JON
52 琼恩
Othor,”
announced Ser Jaremy Rykker, “beyond a doubt. And this one was Jafer Flowers.”
He turned the corpse over with his foot, and the dead white face stared up at
the overcast sky with blue, blue eyes. “They were Ben Stark’s men, both of
them.”
“这是奥瑟，”杰瑞米·莱克爵士宣布，“错不了。另外那个是杰佛·佛花。”他用脚把尸体翻过来，死尸脸色惨白，蓝澄澄的双眼睁得老大，瞪着阴霾不开的天空。“他们两个都是班·史塔克手下的人。”
My uncle’s men,
Jon thought numbly. He remembered how he’d pleaded to ride with them. Gods, I
was such a green boy. If he had taken me, it might be me lying here?.?.?.?
他们是叔叔手下的人，琼恩木然地想。他忆起自己当初哀求与他们同去的模样。诸神保佑，我果真是个稚气未脱的孩子。假如叔叔带的是我，或许就换我躺在这儿了……
Jafer’s right
wrist ended in the ruin of torn flesh and splintered bone left by Ghost’s jaws.
His right hand was floating in a jar of vinegar back in Maester Aemon’s tower.
His left hand, still at the end of his arm, was as black as his cloak.
杰佛的右臂被白灵齐腕咬断，末端只剩一团血肉模糊。他的右手掌此刻正在伊蒙师傅的塔里，悬浮于醋罐之中。至于他的左掌，虽然还好端端地接在臂膀上，却和他的斗篷一般黑。
“Gods have mercy,” the Old Bear muttered. He swung down from his
garron, handing his reins to Jon. The morning was unnaturally warm; beads of
sweat dotted the Lord Commander’s broad forehead like dew on a melon. His horse
was nervous, rolling her eyes, backing away from the dead men as far as her
lead would allow. Jon led her off a few paces, fighting to keep her from
bolting. The horses did not like the feel of this place. For that matter, neither
did Jon.
“诸神慈悲。”熊老喃喃道。他翻身从犁马背上跳下，把缰绳交给琼恩。这是个异常暖和的清晨，守夜人司令宽阔的额间遍布汗珠，犹如甜瓜表面的露水。他的坐骑十分局促，一边翻着白眼，一边扯着缰绳，想从死人身边退开。琼恩牵它走开几步，努力不让它挣脱奔走。马儿不喜欢此地的感觉，话说回来，琼恩自己也不喜欢。
The dogs liked
it least of all. Ghost had led the party here; the pack of hounds had been
useless. When Bass the kennelmaster had tried to get them to take the scent
from the severed hand, they had gone wild, yowling and barking, fighting to get
away. Even now they were snarling and whimpering by turns, pulling at their
leashes while Chett cursed them for curs.
狗们更是深恶痛绝。带领队伍到这儿的是白灵，整群猎犬根本毫无用处。之前驯兽长贝斯试着拿断手给它们闻，好让它们记住气味，结果狗群整个发狂，又吠又叫，拼死命要逃开。即便到现在，它们也依然时而咆哮时而哀嚎，用力拉扯狗链，齐特为此咒骂不已。
It is only a
wood, Jon told himself, and they’re only dead men. He had seen dead men
before?.?.?.?
这不过是座森林，狗儿闻到的只是尸臭罢了，琼恩这么告诉自己。他刚见过死人……
Last night he
had dreamt the Winterfell dream again. He was wandering the empty castle,
searching for his father, descending into the crypts. Only this time the dream
had gone further than before. In the dark he’d heard the scrape of stone on
stone. When he turned he saw that the vaults were opening, one after the other.
As the dead kings came stumbling from their cold black graves, Jon had woken in
pitch-dark, his heart hammering. Even when Ghost leapt up on the bed to nuzzle
at his face, he could not shake his deep sense of terror. He dared not go back
to sleep. Instead he had climbed the Wall and walked, restless, until he saw
the light of the dawn off to the cast. It was only a dream. I am a brother of
the Night’s Watch now, not a frightened boy.
就在昨夜，他又作了那个临冬城的梦。梦中他漫游在空荡荡的城堡，四处寻找父亲，最后下楼梯进了墓窖。但这次梦境并未在此结束。在黑暗中他听见石头刮碰的声音，猛一转身，只见墓穴一个个打开来，死去已久的国王纷纷由冰冷黑暗的坟中蹒跚走出。琼恩恍然惊醒，四周一片漆黑，心脏狂跳。连白灵跳上床，用嘴巴摩擦他的脸，也难减轻他心中深深的恐惧。他不敢再睡，便起身爬上长城，不安地漫步，直到东方初绽曙光。那不过是梦而已，如今我是守夜人军团的一分子，不再是容易受惊的小孩儿了。
Samwell Tarly
huddled beneath the trees, half-hidden behind the horses. His round fat face
was the color of curdled milk. So far he had not lurched off to the woods to
retch, but he had not so much as glanced at the dead men either. “I can’t
look,” he whispered miserably.
山姆威尔·塔利蜷缩树下，半躲在马群后。他那张圆胖的脸颜色有如酸败的牛奶。虽然他并未逃进森林上吐下泻，可也没正眼瞧过死尸。“我不敢看。”他可怜兮兮地低语。
“You have to look,” Jon told him, keeping his voice low so the others
would not hear. “Maester Aemon sent you to be his eyes, didn’t he? What good
are eyes if they’re shut?”
“你不能不看。”琼恩对他说，一边压低声音不让别人听见。“伊蒙师傅不是派你来当他的眼睛么？眼睛若是闭上了，那还有什么用呢？”
“Yes, but?.?.?.?I’m such a coward, Jon.”
“话是这样说，可……琼恩，我实在是个胆小鬼。”
Jon put a hand
on Sam’s shoulder. “We have a dozen rangers with us, and the dogs, even Ghost.
No one will hurt you, Sam. Go ahead and look. The first look is the hardest.”
琼恩把手放到山姆肩膀。“我们身边有十二个游骑兵，还有成群的猎狗，连白灵都跟来了。山姆，没人伤得了你。去看看罢，第一眼总是最难。”
Sam gave a
tremulous nod, working up his courage with a visible effort. Slowly he swiveled
his head. His eyes widened, but Jon held his arm so he could not turn away.
山姆颤巍巍地点个头，很明显地努力鼓起勇气，然后缓缓转头。他的双眼顿时睁得老大，但琼恩抓住他的手，不让他转开。
“Ser Jaremy,” the Old Bear asked gruffly, “Ben Stark had six men with
him when he rode from the Wall. Where are the others?”
“杰瑞米爵士，”熊老没好气地问，“班·史塔克出长城带了六个人，其他人上哪儿去了？”
Ser Jaremy shook
his head. “Would that I knew.”
杰瑞米爵士摇摇头。“我若是知道就好了。”
Plainly Mormont
was not pleased with that answer. “Two of our brothers butchered almost within
sight of the Wall, yet your rangers heard nothing, saw nothing. Is this what
the Night’s Watch has fallen to? Do we still sweep these woods?”
莫尔蒙对这答案显然大为不满。“两个弟兄几乎在长城的肉眼可见范围内惨遭杀害，你的游骑兵却什么也没听见，什么也没看到，难道守夜人已经怠惰到这种地步了？我们到底有没有派人扫荡森林？”
“Yes, my lord, but...”
“当然是有的，大人，可是——”
“Do we still mount watches?”
“我们还有没有派人骑马巡逻？”
“We do, but...”
“有的，可是——”
“This man wears a hunting horn.” Mormont pointed at Othor. “Must I
suppose that he died without sounding it? Or have your rangers all gone deaf as
well as blind?”
“这家伙身上带着猎号，”莫尔蒙指着奥瑟说，“莫非你要我相信他临死前连一声都没吹？还是你的游骑兵不只眼睛瞎了，连耳朵也聋啦？”
Ser Jaremy
bristled, his face taut with anger. “No horn was blown, my lord, or my rangers
would have heard it. I do not have sufficient men to mount as many patrols as I
should like?.?.?.?and since Benjen was lost, we have stayed closer to the Wall
than we were wont to do before, by your own command.”
杰瑞米爵士气得毛发竖立，满脸怒容。“大人，没有人吹号角，否则我的游骑兵一定会听见。如今人手不够，根本无法照我的意图仔细巡逻……更何况自从班扬失踪，我们已经缩短了巡逻范围，比以前更靠近长城——这可是大人您亲自下的令。”
The Old Bear
grunted. “Yes. Well. Be that as it may.” He made an impatient gesture. “Tell me
how they died.”
熊老咕哝道：“唉，也是。那就算了罢。”他不耐烦地挥挥手。“跟我说说他们是怎么死的。”
Squatting beside
the dead man he had named Jafer Flowers, Ser Jaremy grasped his head by the
scalp. The hair came out between his fingers, brittle as straw. The knight
cursed and shoved at the face with the heel of his hand. A great gash in the
side of the corpse’s neck opened like a mouth, crusted with dried blood. Only a
few ropes of pale tendon still attached the head to the neck. “This was done
with an axe.”
杰瑞米爵士在杰佛·佛花身旁蹲下，揪着头皮抓起头颅。发束从他指间落下，松脆有如稻草。骑士骂了一声，伸手把脸部翻过。尸体另一侧的脖颈部位有道深深的伤口，好似一张大嘴，其中积满了干涸的血块。头脖之间仅余几条肌腱相连。“他是给斧头砍死的。”
“Aye,” muttered Dywen, the old forester. “Belike the axe that Othor
carried, m’lord.”
“没错，”老林务官戴文喃喃道，“大人，俺说就是奥瑟平日惯用的那把斧头。”
Jon could feel
his breakfast churning in his belly, but he pressed his lips together and made
himself look at the second body. Othor had been a big ugly man, and he made a
big ugly corpse. No axe was in evidence. Jon remembered Othor; he had been the
one bellowing the bawdy song as the rangers rode out. His singing days were
done. His flesh was blanched white as milk, everywhere but his hands. His hands
were black like Jafer’s. Blossoms of hard cracked blood decorated the mortal
wounds that covered him like a rash, breast and groin and throat. Yet his eyes
were still open. They stared up at the sky, blue as sapphires.
琼恩只觉早餐在胃里翻涌，但他强自抿紧嘴唇，逼自己朝第二具尸体望去。奥瑟生前是个高大丑陋的人，死后尸体也是又大又丑。但四下却没有斧头的踪影。琼恩还记得奥瑟；他就是那个出发前高唱低俗小调的家伙。看来他唱歌的日子是完了。他的双手和杰佛一样完全漆黑。伤口如疹子般覆盖全身，从下体到胸部再到咽喉无一幸免，上面装饰着一朵朵干裂的的血花。他的眼睛依旧睁开，蓝宝石般的珠子直瞪天空。
Ser Jaremy
stood. “The wildlings have axes too.”
杰瑞米爵士站起身。“野人也是有斧头的。”
Mormont rounded
on him. “So you believe this is Mance Rayder’s work? This close to the Wall?”
莫尔蒙语带挑衅地对他说：“那依你之见，这是曼斯·雷德干的好事？在离长城这么近的地方？”
“Who else, my lord?”
“大人，不然还有谁呢？”
Jon could have
told him. He knew, they all knew, yet no man of them would say the words. The
Others are only a story, a tale to make children shiver. If they ever lived at
all, they are gone eight thousand years. Even the thought made him feel
foolish; he was a man grown now, a black brother of the Night’s Watch, not the
boy who’d once sat at Old Nan’s feet with Bran and Robb and Arya.
答案连琼恩都说得出。不仅他知道，大家都很清楚，但没有人愿意说出口。异鬼只是故事，用来吓小孩的传说。就算他们真的存在，也是八千年前的事。光是产生这个念头都教他觉得愚蠢：他是个成年人，是守夜人的黑衣弟兄，已非当年与布兰、罗柏和艾莉亚一同坐在老奶妈脚边的小男孩啦。
Yet Lord
Commander Mormont gave a snort. “If Ben Stark had come under wildling attack a
half day’s ride from Castle Black, he would have returned for more men, chased
the killers through all seven hells and brought me back their heads.”
但莫尔蒙司令哼了一声：“假如班·史塔克在距离黑城堡只有半天骑程的地方遭到野人攻击，他定会回来增调人马，追那些杀人犯到七层地狱，把他们的首级带来给我。”
“Unless he was slain as well,” Ser Jaremy insisted.
“除非连他自己也遇害。”杰瑞米爵士坚持。
The words hurt,
even now. It had been so long, it seemed folly to cling to the hope that Ben
Stark was still alive, but Jon Snow was nothing if not stubborn.
即使到现在，听到这些话依然令人心痛。过了这么久，期望班·史塔克还活着无异自欺欺人，但琼恩·雪诺别的没有，就是固执。
“It has been close on half a year since Benjen left us, my lord,” Ser
Jaremy went on. “The forest is vast. The wildlings might have fallen on him
anywhere. I’d wager these two were the last survivors of his party, on their
way back to us?.?.?.?but the enemy caught them before they could reach the
safety of the Wall. The corpses are still fresh, these men cannot have been
dead more than a day?.?.?.?.”
“大人，班扬离开我们已快半年，”杰瑞米爵士续道，“森林广阔，随处可能遭野人偷袭。我敢打赌，这两个是他队伍最后的幸存者，本准备回来找我们……只可惜在抵达长城之前被敌人追上。你瞧，这些尸体还很新鲜，死亡时间不会超过一天……”
“No,” Samwell Tarly squeaked.
“不对。”山姆威尔·塔利尖声说。
Jon was
startled. Sam’s nervous, high-pitched voice was the last he would have expected
to hear. The fat boy was frightened of the officers, and Ser Jaremy was not
known for his patience.
琼恩吓了一跳，他说什么也没料到会听见山姆紧张而高亢的话音。胖男孩向来很怕官员，而杰瑞米爵士又素以坏脾气出名。
“I did not ask for your views, boy,” Rykker said coldly.
“小子，我可没问你意见。”莱克冷冷地说。
“Let him speak, ser,” Jon blurted.
“让他说吧，爵士先生。”琼恩冲口而出。
Mormont’s eyes
flicked from Sam to Jon and back again. “If the lad has something to say, I’ll
hear him out. Come closer, boy. We can’t see you behind those horses.”
莫尔蒙的视线从山姆飘向琼恩，然后又转向山姆：“如果那孩子有话要说，就让他说吧。小子，靠过来，躲在马后面我们可瞧不见你。”
Sam edged past
Jon and the garrons, sweating profusely. “My lord, it?.?.?.?it can’t be a day
or?.?.?.?look?.?.?.?the blood?.?.?.?”
山姆挤过琼恩和马匹，汗如雨下。“大人，不……不可能只有一天……请看……那个血……”
“Yes?” Mormont growled impatiently. “Blood, what of it?”
“嗯？”莫尔蒙不耐烦地皱眉，“血怎么样？”
“He soils his smallclothes at the sight of it,” Chett shouted out,
and the rangers laughed.
“他一见血就尿裤子啦。”齐特高喊，游骑兵们哄堂大笑。
Sam mopped at
the sweat on his brow. “You?.?.?.?you can see where Ghost?.?.?.?Jon’s
direwolf?.?.?.?you can see where he tore off that man’s hand, and yet?.?.?.?the
stump hasn’t bled, look?.?.?.?” He waved a hand. “My father?.?.?.?L-lord
Randyll, he, he made me watch him dress animals sometimes,
when?.?.?.?after?.?.?.?” Sam shook his head from side to side, his chins
quivering. Now that he had looked at the bodies, he could not seem to look
away. “A fresh kill?.?.?.?the blood would still flow, my lords.
Later?.?.?.?later it would be clotted, like a?.?.?.?a jelly, thick
and?.?.?.?and?.?.?.?” He looked as though he was going to be sick. “This
man?.?.?.?look at the wrist, it’s all?.?.?.?crusty?.?.?.?dry?.?.?.?like
?.?.?.?”
山姆抹抹额上的汗珠。“您……您看白灵……琼恩的冰原狼……您看它咬断手的地方，可是……断肢没有流血，您看……”他挥挥手。“家父……蓝……蓝道伯爵，他，他有时候会逼我看他处理猎物……在……之后……”山姆摇头晃脑，下巴动个不休。这会儿他真看了，视线反而离不开尸体。“刚死的猎物……大人，血还会流动。之后……之后才会凝结成块，像是……像是肉冻，浓稠的肉冻，而且……而且……”他似乎要吐了。“这个人……请看，他的手腕很……很脆……又干又脆……像是……”
Jon saw at once
what Sam meant. He could see the torn veins in the dead man’s wrist, iron worms
in the pale flesh. His blood was a black dust. Yet Jaremy Rykker was
unconvinced. “If they’d been dead much longer than a day, they’d be ripe by
now, boy. They don’t even smell.”
琼恩立刻明白了山姆的意思。他可以看见死人腕部断裂的血管，活像惨白肌肉里的铁蠕虫，血也冻成黑粉末。但杰瑞米·莱克不以为然。“如果他们真死了一天以上，现在早就臭得要命。可他们一点味道也没有。”
Dywen, the
gnarled old forester who liked to boast that he could smell snow coming on,
sidled closer to the corpses and took a whiff. “Well, they’re no pansy flowers,
but?.?.?.?m’lord has the truth of it. There’s no corpse stink.”
饱经风霜的老林务官戴文最爱夸耀自己嗅觉灵敏，常说连降雪都能闻出来。这会儿他悄悄走到尸体旁边，嗅了一下。“嗯，是不怎么好闻，不过……大人说得没错，的确没有尸臭。”
“They?.?.?.?they aren’t rotting.” Sam pointed, his fat finger shaking
only a little. “Look, there’s?.?.?.?there’s no maggots or?.?.?.?or?.?.?.?worms
or anything?.?.?.?they’ve been lying here in the woods, but they?.?.?.?they
haven’t been chewed or eaten by animals?.?.?.?only Ghost?.?.?.?otherwise
they’re?.?.?.?they’re?.?.?.?”
“他们……他们也没有腐烂，”山姆指给大家看，胖手指颤抖不休。“请看，他们身上没有……没有生蛆，也……也……没有其他的虫子……他们在森林里躺了这么久，却……却没有被动物撕咬或吃掉……若不是白灵……他们……”
“Untouched,” Jon said softly. “And Ghost is different. The dogs and
the horses won’t go near them.”
“可说毫发无伤。”琼恩轻声道，“而且白灵和其他动物不一样。狗儿和马都不愿靠近他们的尸体。”
The rangers
exchanged glances; they could see it was true, every man of them. Mormont
frowned, glancing from the corpses to the dogs. “Chett, bring the hounds
closer.”
游骑兵们彼此交换眼神，每个人都知道此话不假。莫尔蒙皱起眉头，将视线从尸体移到狗群。“齐特，把猎狗带过来。”
Chett tried,
cursing, yanking on the leashes, giving one animal a lick of his boot. Most of
the dogs just whimpered and planted their feet. He tried dragging one. The
bitch resisted, growling and squirming as if to escape her collar. Finally she
lunged at him. Chett dropped the leash and stumbled backward. The dog leapt
over him and bounded off into the trees.
齐特连忙照办，一边咒骂，一边拉扯狗链，还伸腿踢了狗一脚。但猎狗们多半呜咽着，打定主意不肯挪动。他试着强拉一只母狗，结果它拼命顽抗，又吼又扭，企图挣脱项圈，最后竟朝他扑去。齐特丢下绳子踉跄后退，狗跳过他跑进森林去了。
“This?.?.?.?this is all wrong,” Sam Tarly said earnestly. “The
blood?.?.?.?there’s bloodstains on their clothes, and?.?.?.?and their flesh,
dry and hard, but?.?.?.?there’s none on the ground, or?.?.?.?anywhere. With
those?.?.?.?those?.?.?.?those?.?.?.?” Sam made himself swallow, took a deep
breath. “With those wounds?.?.?.?terrible wounds?.?.?.?there should be blood
all over. Shouldn’t there?”
“这……这很不对劲啊，”山姆·塔利急切地说，“看看这血……他们衣服上有血迹，而且……而且他们的皮肤如此干硬，可……可地上完全没有血迹……这附近一丁点儿都没有。照说他们……他们……他们……”山姆努力吞了口唾沫，深吸一口气。“照说他们伤口那么深……那么可怕，鲜血应该溅得到处都是，对不对？”
Dywen sucked at
his wooden teeth. “Might be they didn’t die here. Might be someone brought ’em
and left ’em for us. A warning, as like.” The old forester peered down
suspiciously. “And might be I’m a fool, but I don’t know that Othor never had
no blue eyes afore.”
戴文吸了吸他的木假牙。“弄不好他们不是死在这里。弄不好是被人搬来弃尸，当作警告什么的。”老林务官满腹狐疑地往下瞧。“或许是俺弄不清，可俺记得奥瑟从来就不是蓝眼睛呐。”
Ser Jaremy
looked startled. “Neither did Flowers,” he blurted, turning to stare at the
dead man.
杰瑞米爵士似乎大为震惊。“佛花也不是。”他脱口便道，一边转头看着两个死人。
A silence fell
over the wood. For a moment all they heard was Sam’s heavy breathing and the
wet sound of Dywen sucking on his teeth. Jon squatted beside Ghost.
寂静笼罩森林，一时之间大家只听见山姆沉重的呼吸和戴文吸吮假牙的濡湿声。琼恩在白灵身边蹲下。
“Burn them,” someone whispered. One of the rangers; Jon could not
have said who. “Yes, burn them,” a second voice urged.
“烧了他们罢。”有人小声说。是某位游骑兵，但琼恩听不出是谁。“是啊，烧了罢。”又一个声音在催促。
The Old Bear
gave a stubborn shake of his head. “Not yet. I want Maester Aemon to have a
look at them. We’ll bring them back to the Wall.”
熊老固执地摇摇头。“还不行。我得先请伊蒙师傅看看。咱们把他们带回长城去。”
Some commands
are more easily given than obeyed. They wrapped the dead men in cloaks, but
when Hake and Dywen tried to tie one onto a horse, the animal went mad,
screaming and rearing, lashing out with its hooves, even biting at Ketter when
he ran to help. The rangers had no better luck with the other garrons; not even
the most placid wanted any part of these burdens. In the end they were forced
to hack off branches and fashion crude slings to carry the corpses back on
foot. It was well past midday by the time they started back.
有些命令下达容易，执行却难。他们用斗篷裹起尸首，然而当哈克和戴文试图将其中一具绑上马时，马儿整个发了狂，它尖叫着后足站立，伸腿狂踢，跑去帮忙的凯特反被咬伤。游骑兵试了其他犁马，同样不听使唤；即便最温驯的马也拼死不愿与尸体有任何接触。最后迫不得已，人们只好砍下树枝，做成粗陋的拖拉架，动身返回时，已经到了下午。
“I will have these woods searched,” Mormont commanded Ser Jaremy as
they set out. “Every tree, every rock, every bush, and every foot of muddy
ground within ten leagues of here. Use all the men you have, and if you do not
have enough, borrow hunters and foresters from the stewards. If Ben and the
others are out here, dead or alive, I will have them found. And if there is
anyone else in these woods, I will know of it. You are to track them and take
them, alive if possible. Is that understood?”
“派人把这片森林搜个彻底，”启程之前，莫尔蒙命令杰瑞米爵士，“方圆十里格内每一棵树、每一块石头、每一丛矮树和每一寸泥地都必须翻找一遍。把你手下所有的人都派出来，如果人手不够，就跟事务官借调猎人和林务官。假如班和他的手下就在其中，不论死活，你都必须找到。假如森林里有‘其他人’，也一定要报告，你必须负责追踪并逮捕他们，能活捉最好，知道了吗？”
“It is, my lord,” Ser Jaremy said. “It will be done.”
“知道了，大人。”杰瑞米爵士说，“我一定办妥。”
After that,
Mormont rode in silence, brooding. Jon followed close behind him; as the Lord
Commander’s steward, that was his place. The day was grey, damp, overcast, the
sort of day that made you wish for rain. No wind stirred the wood; the air hung
humid and heavy, and Jon’s clothes clung to his skin. It was warm. Too warm.
The Wall was weeping copiously, had been weeping for days, and sometimes Jon
even imagined it was shrinking.
打那之后，莫尔蒙默默地骑马沉思。琼恩紧随在后——身为司令的私人事务官，这是他的位置。天色灰暗，弥漫水气，阴霾不开，正是那种令人急盼降雨的天气。林中无风，空气潮湿而沉重，琼恩的衣服黏紧皮肤。天气很温暖。太温暖了。长城连日以来“泪”如泉涌，有时候琼恩不禁想像它正在萎缩。
The old men
called this weather spirit summer, and said it meant the season was giving up
its ghosts at last. After this the cold would come, they warned, and a long
summer always meant a long winter. This summer had lasted ten years. Jon had
been a babe in arms when it began.
老人们管这种天气叫“鬼夏”，传说这意味着夏季的鬼魂终于逃脱束缚，四处飘荡。他们还警告说，在这之后，酷寒便会降临，而长夏之后总是漫长的冬季。这次的夏天已经持续了十年，夏季刚开始时，琼恩还是大人怀抱里的小孩儿。
Ghost ran with
them for a time and then vanished among the trees. Without the direwolf, Jon felt
almost naked. He found himself glancing at every shadow with unease. Unbidden,
he thought back on the tales that Old Nan used to tell them, when he was a boy
at Winterfell. He could almost hear her voice again, and the click-click-click
of her needles. In that darkness, the Others came riding, she used to say,
dropping her voice lower and lower. Cold and dead they were, and they hated
iron and fire and the touch of the sun, and every living creature with hot
blood in its veins. Holdfasts and cities and kingdoms of men all fell before
them, as they moved south on pale dead horses, leading hosts of the slain. They
fed their dead servants on the flesh of human children?.?.?.?
白灵跟着他们跑了一段，然后消失在树林。身边少了冰原狼，琼恩觉得自己赤裸裸的。他带着怀疑的目光，不安地瞄着每一处阴影。他不由得想起自己还是个小男孩时，临冬城的老奶妈给他们讲过的故事。她的嗓音和缝衣针的“嗟嗟”声犹在耳际。在一片黑暗之中，异鬼骑马到来，这是她最拿手的开头，之后她不断压低声音，他们浑身冰冷，散发着死亡的气息，痛恨钢铁、烈火和阳光，以及所有流淌着温热血液的生命。他们骑着惨白的死马，率领在战争中遇害的亡灵大军一路南下，横扫农村、城市和王国。他们还拿人类婴儿的肉来饲养手下的死灵仆役……
When he caught
his first glimpse of the Wall looming above the tops of an ancient gnarled oak,
Jon was vastly relieved. Mormont reined up suddenly and turned in his saddle.
“Tarly,” he barked, “come here.”
当琼恩终于自一棵扭曲的老橡树枝间瞥见远方高耸的长城时，不禁感到如释重负。这时莫尔蒙突然勒住缰绳，在马鞍上转过头。“塔利，”他喊道，“你过来。”
Jon saw the
start of fright on Sam’s face as he lumbered up on his mare; doubtless he
thought he was in trouble. “You’re fat but you’re not stupid, boy,” the Old
Bear said gruffly. “You did well back there. And you, Snow.”
山姆笨重地爬下马，琼恩看见他脸上的恐惧之色：他想必认为自己有麻烦了。“小子，你胖归胖，人倒是不笨。”熊老粗声说，“刚才干得不错。雪诺，你也是。”
Sam blushed a
vivid crimson and tripped over his own tongue as he tried to stammer out a
courtesy. Jon had to smile.
山姆立刻满面通红，急忙想要道谢，舌头却不听使唤。琼恩忍不住笑了。
When they
emerged from under the trees, Mormont spurred his tough little garron to a
trot. Ghost came streaking out from the woods to meet them, licking his chops,
his muzzle red from prey. High above, the men on the Wall saw the column
approaching. Jon heard the deep, throaty call of the watchman’s great horn,
calling out across the miles; a single long blast that shuddered through the
trees and echoed off the ice.
出森林后，莫尔蒙双脚一蹬，驱使他那匹健壮的小犁马向前疾驰。白灵自林间蹿出来与他们会合。他舔着下巴，口鼻沾满猎物的鲜血。远处，居高临下的长城守卫发现渐近的队伍，接着那低沉浑厚的号角便响彻原野；那是一声长长的巨鸣，颤抖着穿越树林，回荡于冰原之上。
UUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo.
喔喔喔喔喔喔喔呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜呜
The sound faded
slowly to silence. One blast meant rangers returning, and Jon thought, I was a
ranger for one day, at least. Whatever may come, they cannot take that away
from me.
号音渐弱，终归寂静。一声号角代表兄弟归来，琼恩心想，起码我也当了一天的游骑兵兄弟。无论将来如何，没有人能否认。
Bowen Marsh was
waiting at the first gate as they led their garrons through the icy tunnel. The
Lord Steward was red-faced and agitated. “My lord,” he blurted at Mormont as he
swung open the iron bars, “there’s been a bird, you must come at once.”
当他们牵马穿过冰封隧道时，发现波文·马尔锡正站在第一道大门内。总务长满脸通红，显得焦虑不安。“大人，”他一边拉开铁栅门，一边迫不及待地对莫尔蒙说，“有只鸟儿捎信来，请您立刻来一趟。”
“What is it, man?” Mormont said gruffly.
“嗯？到底怎么回事？”莫尔蒙不耐烦地问。
Curiously, Marsh
glanced at Jon before he answered. “Maester Aemon has the letter. He’s waiting
in your solar.”
奇怪的是，马尔锡竟先瞄了琼恩一眼，然后才作答：“信在伊蒙师傅手中，他在您的书房等您。”
“Very well. Jon, see to my horse, and tell Ser Jaremy to put the dead
men in a storeroom until the maester is ready for them.” Mormont strode away
grumbling.
“好罢。琼恩，马就交给你了。告诉杰瑞米爵士把尸体先放进储藏室，等学士来处理。”莫尔蒙咕哝着跨步离去。
As they led
their horses back to the stable, Jon was uncomfortably aware that people were
watching him. Ser Alliser Thorne was drilling his boys in the yard, but he
broke off to stare at Jon, a faint half smile on his lips. One-armed Donal Noye
stood in the door of the armory. “The gods be with you, Snow,” he called out.
琼恩和其他人牵着坐骑回到马厩时，他很不自在地发觉大家都盯着他瞧。艾里沙·索恩爵士正在校场训练新兵，但他也暂停手边工作，瞪着琼恩，嘴上挂着一抹微笑。独臂的唐纳·诺伊站在兵器库门口。“雪诺，愿诸神与你同在。”他喊道。
Something’s
wrong, Jon thought. Something’s very wrong.
一定发生了什么事，琼恩心想，非常不好的事。
The dead men
were carried to one of the storerooms along the base of the Wall, a dark cold
cell chiseled from the ice and used to keep meat and grain and sometimes even
beer. Jon saw that Mormont’s horse was fed and watered and groomed before he
took care of his own. Afterward he sought out his friends. Grenn and Toad were
on watch, but he found Pyp in the common hall. “What’s happened?” he asked.
两具死尸被抬进长城脚下的一间储藏室内，那是个从冰墙里凿出的阴冷房间，专门用来存放肉类和谷物，有时连啤酒也拿来这里。琼恩先喂莫尔蒙的马吃草喝水，梳过毛后，方才去照料自己的坐骑。之后他去找自己那伙朋友，葛兰和陶德正在站岗，但他在大厅里找到派普。“出什么事了？”他问。
Pyp lowered his
voice. “The king’s dead.”
派普压低声音。“国王死了。”
Jon was stunned.
Robert Baratheon had looked old and fat when he visited Winterfell, yet he’d
seemed hale enough, and there’d been no talk of illness. “How can you know?”
琼恩大感震惊。劳勃·拜拉席恩上次来访临冬城，虽然那模样既老又胖，却似乎很健康，也没听人说他得了什么病。“你怎么知道？”
“One of the guards overheard Clydas reading the letter to Maester
Aemon.” Pyp leaned close. “Jon, I’m sorry. He was your father’s friend, wasn’t
he?”
“有个守卫偷听到克莱达斯读信给伊蒙师傅听，”派普靠过来。“琼恩，我很遗憾。他是你老爸的好朋友，对不对？”
“They were as close as brothers, once.” Jon wondered if Joffrey would
keep his father as the King’s Hand. It did not seem likely. That might mean
Lord Eddard would return to Winterfell, and his sisters as well. He might even
be allowed to visit them, with Lord Mormont’s permission. It would be good to
see Arya’s grin again and to talk with his father. I will ask him about my
mother, he resolved. I am a man now, it is past time he told me. Even if she
was a whore, I don’t care, I want to know.
“他们情同手足。”琼恩暗忖乔佛里是否会继续让父亲担任御前首相一职。他觉得不大可能。也就是说，艾德公爵即将返回临冬城，还有他的两个妹妹。假如他能得到莫尔蒙大人的允许，说不定还可以去探望他们。能再见到艾莉亚机灵的笑容，并和父亲谈谈，一定会是件很棒的事。到时候我定要问他母亲的事，他下定决心，如今我已长大成人，说什么他都该告诉我了。即便她是个妓女我也不在乎，我一定要知道。
“I heard Hake say the dead men were your uncle’s,” Pyp said.
“我听哈克说，那两个死人是你叔叔的部下。”派普道。
“Yes,” Jon replied. “Two of the six he took with him. They’d been
dead a long time, only?.?.?.?the bodies are queer.”
“是啊，”琼恩回答，“他带去的那六个人中的两个。他们死了好长一段时间，只是……尸体有些古怪。”
“Queer?” Pyp was all curiosity. “How queer?”
“古怪？”派普一听，兴致就来了。“怎么个古怪法？”
“Sam will tell you.” Jon did not want to talk of it. “I should see if
the Old Bear has need of me.”
“去问山姆吧，”琼恩不想谈这个。“我该去照顾熊老了。”
He walked to the
Lord Commander’s Tower alone, with a curious sense of apprehension. The
brothers on guard eyed him solemnly as he approached. “The Old Bear’s in his
solar,” one of them announced. “He was asking for you.”
他独自走向司令塔，心里有种莫名的焦虑。守门的弟兄们肃穆地看他走近。“熊老在书房里，”其中一人宣布，“他正要找你。”
Jon nodded. He
should have come straight from the stable. He climbed the tower steps briskly.
He wants wine or a fire in his hearth, that’s all, he told himself.
琼恩点点头。他应该直接从马厩过来的。他快步爬上高塔楼梯，一边告诉自己：司令他要的不过是一杯好酒或炉里的暖火罢了。
When he entered
the solar, Mormont’s raven screamed at him. “Corn!” the bird shrieked. “Corn!
Corn! Corn!”
一进书房，莫尔蒙的乌鸦便朝他尖叫。“玉米！”鸟儿厉声喊道，“玉米！玉米！玉米！”
“Don’t you believe it, I just fed him,” the Old Bear growled. He was
seated by the window, reading a letter. “Bring me a cup of wine, and pour one
for yourself.”
“别信他。我刚喂过哪。”熊老咕哝着。他坐在窗边，正读着信。“给我弄杯酒来，你自己也倒上一杯。”
“For myself, my lord?”
“大人，我也要？”
Mormont lifted
his eyes from the letter to stare at Jon. There was pity in that look; he could
taste it. “You heard me.”
莫尔蒙将视线自信上抬起，瞪着琼恩。那眼神里充满怜悯，他感觉得出来。“你没听错。”
Jon poured with
exaggerated care, vaguely aware that he was drawing out the act. When the cups
were filled, he would have no choice but to face whatever was in that letter.
Yet all too soon, they were filled. “Sit, boy,” Mormont commanded him. “Drink.”
琼恩格外小心地斟酒，隐约明白自己是在拖延时间。等酒杯倒满，他就别无选择，不得不面对信中之事了。即便如此，酒杯却很快就满了。“孩子，坐下。”莫尔蒙命令他。“喝罢。”
Jon remained
standing. “It’s my father, isn’t it?”
琼恩站住不动。“是我父亲的事，对不对？”
The Old Bear
tapped the letter with a finger. “Your father and the king,” he rumbled. “I
won’t lie to you, it’s grievous news. I never thought to see another king, not
at my age, with Robert half my years and strong as a bull.” He took a gulp of
wine. “They say the king loved to hunt. The things we love destroy us every
time, lad. Remember that. My son loved that young wife of his. Vain woman. If
not for her, he would never have thought to sell those poachers.”
熊老用一根指头弹弹信纸。“是你父亲和国王的事。”他朗声说，“我也不瞒你，信上写的都是坏消息。我本以为自己这么大把年纪，劳勃的岁数只有我的一半，又壮得像头牛似的，说什么也没机会碰上新国王。”他灌了口酒。“据说国王爱打猎。我告诉你，孩子，我们爱什么，到头来就会毁在什么上面。给我记清楚了。我儿子爱死了他的年轻老婆。那个爱慕虚荣的女人，要不是为了她，他也不会把脑筋动到盗猎者头上去。”
Jon could
scarcely follow what he was saying. “My lord, I don’t understand. What’s
happened to my father?”
琼恩根本不明白他在说什么。“司令大人，我不懂。我父亲到底怎么了？”
“I told you to sit,” Mormont grumbled. “Sit,” the raven screamed.
“And have a drink, damn you. That’s a command, Snow.”
“我不是叫你坐下么？”莫尔蒙咕哝道。“坐下！”乌鸦尖叫。“去你的，把酒喝了。雪诺，这是命令。”
Jon sat, and took
a sip of wine.
琼恩坐下，啜了一口酒。
“Lord Eddard has been imprisoned. He is charged with treason. It is
said he plotted with Robert’s brothers to deny the throne to Prince Joffrey.”
“艾德大人目前人在狱中。他被控叛国，信上说他与劳勃的两个弟弟共谋夺取乔佛里的王位。”
“No,” Jon said at once. “That couldn’t be. My father would never
betray the king!”
“不可能！”琼恩立刻说，“绝不可能！父亲他说什么也不会背叛国王！”
“Be that as it may,” said Mormont. “It is not for me to say. Nor for
you.”
“是真的也好，假的也罢，”莫尔蒙道，“总之轮不到我来讲。当然，更轮不到你说。”
“But it’s a lie,” Jon insisted. How could they think his father was a
traitor, had they all gone mad? Lord Eddard Stark would never dishonor
himself?.?.?.?would he?
“可这是谎言。”琼恩坚持。他们怎么能把父亲当成叛徒？难道他们都疯了？艾德·史塔克公爵最不可能做的，就是玷污自身名节之事……是吧？
He fathered a
bastard, a small voice whispered inside him. Where was the honor in that? And
your mother, what of her? He will not even speak her name.
那他怎么还有个私生子？一个小小的声音在琼恩心里低语，这有何荣誉可言？还有你母亲啊，她怎么样了？他连她的名字都不肯讲。
“My lord, what will happen to him? Will they kill him?”
“大人，他会怎么样？他们会杀他吗？”
“As to that, I cannot say, lad. I mean to send a letter. I knew some
of the king’s councillors in my youth. Old Pycelle, Lord Stannis, Ser
Barristan?.?.?.?Whatever your father has done, or hasn’t done, he is a great
lord. He must be allowed to take the black and join us here. Gods knows, we
need men of Lord Eddard’s ability.”
“孩子，这我就说不准了。我打算写封信去。我年轻时认识几位国王的重臣，像是老派席尔、史坦尼斯大人、巴利斯坦爵士……无论你父亲有没有做这些，他都是个了不得的领主。一定要让他有穿上黑衣加入我们的机会。天知道我们有多需要像艾德大人这么有才干的人。”
Jon knew that
other men accused of treason had been allowed to redeem their honor on the Wall
in days past. Why not Lord Eddard? His father here. That was a strange thought,
and strangely uncomfortable. It would be a monstrous injustice to strip him of
Winterfell and force him to take the black, and yet if it meant his life?.?.?.?
过去，被控叛国的人的确有到长城赎罪的先例，这琼恩知道。为什么艾德大人不行呢？父亲大人会来这里？真是个怪异的念头，而且不知怎地令人十分不安。夺走他的临冬城，强迫他穿上黑衣，这是何等的不公不义啊？然而，假如他能因此逃过一劫……
And would
Joffrey allow it? He remembered the prince at Winterfell, the way he’d mocked
Robb and Ser Rodrik in the yard. Jon himself he had scarcely even noticed;
bastards were beneath even his contempt. “My lord, will the king listen to
you?”
可乔佛里会答应吗？他忆起王太子在临冬城时，是如何在校场上嘲弄罗柏和罗德利克爵士。他倒是没注意琼恩；对他而言，私生子太过微贱，连被他轻蔑都不配。“大人，国王会听您的话吗？”
The Old Bear
shrugged. “A boy king?.?.?.?I imagine he’ll listen to his mother. A pity the
dwarf isn’t with them. He’s the lad’s uncle, and he saw our need when he
visited us. It was a bad thing, your lady mother taking him captive...”
熊老耸耸肩。“国王还是个孩子……我看他会听母亲的话罢。可惜那侏儒不在他们身边。他是那孩子的舅舅，也亲眼目睹我们亟需援助的迫切。你母亲大人就那样把他抓起来，实在是不妥……”
“Lady Stark is not my mother,” Jon reminded him sharply. Tyrion
Lannister had been a friend to him. If Lord Eddard was killed, she would be as
much to blame as the queen. “My lord, what of my sisters? Arya and Sansa, they
were with my father, do you know...”
“史塔克夫人不是我母亲。”琼恩语气锐利地提醒他。提利昂·兰尼斯特待他如友。倘若艾德大人当真遇害，她和王后要负同样的责任。“大人，我的妹妹们呢？艾莉亚和珊莎都跟我父亲在一起，您可知道——”
“Pycelle makes no mention of them, but doubtless they’ll be treated
gently. I will ask about them when I write.” Mormont shook his head. “This
could not have happened at a worse time. If ever the realm needed a strong
king?.?.?.?there are dark days and cold nights ahead, I feel it in my
bones?.?.?.?” He gave Jon a long shrewd look. “I hope you are not thinking of
doing anything stupid, boy.”
“派席尔信上没说，但相信她们定会受到妥善照顾。我在回信中会问问她们的情形。”莫尔蒙摇摇头。“什么时候不好，偏偏挑这种时候。王国正需要一个强有力的统治者……眼看黑暗和寒夜就要来临，我这身老骨头都感觉得到……”他意味深长地看了琼恩一眼。“小子，我希望你别做傻事。”
He’s my father,
Jon wanted to say, but he knew that Mormont would not want to hear it. His
throat was dry. He made himself take another sip of wine.
可他是我父亲啊，琼恩想说，但他知道说给莫尔蒙听也没用。他只觉喉咙干燥，便逼自己又喝了口酒。
“Your duty is here now,” the Lord Commander reminded him. “Your old
life ended when you took the black.” His bird made a raucous echo. “Black.”
Mormont took no notice. “Whatever they do in King’s Landing is none of our
concern.” When Jon did not answer, the old man finished his wine and said,
“You’re free to go. I’ll have no further need of you today. On the morrow you
can help me write that letter.”
“如今你的职责所在是这里。”司令提醒他。“从你穿上黑衣那一刻起，过去的你便已经死去。”他的鸟儿粗声应和，“黑衣。”莫尔蒙不加理会。“不管君临发生了什么，都与我们无关。”老人眼看琼恩不答话，便将酒一饮而尽，然后说，“你可以走了。我今天都用不着你，明天你再来帮我写信罢。”
Jon did not
remember standing or leaving the solar. The next he knew, he was descending the
tower steps, thinking, This is my father, my sisters, how can it be none of my
concern?
琼恩恍如梦中，他不记得自己站起，更不记得如何离开书房。等他回过神，自己正一边走下高塔楼梯，一边想：出事的是我父亲和我妹妹，怎么可能与我无关呢？
Outside, one of
the guards looked at him and said, “Be strong, boy. The gods are cruel.”
到了外面，一名守卫看着他说：“小子，坚强点。诸神很残酷的。”
They know, Jon
realized. “My father is no traitor,” he said hoarsely. Even the words stuck in
his throat, as if to choke him. The wind was rising, and it seemed colder in
the yard than it had when he’d gone in. Spirit summer was drawing to an end.
琼恩这才明白，原来他们都知道。“我父亲不是叛徒。”他哑着嗓子说。连这番话也卡在喉咙里，仿佛要噎死他。风势转强，与先前相比，广场上似乎更冷了。鬼夏俨然已近尾声。
The rest of the
afternoon passed as if in a dream. Jon could not have said where he walked,
what he did, who he spoke with. Ghost was with him, he knew that much. The
silent presence of the direwolf gave him comfort. The girls do not even have
that much, he thought. Their wolves might have kept them safe, but Lady is dead
and Nymeria’s lost, they’re all alone.
接下来的大半个下午，就如一场梦般浮过。琼恩不知道自己去过什么地方，做过什么事，跟什么人讲过话。白灵跟在身边，只有这点他还知道。冰原狼沉默的存在给了他一点稍微的安慰。可妹妹她们连这点安慰都没有，他想。小狼原本可以保护她们，然而淑女已死，娜梅莉亚又行踪成谜，她们都是孤身一人啊。
A north wind had
begun to blow by the time the sun went down. Jon could hear it skirling against
the Wall and over the icy battlements as he went to the common hall for the
evening meal. Hobb had cooked up a venison stew, thick with barley, onions, and
carrots. When he spooned an extra portion onto Jon’s plate and gave him the
crusty heel of the bread, he knew what it meant. He knows. He looked around the
hall, saw heads turn quickly, eyes politely averted. They all know.
日落时分，吹起一阵北风。前往大厅吃晚餐时，琼恩听见它袭上长城，越过冰砌高墙的尖利声响。哈布煮了大锅的鹿肉浓汤，里面有大麦、洋葱和胡萝卜。当他特别多舀了一匙放进琼恩盘子里，又给了他面包最香脆的部分时，他立刻明白这是什么意思。他也知道。琼恩环顾大厅，看见一个个赶忙别开的头，一只只礼貌垂下的眼睛。他们通通都知道。
His friends
rallied to him. “We asked the septon to light a candle for your father,”
Matthar told him. “It’s a lie, we all know it’s a lie, even Grenn knows it’s a
lie,” Pyp chimed in. Grenn nodded, and Sam clasped Jon’s hand, “You’re my
brother now, so he’s my father too,” the fat boy said. “If you want to go out to the
weirwoods and pray to the old gods, I’ll go with you.”
他的朋友们簇拥过来。“我们请修士为你父亲点了根蜡烛。”梅沙告诉他。“他们骗人，我们都知道他们骗人，连葛兰都知道他们说谎。”派普插进来。葛兰点点头，接着山姆握住琼恩的手。“你我现在是兄弟，所以他也是我的父亲。”胖男孩说，“如果你想到鱼梁木树林里去向旧神祷告，我就陪你去。”
The weirwoods
were beyond the Wall, yet he knew Sam meant what he said. They are my brothers,
he thought. As much as Robb and Bran and Rickon?.?.?.?
鱼梁木树林远在长城之外，但他知道山姆并非说空话。他们真是我的兄弟啊，他心想，就和罗柏、布兰和瑞肯一样……
And then he
heard the laughter, sharp and cruel as a whip, and the voice of Ser Alliser
Thorne. “Not only a bastard, but a traitor’s bastard,” he was telling the men
around him.
就在这时，他听见艾里沙·索恩爵士的笑声，锐利、残忍，有如皮鞭抽打。“原来他不但是个野种，还是个卖国贼的野种哩。”他正忙不迭地告诉身边的人。
In the blink of
an eye, Jon had vaulted onto the table, dagger in his hand. Pyp made a grab for
him, but he wrenched his leg away, and then he was sprinting down the table and
kicking the bowl from Ser Alliser’s hand. Stew went flying everywhere,
spattering the brothers. Thorne recoiled. People were shouting, but Jon Snow
did not hear them. He lunged at Ser Alliser’s face with the dagger, slashing at
those cold onyx eyes, but Sam threw himself between them and before Jon could
get around him, Pyp was on his back clinging like a monkey, and Grenn was
grabbing his arm while Toad wrenched the knife from his fingers.
只一眨眼功夫，琼恩便已跃上长桌，匕首在手。派普想抓住他，但他猛地抽开腿，跳到桌子彼端，踢翻艾里沙爵士手中的碗。肉汤飞溅，洒得附近弟兄一身。索恩向后退开。周围喊声四起，然而琼恩什么也听不见。他擎着匕首朝艾里沙爵士那张脸扑去，对着那双冰冷的玛瑙色眼睛猛砍。可他还来不及冲到对方身边，山姆便挡在两人中间，接着派普像猴子似地跳到他背上紧抓不放，葛兰抓住他的手，陶德则拨开手指，拿走匕首。
Later, much
later, after they had marched him back to his sleeping cell, Mormont came down
to see him, raven on his shoulder. “I told you not to do anything stupid, boy,”
the Old Bear said. “Boy,” the bird chorused. Mormont shook his head, disgusted.
“And to think I had high hopes for you.”
后来，过了很久，在他们把他押回寝室之后，莫尔蒙下楼来见他，乌鸦停在肩上。“小子，我不是叫你别做傻事么？”熊老说。“小子！”乌鸦也附和。莫尔蒙厌恶地摇摇头。“我本来对你寄予厚望，结果却是这样。”
They took his
knife and his sword and told him he was not to leave his cell until the high
officers met to decide what was to be done with him. And then they placed a
guard outside his door to make certain he obeyed. His friends were not allowed
to see him, but the Old Bear did relent and permit him Ghost, so he was not
utterly alone.
他们搜走他的短刀和佩剑，叫他待在房里，不得离开，直到高层官员决定如何处置。他们还派了一个人在门外看守，以确保他遵守命令。他的朋友们也不准前来探视，但熊老总算网开一面，允许白灵跟他待在一起，所以他不至于完全孤独。
“My father is no traitor,” he told the direwolf when the rest had
gone. Ghost looked at him in silence. Jon slumped against the wall, hands
around his knees, and stared at the candle on the table beside his narrow bed.
The flame flickered and swayed, the shadows moved around him, the room seemed
to grow darker and colder. I will not sleep tonight, Jon thought.
“我父亲不是叛徒。”众人离去之后，他对冰原狼说。白灵静静地看着他。琼恩双手抱膝，颓然靠在墙上，盯着窄床边桌子上的蜡烛。烛焰摇曳闪动，影子在他周围晃个不休，房间似乎更显阴暗，也更冰冷。我今晚绝对不睡，琼恩心想。
Yet he must have
dozed. When he woke, his legs were stiff and cramped and the candle had long
since burned out. Ghost stood on his hind legs, scrabbling at the door. Jon was
startled to see how tall he’d grown. “Ghost, what is it?” he called softly. The
direwolf turned his head and looked down at him, baring his fangs in a silent
snarl. Has he gone mad? Jon wondered. “It’s me, Ghost,” he murmured, trying not
to sound afraid. Yet he was trembling, violently. When had it gotten so cold?
然而他多半还是打了瞌睡吧。醒来时只觉双腿僵硬，酸麻无比，蜡烛也早已燃尽。白灵后脚站立，前脚扒着房门。琼恩看它突然间变得那么高，吓了一跳。“白灵，怎么了？”他轻声唤道。冰原狼转过头，向下看着他，露出利齿，无声地咆哮。它疯了吗？琼恩暗忖。“白灵，是我啊。”他喃喃低语，试图遮掩声音里的恐惧。可另一方面，他又在不由自主地剧烈颤抖。什么时候变得这么冷？
Ghost backed
away from the door. There were deep gouges where he’d raked the wood. Jon
watched him with mounting disquiet. “There’s someone out there, isn’t there?”
he whispered. Crouching, the direwolf crept backward, white fur rising on the
back of his neck. The guard, he thought, they left a man to guard my door,
Ghost smells him through the door, that’s all it is.
白灵从门边退开，木门被他刨出深深的爪痕。琼恩看着它，心中的不安节节升高。“外头有人，是吧？”他轻声说。冰原狼四肢贴地向后爬开，脖颈的白毛根根竖立。一定是那个守卫，他心想，他们派一个人留下看守，看来白灵不喜欢他的味道。
Slowly, Jon
pushed himself to his feet. He was shivering uncontrollably, wishing he still
had a sword. Three quick steps brought him to the door. He grabbed the handle
and pulled it inward. The creak of the hinges almost made him jump.
琼恩缓缓起身。他完全无法克制地发着抖，心里希望剑还在手中。上前三步，他来到门边，握住门把往里拉，只听铰链一阵嘎吱，差点没吓他跳起来。
His guard was
sprawled bonelessly across the narrow steps, looking up at him. Looking up at
him, even though he was lying on his stomach. His head had been twisted
completely around.
守卫软绵绵地横躺在狭窄的过道上，头朝上看他。头朝上看他！腹朝下趴地。他的头被整整扭了一百八十度。
It can’t be, Jon
told himself. This is the Lord Commander’s Tower, it’s guarded day and night,
this couldn’t happen, it’s a dream, I’m having a nightmare.
不可能，琼恩对自己说，这是司令大人的居塔，日夜都有人看守，绝不可能发生这种事，我一定是在作梦，我在作噩梦。
Ghost slid past
him, out the door. The wolf started up the steps, stopped, looked back at Jon.
That was when he heard it; the soft scrape of a boot on stone, the sound of a
latch turning. The sounds came from above. From the Lord Commander’s chambers.
白灵从他身边溜到门外，朝楼上走去，途中停下脚步，回头看着琼恩。就在这时，他听见靴子在石板上的摩擦，以及门闩打开的响动。声音是从楼上传来的，从总司令的房间传来的。
A nightmare this
might be, yet it was no dream.
这或许是一场噩梦，但他绝非置身梦境。
The guard’s
sword was in its sheath. Jon knelt and worked it free. The heft of steel in his
fist made him bolder. He moved up the steps, Ghost padding silently before him.
Shadows lurked in every turn of the stair. Jon crept up warily, probing any
suspicious darkness with the point of his sword.
守卫的剑还在鞘里。琼恩俯身抽出，武器在手，他的胆子也大了起来。他步上台阶，白灵无声地当着前锋。楼梯的每个转角都有阴影潜伏。琼恩小心翼翼地前进，一遇可疑暗处，便用剑尖捅刺两下。
Suddenly he
heard the shriek of Mormont’s raven. “Corn,” the bird was screaming. “Corn,
corn, corn, corn, corn, corn.” Ghost bounded ahead, and Jon came scrambling
after. The door to Mormont’s solar was wide open. The direwolf plunged through.
Jon stopped in the doorway, blade in hand, giving his eyes a moment to adjust.
Heavy drapes had been pulled across the windows, and the darkness was black as
ink. “Who’s there?” he called out.
突然，他听到莫尔蒙乌鸦的尖叫。“玉米！”鸟儿扯着嗓门喊，“玉米！玉米！玉米！玉米！玉米！玉米！”白灵向前窜去，琼恩也快步登上楼梯。莫尔蒙书房的门大敞。冰原狼冲了进去。琼恩站在门口，手握利剑，以让眼睛适应黑暗。厚重的垂帘盖住窗户，房里黑暗如墨。“是谁？”他叫道。
Then he saw it,
a shadow in the shadows, sliding toward the inner door that led to Mormont’s
sleeping cell, a man-shape all in black, cloaked and hooded?.?.?.?but beneath
the hood, its eyes shone with an icy blue radiance?.?.?.?
然后他看见了：一个阴影中的阴影，一个全身漆黑的人形，身披斗篷、戴着兜帽，正朝莫尔蒙卧室的门滑曳过去……但在兜帽下面，那双眼睛却闪着冰冷的蓝芒。
Ghost leapt. Man
and wolf went down together with neither scream nor snarl, rolling, smashing
into a chair, knocking over a table laden with papers. Mormont’s raven was
flapping overhead, screaming, “Corn, corn, corn, corn.” Jon felt as blind as
Maester Aemon. Keeping the wall to his back, he slid toward the window and
ripped down the curtain. Moonlight flooded the solar. He glimpsed black hands
buried in white fur, swollen dark fingers tightening around his direwolf’s
throat. Ghost was twisting and snapping, legs flailing in the air, but he could
not break free.
白灵凌空一跃，人狼同时扑倒，却无尖叫，亦无咆哮。他们连翻带滚，撞碎椅子，碰倒堆满纸张的书桌。莫尔蒙的乌鸦在空中振翅飞舞，一边尖叫：“玉米！玉米！玉米！玉米！”在这里面，琼恩觉得自己像伊蒙师傅一样目不视物。于是他背贴墙走到窗边，伸手扯下帘幕。月光涌进书房，他瞥见一双黑手深埋于白毛之中，肿胀的手指正渐渐掐紧冰原狼的咽喉。白灵又踢又扭，四肢在空中抽动，但无法脱身。
Jon had no time
to be afraid. He threw himself forward, shouting, bringing down the longsword
with all his weight behind it. Steel sheared through sleeve and skin and bone,
yet the sound was wrong somehow. The smell that engulfed him was so queer and
cold he almost gagged. He saw arm and hand on the floor, black fingers
wriggling in a pool of moonlight. Ghost wrenched free of the other hand and
crept away, red tongue lolling from his mouth.
琼恩没有时间恐惧。他纵身向前，出声大喊，使尽浑身力气挥剑劈下。钢铁划过衣袖、皮肤和骨头，却不知怎地，声音很不对劲。他包围的气息奇怪而冰冷，差点将他噎住。他看见地上的断臂，黑色的手指正在一泓月光里蠕动。白灵从另外一只手中挣脱，伸着红彤彤的舌头爬到一边。
The hooded man
lifted his pale moon face, and Jon slashed at it without hesitation. The sword
laid the intruder open to the bone, taking off half his nose and opening a gash
cheek to cheek under those eyes, eyes, eyes like blue stars burning. Jon knew
that face. Othor, he thought, reeling back. Gods, he’s dead, he’s dead, I saw
him dead.
戴着兜帽的人抬起他那张惨白的圆脸，琼恩毫不迟疑，举剑就砍。利剑将他的鼻子劈成两半，砍出一道深可见骨、贯穿脸颊的裂口，正好在那双有如燃烧的湛蓝星星般的眼睛下方。琼恩认得这张脸。奥瑟，他踉跄后退，诸神保佑，他死了，他死了，我明明看见他死了。
He felt
something scrabble at his ankle. Black fingers clawed at his calf. The arm was
crawling up his leg, ripping at wool and flesh. Shouting with revulsion, Jon
pried the fingers off his leg with the point of his sword and flipped the thing
away. It lay writhing, fingers opening and closing.
他觉得有东西在扒自己脚踝。低头一看，只见漆黑的手指紧紧钳住他的小腿，那条断臂正往大腿上爬，一边撕扯羊毛和肌肉。琼恩感到一阵剧烈的恶心，他大叫一声，连忙用剑尖把脚上的手指撬开，然后把那东西丢掉。断臂在地上蠕动，手指不断开开阖阖。
The corpse
lurched forward. There was no blood. One-armed, face cut near in half, it
seemed to feel nothing. Jon held the longsword before him. “Stay away!” he
commanded, his voice gone shrill. “Corn,” screamed the raven, “corn, corn.” The
severed arm was wriggling out of its torn sleeve, a pale snake with a black
five-fingered head. Ghost pounced and got it between his teeth. Finger bones crunched.
Jon hacked at the corpse’s neck, felt the steel bite deep and hard.
尸体蹒跚着向他逼近。它一滴血都没流，虽然少了一只手，脸也被几乎劈成两半，但它好像毫无知觉。琼恩把长剑举在面前。“不要过来！”他命令，声音刺耳。“玉米！”乌鸦尖叫，“玉米！玉米！”地上那条断臂正从裂开的衣袖里钻出来，宛如一条生了五个黑头的白蛇。白灵挥爪一攫，张口咬住断臂，立即传来指骨碎裂的声音。琼恩朝尸体的脖子砍下，感觉剑锋深深陷了进去。
Dead Othor
slammed into him, knocking him off his feet.
奥瑟的尸体冲过来，把他撞倒在地。
Jon’s breath
went out of him as the fallen table caught him between his shoulder blades. The
sword, where was the sword? He’d lost the damned sword! When he opened his
mouth to scream, the wight jammed its black corpse fingers into Jon’s mouth.
Gagging, he tried to shove it off, but the dead man was too heavy. Its hand
forced itself farther down his throat, icy cold, choking him. Its face was
against his own, filling the world. Frost covered its eyes, sparkling blue. Jon
raked cold flesh with his nails and kicked at the thing’s legs. He tried to
bite, tried to punch, tried to breathe?.?.?.?
琼恩的肩胛骨碰到翻倒的书桌，登时痛得喘不过气。剑在哪里？剑到哪儿去了？他竟然弄丢了那把天杀的剑！琼恩张口欲喊，尸鬼却将黑色的手指塞进他嘴里。他一边噎气，一边想把手推开，但尸体实在太重，鬼手硬是朝他喉咙深处钻，冷得像冰，令他窒息。那张尸脸紧贴他的脸，遮住了整个世界。那对眼睛覆满诡异的冰霜，闪着非人的蓝光。琼恩用指甲扒它冰冷的肌肉，踢它的腿，试着用嘴巴咬，用手捶，试着呼吸……
And suddenly the
corpse’s weight was gone, its fingers ripped from his throat. It was all Jon
could do to roll over, retching and shaking.
突然间尸体的重量消失，喉咙上的手指也被扯开。琼恩惟一能做的就只有翻身，拼命呕吐，不断发抖。
Ghost had it
again. He watched as the direwolf buried his teeth in the wight’s gut and began
to rip and tear. He watched, only half conscious, for a long moment before he
finally remembered to look for his sword?.?.?.?
原来是白灵再度攻击。他看着冰原狼的利齿咬进尸鬼的内脏，又撕又扯。他就这么意识模糊地看了好一阵子，才想起来自己该把剑找到……
?.?.?.?and saw
Lord Mormont, naked and groggy from sleep, standing in the doorway with an oil
lamp in hand. Gnawed and fingerless, the arm thrashed on the floor, wriggling
toward him.
……回身看见浑身赤裸，刚从睡梦中惊醒，还很虚弱的莫尔蒙司令，提着一盏油灯站在过道。那条被咬得稀烂，又少了指头的断臂正在地板上猛烈摆动，蠕动着朝他爬去。
Jon tried to
shout, but his voice was gone. Staggering to his feet, he kicked the arm away
and snatched the lamp from the Old Bear’s fingers. The flame flickered and
almost died. “Burn!” the raven cawed. “Burn, burn, burn!”
琼恩想要大喊，却没了声音。他踉跄地站起来，一脚把断臂踢开，伸手从熊老手中抢过油灯。只见灯焰晃动，险些就要熄灭。“烧啊！”乌鸦哇哇大叫，“烧啊！烧啊！烧啊！”
Spinning, Jon
saw the drapes he’d ripped from the window. He flung the lamp into the puddled
cloth with both hands. Metal crunched, glass shattered, oil spewed, and the
hangings went up in a great whoosh of flame. The heat of it on his face was
sweeter than any kiss Jon had ever known. “Ghost!” he shouted.
琼恩在原地忙乱转圈，瞥见先前从窗户扯下的帘幕，便两手握住灯，朝那一团布缦掷去。金属油灯落地，玻璃罩应声碎裂，灯油溅洒出来，窗帘立刻轰地一声，燃起熊熊烈焰。扑面而来的热气比琼恩尝过的任何一个吻都来得甜美。“白灵！”他叫道。
The direwolf
wrenched free and came to him as the wight struggled to rise, dark snakes
spilling from the great wound in its belly. Jon plunged his hand into the
flames, grabbed a fistful of the burning drapes, and whipped them at the dead
man. Let it burn, he prayed as the cloth smothered the corpse, gods, please,
please, let it burn.
冰原狼从那正挣扎着爬起的尸鬼身上猛地一扭，抽身跳开。黑色的液体自死尸腹部的大裂口缓缓流出，好似一条条黑蛇。琼恩探手到火里抓起一把燃烧的布块，朝尸鬼扔去。烧啊，看着布块盖住尸体，他暗自祈祷，天上诸神，求求你们，求求你们让它烧啊。