grrm.astormofswords-第89章

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nt　ridges　and　pine…clad　hills　jostled　against　one　another　to　either　side。　Such　ground　made　for　slow　riding；　but　offered　easy　concealment　for　those　wishing　to　approach　the　Wall　unseen。
　For　wildling　raiders；　he　thought。　Like　us。　Like　me。
　Beyond　that　Wall　lay　the　Seven　Kingdoms；　and　everything　he　had　sworn　to　protect。　He　had　said　the　words；　had　pledged　his　life　and　honor；　and　by　rights　he　should　be　up　there　standing　sentry。　He　should　be　raising　a　horn　to　his　lips　to　rouse　the　Night's　Watch　to　arms。　He　had　no　horn；　though。　it　would　not　be　hard　to　steal　one　from　the　wildlings；　he　suspected；　but　what　would　that　acplish？　Even　if　he　blew　it；　there　was　no　one　to　hear。　The　Wall　was　a　hundred　leagues　long　and　the　Watch　sadly　dwindled。　All　but　three　of　the　strongholds　had　been　abandoned；　there　might　not　be　a　brother　within　forty　miles　of　here；　but　for　Jon。　If　he　was　a　brother　still　。　。　。
　I　should　have　tried　to　kill　Mance　Rayder　on　the　Fist；　even　if　it　meant　my　life。　That　was　what　Qhorin　Halfhand　would　have　done。　But　Jon　had　hesitated；　and　the　chance　passed。　The　next　day　he　had　ridden　off　with　Styr　the　Magnar；　Jarl；　and　more　than　a　hundred　picked　Therms　and　raiders。　He　told　himself　that　he　was　only　biding　his　time；　that　when　the　moment　came　he　would　slip　away　and　ride　for　Castle　Black。　The　moment　never　came。　They　rested　most　nights　in　empty　wildling　villages；　and　Styr　always　set　a　dozen　of　his　Therms　to　guard　the　horses。　Jarl　watched　him　suspiciously。　And　Ygritte　was　never　far；　day　or　night。
　Two　hearts　that　beat　as　one。　Mance　Rayder's　mocking　words　rang　bitter　in　his　head。　Jon　had　seldom　felt　so　confused。　I　have　no　choice；　he'd　told　himself　the　first　time；　when　she　slipped　beneath　his　sleeping　skins。　If　I　refuse　her；　she　will　know　me　for　a　tumcloak。　I　am　playing　the　part　the　Halfhand　told　me　to　play。
　His　body　had　played　the　part　eagerly　enough。　His　lips　on　hers；　his　hand　sliding　under　her　doeskin　shirt　to　find　a　breast；　his　manhood　stiffening　when　she　rubbed　her　mound　against　it　through　their　clothes。　My　vows；　he'd　thought；　remembering　the　weirwood　grove　where　he　had　said　them；　the　nine　great　white　trees　in　a　circle；　the　carved　red　faces　watching；　listening。　But　her　fingers　were　undoing　his　laces　and　her　tongue　was　in　his　mouth　and　her　hand　slipped　inside　his　smallclothes　and　brought　him　out；　and　he　could　not　see　the　weirwoods　anymore；　only　her。　She　bit　his　neck　and　he　nuzzled　hers；　burying　his　nose　in　her　thick　red　hair。　Lucky；　he　thought；　she　is　lucky；　fire…kissed。　〃Isn't　that　good？〃　she　whispered　as　she　guided　him　inside　her。　She　was　sopping　wet　down　there；　and　no　maiden；　that　was　plain；　but　Jon　did　not　care。　His　vows；　her　maidenhood；　none　of　it　mattered；　only　the　heat　of　her；　the　mouth　on　his；　the　finger　that　pinched　at　his　nipple。　〃Isn't　that　sweet？〃　she　said　again。　〃Not　so　fast；　oh；　slow；　yes；　like　that。　There　now；　there　now；　yes；　sweet；　sweet。　You　know　nothing；　Jon　Snow；　but　I　can　show　you。　Harder　now。　Yessss。〃
　A　part；　he　tried　to　remind　himself　afterward。　I　am　playing　a　part。　I　had　to　do　it　once；　to　prove　I'd　abandoned　my　vows。　I　had　to　make　her　trust　me。　It　need　never　happen　again。　He　was　still　a　man　of　the　Night's　Watch；　and　a　son　of　Eddard　Stark。　He　had　done　what　needed　to　be　done；　proved　what　needed　to　be　proven。
　The　proving　had　been　so　sweet；　though；　and　Ygritte　had　gone　to　sleep　beside　him　with　her　head　against　his　chest；　and　that　was　sweet　as　well；　dangerously　sweet。　He　thought　of　the　weirwoods　again；　and　the　words　he'd　said　before　them。　It　was　only　once；　and　it　had　to　be。　Even　my　father　stumbled　once；　when　he　forgot　his　marriage　vows　and　sired　a　bastard。　Jon　vowed　to　himself　that　it　would　be　the　same　with　him。　It　will　never　happen　again。
　It　happened　twice　more　that　night；　and　again　in　the　morning；　when　she　woke　to　find　him　hard。　The　wildlings　were　stirring　by　then；　and　several　could　not　help　but　notice　what　was　going　on　beneath　the　pile　of　furs。　Jarl　told　them　to　be　quick　about　it；　before　he　had　to　throw　a　pail　of　water　over　them。　Like　a　pair　of　rutting　dogs；　Jon　thought　afterward。　Was　that　what　he'd　bee？　I　am　a　man　of　the　Night's　Watch；　a　small　voice　inside　insisted；　but　every　night　it　seemed　a　little　fainter；　and　when　Ygritte　kissed　his　ears　or　bit　his　neck；　he　could　not　hear　it　at　all。　Was　this　how　it　was　for　my　father？　he　wondered。　Was　he　as　weak　as　I　am；　when　he　dishonored　himself　in　my　mother's　bed？
　Something　was　ing　up　the　hill　behind　him；　he　realized　suddenly。　For　half　a　heartbeat　he　thought　it　might　be　Ghost　e　back；　but　the　direwolf　never　made　so　much　noise。　Jon　drew　Longclaw　in　a　single　smooth　motion；　but　it　was　only　one　of　the　Thenns；　a　broad　man　in　a　bronze　helm。　〃Snow；〃　the　intruder　said。　〃e。　Magnar　wants。〃　The　men　of　Therm　spoke　the　Old　Tongue；　and　most　had　only　a　few　words　of　the　mon。
　Jon　did　not　much　care　what　the　Magnar　wanted；　but　there　was　no　use　arguing　with　someone　who　could　scarcely　understand　him；　so　he　followed　the　man　back　down　the　hill。
　The　mouth　of　the　cave　was　a　cleft　in　the　rock　barely　wide　enough　for　a　horse；　half　concealed　behind　a　soldier　pine。　It　opened　to　the　north；　so　the　glows　of　the　fires　within　would　not　be　visible　from　the　Wall。　Even　if　by　some　mischance　a　patrol　should　happen　to　pass　atop　the　Wall　tonight；　they　would　see　nothing　but　hills　and　pines　and　the　icy　sheen　of　starlight　on　a　half…frozen　lake。　Mance　Rayder　had　planned　his　thrust　well。
　Within　the　rock；　the　passage　descended　twenty　feet　before　it　opened　out　onto　a　space　as　large　as　Winterfell's　Great　Hall。　Cookfires　burned　amongst　the　columns；　their　smoke　rising　to　blacken　the　stony　ceiling。　The　horses　had　been　hobbled　along　one　wall；　beside　a　shallow　pool。　A　sinkhole　in　the　center　of　the　floor　opened　on　what　might　have　been　an　even　greater　cavern　below；　though　the　darkness　made　it　hard　to　tell。　Jon　could　hear　the　soft　rushing　sound　of　an　underground　stream　somewhere　below　as　well。
　Jarl　was　with　the　Magnar；　Mance　had　given　them　the　joint　mand。　Styr　was　none　too　pleased　by　that；　Jon　had　noted　early　on。　Mance　Rayder　had　called　the　dark　youth　a　〃pet〃　of　Val；　who　was　sister　to　Dalla；　his　own　queen；　which　made　Jarl　a　sort　of　good　brother　once　removed　to　the　King…beyond…the…Wall。　The　Magnar　plainly　resented　sharing　his　authority。　He　had　brought　a　hundred　Therms；　five　times　as　many　men　as　Jarl；　and　often　acted　as　if　he　had　the　sole　mand。　But　it　would　be　the　younger　man　who　got　them　over　the　ice；　Jon　knew。　Though　he　could　not　have　been　older　than　twenty；　Jarl　had　been　raiding　for　eight　years；　and　had　gone　over　the　Wall　a　dozen　times　with　the　likes　of　Alfyn　Crowkiller　and　the　Weeper；　and　more　recently　with　his　own　band。
　The　Magnar　was　direct。　〃Jarl　has　warned　me　of　crows；　patrolling　on　high。　Tell　me　all　you　know　of　these　patrols。〃
　Tell　me；　Jon　noted；　not　tell　us；　though　Jarl　stood　right　beside　him。　He　would　have　liked　nothing　better　than　to　refuse　the　brusque　demand；　but　he　knew　Styr　would　put　him　to　death　at　the　slightest　disloyalty；　and　Ygritte　as　well；　for　the　crime　of　being　his。　〃There　are　four　men　in　each　patrol；　two　rangers　and　two　builders；〃　he　said。　〃The　builders　are　supposed　to　make　note　of　cracks；　melting；　and　other　structural　problems；　while　the　rangers　look　for　signs　of　foes。　They　ride　mules。〃
　〃Mules？〃　The　earless　man　frowned。　〃Mules　are　slow。〃
　〃Slow；　but　more　surefooted　on　the　ice。　The　patrols　often　ride　atop　the　Wall；　and　aside　from　Castle　Black；　the　paths　up　there　have　not　been　graveled　for　long　years。　The　mules　are　bred　at　Eastwatch；　and　specially　trained　to　their　duty。〃
　〃They　often　ride　atop　the　Wall？　Not　always？〃
　〃No。　One　patrol　in　four　follows　the　base　instead；　to　search　for　cracks　in　the　foundation　ice　or　signs　of　tunneling。〃
　The　Magnar　nodded。　〃Even　in　far　Therm　we　know　the　tale　of　Arson　Iceaxe　and　his　tunnel。〃
　Jon　knew　the　tale　as　well。　Arson　Iceaxe　had　been　halfway　through　the　Wall　when　his　tunnel　was　found　by　rangers　from　the　Nightfort。　They　did　not　trouble　to　disturb　him　at　his　digging；　only　sealed　the　way　behind　with　ice　and　stone　and　snow。　Dolorous　Edd　used　to　say　that　if　you　pressed　your　ear　flat　to　the　Wall；　you　could　still　hear　Arson　chipping　away　with　his　axe。
　〃When　do　these　patrols　go　out？　How　often？〃
　Jon　shrugged。　〃It　changes。　I've　heard　that　Lo