Das Goldauge wird international
Das erste Kapitel vom Mädchen mit den Augen aus Gold gibt es jetzt auch auf Englisch! Ein großes Dankeschön an Iram Dana, für Ihre Mühe, Geduld und Hilfe mein Englisch aufzuhübschen :)
Iram Dana ist selbst Autorin und ihre Triologie Secret Of The Sighing Mountains steht ganz oben auf meiner to-read-Liste. Ich habe schon ein wenig auf den ersten Seiten gestöbert und die waren mehr als vielversprechend.
Und hier - Trommelwirbel! - nun ein Ausschnitt aus dem ersten Kapitel:
Four Kingdoms
Hyra is just an ink stain on the big map of our world. On horseback, you only need a few days to travel from one end to the other. Neither Hyra`s natural resources nor its influence are particularly noteworthy, and still it is a special place to be. And I`m not just saying that because I was born there. Something extraordinary hangs in the air, some kind of feeling you cannot explain. Something is different there … Maybe it`s the people. There are some noble minds living in Hyra that show you how much virtue a human heart can possess. Yes, I think those are the kind of hearts that make Hyra what it is. They seem to be the country`s biggest treasure.
Once, while I was passing through, I stumbled upon a precious book by coincidence (if there exists such a thing). The book was very old and the legend it revealed was even older. I am not sure how much truth that story holds – but let me share it with you and you can decide for yourself.
A long time ago, four brothers traveled far. Driven by ravenous thirst of adventure they wanted to tame the Great Sea and sail around the world. However, not long after their ship was hit by a terrible storm and sank. More dead than alive, they were washed up on the shores of Hyra`s beaches.
The following morning, as the waves had calmed down again, a few fishermen noticed the motionless bodies in the sand. They brought the men into their humble thatched huts and treated their wounds. Slowly, the brothers regained their strengths and, impressed by the beauty of the land and the hospitality of its people, decided to stay in Hyra.
In search of happiness and a new home, every brother set off into a different direction of the compass.
The first brother was strong and beautiful. He went north and founded the city Inli, where he built a monastery of black stone. Its towers rose high into the sky and a lot of tortured souls found new peace behind its protective walls.
The monks decided to train the strongest and wisest men of their order as warriors. They became the Black Soldiers of Inli and guards of the new king. Even today, the legendary reputation of those dark clothed soldiers echoes through Hyra. They are famous, notorious - and untouchable. In the cloister, abstinence is the highest discipline and every man who joins the order has to follow it.
One day, the first raven started to circle Inli`s monastery and day by day, their number grew. Now, you hear their cries all over the city and there are even rumors that by mysterious ways, the soldiers learned to understand the black birds` words.
The second brother was a bold adventurer who loved the sea more than the land. He traveled east where the Great Sea rolled against Hyra`s shores. It was the birth of the seaport Maris; a colorful place of mystical stories and sailor fables. It was not long until Maris` ships explored the world and their heavy wooden chests got even heavier with gold and jewelry.
Unfortunately, one day it was death itself that arrived with the sailors in the port; a horrible plague entered the city. Many, many people died and it didn`t take long until the active trading of the kingdoms with each other carried the disease in every corner of the country. The limbs and joints of the sick stiffened, and a sharp, unbearable pain started to gnaw at their bones. Every step, every pitch became pure agony and an insurmountable hurdle. High fever and vomiting dehydrated the weakened bodies beyond recognition.
In memory of those dark times, a great masquerade ball takes place in Maris every year. On that day, many citizens wear masks with long bird`s beaks to remember the doctors who tried to protect themselves from infections and the foul stench of death.
Many died but not all were that lucky. Some of the sick changed. The unusual illness created hungry demons that bore little to no resemblance to the humans they once used to be. They became Fear Eaters. Like nightmares they only dared to crawl out and hunt in the dark – searching for warmth and life.
Far away from the cities, in deserted areas, they caught incautious travelers again and again and as the word spread, every night Hyra hid behind its gates and walls praying for the horror to pass. And pass it did. With time, the deadly attacks became rarer and today, the Fear Eaters are nothing but horror stories that children tell each other around the campfire when the sun sets and the lights begin to fade.
Der Rest des Kapitels folgt nächste Woche. Wie gefällt euch die Übersetzung bis jetzt?