Just ahead walked Lakla in earnest talk with Rador, and content enough was I for a time to watch her. She had thrown off the metallic7 robes; her thick braids of golden brown hair with their flame glints of bronze were twined in a high coronal meshed8 in silken net of green; little clustering curls escaped from it, clinging to the nape of the proud white neck, shyly kissing it. From her shoulders fell a loose, sleeveless garment of shimmering9 green belted with a high golden girdle; skirt folds dropping barely below the knees.
She had cast aside her buskins, too, and the slender, high-arched feet were sandalled. Between the buckled10 edges of her kirtle I caught gleams of translucent11 ivory as exquisitely12 moulded, as delectably13 rounded, as those revealed so naively14 beneath the hem15.
Something was knocking at the doors of my consciousness — some tragic16 thing. What was it? Larry! Where was Larry? I remembered; raised my head abruptly17; saw at my side another frog-man carrying O’Keefe, and behind him, Olaf, step instinct with grief, following like some faithful, wistful dog who has lost a loved master. Upon my movement the monster bearing me halted, looked down inquiringly, uttered a deep, booming note that held the quality of interrogation.
Lakla turned; the clear, golden eyes were sorrowful, the sweet mouth drooping18; but her loveliness, her gentleness, that undefinable synthesis of all her tender self that seemed always to circle her with an atmosphere of lucid19 normality, lulled20 my panic.
“Drink this,” she commanded, holding a small vial to my lips.
Its contents were aromatic21, unfamiliar22 but astonishingly effective, for as soon as they passed my lips I felt a surge of strength; consciousness was restored.
“Larry!” I cried. “Is he dead?”
Lakla shook her head; her eyes were troubled.
“No,” she said; “but he is like one dead — and yet unlike —”
“Put me down,” I demanded of my bearer.
He tightened23 his hold; round eyes upon the Golden Girl. She spoke24 — in sonorous25, reverberating26 monosyllables — and I was set upon my feet; I leaped to the side of the Irishman. He lay limp, with a disquieting27, abnormal sequacity28, as though every muscle were utterly29 flaccid; the antithesis30 of the rigor31 mortis, thank God, but terrifyingly toward the other end of its arc; a syncope I had never known. The flesh was stone cold; the pulse barely perceptible, long intervalled; the respiration32 undiscoverable; the pupils of the eyes were enormously dilated33; it was as though life had been drawn34 from every nerve.
“A light flashed from the road. It struck his face and seemed to sink in,” I said.
“I saw,” answered Rador; “but what it was I know not; and I thought I knew all the weapons of our rulers.” He glanced at me curiously35. “Some talk there has been that the stranger who came with you, Double Tongue, was making new death tools for Lugur,” he ended.
Marakinoff! The Russian at work already in this storehouse of devastating36 energies, fashioning the weapons for his plots! The Apocalyptic37 vision swept back upon me —
“He is not dead.” Lakla’s voice was poignant38. “He is not dead; and the Three have wondrous39 healing. They can restore him if they will — and they will, they WILL!” For a moment she was silent. “Now their gods help Lugur and Yolara,” she whispered; “for come what may, whether the Silent Ones be strong or weak, if he dies, surely shall I fall upon them and I will slay40 those two — yea, though I, too perish!”
“Yolara and Lugur shall both die.” Olaf’s eyes were burning. “But Lugur is mine to slay.”
That pity I had seen before in Lakla’s eyes when she looked upon the Norseman banished41 the white wrath42 from them. She turned, half hurriedly, as though to escape his gaze.
“Walk with us,” she said to me, “unless you are still weak.”
I shook my head, gave a last look at O’Keefe; there was nothing I could do; I stepped beside her. She thrust a white arm into mine protectingly, the wonderfully moulded hand with its long, tapering43 fingers catching44 about my wrist; my heart glowed toward her.
“Your medicine is potent45, handmaiden,” I answered. “And the touch of your hand would give me strength enough, even had I not drunk it,” I added in Larry’s best manner.
Her eyes danced, trouble flying.
“Now, that was well spoken for such a man of wisdom as Rador tells me you are,” she laughed; and a little pang47 shot through me. Could not a lover of science present a compliment without it always seeming to be as unusual as plucking a damask rose from a cabinet of fossils?
Mustering48 my philosophy, I smiled back at her. Again I noted49 that broad, classic brow, with the little tendrils of shining bronze caressing50 it, the tilted51, delicate, nut-brown brows that gave a curious touch of innocent diablerie to the lovely face — flowerlike, pure, high-bred, a touch of roguishness, subtly alluring52, sparkling over the maiden46 Madonnaness that lay ever like a delicate, luminous53 suggestion beneath it; the long, black, curling lashes54 — the tender, rounded, bare left breast —
“I have always liked you,” she murmured naively, “since first I saw you in that place where the Shining One goes forth55 into your world. And I am glad you like my medicine as well as that you carry in the black box that you left behind,” she added swiftly.
“How know you of that, Lakla?” I gasped56.
“Oft and oft I came to him there, and to you, while you lay sleeping. How call you HIM?” She paused.
“Larry!” I said.
“Larry!” she repeated it excellently. “And you?”
“Goodwin,” said Rador.
I bowed quite as though I were being introduced to some charming young lady met in that old life now seemingly aeons removed.
“Yes — Goodwin.” she said. “Oft and oft I came. Sometimes I thought you saw me. And HE— did he not dream of me sometime —?” she asked wistfully.
“He did.” I said, “and watched for you.” Then amazement57 grew vocal58. “But how came you?” I asked.
“By a strange road,” she whispered, “to see that all was well with HIM— and to look into his heart; for I feared Yolara and her beauty. But I saw that she was not in his heart.” A blush burned over her, turning even the little bare breast rosy. “It is a strange road,” she went on hurriedly. “Many times have I followed it and watched the Shining One bear back its prey59 to the blue pool; seen the woman HE seeks”— she made a quick gesture toward Olaf —“and a babe cast from her arms in the last pang of her mother love; seen another woman throw herself into the Shining One’s embrace to save a man she loved; and I could not help!” Her voice grew deep, thrilled. “The friend, it comes to me, who drew you here, Goodwin!”
She was silent, walking as one who sees visions and listens to voices unheard by others, Rador made a warning gesture; I crowded back my questions, glanced about me. We were passing over a smooth strand60, hard packed as some beach of long-thrust-back ocean. It was like crushed garnets, each grain stained deep red, faintly sparkling. On each side were distances, the floor stretching away into them bare of vegetation — stretching on and on into infinitudes of rosy mist, even as did the space above.
Flanking and behind us marched the giant batrachians, fivescore of them at least, black scale and crimson61 scale lustrous62 and gleaming in the rosaceous radiance; saucer eyes shining circles of phosphorescence green, purple, red; spurs clicking as they crouched63 along with a gait at once grotesque64 and formidable.
Ahead the mist deepened into a ruddier glow; through it a long, dark line began to appear — the mouth I thought of the caverned space through which we were going; it was just before us; over us — we stood bathed in a flood of rubescence!
A sea stretched before us — a crimson sea, gleaming like that lost lacquer of royal coral and the Flame Dragon’s blood which Fu S’cze set upon the bower65 he built for his stolen sun maiden — that going toward it she might think it the sun itself rising over the summer seas. Unmoved by wave or ripple66, it was placid67 as some deep woodland pool when night rushes up over the world.
It seemed molten — or as though some hand great enough to rock earth had distilled68 here from conflagrations69 of autumn sunsets their flaming essences.
A fish broke through, large as a shark, blunt-headed, flashing bronze, ridged and mailed as though with serrate plates of armour70. It leaped high, shaking from it a sparkling spray of rubies71; dropped and shot up a geyser of fiery72 gems73.
Across my line of vision, moving stately over the sea, floated a half globe, luminous, diaphanous74, its iridescence75 melting into turquoise76, thence to amethyst77, to orange, to scarlet78 shot with rose, to vermilion, a translucent green, thence back into the iridescence; behind it four others, and the least of them ten feet in diameter, and the largest no less than thirty. They drifted past like bubbles blown from froth of rainbows by pipes in mouths of Titans’ young. Then from the base of one arose a tangle79 of shimmering strands80, long, slender whiplashes that played about and sank slowly again beneath the crimson surface.
I gasped — for the fish had been a ganoid — that ancient, armoured form that was perhaps the most intelligent of all life on our planet during the Devonian era, but which for age upon age had vanished, save for its fossils held in the embrace of the stone that once was their soft bottom beds; and the half-globes were Medusae, jelly-fish — but of a size, luminosity, and colour unheard of.
Now Lakla cupped her mouth with pink palms and sent a clarion81 note ringing out. The ledge82 on which we stood continued a few hundred feet before us, falling abruptly, though from no great height to the Crimson Sea; at right and left it extended in a long semicircle. Turning to the right whence she had sent her call, I saw rising a mile or more away, veiled lightly by the haze83, a rainbow, a gigantic prismatic arch, flattened84, I thought, by some quality of the strange atmosphere. It sprang from the ruddy strand, leaped the crimson tide, and dropped three miles away upon a precipitous, jagged upthrust of rock frowning black from the lacquered depths.
And surmounting85 a higher ledge beyond this upthrust a huge dome86 of dull gold, Cyclopean, striking eyes and mind with something unhumanly alien, baffling; sending the mind groping, as though across the deserts of space, from some far-flung star, should fall upon us linked sounds, coherent certainly, meaningful surely, vaguely87 familiar — yet never to be translated into any symbol or thought of our own particular planet.
The sea of crimson lacquer, with its floating moons of luminous colour — this bow of prismed stone leaping to the weird88 isle89 crowned by the anomalous90, aureate excrescence — the half human batrachians-the elfland through which we had passed, with all its hidden wonders and terrors — I felt the foundations of my cherished knowledge shaking. Was this all a dream? Was this body of mine lying somewhere, fighting a fevered death, and all these but images floating through the breaking chambers91 of my brain? My knees shook; involuntarily I groaned92.
Lakla turned, looked at me anxiously, slipped a soft arm behind me, held me till the vertigo93 passed.
“Patience,” she said. “The bearers come. Soon you shall rest.”
I looked; down toward us from the bow’s end were leaping swiftly another score of the frog-men. Some bore litters, high, handled, not unlike palanquins —
“Asgard!” Olaf stood beside me, eyes burning, pointing to the arch. “Bifrost Bridge, sharp as sword edge, over which souls go to Valhalla. And SHE— she is a Valkyr — a sword maiden, Ja!”
I gripped the Norseman’s hand. It was hot, and a pang of remorse94 shot through me. If this place had so shaken me, how must it have shaken Olaf? It was with relief that I watched him, at Lakla’s gentle command, drop into one of the litters and lie back, eyes closed, as two of the monsters raised its yoke95 to their scaled shoulders. Nor was it without further relief that I myself lay back on the soft velvety96 cushions of another.
The cavalcade97 began to move. Lakla had ordered O’Keefe placed beside her, and she sat, knees crossed Orient fashion, leaning over the pale head on her lap, the white, tapering fingers straying fondly through his hair.
Presently I saw her reach up, slowly unwind the coronal of her tresses, shake them loose, and let them fall like a veil over her and him.
Her head bent98 low; I heard a soft sobbing99 — I turned away my gaze, lorn enough in my own heart, God knew!
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1
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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pendulous
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| adj.下垂的；摆动的 | |
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suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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vagaries
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| n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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meshed
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| 有孔的，有孔眼的，啮合的 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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translucent
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| adj.半透明的；透明的 | |
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exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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delectably
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| 令人愉快的，让人喜爱的 | |
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naively
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| adv. 天真地 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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reverberating
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的现在分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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disquieting
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| adj.令人不安的，令人不平静的v.使不安，使忧虑，使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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sequacity
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| Sequacity | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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antithesis
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| n.对立；相对 | |
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rigor
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| n.严酷，严格，严厉 | |
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respiration
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| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
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dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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apocalyptic
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| adj.预示灾祸的，启示的 | |
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poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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48
mustering
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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alluring
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| adj.吸引人的，迷人的 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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54
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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vocal
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| adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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lustrous
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| adj.有光泽的；光辉的 | |
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crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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bower
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| n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽 | |
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ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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distilled
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| adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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conflagrations
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| n.大火（灾）( conflagration的名词复数 ) | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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diaphanous
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| adj.(布)精致的，半透明的 | |
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75
iridescence
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| n.彩虹色；放光彩；晕色；晕彩 | |
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turquoise
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| n.绿宝石；adj.蓝绿色的 | |
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amethyst
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| n.紫水晶 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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81
clarion
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| n.尖音小号声；尖音小号 | |
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82
ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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84
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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85
surmounting
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| 战胜( surmount的现在分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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86
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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anomalous
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| adj.反常的；不规则的 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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vertigo
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| n.眩晕 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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96
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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