and Corum choked on it, but still he stabbed and stabbed.
A grin spread over the gigantic lips. All Corum could see now was that mouth, the scabrous nostrils, the huge eyes. The mouth opened wider to swallow him. He struck at the upper lip, staring into the red darkness of the God's throat.
Then his left hand contracted (тут его левая рука сжалась /в кулак/). It squeezed the Heart of Arioch (она сдавила сердце Ариоха). Corum's own strength could not have done it (собственная сила Корума не могла этого сделать), but once again the Hand of Kwll was possessed of a power of its own (но снова Рука Кулла обладала своей собственной силой = ожила). It squeezed.
Arioch's laughter faded (смех Ариоха /постепенно/ утих). The vast eyes widened and a new light filled them (огромные глаза расширились, и новый свет наполнил их). A bellow came from the throat (рев раздался из его горла).
The hand of Kwll squeezed tighter still (тем не менее, Рука Кулла сдавливала /сердце/ сильнее).
Arioch shrieked (Ариох вскрикнул).
The heart began to crumble in the hand (сердце начало крошиться в руке). Rays of a reddish blue light sprang from between Corum's fingers (лучи красновато-синего света проходили между пальцами Корума). Pain flooded up his arm (боль поднялась по его руке).
There was a high whistling sound (раздался высокий свистящий звук).
squeezed [skwJzd] possessed [pq`zest] flooded [`flAdId]
Then his left hand contracted. It squeezed the Heart of Arioch. Corum's own strength could not have done it, but once again the Hand of Kwll was possessed of a power of its own. It squeezed.
Arioch's laughter faded. The vast eyes widened and a new light filled them. A bellow came from the throat.
The hand of Kwll squeezed tighter still.
Arioch shrieked.
The heart began to crumble in the hand. Rays of a reddish blue light sprang from between Corum's fingers. Pain flooded up his arm.
There was a high whistling sound.
Arioch began to weep (Ариох зарыдал). His grasp on Corum weakened (сжатие Корума ослабло). He staggered backwards (шатаясь, он отступил назад).
`No, mortal (нет, смертный). No… The voice was pathetic (голос был жалостным). `Please, mortal, we can (пожалуйста, смертный, мы можем) …
Corum saw the God's bloated form begin to melt into the air (Корум увидел, как жирная фигура бога начала растворяться в воздухе;
He landed with a crash, tried to rise, saw what was left of Arioch's body writhing in the air (он приземлился с грохотом, попытался подняться, увидел, как то, что осталось от тела Ариоха, кружилось в воздухе), heard a mournful sound, and then Corum lost consciousness (услышал печальный/скорбный звук и потом потерял сознание), hearing, as he did so, Arioch's last whispered words (слыша при этом последние прошептанные слова Ариоха).
`Corum of the Vadhagh. You have won the eternal bane of the Sword Rulers (ты навлек на себя вечное проклятие Повелителей Мечей;
pathetic [pq`TetIk] mournful [`mLnf (q) l] consciousness [`kOnSqsnIs]
Arioch began to weep. His grasp on Corum weakened. He staggered backwards.
`No, mortal. No… The voice was pathetic. `Please, mortal, we can…
Corum saw the God's bloated form begin to melt into the air. The hand that held him began to lose its shape. And then Corum was falling towards the floor of the hall, the broken pieces of Arioch's heart scattering as he fell.
He landed with a crash, tried to rise, saw what was left of Arioch's body writhing in the air, heard a mournful sound, and then Corum lost consciousness, hearing, as he did so, Arioch's last whispered words.
`Corum of the Vadhagh. You have won the eternal bane of the Sword Rulers…
CHAPTER EIGHT (глава восьмая)
A Pause in the Struggle (передышка в борьбе)
Corum saw a procession passing him (Корум увидел процессию, проходившую мимо него).
Beings of a hundred different races marched or rode or were carried in that procession (существа сотни различных рас маршировали, либо ехали верхом, либо их несли в той процессии) and he knew that he watched all the mortal races that had ever existed (и он понял, что наблюдает все смертные расы, которые когда-либо существовали) since Law and Chaos had begun their struggle for domination over the multitudinous planes of the Earth (с тех пор, как Закон и Хаос начали борьбу за господство над многочисленными плоскостями Земли).
In the distance, he saw the banners of Law and Chaos raised, side by side (вдали он увидел поднятые знамена Закона и Хаоса, /расположенные/ рядом: «бок о бок»), the one bearing the eight radiating arrows (на одном были восемь расходящихся /из центра/ стрел), the other bearing the single straight arrow of Law (на другом — одна прямая стрела Закона). And over all this hung a huge balance in perfect equilibrium (над всем этим висели огромные весы в совершенном равновесии;
procession [prq`seS (q) n] multitudinous [, mAltI`tjHdInqs]
Corum saw a procession passing him.
Beings of a hundred different races marched or rode or were carried in that procession and he knew that he watched all the mortal races that had ever existed since Law and Chaos had begun their struggle for domination over the multitudinous planes of the Earth.
In the distance, he saw the banners of Law and Chaos raised, side by side, the one bearing the eight radiating arrows, the other bearing the single straight arrow of Law. And over all this hung a huge balance in perfect equilibrium. In each of the balance's cups were marshalled other beings, not mortal. Corum saw Arioch and the Lords of Chaos in one and he saw the Lords of Law in the other. And Corum heard a voice which said:
`This is as it should be (так и должно быть). Neither Law nor Chaos must dominate the destinies of the moral planes (ни Закон, ни Хаос не должны властвовать над судьбами смертных плоскостей). There must be equilibrium (должно быть равновесие).
