Chapter 7 five

There's quite a bit of a crown fight here * In the bright morning light, the young woman looks more human, less airy.She hasn't said a word since Tristan woke up. The woman sat under the fig tree and glared at him, frowning at him with a gloomy face. He took out a knife and chopped a fallen branch into a crutch.He peeled off the bark from a twig and wrapped it around the split part at the upper end of the Y-shape. They hadn't had breakfast yet, and Tristan was starving.When he worked, his stomach rumbled; the stars were not hungry at all.She, on the other hand, did nothing but look at Tristan accusingly, then with unabashed disgust.

Tristan pulled the bark taut, tied a knot underneath, and tugged.Honestly, it's not about you.He spoke to the woman and the bushes.In the blazing sun, she barely glowed anymore, except for a few glints in the darkest shadows around her. Xingxing stretched out her white index finger, sliding up and down the silver chain between the two, and drawing along the chain on the slender wrist.She didn't answer. I do it for love.Tristan continued, and you really are my only hope.Her name, I mean, the name of my beloved, is Victoria.Victoria.forest.She was the prettiest, smartest, most lovable girl in the whole world.

The girl broke the silence with a mocking snort.This clever and pleasant thing, sent you here to torture me? Oh, not quite so.Hear me out, she'll give me anything I want, whether it's her hand at the wedding or kisses on her lips, as long as I bring her the shooting star we saw the night before.I had thought, he admitted, that meteors might look like diamonds or rocks.I really didn't expect it to be a lady. So, finding a lady, can't you come and help her, or leave her alone?Why bother dragging her into your stupidity? like.he explained. She looked at Tristan with sky blue eyes.I hope you fail.She said it bluntly.

Will not.Tristan said that the appearance of confidence and enthusiasm far exceeded his actual feelings.take it.Try this.He handed the woman the cane and bent down to try to help her up.When his skin touched the woman, he shuddered, but he didn't feel uncomfortable.The woman sat on the ground like a tree stump, not intending to get up at all. I told you, she said, that I would do everything in my power to thwart your plans or wishes.She looked around the woods.The world looks dreary and dreary in daylight. You just put your weight on me and the rest on crutches.He said, you have to move anyway.He tugged at the chain, and Star began reluctantly to stand, first leaning on Tristan, then, as if being near Tristan made her sick, she leaned on the cane instead.

She was out of breath, and then took a deep breath, but suddenly fell on the grass, her face twisted and hiding, and she cried out in pain in a low voice.Tristan knelt beside her: what's wrong? Her blue eyes blinked and filled with tears.my leg.I can't get up.It must be really broken.She trembled with pain, and her skin became as white as a cloud. sorry.Tristan said it wasn't helpful at all.Let me make you a splint.I did it for the sheep.no problem.Tristan held her hand tightly, went to the stream to soak his handkerchief, and handed it to Xingxing to wipe his forehead. He split more dead wood with a knife.Then he took off his jacket, and then his shirt, which he tore into strips, and tied those branches as tightly as possible to the woman's wounded leg.Star said nothing as he tied it, though he thought he heard Star sobbing secretly as he tied the last knot.

Seriously, he told Xingxing, we should get you a regular doctor.I am not a surgeon at all. no?She said nonchalantly, you really surprised me. Tristan let her rest in the sun for a while, then said: Better try again, I think.He helped her to stand up. They staggered away from the swamp, Star struggling to lean on his crutches and Tristan's arm, every step painful.Every time she hesitated or flinched in pain, Tristan felt guilty and embarrassed, but he found it by missing Victoria.Forrester's gray eyes calmed himself down.They walked along the deer trail in the hazel grove while Tristan (who decided he should talk to the stars more) asked her how long she had been a star, was it fun being a star, and were all stars female.He also said that he always thought that the stars should be like what Mrs. Cherry taught, that they should be fireballs with scorching gas, like the sun, but they are farther away, tens of thousands of miles away from us.

Stars was completely unresponsive to these questions and comments. Then how did you fall down?He asked, did you trip over something? She stopped moving and turned to stare at Tristan, as if examining something rather unpleasant from a great distance. I didn't trip.She finally spoke, and I was hit by this.She reached into her clothes and took out a large yellowish stone with two silver chains hanging from it.I have a bruise on the side of my body from this thing.It also knocked me to the ground.Now I am obliged to carry it with me. Why? She seemed to be on the verge of answering, but shook her head again, pursed her lips, and said nothing.A small river splashed with their steps, gurgling past them to their right.With the midday sun overhead, Tristan was getting hungry.He took the remaining dry crust out of the bag, soaked it in river water, and divided it into two equal halves.

Xing Xing looked at the wet bread disdainfully, but didn't pick it up to eat. You will be starving.Tristan warns her. She didn't say anything, just lifted her chin a little. They continued slowly through the woodland, laboring along the deer trail up the slope of the knoll and over many fallen tree trunks.The deer path became very steep, and it was easy for the staggering star and her captor to fall.Is there a better way to go?Xing Xing finally opened his mouth to ask, for example, is the road or an open place? No sooner had the question been asked than Tristan had the answer.He pointed to the stars and told the stars: there is a road half a mile away.Then he turned and pointed in another direction and said: There is a clearing there, behind the bushes.

You already know? right.oh.No, I only found out when you asked me. Let's go over to the clearing.she says.So they pushed through the bushes as best they could, and it still took almost an hour to reach the clearing.When they got to the clearing, they saw that the ground was as flat as a playground.The whole space seemed to have been cleared for some purpose, but Tristan couldn't imagine what. They were some distance away from the middle of the glade, where on the grass there was a crown of richly ornamented gold that glistened in the afternoon sun.The crown is set with red and blue stones, rubies and sapphires, Tristan thought.Just as he was about to go to the crown, the star touched his arm and said, "Wait a minute."Did you hear the drums?

He heard it: a low, rhythmic vibration, coming from all around.It sounded so close and so far away, echoing across the hills.Then, from the woods beyond the clearing came a loud crash, and a high, wordless cry.A huge white horse came to the clearing, with a deep gash on one side of its body, bleeding continuously.It rushed into the middle of the clearing, then turned around, lowered its head to face its pursuer, who pursued him to the clearing, and let out a low-pitched roar that made Tristan's hairs stand on end.It was a lion, but nothing like the lion Tristan had seen at the fair in the neighboring village (a mangy, toothless, dripping fellow).This lion is very tall, and its hair is almost the color of the beach at sunset.He ran into this glade and stopped to growl at the white horse.

The horse looks terrified.Its mane was matted with sweat and blood, and its eyes were wild.At the same time, Tristan noticed a long creamy white horn protruding from the center of its forehead.It stood upright on its hind legs, neighing and snorting, and kicked the lion's shoulder blade with a sharp unshoeed hoof, making it cry like a big cat scalded by boiling water, and startle back.So the lion kept his distance and circled the cautious unicorn, his golden eyes always ready for the long, pointed horns that were always turned towards him. Stop them, whispered the star, they will kill each other. The lion roared at the unicorn.At first the sound was soft and low, like distant thunder, and ended with a howl that roared to the trees of the forest, the rocks of the valley, and the sky.Then the lion jumped up suddenly, and the unicorn ran with its heels up, and the glade was filled with gold, silver, and red, because the lion lay on the unicorn's back, and its sharp claws cut its side deeply, and its mouth bit it. while the unicorn groaned, jumped up and down with arched back, tried in vain to get rid of the giant cat, and tried in vain to hit the animal that caused it pain with hooves and horns. Please, think of a way.That lion will kill it.The girl asked anxiously. Tristan wanted to explain to her that if he approached these two raging beasts, he would only be impaled, kicked, scratched, or even eaten; Couldn't help much, because he didn't even have a bucket of water, the traditional way Stonewall townspeople use to keep fighting animals apart.But as many thoughts flashed through his mind, Tristan was standing in the middle of the woodland, within arm's length of the two beasts.The lion was smelly, bestial and terrifying, and Tristan was close enough to see the pleading look in the unicorn's black eyes (Lion and unicorn vying for the crown, ) Tristan thought to himself, recalling the old nursery rhyme. ∮ Lions beat unicorns all over town beat it once beat it twice Exhausted power and strength beat it three times continue to hold power ★ Thinking of this, he picked up the crown, which was as heavy and soft as lead, from the grass.He walked up to the two animals, and said to the lion as he had spoken to the irritable ram and the furious ewe on his father's farm: Well, take it easy here's your crown The lion dangles the unicorn in its mouth like a cat fiddles with a woolen scarf.It gave Tristan a puzzled look. Hello!Tristan said.A lion's mane is tangled with thorns and leaves.He raised his heavy crown toward the beast.you win.Let the unicorns go.Then he took a step forward, stretched out his trembling hands, and placed the crown on the lion's head. The lion struggled to put down the unicorn's prone body, and walked quietly along the clearing with its head held high.It stopped when it reached the edge of the woods, spent a few minutes licking the wound with its bright red tongue, and then purred quietly into the forest with a low, earthquake-like grunt. Xingxing limped to the side of the injured unicorn, squatted awkwardly on the grass, stretched the injured leg outwards, and stroked its head.Poor, poor thing.The unicorn stared at her with open dark eyes, put his head on her lap, and closed his eyes again. Tristan ate the last piece of hard bread for dinner that night, and Star ate nothing.She insisted on being with the unicorn, and Tristan couldn't bear to say no. The glade is very dark now.The sky above them was filled with thousands of twinkling stars.The Star Maiden shines brightly, as if she has been scrubbed in the Milky Way; the Unicorn also glows softly in the dark, like the moon behind the clouds.Tristan lay beside the gigantic unicorn, feeling its warmth radiating into the dark night.The star lay on the other side of the beast, and it sounded like it was whispering to the unicorn; Tristan wished he could hear what she was singing.The fragments of the melody he could hear sounded strangely tantalizing, but the stars sang so quietly he could barely hear anything. His fingers touched the chain that bound them together; it was as cold as snow, as moonlight in a mill pond, or as thin and slender as the silver scales of trout swimming to the surface in the evening to feed. . He fell asleep quickly. ★ The Enchanted Queen drove along the forest path in her buggy, whipping the bodies of two white billy goats as they slowed down.She noticed a small campfire by the roadside about half a mile away, and recognized by the color of the flames that it was her people's fire, for the Witch's fire burns with unusual colours.So when she reached the brightly painted gypsy wagons and campfires, she reined in the goats and stopped.An old woman with iron gray hair was sitting by the fire, about to spit into the fire where the hare was roasting.Grease dripped from the hare's dismembered belly and sizzled in the fire, giving off an aroma of cooking meat mixed with wood smoke. A colorful bird perches on a stick next to the front driver's seat of the van.When it saw the Enchanted Queen, it flapped its feathers and screamed in terror, but it was chained to the perch and could not fly away. Before you can say anything, said the gray-haired old woman, I have to tell you that I'm just an old poor florist, a harmless old woman who never did anything to anyone.Seeing a tall and intimidating lady like you fills me with awe and terror. I will not hurt you.said the Magic Queen. The ugly old woman squinted her eyes and looked up and down at the lady in the red robe.You say so, she said, but a sweet old darling like me, shaking from head to toe, how do I know if it's true?You might be planning to rob me in the middle of the night, or something worse.She poked the fire with her stick, and the fire burned brighter.The aroma of barbecue fills the silent night sky. The Lady in the Scarlet Robe said: By the laws and restraints of the Sister Covenant to which you and I belong, by the authority of Lilim, by my lips, my breasts and my virginity, I swear I have no ill intentions for you, and will treat me as Treat you like a guest. For me, good enough, honey.said the old woman, with a broad smile on her face.Come and sit down.As long as the sheep's tail wags twice, dinner is ready. Willing to obey.The lady in the red robe said. A pair of goats snorted and chewed the grass beside the buggy and looked uneasily at the mule of the wagon tied to the rope.Very good goat.said the ugly old woman.The Magic Queen nodded and smiled demurely.The little crimson snake wrapped around her wrist like a bracelet, sparkled in the light of the fire. The ugly old woman continued: "Hey, my dear, my old eyesight is no longer what it used to be, but I guess I read it right, one of the two good guys was born with two legs, not four. ? This kind of thing is heard from time to time.The Enchanted Queen admitted, for example, your gorgeous bird. About twenty years ago, that bird took one of my treasures from my inventory and gave it away to a piece of trash that was nothing.The trouble she caused me afterwards is simply unimaginable.So these days, except for things to do, or to take care of the flower shop, she is just a bird.If I can find a good and strong servant who isn't afraid of a little hard work, then I'll make her a bird forever. Birds chirped sadly from their perches. People call me Mrs. Schmeler.said the ugly old woman. (People called you Deadwater Salle when you were a wee girl,) thought the Enchanted Queen, but didn't say it.Instead, she said: You can call me Mowangnai.When she thought about it, it seemed like a prank (because Ma Wang Nai means sea wave, and her real name has long been lost in the icy sea). Mrs. Schmeler stood up, got into the wagon, and produced two painted wooden bowls, two wooden-handled table knives, and a small jar of dried and ground green spice powder.I was going to use the fresh leaves as a plate and eat with my fingers.As she spoke, she handed the bowl to the lady in the scarlet robe.A sunflower was painted on the bowl, but it was covered in a layer of dirt.But I thought, oh, where do I always have such good company?So be sure to use the best.Do you want head or tail? You choose.said her guest. Hey, here's your head, with delicious and juicy eyes and brains, and crispy ears.I eat thighs, only dry meat to chew on.She spat on the fire as she spoke, and she carried two knives with such speed that at the slightest flicker of the blades she had cut open the rabbit and stripped the flesh from the skeleton.She divided the meat into two equal portions and put them in bowls.She handed the jar of spices to the guest.Honey, I have no salt, but if you sprinkle a little of this stuff, it will have the same effect.A little bit of basil, a little bit of alpine thyme is my original recipe. The Enchanted Queen took her share of the roasted hare and the knife, and sprinkled a little spice on the food.She forked a small piece with the tip of her knife and ate it with relish.Her host, however, played with his portion, puffing fussily on the crispy brown roast. how is the taste?asked the old woman. It was so delicious.Her guest said it with all her heart. It's the spices that make it so tasty.The ugly old woman explained. I can taste basil and thyme, the guest said, but there is another flavor that I find difficult to describe. ah.Mrs Schmeler said.She bites off a small piece of flesh. This must be the least common flavor. Exactly.That herb grows only in Garamont, on an island in the middle of a great lake.It goes well with all meats and fish and reminds me of fennel fronds with a hint of nutmeg.The flowers of this herb are the most attractive shade of willow orange.It is good for colds and malaria, and it has a mild hypnotic effect, and its rare properties make the person who eats it speak only the truth for hours. The scarlet robed lady's wooden bowl fell to the floor.Limbo Grass?She said, how dare you let me eat Limbo grass. It's just a disguise, my dear.The old woman giggled happily, then, tell me, Mrs. Mowangney, if that is your name, where are you going in your beautiful buggy?Why do you look so much like someone I used to know?Mrs. Schmeler never forgets anything or anyone. I was on a journey to find the star, said the Enchanted Queen, and the star fell in the great woods on the other side of Belly Mountain.When I find her, while she's alive and her heart is hers, I'll take my favorite knife out and take out her heart.Because the living star heart is the supreme medicine against all age and time traps.My sisters are waiting for me to go back. Mrs. Smeele herself was chuckling, her bony fingers clutching her sides.Heart of a star, eh?Hey!Hey!What a treasure it is to me!I will eat as much as I can, and my youth will return, my hair will turn from gray to blond, and my breasts will swell and soften and become firm and towering.And then I'm going to take the rest of the hearts to sell at the Great Bazaar in Stonewall, hey! You don't do this kind of thing.her visitor said very quietly. Won't?Honey, you are my guest.You swore.You ate my food.By the laws of our sisterly covenant, there is nothing you can do to hurt me. Oh, there are so many things I could do to hurt you, Deadwater Salle, but I just want to point out that people who eat Limbo weed can only tell the truth for the next few hours; The lights flickered between her words, and the forest was silent, as if every leaf on every tree was listening to her.Let me put it this way: you steal knowledge you don't deserve, and it won't benefit you.For you will not be able to see, feel, touch, taste, find or even kill the star.Even if someone gouges out its heart and gives it to you, you will never know, never know what is in your hand.That's what I'm going to say, and what I say is true.You know this by the way: I swore by the agreement of the sisterly covenant that I would not harm you.If I hadn't made this oath, I would have turned you into a black beetle because of your insult to me, ripped off your legs one by one, and left you to the sharp-eyed birds. Madame Schmeler stared, wide-eyed in terror, at her guest over the flames of the fire.who are youshe says. When you knew me, the woman in the scarlet robe said, I ruled Carnadian with my sister before it fell. is you?But you are dead, dead for a long time. People said Lilim was dead a long time ago, but they've been lying.It is said that a particular acorn will grow a particular oak tree, and that when it is cut down to make a crib, there will sleep a little baby who will kill me when it grows up.But the squirrel hadn't found the acorn yet. Silver light flickered among the flames as she spoke. So it's you.You have regained your youth.Mrs. Schmeler sighed, then, I too can regain my youth. The lady in the scarlet robe stood up and set the bowl with her share of food on the fire.Don't think about anything, she said, you hear me?As soon as I'm gone, you'll forget you ever saw me.You will forget all this, including my curse, although the thought of it still makes you distraught and irritable, like ringworm on a long-sawed-off hand or foot still makes you itch.I hope you will be more considerate and respectful to your guests in the future. At that time, the wooden bowl suddenly burst into flames, and the huge flames scorched the leaves of the oak tree some distance above their heads.Mrs. Smeele picked up the blackened wooden bowl from the fire with a stick, and stomped on the long grass.What did I do to drop the bowl into the fire?She cried out, Behold, such a good knife as mine is scorched and ruined.What am I thinking! There is no answer.From the far side of the road came the rhythmic tapping of something like the hooves of a goat galloping through the night.Mrs. Smeele shook her head, as if trying to clean the dust and cobwebs from her head.I am old.She said to the colorful bird sitting on the wooden pole beside the driver's seat.Everything, it has seen and will not forget.old.There is nothing I can do.The bird shifted uncomfortably on the pole. A squirrel looked around and approached the fire with some hesitation.It picked up an acorn and held it up for a moment with its hand-like front paws, as if in prayer.Then it ran off to bury the acorn and forget about it. ★ Scuttle Tide is a port town built on granite rocks, a town of grocer retailers, shipwright carpenters, and sail seamers; old sailors with missing fingers or broken legs run hotels here, or spend their days Soak in the hotel.What little they had left was still braided in long, greasy braids, and the long beards on their faces were starred and grizzled.There are no whores in Scuttle Tide, or no one who claims to be, although there are always plenty of women who, when pressed, describe themselves as more or less married, except that the husband arrives with the ship every six months. Here once, the other husband was on that boat, returning to port for a month every nine months. Mathematical calculations like these have always satisfied most people.If the plan failed and some man came back with the wife still with another husband, they would fight and the hotel would console the loser.The sailors didn't mind the arrangement, because at least it would let them know that somewhere there would be someone who noticed they hadn't returned from the sea and mourned their loss.Their wives willingly understand that their husbands are unfaithful, because human feelings cannot fight the sea, and since she is mother and housewife at the same time, when the time comes, she will wash his dead body like a lake, ivory and Like pearls. Lord Bermuth of Stormhold arrives at Sgarth Tide one night.He was dressed in black and had a bushy, serious beard, like a stork's nest in some town chimney.He drove to the Sailor's House Hotel in Cook Street, and asked for a room. His needs and requests were regarded as the most outlandish, for he brought his own food and drink into the room, locked in a wooden chest, only when he needed apples, cheese, or peppercorns. Open.The Sailor's House was a tall, narrow building built on a rock-solid vein of minerals, convenient for smuggling.He lives in the highest room. He bribed several of the local street urchins to report to him whenever they saw anyone coming into town whom they had never seen, whether by land or sea.In particular, draw their attention to a very tall, bony, dark-haired guy with a thin, greedy face and empty, blank eyes. Bermus has indeed learned to be careful.Jondoons said to the other four brothers who had died. Oh, you know what people say.Wouters murmured in the wistful tone of the dead, which sounded like distant waves lapping pebbles that day: He who is weary of guarding against Moose is weary of life. In the mornings, Bomus would chat with the captains of the boats in Sgarth Low Tide, buy them drinks generously, but never eat or drink with them.In the afternoon he inspected the ships at the pier. Soon, the gossip in Sgarth's low-tide town (which is full of gossips) was sketched out and added: this bearded gentleman was taking a boat to the East.That story was quickly outplayed by another, that he was sailing with Captain Yann's Dream Heart.It was a black-trimmed ship with a bloody crimson deck and a more or less good reputation (I mean a ship that mostly only did illegal things in distant waters).As long as he gives the order, the boat will sail immediately. Hello master!A street urchin told Lord Bermuth that a man had come to town by overland.He lodged at Madame Pettier's.He's skinny and crow-like, and I saw him at the Seafury bar, giving everyone a drink.He said he was a poor seaman and wanted a job. Bermus patted the boy's dirty head and gave him a coin.He then turned back to prepare, announcing that afternoon that Dreamheart would leave port in just three days. The day before Dreamheart was ready to sail, people saw Bermus selling his big carriage and four horses to a groom in Watteau Street, and then along the pier, handing out some small coins to street punks.He went into Dreamheart's cabin and gave stern orders that no one, for good or ill, should disturb him until at least a week after they had been out of shore. That night an unfortunate accident befell a capable sailor who was in charge of the Dreamheart's rigging.Drunk, he fell on the slippery cobblestones of Rue de Rivenau and broke his back.Fortunately there was a ready backup, the seaman who drank with the sailors that night, and persuaded the wounded fellow to demonstrate a particularly difficult hornpipe step on the slippery road.So this tall, dark, crow-like sailor drew a circle instead of a signature on his sea-going documents that night, went on deck at dawn, and the ship sailed out of the port in the early morning mist.The heart of dreams sails to the east. Lord Bermuth of Stormhold, clean-shaven, stood on the cliff-top by the sea and watched the ship go away until it disappeared.Then he walked down Watteau Street, returned the groom's money, and gave him other things, and then drove on the road in a big black carriage with four black horses, and left towards the west. ★ That's the obvious way.After all, the Unicorn walked very slowly beside them most of the morning, occasionally touching the shoulder of the Star with his broad forehead.The variegated sides, where the wounds at the lion's paws had looked like red flowers the day before, were now dried brown and scabbed. Star limped and staggered crookedly, Tristan walking beside her, cold chains binding their wrists together. On the one hand, Tristan felt that the idea of ​​riding a unicorn seemed a little blasphemous; it was not a horse, and had never agreed to any agreement between horses and humans in ancient times.There is wildness in its black eyes, and if there is a dishonest jump in its unrestrained steps, it will be dangerous.Tristan, on the other hand, began to feel that the unicorn cared about the star, and wanted to help her, though he couldn't tell.So he said, "Hey, I know you're trying to thwart my plans as much as possible, but maybe the Unicorn could let you ride a little way on its back if it wanted to." Star didn't say a word. how? She shrugged. Tristan turned to the unicorn, looking into its dark, deep eyes.Can you see what I mean?It didn't answer.Tristan wanted it to be like a trained horse, nodding and stomping, like the ones he'd seen as a kid on the town prairie.But it just watched with wide-eyed eyes.Can you drive this lady?please? The beast said nothing, nodded or stomped.But it went to the stars, and knelt down at her feet. Tristan helps Star climb onto the unicorn's back.Star clings to its tangled mane and sits sideways on its back, its broken leg outstretched.They walked like this for hours. Tristan walked beside them, his cane slung over his shoulder, the duffel bag dangling from the end of it.He felt that the stars were riding on the unicorn now, and it was as difficult to walk as before.Then he was compelled to walk slowly, trying to keep up with the shambling pace of the stars; now he must hurry to catch up with the unicorn, lest the unicorn go too far, and the chain linking them should tear the star from the beast's back. down.He was painfully aware of how hungry he was.Soon, Tristan began to think he was just a mass of hunger, wrapped in a thin layer of flesh, and walked as fast as he could, walking He staggered, knowing that he was about to fall. Please, stop.he said out of breath. The unicorn slowed down and stopped.Xing Xing looked down at him, shook his head, and grimaced.If the unicorn will take you, she said, you'd better come too.Or you'll pass out or something and drag me to the ground with you.We should also find a place for you to get something to eat. Tristan nodded gratefully. The unicorn did not show any objection, but waited obediently.So Tristan managed to climb onto its back.It's a bit like climbing a vertical wall, and it's like climbing a high wall in vain.Finally Tristan took it to a beech tree that had been uprooted years ago by storm, or wind, or some irascible giant; Climb up the tree trunk, and from the tree trunk onto the back of the unicorn. There's a village on the other side of that hill, Tristan said, and hopefully we'll find something to eat when we get there.He patted the unicorn's flank with his free hand.The beast started to walk.Tristan moved his hands around Xingxing's waist to keep himself from falling.He could feel the silky touch of her thin dress, and the thick chain of topaz around her waist. Riding a unicorn isn't like riding a horse; it doesn't move like a horse, and it's more, and weirder, to ride.The unicorn waited until Tristan and Xingxing were comfortably seated on their backs before slowly and leisurely beginning to pick up his pace. Trees heaved and swayed, brushing past them in haste.The stars leaned forward, fingers deep in the unicorn's mane; Tristan (he was too scared to be hungry) clamped his knees on the unicorn's body, and could only hope he wouldn't be caught by the sudden branch hit the ground.Soon, he found himself enjoying the experience.For those who can still ride a unicorn, riding a unicorn is like no other experience: light-hearted, intoxicating, and beautiful. By the time we reached the outskirts of the village, the sun was starting to set.In the undulating pasture, the unicorn stopped timidly under an oak tree, refusing to take a step forward.Tristan got off its back and landed heavily on the grass.His ass was sore, but Xing Xing looked down at him without complaint, and he couldn't reach out and rub it. Are you hungry?he asked the stars. She said nothing. Hello, he said, I'm starving.Really starve to death.I don't know if you don't know whether the stars eat or not, or what to eat.But I won't let you starve yourself to death.He looked up at the stars questioningly.Xingxing stared down at him, first indifferently, then, for a split second, her blue eyes filled with tears.She raised a hand to wipe the tears from her face, leaving a trail of mud on her cheek. We eat only darkness, she said, and we drink only light.So I'm not hungry.I'm alone and scared and cold and miserable and captive, but I'm not hungry. do not Cry.Tristan said, Hey, I'm going into the village to find something to eat.You are right here waiting.If anyone comes near, the unicorn will protect you.He reached out and lifted her gently, letting her off the unicorn's back.The unicorn shook its mane and began to eat the grass in the pasture with contentment. Star sniffled.wait here?she asked, holding up the chain that connected them. Oh, said Tristan, give me your hand. Star gave him his hand.He fumbled for the chain clumsily, trying to open it, but couldn't.Uh-huh.Tristan said.He tugged at the chain around his wrist, but it was just as strong.It looks, he said, as if I am bound to you, as you are bound to me. Xingxing threw her hair back, closed her eyes, and sighed deeply.接著，她睜開眼睛，再度恢復鎮靜，說道：也許有魔法密語還是什麼的。 我不知道什麼魔法密語。Tristan said.他舉起鎖鍊，鍊子在落日的光線下反射出紅色和紫色的光芒。please?He said.鍊子裡傳出細細的波動，他的手便滑了出來。 take it.崔斯坦說著，一面把繫住星星的鎖鍊另一端交給她。我會設法早點回來。如果有什麼精靈小人對妳唱些愚蠢的歌，看在老天的分上，別把枴杖丟到他們頭上。他們只會把枴杖偷走。 I will not.she says. 我得相信妳會以身為星星為榮，不會跑掉。He said. 她摸摸自己的斷腿。我會有一段時間沒辦法跑了。她意有所指地說。崔斯坦聽了很滿意。 他走完最後半哩路到村子裡。由於距離旅人絡繹往來的道路太遠，這個村子沒有旅店，但一位胖胖的老婦人向他解釋了之後，堅持一起去她的小屋，在那裡給了他一小杯啤酒和滿滿一木碗壓實的大麥粥，裡頭還有紅蘿蔔。他用細麻紗手帕跟她換了一瓶接骨木花甜酒、一塊圓形的綠乳酪和好些他不怎麼熟悉的水果；這些水果很柔軟，表面覆有絨毛，就像杏桃一樣，但顏色卻是葡萄的藍紫色，聞起來又有點像熟透的桃子。老婦人還給了他一小綑乾草料，要給獨角獸吃。 他吃著一片甜美多汁又耐嚼的水果，走回當初留下星星和獨角獸的牧草地。他想知道星星會不會願意嚐一點，說不定她吃了以後就會喜歡。他希望星星看到自己為她帶回來的東西會很高興。 一開始，崔斯坦以為自己一定弄錯了，在月光下迷了路。不；那是同一棵橡樹，星星就是坐在那棵樹下。 Hello?he yelled.螢火蟲和螢科昆蟲在灌木叢裡和樹枝間，閃爍著綠色和黃色的光芒。no answer.崔斯坦感到胃裡有種噁心、愚蠢的感覺。Hello?他又大叫。然後他停止了喊叫，因為沒有人回答。 他把乾草料扔到地上，一腳踢開。 星星朝著他的西南方前進，移動的速度比他能走的速度要快得多。他在明亮的月光下跟隨著。內心深處，他感到愚蠢傻氣，一陣由罪惡、羞辱、懊悔混合而成的劇烈痛苦，使他苦惱極了。不應該鬆開綁她的鎖鍊，應該把她綁在樹上；他應該強迫星星跟他一起走進村子裡。他行走時，這念頭閃過他的腦袋；但另一個聲音也對他說話，指出如果他那時沒把星星鬆綁，不久之後也會把她鬆綁，到時她一樣會逃走。 他想知道自己能否再見到星星一面。道路把他引進深邃的樹林，他一直被老樹的樹根胖倒。月光緩緩消失在遮雨篷般厚厚的樹葉下，他毫無意義地在黑暗中又蹣跚走了一會兒，才躺在一棵樹下，把頭枕在行李袋上，閉上了眼睛，不停懊悔到睡著為止。 ★ 腹山最南邊的斜坡上，在岩石層疊的高山崖口，魔法女王勒住那輛山羊拉的小馬車，停下來嗅著清冷的空氣。 無數的星星冷冰冰地高掛在頭上的天空中。 她鮮紅欲滴的嘴唇彎成微笑的弧形，看來那麼美、那麼光彩、那麼純真而且絕對幸福，你看到她時，全身血管裡的血液都會凍結。在那裡，她朝我過來了。 崖口的山風在她身邊歡欣鼓舞地呼呼作響，彷彿在回答她的話。 ★ 伯穆斯坐在火堆的餘燼旁，在厚厚的黑袍下瑟瑟發抖。有一匹黑色公馬不知是醒了或是在做夢，又是嘶叫又呼哧噴氣，然後才恢復安靜。伯穆斯感到臉冷得不可思議；他真懷念濃密的落腮鬍。他用棍子從餘燼裡挑出一顆黏土球。他在手上吐了些唾沫，接著掰開滾燙的黏土球，豪豬肉鮮甜的香氣便冒了出來。這是他趁睡覺時用餘燼的熱度慢慢烤熟的。 他小心翼翼地吃著早餐，把細骨頭上的肉都啃淨，再吐到火圈裡。他配著一塊硬乳酪和一瓶略酸的白酒，把豪豬肉吃了個乾淨。 他吃飽後，用長袍擦了擦雙手，然後用神祕符號占卜，好幫助他尋找代表高崖地和暴風堡廣闊領土統治權的黃玉。他用力擲出那些小小的方形紅色花崗岩片，困惑地凝視。他再次拾起花崗岩片，放在鳥爪般的手裡搖動，接著散落到地上，又凝視了一次。伯穆斯往火堆的餘燼吐了一口痰，在灰燼上發出懶洋洋的嘶嘶聲。他撢去岩片上的塵土，把岩片扔進腰帶上的小口袋裡。 它移動得更快、更遠了。伯穆斯自言自語地說。 他在餘燼上撒了一泡尿，因為他在野蠻的國度裡，這裡的強盜土匪和惡靈都比其他地方要來得壞，他一點也不想讓他們意識到自己的出現。然後，他把馬套在馬車上，爬上駕駛座，往森林裡，朝著西方，朝著更遠處的山脈駛去。 ★ 獨角獸猛然跳進黑暗的森林，女孩緊緊抱住牠的頸子。 樹林裡看不到月光，但獨角獸散發著蒼白微弱的光芒，就像月亮一樣；而女孩自己也閃閃發光，彷彿身後拖著一道光。當她穿過樹林，隔著一段距離看起來，她似乎一閃一閃的，忽明忽暗，忽暗忽明，像一顆小星星。