Chapter 15: The Chimney and the Choice （岩隙与抉择）

　　The pinprick of grey light above them faded slowly, marking the passage of the afternoon. The world outside their stony refuge grew quiet, the distant horn calls having long since ceased. Even the restless pacing of the worgs had stopped, leaving behind an unnerving silence. The only sounds were the drip of moisture somewhere deep in the fissure and the ragged rhythm of their own breathing. The cold seeped into their bones, a deep, persistent chill that the shared warmth of their bodies did little to dispel.

　　头顶那点灰白的光斑渐渐黯淡，标志着下午的流逝。他们石质避难所外的世界变得寂静，遥远的号角声早已停歇。连座狼那焦躁的踱步声也消失了，只留下令人不安的宁静。唯一的声响是裂隙深处某处的滴水声和他们自己不均匀的呼吸声。寒意渗入骨髓，一种深沉而持久的冰冷，他们身体的些微暖意几乎无法驱散。

　　As true darkness fell, the faint light from above vanished completely. They were entombed in absolute blackness. Leon's fear began to mutate into a formless claustrophobia. The weight of the mountain felt immense, pressing down on him. He fought the urge to scramble blindly back towards the entrance, towards the known danger of the worgs.

　　当真正的黑暗降临时，上方微弱的光完全消失了。他们被埋葬在彻底的漆黑之中。里昂的恐惧开始变异成一种无形的幽闭恐惧。山脉的重量感觉无比巨大，压在他身上。他强忍着不让自己盲目地爬回入口，爬向座狼那已知的危险。

　　Iris, however, seemed to become calmer in the dark. Her breathing slowed and deepened. "It is time," she whispered, her voice a steady anchor in the void. "We must try to climb."

　　"Climb? In the dark?" Leon's voice cracked with disbelief. "We can't see anything!"

　　然而，艾莉丝在黑暗中似乎变得更加平静。她的呼吸放缓、加深。“是时候了，”她低语道，声音在虚空中如同稳定的锚。“我们必须试着爬上去。”

　　“爬？在黑暗中？”里昂的声音因难以置信而尖利。“我们什么也看不见！”

　　"We can feel," Iris replied, her tone pragmatic. She guided his hand to the rock wall. It was rough, uneven, with many small cracks and ledges. "The rock is our guide. It is not a smooth surface. We can use the antler, your knife, to test for holds. We go slowly. One move at a time."

　　“我们可以感觉，”艾莉丝回答，语气务实。她引导他的手摸向岩壁。岩石粗糙不平，有许多细小的裂缝和凸起。“岩石就是我们的向导。表面并不光滑。我们可以用鹿角，你的刀，来试探抓手的地方。我们慢慢来。一次只移动一步。”

　　The plan was terrifying in its simplicity. But staying meant slow starvation or a desperate, likely fatal, dash past the waiting worgs. Climbing offered a chance, however slim.

　　Iris went first. Using the sharpened stick she had made and her bare hands, she began to ascend the chimney with a spider-like grace that Leon knew he could never match. He listened to the scuff of her feet and hands, the occasional dislodgement of a tiny pebble. It was a painstakingly slow process.

　　这计划简单得可怕。但留下意味着慢慢饿死，或者绝望地、很可能致命地冲过等待的座狼群。攀爬则提供了一线生机，无论多么渺茫。

　　艾莉丝先上。用她削尖的木棍和赤手空拳，她开始以蜘蛛般的优雅向上攀爬，这是里昂知道自己永远无法企及的。他听着她手脚摩擦的声音，偶尔有小石子被碰落。这是一个极其缓慢的过程。

　　After what felt like an eternity, her voice drifted down, a soft echo. "There is a ledge. It is wide enough. I am safe. Your turn. Feel for the holds I used. Go slowly."

　　感觉过了很久，她的声音轻轻回荡下来。“这里有个岩架。足够宽。我安全了。该你了。摸索我用的那些抓手点。慢一点。”

　　Leon's heart was a drum in his ears. He tucked the precious knife into his belt and gripped the smooth antler in his right hand. With his left, he reached up, feeling the cold, damp rock. He found a narrow crack, just wide enough for his fingers. He pulled, testing his weight. He found a tiny foothold with his toe. He began to climb.

　　里昂的心跳像鼓声在耳边轰鸣。他把宝贵的刀塞进腰带，右手紧握光滑的鹿角。左手向上摸索，触到冰冷潮湿的岩石。他找到一道窄缝，刚好能容下他的手指。他用力拉，试探着身体的重量。他用脚尖找到一个微小的踏足点。他开始向上爬。

　　It was the most terrifying experience of his life. Every shift of weight felt like a gamble. Every slip of his foot sent a jolt of pure panic through him. The darkness was absolute, a suffocating blanket. He could only trust his sense of touch and the memory of Iris's movements. Minutes felt like hours. His arms and legs burned with strain.

　　这是他一生中最恐怖的经历。每一次重心的移动都像是一场赌博。每一次脚下滑动都让他一阵恐慌。黑暗是彻底的，如同令人窒息的毯子。他只能信任自己的触觉和对艾莉丝动作的记忆。几分钟感觉像几个小时。他的手臂和腿因用力而灼痛。

　　Finally, a hand closed around his wrist, pulling him upwards onto a level surface. He collapsed onto the ledge, gasping, his whole body trembling with adrenaline and exhaustion. They were out of the fissure, but not yet safe. They were on a narrow shelf on the cliff face, exposed to the night wind. Below them, the darkness of the chasm yawned, depthless and terrifying.

　　终于，一只手抓住了他的手腕，把他向上拉到一个平坦的表面上。他瘫倒在岩架上，喘着粗气，全身因肾上腺素和精疲力竭而颤抖。他们出了裂缝，但还不安全。他们处在岩壁上一个狭窄的平台上，暴露在夜风中。下方，深渊的黑暗张着大口，深不见底，令人恐惧。

　　But above them, the sky was clear, dotted with a million cold, sharp stars. And in the distance, to the north, they saw lights. Not the campfires of a military patrol, but a soft, gentle glow that seemed to emanate from the trees themselves, high up on a neighboring peak. It was an unearthly, serene light, the color of moonlight on snow.

　　但在他们上方，天空晴朗，点缀着无数冰冷锐利的星星。在远处，北方，他们看到了光芒。不是军队巡逻营地的篝火，而是一种柔和的光晕，似乎是从树木本身散发出来的，在邻近的一座高峰上。那是一种超凡脱俗、宁静的光，颜色如同月光照在雪上。

　　"Anu'dorini talah," Iris whispered, her voice filled with awe and a deep, aching homesickness. "The Moonwell of the Sisterhood. The Sentinels are there." She turned to Leon, her starlit eyes serious. "We have a choice. We can try to descend this cliff in the dark, hoping the worgs are gone. Or... we can go towards the light. We can seek sanctuary with my people."

　　“Anu'dorini talah,” 艾莉丝低语道，声音充满了敬畏和一种深沉、痛楚的思乡之情。“姐妹会的月井。哨兵们在那里。”她转向里昂，她映着星光的眼睛十分严肃。“我们有一个选择。我们可以试着在黑暗中爬下这悬崖，希望座狼已经离开。或者……我们可以走向那光芒。我们可以向我的族人寻求庇护。”

　　Leon looked from the terrifying blackness of the descent to the ethereal, inviting glow on the distant peak. Going to the elves meant surrendering their fate to strangers, to the rigid laws of a people he knew nothing about. But it also meant potential safety, warmth, and food. It meant Iris might be home.

　　里昂看看下方令人恐惧的黑暗，又看看远处山峰上那空灵、诱人的光晕。去找精灵意味着将他们的命运交给陌生人，交给他一无所知的、律法严明的族群。但这也意味着可能的安全、温暖和食物。意味着艾莉丝可能回家了。

　　He thought of Maeva's kindness, a solitary light in the wilderness. Would the elves offer the same? Or would they see him as an intruder, a human contaminating their sacred space?

　　The choice was upon them. The path down was fraught with peril. The path towards the light was a leap of faith.

　　他想到梅娃的善意，那是荒野中孤独的光亮。精灵们也会同样给予吗？还是他们会把他视为入侵者，一个玷污了他们圣地的人类？

　　抉择摆在他们面前。向下的路充满危险。通向光芒的路是一次信念的飞跃。