《最後一戰》第35期:老鷹帶來的消息(5)

"I dare swear," said the Unicorn, "from its flight, that it is a Talking bird."

"So think I," said the King. "But is it a friend, or a spy of the Ape's?"

"To me, Sire," said the Dwarf, "it has a look of Far-sight the Eagle."

"Ought we to hide under the trees?" said Eustace.

"Nay," said Tirian, "best stand still as rocks. He would see us for certain if we moved."

"Look! He wheels, he has seen us already," said Jewel. "He is coming down in wide circles."

"Arrow on string, Lady," said Tirian to Jill. "But by no means shoot till I bid you. He may be a friend."

If one had known what was going to happen next it would have been a treat to watch the grace and ease with which the huge bird glided down. He alighted on a rocky crag a few feet from Tirian, bowed his crested head, and said in his strange eagle's-voice, "Hail, King."

"Hail, Farsight," said Tirian. "And since you call me King, I may well believe you are not a follower of the Ape and his false Aslan. I am right glad of your coming."

"Sire," said the Eagle, "when you have heard my news you will be sorrier of my coming than of the greatest woe that ever befell you."

Tirian's heart seemed to stop beating at these words, but he set his teeth and said, "Tell on."

"Two sights have I seen," said Farsight. "One was Cair Paravel filled with dead Narnians and living Calormenes: The Tisroc's banner advanced upon your royal battlements: and your subjects flying from the city - this way and that, into the woods. Cair Paravel was taken from the sea. Twenty great ships of Calormen put in there in the dark of the night before last night."

No one could speak.

"And the other sight, five leagues nearer than Cair Paravel, was Roonwit the Centaur lying dead with a Calormene arrow in his side. I was with him in his last hour and he gave me this message to your Majesty: to remember that all worlds draw to an end and that noble death is a treasure which no one is too poor to buy."

"So," said the King, after a long silence, "Narnia is no more."

"我敢發誓，"獨角獸說，"從它飛翔的樣子看來，它是一隻能說人話的鳥兒。"

"我也這樣想。"國王說，"但它是個朋友呢，還是無尾猿的一個密探?"

"在我看來，陛下，"小矮人道，"它具有老鷹千里眼的神氣。"

"我們該躲在樹底下嗎?"尤斯塔斯問。

"不要，"蒂蓮說道，"最好是站着一動也不動，像石頭一樣。我們如果走動了，它倒肯定無疑地會看到我們了。"

"瞧!它在盤旋哩，它已經看見我們了。"珍寶說，"它正在兜着大圈子盤旋而下哩。"

"箭搭在弦上，小姐，"蒂蓮對吉爾說，"可是我不下令你無論如何別把箭射出去。它說不定是個朋友。"

如果有人知道下一步會發生什麼事情，瞧着大鳥那麼優美而從容地滑翔而下，倒是賞心悅目的。它棲息在一個幢崖上，離蒂蓮不過幾英尺，它用它生有冠毛的頭鞠了一個躬，用它奇怪的老鷹噪音說道"好啊，國王。"

"好啊，老鷹千里眼。"蒂蓮說道，"既然你稱我爲國王，我就不妨相信你不是無尾猿及其僞阿斯蘭的一名追隨者。我對你的來到感到高興。"

"陛下，"老鷹說，"你聽到我帶來的消息時，我的到來啊，就會比過去你所遭到的最大的災難更加使你感到傷心難受。"

蒂蓮聽到這些話，他的心臟彷彿停止跳動了，但他咬緊牙關，說道"請說下去吧。"

"我看到了兩個景象，"老鷹千里眼說道，"第一個景象是：凱爾帕拉維爾城裏充滿了死掉的納尼亞人和活着的卡樂門人：'蒂斯羅克'的旗幟插上了你那王城的雉堞。：你的老百姓從城裏逃出去——從這條路或那條路，逃進森林裏去了。凱爾帕拉維爾是被海上來的敵人攻佔的。前天夜間，在漆黑一團的夜色裏，二十條卡樂門大船闖了進來。"

沒人說話。

"第二個景象是，在離凱爾帕拉維爾不到十五英里的地方，人頭馬龍威特腰間中了卡樂門人的一箭，倒下死了；他臨終最後一小時，我是和他在一起的，他叫我給陛下送來這個信息要牢牢記住，所有的世界都要完結的，而崇高的犧牲是個寶庫，可沒有人窮得買不起這個寶庫的。"

"如此說來，"國王在長時間的沉默之後說道，"納尼亞王國是不復存在了。"