A red glow suddenly became evident through the trees. The Picts had fired the last hut. He grinned. How Zogar Sag would froth if he knew his warriors had let their destructive natures get the better of them. The fire would warn the people farther up the road. They would be awake and alert when the fugitives reached them. But his face grew grim. The women were traveling slowly, on foot and on the overloaded horses. The swift-footed Picts would run them down within a mile, unless — he took his position behind a tangle of fallen logs beside the trail. The road west of him was lighted by the burning cabin, and when the Picts came he saw them first — black furtive figures etched against the distant glare.
Drawing a shaft to the head, he loosed and one of the figures crumpled (оттянув стрелу к голове, он спустил тетиву, и одна из фигур рухнула). The rest melted into the woods on either side of the road (остальные исчезли в лесу по обе стороны дороги). Slasher whimpered with the killing lust beside him (Задира возле него заскулил от жажды убивать). Suddenly a figure appeared on the fringe of the trail, under the trees (вдруг одна фигура появилась на краю тропы, под деревьями), and began gliding toward the fallen timbers (и начала скользить =
crumple [krmpl], thigh [a], crimson [krmzn]
Drawing a shaft to the head, he loosed and one of the figures crumpled. The rest melted into the woods on either side of the road. Slasher whimpered with the killing lust beside him. Suddenly a figure appeared on the fringe of the trail, under the trees, and began gliding toward the fallen timbers. Balthus' bow-string twanged and the Pict yelped, staggered and fell into the shadows with the arrow through his thigh. Slasher cleared the timbers with a bound and leaped into the bushes. They were violently shaken and then the dog slunk back to Balthus' side, his jaws crimson.
No more appeared in the trail (больше никого /не/ появлялось на тропе); Balthus began to fear they were stealing past his position through the woods (Балтус начал опасаться, /что/ они прокрались мимо его позиции через лес), and when he heard a faint sound to his left he loosed blindly (и когда он услышал слабый звук слева от него: «к его левому», он спустил тетиву вслепую). He cursed as he heard the shaft splinter against a tree (он выругался, когда услышал, /что/ его стрела ударилась о дерево), but Slasher glided away as silently as a phantom (но Задира унесся /так/ бесшумно, как фантом), and presently Balthus heard a thrashing and a gurgling (и теперь Балтсу услышал удары и бульканье); then Slasher came like a ghost through the bushes (потом Задира вернулся как привидение сквозь кусты), snuggling his great, crimson-stained head against Balthus' arm (прижавшись своей огромной, испачканной в красное головой к руке Балтуса). Blood oozed from a gash in his shoulder, but the sounds in the wood had ceased for ever (кровь сочилась из разреза на его плече, но звуки в лесу прекратились навсегда).
appear ['p], steal [sti: l], cease [si: z]
No more appeared in the trail; Balthus began to fear they were stealing past his position through the woods, and when he heard a faint sound to his left he loosed blindly. He cursed as he heard the shaft splinter against a tree, but Slasher glided away as silently as a phantom, and presently Balthus heard a thrashing and a gurgling; then Slasher came like a ghost through the bushes, snuggling his great, crimson-stained head against Balthus' arm. Blood oozed from a gash in his shoulder, but the sounds in the wood had ceased for ever.