《耶利歌》扭曲灵魂！

IV

第二天，一支由三辆马车组成的护卫队穿过混乱不堪的普利摩顿街道直奔西城门而去。打头的一辆车上坐着卡

斯卡利安最出色的两名手下，这两个忠心耿耿的保镖曾好几次救过老卡斯卡利安的命。压阵的车上是卡斯卡利

安三兄弟，他们这几天来对父亲的古怪行为越来越感到不理解，甚至怀疑老头是不是疯了。否则他为什么如此

纵容这个叫露辛迪克的女人，对她的怪念头言听计从呢？难道他不知道这个女人有足够的理由恨他并设计陷害

他吗？中间一辆车由为老卡斯卡利安驾车三十年的老车夫马鲁斯驾驶，上面坐着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．

“现在你满意了吧？”一出城门老卡斯卡利安就开口对露辛迪克说道，他们眼前的天空看上去无边无际。
"Satisfied？" he said to her，once they were outside the gates，and in sight of the open sky．

“请再走远一点……”她说。
"A little further，please…" she said．

“你这个女人可别自作聪明以为可以耍得了我。或许你在女人里算是聪明的，可要是你想逃出我的手掌心可没

那么容易！”老卡斯卡利安狠狠地说道。
"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！"

接着，他们又在沙漠里默默地行驶了很长一段路。
They drove on in silence for a distance．

“我想我们走得够远了，你看了一整天天空也该看够了吧！”
"I think we've come far enough．And you've seen enough of the sky for one day！"

“我能下车散散步吗？”
"Can't I just get out and walk？"

“你是说现在散步？”
"Walking now，is it？"

“求你了。难道这会有什么害处吗？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会，然后喝令护卫队停车。就在此时，一阵沙尘掠过地平线，慢慢向路这边靠近。
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．

“你最好快点！”老卡斯卡利安嘱咐露辛迪克。
"You'd better be quick！" the Don told her．

露辛迪克望着远处慢慢靠近的沙尘，回头扫视了一眼正在下车的人们，尤其是那三兄弟，他们对她的注视报以

狡诈的微笑，其中一个还伸出舌头舔着嘴唇做出猥琐的表情。这是最后一次了吧，露辛迪克回头背对着他，背

对着所有人，开始朝着沙墙走去。众人立刻大声警告她不许再走了。
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开枪了！”三兄弟中的一个叫道。
"Don't take another step！" one of the brothers said，"Or I'll shoot you！"

她掉头看着他，张开双回应道：“那你开枪吧！”
She turned to him，her arms opened wide．"So shoot！" she said．

然后她转身继续大步向前走去。
Then she turned again and strode on．

“给我回来，你这个女人！”老卡斯卡利安喊道，“那儿除了沙子什么都没有！”
"Come back here，woman！" the Don yelled．"There's nothing out there but sand."

沙尘暴带来的风吹动了露辛迪克的头发，沙尘遮掩住了她的面庞。
The wind from the storm was whipping up Lucidique's hair now．It was like a dark halo around her

head．

“你听见我的话了么？”老卡斯卡利安在背后叫道。
"Do you hear me？" the Don called after her．

露辛迪克回头望去。
Lucidique looked over her shoulder．

“跟我来呀。”她对他说。
"Come walk with me，" she said to him．

老人拼命抽了两口雪茄，然后向前跟随她向前走去。
The old man drew hard on his cigar，and then went after the woman．

他的儿子们齐声抱怨起来：他在干什么？难道他疯了吗？
His sons set up a chorus of complaint: what was he doing？ Was he out of his mind？

然而老卡斯卡利安丝毫不理会儿子们的抱怨，默默地跟随露辛迪克的足迹在沙漠中继续前行。露辛迪克回头看

了一眼紧跟其后的老人，他满脸都是疑问和好奇。奇怪的是此刻他竟然觉得非常快乐，面对热辣辣的飓风和一

个美丽的女子，他感受到了多年来不曾感受到的快乐。看上去他现在非常听从她的旨意，她收回目光继续盯住

近在眼前的沙尘暴。沙尘舞动的中心仿佛有什么东西，但露辛迪克看上去一点也不惊讶，虽然这之前她并没有

刻意策划所发生的这一切，但在内心深处她仿佛隐约感觉到了将要发生的事情。自从踏进客厅看到父亲被害的

遗体和凶手克里奇的那一刻起，露辛迪克的生活就彻底改变了，一切都变得象梦境般离奇诡异，而梦中的她无

须对任何事情表示惊讶，因为一切都有可能发生。
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．

她停下了脚步，老卡斯卡利安乘机追了上来一手抓住她的胳臂，另一只手上握着一把匕首对着露辛迪克的心口

：
“快说，他在哪儿？你的那个镰刀手-梅司特在哪儿？！”老卡斯卡利安瞪着沙尘暴中心处那巨大的阴影质问

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."

这时，沙暴突然卷起一股沙子以迅雷不及掩耳的速度向他们甩去。“不许再靠近了！”老卡斯卡利安冲着沙暴

中的不明物体大叫起来，“否则我就杀了她！”
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肤，殷红的鲜血流了出来。
He pressed the knife into Lucidique's skin，just enough to draw blood．

“叫他走远点。”他命令露辛迪克。
"Tell him to keep his distance，" he warned．

“这不是克里奇，这是传说中的阿冈尼司帝斯，他是上帝的儿子。”露辛迪克平静地回答说。
"It isn't Kreiger．It's a man called Agonistes．He has God's finger-prints upon him."

这邪恶的论调让老卡斯卡利安感觉一阵阵胃部痉挛。“胡说八道！”他无法接受这种异教邪说，内心中对上帝

的虔诚信仰驱使他冲动地将匕首刺进了露辛迪克的心脏。露辛迪克不可置信地伸手捂住伤口，在摔倒之前用她

沾满鲜血的手指在老卡斯卡利安额头上画了一道血印。这是死亡的印记。
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．

老卡斯卡利安丢下露辛迪克的尸体，在沙暴卷到他之前飞一般朝他的车队跑去。他深知自己并没有摆脱最终的

厄运，恰恰因为自己杀死了露辛迪克，他的噩梦才刚刚开始。
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进一座坚固的城堡里。他把门窗禁闭，每天用圣水做祈祷。他甚至用砖头把所

有烟囱口砌了起来，规定侍卫带着狗日以继夜地在城堡四周巡逻，一刻都不准懈怠。
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．

就这样过了一个星期，他开始相信或许那些送给主教教区用来让众教士虔诚为他做祈祷的金银财宝奏效了，或

许因此他已经逃脱了厄运。渐渐的，他放松了戒备。
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．

接着，在第八天的下午，城市的西面刮起了一阵大风。大风席卷着沙尘拍打着城堡禁闭的门窗，从门缝和地板

缝隙间呼呼地吹进房间。老人服下两副镇定剂，又喝了一杯酒，然后象往常一样去洗澡。每次坐在满满一缸热

水里的时候他都觉得非常舒适和放松。正当他昏昏欲睡的时候，房间里突然传来露辛迪克的声音，不知何时她

已经悄无声息地潜入了浴室。她怎么会没有被他的匕首刺死反而穿墙而过站在这里的呢！
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，”她温柔地说道，“光着身子象个婴儿似的。”
"Look at you，" she said．"Naked as a baby."

老卡斯卡利安下意识地抓过浴巾遮掩住自己的裸体，露辛迪克从阴暗的角落里走到他的面前，向他展示自己无

比美丽光辉的躯体。她再也不是他记忆中的那个露辛迪克了，一点都不是了。她整个身体都被改造过了，现在

，她已经成了一件活杀人武器，全身上下都装备了致命的利器。
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……”老卡斯卡利安呓语起来。
"Oh Jesus help me…" he murmured．

她慢慢靠近他，用镰刀轻而易举地割下了他的生殖器。老卡斯卡利安用双手紧紧捂住伤口，跌跌撞撞地从浴缸

里爬出来倒在地上大声呼救。可奇怪的是整幢城堡死一般的寂静，没有丝毫的回应。他叫着儿子们的名字，一

个接着一个，可谁都没有回答他。只有他的老狗穆勒斯在远处用叫声回答着他的呼号。他从浴室挣扎着跑进了

厨房，身后雪白的地毯上留下一长排鲜红的血脚印。
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．