rz.signoftheunicorn-第28章

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　〃The　option；〃　he　said；　and　he　mounted　again。
　He　persuaded　his　horse　to　move　very　slowly　forward。　I　followed；　and　a　moment　later　I　glimpsed　it；　white　as　I　had　seen　it　in　the　grove；　standing；　half　hidden；　amid　a　clump　of　ferns：　the　unicorn。
　It　turned　as　we　moved；　and　seconds　later　flashed　ahead；　to　stand　partly　concealed　once　more　by　the　trunks　of　several　trees。
　〃I　see　it！〃　Ganelon　whispered。　〃To　think　there　really　is　such　a　beast。。。　Your　family's　emblem；　isn't　it？〃
　〃Yes。〃
　〃A　good　sign；　I'd　say。〃
　I　did　not　answer；　but　followed；　keeping　it　in　sight。　That　it　was　meant　to　be　followed　I　did　not　doubt。
　It　had　a　way　of　remaining　partly　concealed　the　entire　while　…　looking　out　from　behind　something；　passing　from　cover　to　cover；　moving　with　an　incredible　swiftness　when　it　did　move；　avoiding　open　areas；　favoring　glade　and　shade。　We　followed；　deeper　and　deeper　into　the　wood　which　had　given　up　all　semblance　of　anything　to　be　found　on　Kolvir's　slopes。　It　resembled　Arden　now；　more　than　anything　else　near　Amber；　as　the　ground　was　relatively　level　and　the　trees　grew　more　and　more　stately。
　An　hour　had　passed；　I　guessed；　and　another　had　followed　it；　before　we　came　to　a　small；　clear　stream　and　the　unicorn　turned　and　headed　up　it。　As　we　rode　along　the　bank。　Random　mented；　〃This　is　starting　to　look　sort　of　familiar。〃
　〃Yes；〃　I　said；　〃but　only　sort　of。　I　can't　quite　say　why。〃
　〃Nor　I。〃
　We　entered　upon　a　slope　shortly　thereafter；　and　it　grew　steeper　before　very　long。　The　going　became　more　difficult　for　the　horses；　but　the　unicorn　adjusted　its　pace　to　acmodate　them。　The　ground　became　rockier；　the　trees　smaller。　The　stream　curved　in　its　splashing　course。　I　lost　track　of　its　twists　and　turns；　but　we　were　finally　nearing　the　top　of　the　small　mount　up　which　we　had　been　traveling。
　We　achieved　a　level　area　and　continued　along　it　toward　the　wood　from　which　the　stream　issued。　At　this　point　I　caught　an　oblique　view　…　ahead　and　to　the　right；　through　a　place　where　the　land　fell　away　…　of　an　icy　blue　sea；　quite　far　below　us。
　〃We're　pretty　high　up；〃　Ganelon　said。　〃It　seemed　like　lowland；　but　…　〃
　〃The　Grove　of　the　Unicorn！〃　Random　interrupted。　〃That's　what　it　looks　like！　See！〃
　Nor　was　he　incorrect。　Ahead　lay　an　area　strewn　with　boulders。　Amid　them　a　spring　uttered　the　stream　we　followed。　This　place　was　larger　and　more　lush；　its　situation　incorrect　in　terms　of　my　internal　pass。　Yet　the　similarity　had　to　be　more　than　coincidental。　The　unicorn　mounted　the　rock　nearest　the　spring；　looked　at　us；　then　turned　away。　It　might　have　been　staring　down　at　the　ocean。
　Then；　as　we　continued；　the　grove；　the　unicorn；　the　trees　about　us；　the　stream　beside　us　took　on　an　unusual　clarity；　all；　as　though　each　were　radiating　some　special　illumination；　causing　it　to　quiver　with　the　intensity　of　its　color　while　at　the　same　time　wavering；　slightly；　just　at　the　edges　of　perception。　This　produced　in　me　an　incipient　feeling　like　the　beginning　of　the　emotional　acpaniment　to　a　hellride。
　Then；　then　and　then；　with　each　stride　of　my　mount；　something　went　out　of　the　world　about　us。　An　adjustment　in　the　relationships　of　objects　suddenly　occurred；　eroding；　my　sense　of　depth；　destroying　perspective；　rearranging　the　display　of　articles　within　my　field　of　vision；　so　that　everything　presented　its　entire　outer　surface　without　simultaneously　appearing　to　occupy　an　increased　area：　angles　predominated；　and　relative　sizes　seemed　suddenly　ridiculous。　Random's　horse　reared　and　neighed；　massive；　apocalyptic；　instantly　recalling　Guernica　to　my　mind。　And　to　my　distress　I　saw　that　we　ourselves　had　not　been　untouched　by　the　phenomenon　…　but　that　Random；　struggling　with　his　mount；　and　Ganelon；　still　managing　to　control　Firedrake；　had；　like　everything　else；　been　transfigured　by　this　cubist　dream　of　space。
　But　Star　was　a　veteran　of　many　a　hellride；　Firedrake；　also；　had　been　through　a　lot。　We　clung　to　them　and　felt　the　movements　that　we　could　not　accurately　gauge。　And　Random　succeeded；　at　last；　in　imposing　his　will　upon　his　mount；　though　the　prospect　continued　to　alter　as　we　advanced。
　Light　values　shifted　next。　The　sky　grew　black；　not　as　night；　but　like　a　flat；　nonreflecting　surface。　So　did　certain　vacant　areas　between　objects。　The　only　light　left　in　the　world　seemed　to　originate　from　things　themselves；　and　all　of　it　was　gradually　bleached。　Various　intensities　of　white　emerged　from　the　planes　of　existence；　and　brightest　of　all；　immense；　awful；　the　unicorn　suddenly　reared；　pawing　at　the　air；　filling　perhaps　ninety　percent　of　creation　with　what　became　a　slow…motion　gesture　I　feared　would　annihilate　us　if　we　advanced　another　pace。
　Then　there　was　only　the　light。　Then　absolute　stillness。
　Then　the　light　was　gone　and　there　was　nothing。　Not　even　blackness。　A　gap　in　existence；　which　might　have　lasted　an　instant　or　an　eternity。。。
　Then　the　blackness　returned；　and　the　light。　Only　they　were　reversed。　Light　filled　the　interstices；　outlining　voids　that　must　be　objects。　The　first　sound　that　I　heard　was　the　rushing　of　water；　and　I　knew　somehow　that　we　were　halted　beside　the　spring。　The　first　thing　that　I　felt　was　Star's　quivering。　Then　I　smelled　the　sea。
　Then　the　Pattern　came　into　view；　or　a　distorted　negative　of　it。。。
　I　leaned　forward　and　more　light　leaked　around　the　edges　of　things。　I　leaned　back；　it　went　away。　Forward　again；　this　time　farther　than　before。。。
　The　light　spread；　introduced　various　shades　of　gray　into　the　scheme　of　things。　With　my　knees　then；　gently；　I　suggested　that　Star　advance。
　With　each　pace；　something　returned　to　the　world。　Surfaces；　textures；　colors。。。
　Behind　me；　I　heard　the　others　begin　to　follow。　Below　me；　the　Pattern　surrendered　nothing　of　its　mystery；　but　it　acquired　a　context　which；　by　degrees；　found　its　place　within　the　larger　reshaping　of　the　world　about　us。
　Continuing　downhill；　a　sense　of　depth　reemerged。　The　sea；　now　plainly　visible　off　to　the　right；　underwent　a　possibly　purely　optical　separation　from　the　sky；　with　which　it　seemed　momentarily　to　have　been　joined　in　some　sort　of　Urmeer　of　the　waters　above　and　the　waters　below。　Unsettling　upon　reflection；　but　unnoted　while　in　effect。　We　were　heading　down　a　steep；　rocky　incline　which　seemed　to　have　taken　its　beginning　at　the　rear　of　the　grove　to　which　the　unicorn　had　led　us。　Perhaps　a　hundred　meters　below　us　was　a　perfectly　level　area　which　appeared　to　be　solid；　unfractured　rock　…　roughly　oval　in　shape；　a　couple　of　hundred　meters　along　its　major　axis。　The　slope　down　which　we　rode　swung　off　to　the　left　and　returned；　describing　a　vast　arc；　a　parenthesis；　half　cupping　the　smooth　shelf。　Beyond　its　rightward　jutting　there　was　nothing　…　that　is　to　say　the　land　fell　away　in　steep　descent　toward　that　peculiar　sea。
　And；　continuing；　all　three　dimensions　seemed　to　reassert　themselves　once　more。　The　sun　was　that　great　orb　of　molten　gold　we　had　seen　earlier。　The　sky　was　a　deeper　blue　than　that　of　Amber；　and　there　were　no　clouds　in　it。　That　sea　was　a　matching　blue；　unspecked　by　sail　or　island。　I　saw　no　birds；　and　I　heard　no　sounds　other　than　our　own。　An　enormous　silence　lay　upon　this　place；　this　day。　In　the　bowl　of　my　suddenly　clear　vision；　the　Pattern　at　last　achieved　its　disposition　upon　the　surface　below。　I　thought　at　first　that　it　was　inscribed　in　the　rock；　but　as　we　drew　nearer　I　saw　that　it　was　contained　within　it　…　gold…pink　swirls；　like　veining　in　an　exotic　marble；　natural…seeming　despite　the　obvious　purpose　to　the　design。
　I　drew　rein　and　the　others　came　up　beside　me。　Random　to　my　right；　Ganelon　to　my　left。
　We　regarded　it　in　silence　for　a　long　while。　A　dark；　rough…edged　smudge　had　obliterated　an　area　of　the　section　immediately　beneath　us；　running　from　its　outer　rim　to　the　center。
　〃You　know；〃　Random　finally　said；　〃it　is　as　if　someone　had　shaved　the　top　off　Kolvir；　cutting　at　about　the　level　of　the　dungeons。〃
　〃Yes；〃　I　said。
　〃Then　…　looking　for　congruence　…　that　would　be　about　where　our　own　Pattern　lies。〃
　〃Yes；〃　I　said　again。
　〃And　that　blotted　area　is　to　the　south；　from　whence　es　the　black　road。〃
　I　nodded　slowly　as　the　understanding　arrived　and　forged　itself　into　a　certainty。
　〃What　does　it　mean？〃　he　asked。　〃It　seems　to　correspond　to　the　true　state　of　affairs；　but　beyond　that　I　do　not　understand　its　significance。　Why　have　we　been　brought　here　and　shown　this　thing？〃
　〃It　does　not　correspond　to　the　true　state　of　affairs；〃　I　said。　〃It　is　the　true　state　of　affairs。〃
　Ganelon　turned　toward　us。
　〃On　that　shadow　Earth　we　visited　…　where　you　had　spent　so　many　years　…　I　heard　a　poem　about　two　roads　that　diverged　in　a　wood；〃　he　said。　〃It　ends；　'I　took　the　one　less　traveled　by；　and　that　has　made　all　the　difference。'　When　I　heard　it；　I　thought　of　something　you　had　once　said　…　'All　roads　lead　to　Amber'　…　and　I　wondered　then；　as　I　do　now；　at　the　difference　the　choice　may　make；　despite　the　end's　apparent　inevitability　to　those　of　your　blood。〃
　〃You　know？〃　I　said。　〃You　understand？〃
　〃I　think　so。〃
　He　nodded；　then　pointed。
　〃That　is　the　real　Amber　down　there；　isn't　it？〃
　〃Yes；〃　I　said。　〃Yes；　it　is。〃