Chapter 14: The Stone's Embrace and the Distant Horn （岩石的拥抱与远方的号角）

　　The fissure was not a cave, but a deep, narrow crack in the cliff face, perhaps caused by some ancient earth tremor. It was cold, damp, and utterly dark. They huddled together on a small, level patch of gritty stone, their ragged breaths the only sound. Outside, the frustrated snarls and barks of the worg pack echoed, but the sounds were muffled, distant. The rock walls, cold and unyielding, were their saviors.

　　裂缝并非洞穴，而是岩壁上一条深邃狭窄的裂隙，或许源于远古的地壳震动。里面寒冷、潮湿、一片漆黑。他们蜷缩在一块小而平坦的粗砺石地上，只有急促的呼吸声可闻。外面，座狼群挫败的咆哮声回荡着，但声音沉闷而遥远。冰冷坚硬的岩壁是他们的救星。

　　Minutes stretched into an hour. The barks outside gradually subsided, replaced by the sound of heavy paws padding back and forth, a testament to the pack's stubborn patience. Leon's entire body trembled, a delayed reaction to the terror. He could still feel the heat of the worg's breath, see the gleam of its teeth. He had been certain they were going to die.

　　时间一分一秒地过去，足有一个小时。外面的吠叫声逐渐平息，取而代之的是沉重的爪子在来回踱步的声音，证明了狼群顽固的耐心。里昂全身都在颤抖，这是恐惧的延迟反应。他仍能感觉到座狼呼吸的热气，看到它牙齿的寒光。他刚才确信他们死定了。

　　Iris was a statue beside him, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Her hand found his in the darkness, her grip firm and steady. It was not a gesture of affection, but one of shared survival. They were in this together, to the end.

　　艾莉丝在他身边像尊雕像，呼吸慢慢恢复正常。她的手在黑暗中找到了他的手，握得坚定而平稳。这不是示好，而是一种共同求生的姿态。他们生死与共。

　　"We cannot stay here long," she whispered, her voice barely disturbing the stillness. "They will not leave. They will wait until thirst or hunger drives us out."

　　Leon's throat was already dry. He nodded, then realized she couldn't see him. "I know," he croaked. "But how do we get past them?"

　　"我们不能久留，"她低声说，声音轻得几乎不打破寂静。"它们不会离开。会等到我们渴死或饿死。"

　　里昂的喉咙已经干了。他点点头，然后意识到她看不见。"我知道，"他嘶哑地说。"但我们怎么过去？"

　　Iris was silent for a long time. "We go deeper," she said finally. "The mountain may have other secrets."

　　Feeling their way along the cold, slimy rock, they inched further into the fissure. It narrowed alarmingly at points, forcing them to turn sideways and squeeze through. Just as Leon was beginning to fear they would be stuck forever, the space opened up slightly. A faint, cool draft of air brushed their faces. And ahead, a pinprick of grey light was visible.

　　艾莉丝沉默了很长时间。"我们往深处走，"她终于说道。"这座山可能还有其他秘密。"

　　他们沿着冰冷黏滑的岩石摸索着，一点一点地向裂缝深处挪动。有几处狭窄得吓人，逼得他们侧身挤过。就在里昂开始担心他们会永远卡住时，空间稍微开阔了一些。一股微弱的冷风吹拂着他们的脸。前方，可见一个针尖大小的灰白光点。

　　"An opening!" Leon gasped.

　　They scrambled towards it. The light came from above, a narrow chimney leading up through the rock. It was too high to reach, and the walls were sheer. But the draft meant there was another way out. Hope, faint and fragile, flickered within the crushing darkness.

　　"有个出口！"里昂喘息着说。

　　他们向那里爬去。光来自上方，是一个穿过岩石的狭窄通道。太高了够不着，而且岩壁是垂直的。但既然有气流，就意味着有另一条出路。希望，微弱而脆弱，在令人窒息的黑暗中闪烁。

　　It was then that they heard it. A new sound, carried on the draft from above. It was faint, distant, but unmistakable—a clear, resonant horn call. It was not the crude bellow of an orc horn, nor the eerie wail of a Forsaken signal. This was a clean, silver note, piercing the mountain air. It was answered by another, closer horn from a different direction.

　　就在这时，他们听到了。一个新的声音，随着上方的气流传来。微弱、遥远，但清晰可辨——一声清脆、洪亮的号角声。这不是兽人号角的粗野嘶鸣，也不是被遗忘者信号的诡异哀嚎。这是一个清越、银铃般的音调，穿透了山间的空气。另一个更近的号角声从不同方向传来，作为回应。

　　"Elves," Iris breathed, her voice filled with a shock of recognition and something else—longing? Fear? "That is a Sentinel's horn. The Night Elves... they are here. In these mountains."

　　"精灵，"艾莉丝低语道，声音充满了震惊的辨认，还有别的情绪——渴望？恐惧？"那是哨兵的号角。暗夜精灵……他们在这里。在这片山脉里。"

　　The implications crashed down on Leon. Allies? Or another threat? Iris was a night elf, but she was a wanderer, separated from her people. How would a patrol of Sentinel archers react to finding her with a human boy? Would they see a lost sister? Or a suspicious outsider?

　　其中的含义重重压在里昂心头。是盟友？还是另一个威胁？艾莉丝是暗夜精灵，但她是个流浪者，与族人失散了。一队哨兵弓箭手发现她和一个人类男孩在一起会作何反应？他们会看到一个失散的姐妹？还是一个可疑的外来者？

　　The horn calls continued, echoing through the peaks, a conversation in a language they could not understand. It was a sound of order, of power, of a presence that could potentially scatter the worg pack with a volley of arrows. But it was also a sound that could mean capture, interrogation, an end to their fragile freedom.

　　号角声持续着，在群峰间回荡，是一种他们无法理解的语言在对话。这声音代表着秩序、力量，代表着一种存在，可能用一阵箭雨就能驱散座狼群。但这声音也可能意味着被捕、审问，以及他们脆弱的自由的终结。

　　Outside the fissure, the worgs had fallen silent. The horn calls had unsettled them too. The pack was intelligent enough to recognize a greater threat.

　　Iris's mind was racing, Leon could feel it in the tension of her hand. The way out was above them, but it led towards the unknown sound of the Sentinels. The way back was blocked by the waiting worgs. They were caught between the jaws of a new dilemma.

　　裂缝外，座狼安静了下来。号角声也让它们不安了。狼群足够聪明，能识别出更大的威胁。

　　里昂能通过她手的紧绷感觉得到，艾莉丝正在飞速思考。出路在上方，但通向哨兵们未知的声响。退路被等待的座狼阻断。他们陷入了新的两难境地。

　　"The Sentinels will not stay," Iris said, more to herself than to Leon. "They are hunting something. Or patrolling a border. They will move on." She made a decision. "We wait for nightfall. The worgs may grow restless and leave. If not... we climb. We must reach that chimney."

　　"哨兵不会久留，"艾莉丝说，更像是在自言自语而非对里昂说。"他们在狩猎什么。或是在巡逻边境。他们会离开的。"她做出了决定。"我们等到天黑。座狼可能会变得焦躁离开。如果不行……我们就爬。必须到达那个通道。"

　　The plan was thin, a thread of hope against the granite reality of their prison. But it was a plan. Leon leaned his head back against the cold stone, listening to the fading echoes of the elven horns. The world outside their tiny crack was vast, filled with powers and conflicts they could scarcely comprehend. But for now, the mountain held them safe in its stony heart. The immediate danger had passed, replaced by the anxious wait for darkness and the uncertain path that lay above.

　　这个计划很渺茫，是他们囚笼的花岗岩现实中的一线希望。但好歹是个计划。里昂把头靠回冰冷的岩石上，听着精灵号角逐渐消失的回音。他们狭小裂缝外的世界广阔无垠，充满了他们几乎无法理解的力量与冲突。但现在，山脉将他们安全地拥在它石质的怀抱中。眼前的危险已经过去，取而代之的是对黑暗的焦虑等待，以及上方未知的道路。