石中 回响 Echoes in the Stone

塔莉垭第一次注意到水痕的时候，她刚刚跑赢了一场沙暴。一开始痕迹很淡，当她从沙层深处举起岩石时，只感觉到一片潮湿的凉意。随着她越来越接近古老的恕瑞玛，一块块石头上的水痕开始变成湿漉漉的水滴，仿佛是在哭泣。塔莉垭飞快地掠过沙漠，心中明白这些石块有很多故事要向她倾诉，但她没有时间聆听，以分辨那泪水究竟来自喜悦，或是忧伤。

Taliyah was outrunning the sandstorm when she first noticed the water. In the beginning, it was faint, just a cool dampness she felt as she lifted the stones from deep beneath the sand. As she drew closer to old Shurima, wet streaks dripped from each new stone as if they were weeping. Taliyah knew the rock had stories to tell as she sped across the desert, but she didn’t have time to listen, to hear if they were tears of joy or sadness.

当巨大的太阳圆盘开始在她身上投下阴影时，翻起的湿润土层已经变得水花淋漓，细小的河流从她踩着的岩石上汩汩而出。塔莉垭终于来到了城门前，她听到岩床上奔腾的水声震耳欲聋。黎明绿洲，生命之母，在黄沙下雄健地咆哮着。

When she was close enough to be covered by the shadow of the great Sun Disc, water from underground aquifers began to pour off the stone she rode like little rivers. And when she finally arrived at the gates, Taliyah heard the deafening water rushing along the bedrock. The Oasis of the Dawn, the Mother of Life, roared beneath the sands.

过去的几百年里，她的部落一直跟随着季节性变化的水源而迁徙。所以，只要循着水流，就很有可能找到她的家人。然而令塔莉垭沮丧的是，如今恕瑞玛的水源仅剩下最为古老的一处。帝国都城的残垣断壁已经是人们避之不及的悲伤之地，就好像躲避着大塞荒漠和徘徊其间的猎食者。

The people of her tribe had followed the seasonal waters for hundreds of years. The best chance of finding her family was to follow the water, and to Taliyah’s dismay, the water in Shurima now flowed from a single source as it had in ages past. The tragic remains of the capital city had always been avoided, almost as much as the great Sai and deadly creatures that hunted there. Even thieves knew to keep their distance from the city. Until now.

塔莉垭勒住脚下的岩石，一个急停，险些让她踉跄摔倒。她飞快地把石头摁进沙中掩藏起来。塔莉垭四处观察着——维考拉的那个女人说的没错，这里已经不再是只有鬼魂和沙土的遗忘废墟了。城墙外临时搭建的营地满是人群，忙碌的景象好比是洪水来临前的蚁丘。因为看不出这些人的身份，她决定如果没有必要的话最好低调一些。

Taliyah brought the rock she rode to a sudden halt, nearly stumbling from it as she pushed the stone quickly below the desert’s surface. She looked around. The woman from Vekaura had been right. This place was no longer a forgotten ruin, haunted by ghosts and sand; indeed, the makeshift camp just outside the walls scrambled with life, like an anthill before a flood. Not knowing who these people were, she decided it might be best to reveal no more than was necessary.

看起来恕瑞玛各个部落的人都来了，但是塔莉垭仔细地打量着他们，却没有一个熟悉的面孔。这些人各有目的，他们争论着到底是该留在营地，还是进入旧城寻找庇护。有人担心，既然这座城能够升起，那也会再度沉陷，把所有呆在里面的人活埋掉。有些人则看着天边风暴那不自然的闪光，认为城墙是更好的防御，即使这些城墙已经在沙中掩埋了数个世纪。每个人都急匆匆地跑来跑去，稀里糊涂地收拾着行李，脸上挂着忧虑，偶尔抬头望望天色。塔莉垭虽然早前就甩开了风暴，但用不了多久，沙尘就会撞上这里的城门。

It seemed there was tribal representation from all four corners of her homeland, but as Taliyah searched their faces, she saw none that were familiar. The people here were torn. They argued about the merits of staying in their temporary camps versus seeking shelter within the city. Some worried that just as it rose, the city would fall again, burying any caught inside. Some saw the storm that bristled with unnatural lightning and thought their chances were better within the walls, even if the walls had once been lost to the sand for generations. All of them moved quickly, packing haphazardly and worriedly glancing at the sky. Taliyah herself had won the race with the tempest, but it wouldn’t be long before the sand lashed against the gates.

“赶快决定吧，”一个女人对她大喊，声音几乎要被搅动的绿洲和渐近的狂风盖过去。“你要进城还是留在外面，姑娘？”

“Now’s the time to decide.” A woman called out to her, her voice almost lost to the noise of the churning oasis waters and the rising storm. “Are you going in or leaving, girl?”

塔莉垭转过去，看到一张恕瑞玛人的典型脸孔，但除此之外，完全是陌生人。

Taliyah turned to face the woman. She was Shuriman, but other than that, unknown to her.

“我在找我的家人。”塔莉垭指着自己的短衣：“他们是织匠。”

“I’m looking for my family.” Taliyah gestured to her tunic. “They’re weavers.”

“鹰父承诺会保护所有城里的人。”妇人说。

“The Hawk-father has promised protection to all those within the walls,” the woman said.

“鹰父？”

“Hawk-father?”

妇人看着塔莉垭疑惑的脸，微笑着抓起了她的手。“飞升者阿兹尔回来了。黎明绿洲重新开始流淌。恕瑞玛有希望了。”

The woman looked at Taliyah’s concerned face and smiled, taking her hand. “Azir has returned to us Ascended. The Oasis of the Dawn flows again. A new day has come for Shurima.”

塔莉垭看看四周的人群。看来是真的。虽然他们还在犹豫着要不要进入伟大都城的深处，但他们脸上的恐惧更多是来自诡异的风暴，而不是这座城市或是回归的皇帝。

Taliyah looked around at the people. It was true. They were hesitant to move far into the massive capital, but the fear that worried their faces was more for the unnatural storm than the city or its returned emperor.

妇人继续道：“今天早上这里是有一群织匠。他们打算在城里等待风暴过去。”她指着挤挤挨挨的人群，他们正推搡着涌进恕瑞玛新生的心脏。“我们要快点儿了，他们要关门了。”

The woman continued, “There were weavers here this morning. They decided to wait out the storm inside.” The woman pointed to the throngs of people pushing in toward the newly beating heart of Shurima. “We must hurry. They are closing the gates.”

塔莉垭被妇人拉着挤向首都的一处城门，身后靠过来一群陌生人，他们在最后时刻放弃了硬扛风暴的想法。然而，还是有几撮人聚在他们围成圈的牲畜旁边，打算在城外捱过风暴，这是恕瑞玛的商队常年习惯的做法。远处，风暴的外缘劈过几道古怪的闪电——恕瑞玛的古老传统恐怕顶不住这场灾难。

Taliyah found herself being pulled toward one of the capital’s great gates by the woman, and driven from behind by a crowd of strangers who had decided at the last minute not to brave the sands by themselves. Still, there were a few groups clustered near their circled beasts, determined to face the storm as Shuriman caravans had for generations. In the distance, strange and threatening bolts of lightning crackled at the edge of the whirlwind. Old Shuriman traditions might not survive the storm’s passing.

塔莉垭和妇人被推挤着跨过了金色的门槛，意味着她们已经进入了真正的恕瑞玛。沉重的巨门在她们身后缓缓合拢，发出一声低沉的轰鸣。恕瑞玛旧日的伟大荣光在她们眼前徐徐展开。人们紧挨着浑厚的城墙，不知道该往哪里走。就好像他们感觉到，这些空荡的街道只属于某个人。

Taliyah and the woman were pushed across the golden threshold that separated Shurima from the desert surrounding it. The heavy gates swung closed behind them with a resounding thud. The immensity of old Shurima’s glory stretched out before them. The crowd hugged the thick, protective walls, unsure where to go. It was as if they sensed the empty streets belonged to someone else.

“我敢说你的族人就在城里的某个角落。大多数人都会呆在城门附近，很少人能勇敢到走进城内。但愿你能找到他们吧。”妇人放开塔莉垭的手，又笑了起来：“予你水和阴凉，姐妹。”

“I’m sure your people are somewhere within the city. Most have kept close to the gates. Few are brave enough to go farther than that. I hope you find what you are looking for.” The woman let go of Taliyah’s hand and smiled. “Water and shade to you, sister.”

“予你水和阴凉。”塔莉垭低声回应，然后看着妇人消失在躁动的人群中。

“Water and shade to you.” Taliyah’s voice dropped off as the woman disappeared into the milling crowd.

沉寂了千年的城市如今充满了生命的脉动气息。戴着头盔的守卫，身上披着金红色的斗篷，沉默地注视着恕瑞玛的新来者。虽然眼下一切太平，塔莉垭还是觉得这个地方有什么不对劲。

The city that had been quiet for millennia now pulsed with life. Silently watching over Shurima’s newest denizens were helmeted guards that wore desert cloaks in gold and crimson. Though there was no trouble, Taliyah continued to feel there was something not right about this place.

塔莉垭伸出手，放在厚厚的城墙上想要安慰自己，却忍不住低呼了一声。从她手掌内传来了岩石的搏动——痛。一阵没来由的可怕疼痛吞没了她。成千上万的声音被镌刻在石头内。他们的生命被生生斩断，烧焦的影子深印在岩石里，弥留之际的恐惧和痛苦在她的脑海里尖叫。塔莉垭把手抽离石墙，踉跄跌倒。她在石头里感到过振动，那是久远记忆所留下的回响，但从未有过今次的体验。这座城里曾经发生的事情让她几乎崩溃。她站起来，双眼圆睁着，重新打量起眼前的城市。巨大的厌恶从她心底升起。这不是一座重生的城市，而是沙地里凸起的一座空坟。阿兹尔曾经对恕瑞玛的人民许下过承诺，然而代价却是他们的生命。

Taliyah reached out to the thick wall to steady herself. She gasped. The stone throbbed beneath the flat of her palm. Pain. A terrible, blinding pain overwhelmed her. Tens of thousands of voices were etched into the rock. The fear and torment of their last moments, before their lives were cut down and their shadows were seared into the stone, screamed in her mind. Taliyah tore her hand from the stone wall and stumbled. She had felt vibrations in stone before, reverberations of memories long since past, but never like this. The knowledge of what had come before felled her. Wild eyed, she stood and stared, seeing the city anew. Revulsion washed over her. This wasn’t a city reborn. It was an empty tomb risen from the sand. The last time Azir had made promises to the people of Shurima, it had cost them their lives.

“我必须找到我的家人。”她喘息道。

“I must find my family,” she whispered.