让它意味些什么。

I was dead. I must make that mean something.