《神奇树屋》 第三十册 Haunted Castle on Hallows Eve 09 A Piece of a Star

　　Teddy dropped down to a ledge¹. Jack² and Anniefollowed. Hidden in the shadows they crouched³ together, their dark feathers touching⁴.

They peered out at the moonlit lair⁵ of the Raven⁶ King.

68The king's giant nest was tucked under a rockyoverhang. It was made of mud, twigs⁷, and long stripsof tree bark. Two raven sentries⁸ were guarding itsdark entrance.

Okay, Jack softly croaked⁹,what's theplan?

Listencarefully, Teddy answered. In tiny queeksand cawsof raven whispers, he spelled out a plan:

I'll distract the guards.

Annie, youkeep watch at the entrance. Jack, you go into thenest and get the diamond. Then both of you headback to the castle and wait for me there.

Whatabout the RavenKing? croaked Jack.

I sense he's nothere, croaked Teddy.

I seenolegions of bodyguards¹⁰. But we should hurry beforehe returns.

Jack had lots more questions about the plan. Butbefore he could ask them, Teddy lifted off his perchand flew toward the entrance.

Let's go!

cried Annie, rising into the air.

Jack was in a panic. He fluffed out his feathers andcroaked, Wait, you guys!

69But it was too late! Teddy was alreadydive-bombing the raven sentries! "ARK-ARK-ARK!"The two sentries left their watch and flew atTeddy with short shrieks¹¹. They chased him highinto the sky.

Annie zipped to the entrance of the nest.

Come on, Jack!

she croaked.

Jack jumped off the ledge and flew on to the giantnest. Without thinking, he stepped through theentrance.

He jerked his head from side to side. With his ravensight, he saw walls packed with dried mud, animalfur, vines, and sticks. The floor was covered withmoss.

Jack took a few stepsforward. He stopped. He saw no sign of the RavenKing. He cocked his head from side to side, listening.

All was quiet.

Jack looked around the nest. One part of the nest'swall looked different. It was black and70shiny. He stepped toward it. He touched it with hisbeak. It wasn't a wall at all. It was a curtain offeathers.

Jack pushed through the feather curtain. Moonlightshone into the space behind it. Heaps of gold andsilver coins glittered in the cool light. Pale pearls,emeralds, and rubies¹⁴ shone and sparkled.

Amid all the treasure was a blue-whitecrystal. It was no bigger than a marble. But it shonewith a light all its own, like a piece of a star.

Jack knew at once the stone was the Diamond ofDestiny. His raven heart thumping¹⁵, he walked to thediamond and nudged it with his beak¹³. As thediamond tilted¹⁶, it shot forth¹⁷ beams of brilliant light.

"JAH! JAH!" Annie was calling to him from outside.

"CREE-GRO!"They're coming!

Jack carefully picked up the diamond with his beak.

He felt a surge of strength and courage.

71Annie called another warning. But Jack wasn'tafraid at all. He calmly walked out of the RavenKing's nest back into the night.

More sentries had been alerted. They were flyingtoward the mountaintop, cawing madly in alarm.

"KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!"Jack saw Annie perched on the ledge.

Hurry, Jack! Hurry!

she croaked.

Annie flew off the mountain. Holding the diamondin his beak, Jack gracefully¹⁸ flapped his wings andlifted into the air after her.

As he and Annie sailed down from themountaintop, a chorus ofKRAKssplit the night. Thousands of roosting ravens¹² roseinto the sky like a giant black cloud. Their beatingwings rumbled¹⁹ like thunder.

The cloud of ravens covered the light of the moon.

The night was completely black. "SPREE! SPREE!"Annie croaked.

Fly! Fly!

She and Jack glided²⁰ down through the dark72sky toward the duke's castle. The wing beats of theraven army still thundered above the mountaintop.

But none of the ravens were chasing them.

They don't know what to do without theirking, Jack thought. He wondered where their kingwas. But with the Diamond of Destiny in his beak, hefelt no fear.

The farther Jack and Annie flew from themountain, the more distant became the sound of theraven soldiers' wings.

The duke's castle came into sight. Jack saw the lightof Teddy's lantern in the nursery. But he didn't wantto stop flying just yet. Instead, he swooped²¹ over thecastle keep, over the courtyard, the gatehouse, andthe bridge, over the candlelit cottages and oak forest.

Annie flew with him.

Finally they both glided smoothly²² back to the castleand landed on the window ledge of the nursery. TheDiamond of Destiny was safe!

1 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 lair   

n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处

参考例句：

• How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?不入虎穴，焉得虎子？
• I retired to my lair,and wrote some letters.我回到自己的躲藏处，写了几封信。

6 raven   

n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的

参考例句：

• We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
• Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。

7 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

8 sentries   

哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We posted sentries at the gates of the camp. 我们在军营的大门口布置哨兵。
• We were guarded by sentries against surprise attack. 我们由哨兵守卫，以免遭受突袭。

9 croaked   

v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说

参考例句：

• The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢，”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

11 shrieks   

n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• shrieks of fiendish laughter 恶魔般的尖笑声
• For years, from newspapers, broadcasts, the stages and at meetings, we had heard nothing but grandiloquent rhetoric delivered with shouts and shrieks that deafened the ears. 多少年来， 报纸上， 广播里， 舞台上， 会场上的声嘶力竭，装腔做态的高调搞得我们震耳欲聋。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 ravens   

n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wheresoever the carcase is,there will the ravens be gathered together. 哪里有死尸，哪里就有乌鸦麇集。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A couple of ravens croaked above our boat. 两只乌鸦在我们小船的上空嘎嘎叫着。 来自辞典例句

13 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

14 rubies   

红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色

参考例句：

• a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
• The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。

15 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

17 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

18 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

19 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

20 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 swooped   

俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The aircraft swooped down over the buildings. 飞机俯冲到那些建筑物上方。
• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it. 鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来，并把它杀死。

22 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。