Fleeing is definitely not a pleasant thing to do, especially when the pursuers are dead in their back. Sovereign and the others knew very well that the falling wooden gate would not delay the sheriff's footsteps for too long, and they would gather their troops as quickly as possible, kill them from Kugil, and follow them along the main road. The only question is how fast the pursuers will be and how far they can escape.

The scorching midday sun hung high above the cloudless sky, and the dazzling sunlight was like a whip burning with flames, frantically whipping the world that crawled at his feet. If you think that walking in the canyon will be able to escape this deadly ghostly weather, you are very wrong.

At this time, Echo Canyon seems to be transformed into a huge natural steamer, and everything as far as the eye can see is hot. The breeze flowing in the air was like a flame on fire, and every time it blew through the exposed skin, it gave birth to a burning touch. The weeds on the side of the road had lost their fresh luster and hung their heads listlessly, and the dry pavement was roasted and churned with bursts of scorching heat.

Sovereign rode slowly, his dry sweat leaving snaking marks on his face covered in dust and blood. He stuck out his tongue and wanted to lick his chapped lips, only to find that even his tongue had steamed off the last trace of water, and the whole mouth seemed to be stuffed with sand, which was unusual.

Their advance was slow, and because of the presence of their pursuers, it became an extremely luxurious thing to stop and rest. It was only by slowing down the speed that the tired mount was briefly relieved.

The water bladder he carried with him had long since been drained, and to make matters worse, all the dry food and fresh water were placed on the blacksmith's carriage. With the battle in front of the city gates, they lost not only Mirza, but also the capital on which they depended. In other words, if the drinking water problem is not solved quickly, I am afraid that they will be driven to a dead end without chasing the soldiers.

The sound of horses' hooves sounded from behind, and Paislin rushed up and handed the water bag to Sovereign. "There must be a few drops of water, so moisten your lips first," he said, "and I'll see from behind you that you're about to fall off your horse." ”

Sovereign smiled wryly and shook his head. "Thank you...... But no, I'm still holding up. He pointed to the mounts beside him, "Our situation is getting more and more difficult, if we can't solve the problem of water supply, we can only get rid of the pursuers on foot after the mounts are exhausted." ”

Paislin sighed and said nothing more.

In fact, when they escaped from the town of Kugil, they were already in a state of utter disarray. In addition to the three horses led by Kuhl, the other three led by Tandra were thrown directly into the city. After the two of them had fled a long way on horseback, they bought three other horses that were not at all war horses from the merchants they met on the road.

In fact, strictly speaking, it can't be considered a purchase at all. When the terrified merchant saw a few murderous bloody men buying horses from him, he instinctively collapsed on the ground, and it was not until they galloped away that they realized that they had left behind a large sum of gold coins.

As he spoke, Sovereign crossed Thomas and Kuhl in front of him and came to the side of old Sean and Tandra, who were side by side. In fact, Essaoweran was more concerned about Tandra's current situation, and after the tower-like man came out of Kugil, he was silent as if he had been drained of all his life. As for the reason, it was all because of the sacrifice of Mirza, and the name that everyone did not want to mention again.

"Uncle Tandra......" said Sovereign, "I, I don't know what to say, but ......"

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Tandra. "Little one, are you here to comfort me?" Tandra smiled and rubbed Soveran's hair, then sighed softly and cast his gaze to the blue sky above his head. "Betma was my first child from the orphanage, and he was very smart and very likable...... Do the math, he's been my chief of guard for almost ten years, right?"

His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of extreme loneliness and desolation, as if beneath the extinguished anger was hidden indescribable heartache. "Is it ironic? I don't even hate it now...... He's like my child......" Tandra grinned, as if mocking herself, "Mirza is dead, and in the name of the Lord God, he must pay for it." ”

Old Sean patted his old friend on the shoulder and said nothing. Beside him, Sovereign thought of another man, who he treated like a brother, but stabbed his short sword into Beorn's body. At the fork in the road of fate, many people died, many betrayed, and the remaining ones, alone with their burdens on their backs, struggled to move forward.

Kull caught up from behind, and he and Thomas heard Tandra's words, but they didn't know how to speak, they just hoped that their adults wouldn't be too upset. "My lord, how long will it take for us to get out of Echo Canyon?" Kuhl said, changing the subject, "Our physical strength is declining too fast, and if we continue like this, I'm afraid we really need to think about going deep into the canyon to avoid our pursuers." ”

"Let Lord Sean answer this question. I didn't expect him to go to the Death Mist Swamp while he was practicing......" Tandra withdrew his gaze from the memories and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. His mount snorted weakly, and it seemed that it had reached its limit, "Is this hellish place going to roast people to death?"

"If I'm not confused, we're almost at the edge of Echo Canyon. Old Sean looked up at the crevasse between the cliffs that stretched out in front of him, and the path that was faintly visible had long been hidden in the gravel and wild grass, and this road that had not been visited for a long time could no longer be called a "road" in their eyes. The only thing that can be assured is that they are going in the right direction. "Anyone who travels to the Dead Fog Swamp will say that when you see a clear stream in the stone forest, you are not far from it. "I went to the Death Mist Swamp once decades ago, and I also saw the meandering stream at the end of Echo Canyon. Hopefully, many years later, this sentence will still work. ”

"My lord, did you choose to go to the Death Mist Swamp when you were traveling in practice?" Thomas also caught up and asked curiously.

Old Sean smiled and nodded. "yes...... At that time, I didn't know what fear was, and with the long sword in my hand, I dared to go anywhere. "In the blink of an eye, decades have passed...... I've grown like this. ”

"What about you, Lord Tandra, where did you go when you were practicing?" asked Kuhl beside him.

"I, I didn't go to the Death Mist Swamp, but went south from Echo Canyon into the Western Province, then crossed the Junhe River, passed through the Junhe Province, the Sardinia Province, and went directly around the Southernmost Point of the Kingdom, Cape of Watch on the Quimtu Peninsula. From there, head north to the port of Belém by the Sea of Stars, and finally return to Oak City from the Doron Pass, the easternmost part of the kingdom. As he spoke, he drew a large circle with his hand, "It took me two years to lie down and walk down." ”

As he listened, a bitter taste gradually grew in his heart. If this hadn't happened, maybe I would have started a real spiritual journey in the near future. It's a pity that fate is always full of too much sadness and helplessness, and many kind faces have left them one by one, and the beautiful Silver Oak City has become a hometown that can only be returned to in a dream.

He gently stroked the pine heart stone bracelet on his wrist, the pine green gemstone reflecting a beautiful luster on his skin. Sovereign remembered his fiancée, the red-haired girl with whom he carved her name under the oak tree and said the promise. "Evelyn, is she okay?...... Sovereign suddenly asked softly in his heart, but the next moment, his heart seemed to be slashed with a sharp knife, and the pain that penetrated deep into his soul almost suffocated him.

Maybe they will never see each other again, maybe the pair of names side by side will never meet them at the same time, and even maybe, those sweet promises will only be crushed into sand on the millstone of time, and finally drift away with the wind.

Sovilan's body trembled slightly, many of the beautiful things that had been in the past had all become the deepest pain in his heart in the face of reality, and every time he thought about it, only red blood would flow.

Paislin patted Sovereign lightly on the shoulder. "What's wrong? Veran? Are you alright?"

"I didn't ...... It's all right......" Sovereign replied with a deep breath.

"I can't help you much, but I know that with your current condition, sooner or later you will be dragged down. "How long has it been since you had a good night's sleep?" and how many times have you been awakened from nightmares......?

Sovereign looked at Peslin beside him, as well as Tandra and the others who walked in front, and Thomas and Kuhl were still asking questions about the two experienced seniors. He was terrified, for he found that he was cursed, bringing untold bad luck and danger of killing those around him.

He thought again of the loyal Mirza, the blacksmith who gave his life for himself, a venerable veteran who did not deserve such a tragic end. But what can he do? Sovereign asked more than once, can he only find comfort in conscience in vows that cannot be fulfilled at all?

"You ...... You've done enough, you've done enough......" Sawylan whispered, his heart broken, utterly shattered by the betrayal and death he had experienced along the way.

After a short slow ride, the speed of the horse team was getting up again, and they needed to get out of Echo Canyon as quickly as possible, and the time left for them by the pursuers behind them was running out.