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第31部分

rz.signoftheunicorn-第31部分

小说: rz.signoftheunicorn 字数: 每页4000字

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objects suddenly occurred; eroding; my sense of depth; destroying perspective; rearranging the display of articles within my field of vision; so that everything presented its entire outer surface without simultaneously appearing to occupy an increased area: angles predominated; and relative sizes seemed suddenly ridiculous。 Random's horse reared and neighed; massive; apocalyptic; instantly recalling Guernica to my mind。 And to my distress I saw that we ourselves had not been untouched by the phenomenon … but that Random; struggling with his mount; and Ganelon; still managing to control Firedrake; had; like everything else; been transfigured by this cubist dream of space。
 But Star was a veteran of many a hellride; Firedrake; also; had been through a lot。 We clung to them and felt the movements that we could not accurately gauge。 And Random succeeded; at last; in imposing his will upon his mount; though the prospect continued to alter as we advanced。
 Light values shifted next。 The sky grew black; not as night; but like a flat; nonreflecting surface。 So did certain vacant areas between objects。 The only light left in the world seemed to originate from things themselves; and all of it was gradually bleached。 Various intensities of white emerged from the planes of existence; and brightest of all; immense; awful; the unicorn suddenly reared; pawing at the air; filling perhaps ninety percent of creation with what became a slow…motion gesture I feared would annihilate us if we advanced another pace。
 Then there was only the light。 Then absolute stillness。
 Then the light was gone and there was nothing。 Not even blackness。 A gap in existence; which might have lasted an instant or an eternity。。。
 Then the blackness returned; and the light。 Only they were reversed。 Light filled the interstices; outlining voids that must be objects。 The first sound that I heard was the rushing of water; and I knew somehow that we were halted beside the spring。 The first thing that I felt was Star's quivering。 Then I smelled the sea。
 Then the Pattern came into view; or a distorted negative of it。。。
 I leaned forward and more light leaked around the edges of things。 I leaned back; it went away。 Forward again; this time farther than before。。。
 The light spread; introduced various shades of gray into the scheme of things。 With my knees then; gently; I suggested that Star advance。
 With each pace; something returned to the world。 Surfaces; textures; colors。。。
 Behind me; I heard the others begin to follow。 Below me; the Pattern surrendered nothing of its mystery; but it acquired a context which; by degrees; found its place within the larger reshaping of the world about us。
 Continuing downhill; a sense of depth reemerged。 The sea; now plainly visible off to the right; underwent a possibly purely optical separation from the sky; with which it seemed momentarily to have been joined in some sort of Urmeer of the waters above and the waters below。 Unsettling upon reflection; but unnoted while in effect。 We were heading down a steep; rocky incline which seemed to have taken its beginning at the rear of the grove to which the unicorn had led us。 Perhaps a hundred meters below us was a perfectly level area which appeared to be solid; unfractured rock … roughly oval in shape; a couple of hundred meters along its major axis。 The slope down which we rode swung off to the left and returned; describing a vast arc; a parenthesis; half cupping the smooth shelf。 Beyond its rightward jutting there was nothing … that is to say the land fell away in steep descent toward that peculiar sea。
 And; continuing; all three dimensions seemed to reassert themselves once more。 The sun was that great orb of molten gold we had seen earlier。 The sky was a deeper blue than that of Amber; and there were no clouds in it。 That sea was a matching blue; unspecked by sail or island。 I saw no birds; and I heard no sounds other than our own。 An enormous silence lay upon this place; this day。 In the bowl of my suddenly clear vision; the Pattern at last achieved its disposition upon the surface below。 I thought at first that it was inscribed in the rock; but as we drew nearer I saw that it was contained within it … gold…pink swirls; like veining in an exotic marble; natural…seeming despite the obvious purpose to the design。
 I drew rein and the others came up beside me。 Random to my right; Ganelon to my left。
 We regarded it in silence for a long while。 A dark; rough…edged smudge had obliterated an area of the section immediately beneath us; running from its outer rim to the center。
 〃You know;〃 Random finally said; 〃it is as if someone had shaved the top off Kolvir; cutting at about the level of the dungeons。〃
 〃Yes;〃 I said。
 〃Then … looking for congruence … that would be about where our own Pattern lies。〃
 〃Yes;〃 I said again。
 〃And that blotted area is to the south; from whence es the black road。〃
 I nodded slowly as the understanding arrived and forged itself into a certainty。
 〃What does it mean?〃 he asked。 〃It seems to correspond to the true state of affairs; but beyond that I do not understand its significance。 Why have we been brought here and shown this thing?〃
 〃It does not correspond to the true state of affairs;〃 I said。 〃It is the true state of affairs。〃
 Ganelon turned toward us。
 〃On that shadow Earth we visited … where you had spent so many years … I heard a poem about two roads that diverged in a wood;〃 he said。 〃It ends; 'I took the one less traveled by; and that has made all the difference。' When I heard it; I thought of something you had once said … 'All roads lead to Amber' … and I wondered then; as I do now; at the difference the choice may make; despite the end's apparent inevitability to those of your blood。〃
 〃You know?〃 I said。 〃You understand?〃
 〃I think so。〃
 He nodded; then pointed。
 〃That is the real Amber down there; isn't it?〃
 〃Yes;〃 I said。 〃Yes; it is。〃

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