"That'...... It's a good idea," Deanna said. "Go after us and don't risk the whole army. Walk over and take your time. Like I said, Gabi and I don't look much like targets. They're looking for you, not us. And I ran faster than you think, even with Flower in my arms. Before they could get closer, we were able to climb over the mountain. ”

"Good. Let's say we do this. I still wasn't too happy to have my little daughter sit in the middle of a group of demons and it looked delicious. ”

"They would never dare to hurt her. I'll keep her at my fingertips, they owe me my life, they know better. But more importantly, they now belong to Passos. He appears in person, claiming that they are his, and tells them to go to his priestess Aguna. They'll be kind to Gabi. ”

When he didn't seem convinced, she added, "They have a lot more in common with Shes than the Berserker you're familiar with."

"Who is Sheth? He asked.

“Seffy。 It turns out that his name has always been Sheth, and he just can't pronounce it, "Dya."

A said, with a smile on her face.

He thought it was ridiculous, but it wasn't enough to dispel his doubts about it all. Deanna's good mood quickly vanished under his angry scowl, and she looked down at the ground.

She didn't seem to be the same young woman he remembered. The former Deanna was aggressive, arrogant, and spoke as if she was too egotistical, as if her only role model was a man who never really understood how men worked. She has genuine feelings for her biological rat and some affection for his children, but anyone has them. Even though he didn't trust Sef, he helped her, and before she could help, she insulted her a few words and turned away.

However, the woman he saw now seemed to be ten years younger than before. Younger and more honest. It felt like she had found a deeper strength, like she was able to be herself and be honest about the consequences of her choices. That didn't mean he trusted her more, but he could see that she had changed.

She looked up at him, her head still slightly bowed, and said, "Mr. Androx, I know what I did wrong before, and I know how hard it is to believe me. But I spent a lot of time thinking about it, I had to face some really tough things, and I know how sad I was for everyone when I left. I regret what I said. I don't even know what I'm thinking. I just hope you can give me another chance. I really want to protect them. ”

He frowned and looked away. He didn't anticipate this, and he knew which side the rest of the family would be on. Not his. He said, "Well, I still don't like it." I don't want to break up this family again, and I don't want to see the Night People again. ”

Aguna grinned and patted the children as she checked the luggage and the like. "Once he started talking like that, he had already decided to accept it," she said. Gabby, my darling, you follow Deanna. Make sure Poppy follows her closely so you don't get lost or get separated. Daddy and I will be here right away, you follow Deanna, and if something happens, she will protect you. We're going to trust her now. ”

"Yes, Mom," said Galby. Her eyes sparkled with longing.

"I haven't decided yet," Androxes complained.

"Oh? So, would you add a lie to your list of shortcomings? Didn't fill the entire reel? Agnn said. She knew him too well.

A

d

Okles just glared at her, then put the bag of money on Poppy's back and let Ga

bi holds. He didn't want to drag it up the hill.

Aguna placed flowers on Deanna's back. She gently stroked his ears and gently called his name to wake him up. He kept blinking, half-awake.

"Hold on, my dear. Deanna is running away. Don't fall off," she said. "Don't scream. You're going to deafen her. Don't scream, my darling. Hold on. ”

"What? Flower asked, a look of concern and a little more energetic.

Aguna patted Deanna's ass and said, "Let's go."

Deanna smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Wait! Flowers said.

Deanna began to sprint at full speed, running farther and faster than Poppy.

Flower let out a sudden scream of terror, the voice was short; Just chirp, really. It's the most interesting thing Androx has seen in years. However, he had to hold back laughing because it hurt, and he hadn't completely stopped being grumpy. Agnn did this on purpose. God bless that woman.

Deanna was right about her speed. Bobby heroically bounced up the hill, but had no chance to keep up, not at all. Deanna had to slow down so as not to lose Gabi completely. This stupid beast deserves to be dumped.

The army spotted the girls almost immediately, as they ran up to the almost bare ground in full view. The soldiers pointed and sent messengers, and they must have been considering whether to go after them. Androcles and the others watched from the sidelines, falling into an uneasy silence, their attention divided between Deanna's route up the hill and the assembled army, but no rider ran away in pursuit.

However, it was only a moment before it was too late. With the speed at which Deanna and Gabi move, they will never be caught. Soon, the girls stopped for a moment on the ridgeline, looked back for a while, and disappeared on the other side.

Escaping by chance brought only temporary relief. Now it's Pepper's turn, a nervous little boy who does his best to hide his lack of confidence. As far as Androx knew, Pepper's nervousness was right. Maybe it's very difficult - Andrakes has no idea how it works at all.

"Well, then ......," he said, and then was dumb again. He pricked up his black ears and became as serious as he could. "Okay. I have to say it now, because I can't say it after we're gone. Here's the thing, I pull ours, our existence in. It makes them invisible to us, but invisible to us. Their eyes can see us, but they won't realize what they're looking at. It is the mind, not the body, that perceives things. So, I thought it might be a light, or something like that, but I pulled it all in, and then it couldn't touch their minds, and they couldn't see us. But sometimes, if they know we're there — really, really know — they'll still see us, because their eyes can still see us.

"So, we have to walk hand in hand all the time, and you can't let go no matter what. Do you understand? So, they probably won't come because they won't see us. But if they come, because, um, because they might want to come to Deanna and Gabby or something, they still can't find us. But if they're so close, you can't make any sound. Don't cough or anything. Don't look anyone in the eye, even if they're coming towards you. If I don't move, you have to move too, right now. Do you understand? By the way, neither of you can do what you want, and you can't do evil. You have to hide, or they'll see us right away. Not at all. Not at all. ”

Although Pepper's explanation raises more questions than answers, the instructions are simple. A

d

Okles didn't hesitate to grab Peppe

hand, hoping to encourage him. "Come on, Aguna, stop grinding."

She took Pepper's other hand and said, "Stop complaining about your ribs, monster." Pepper says to be quiet. ”

Together, they got up from the ditch and started walking. In the first hundred steps and the next hundred steps, Andrx didn't know if he could tell when Pepper had played his little trick. Is this really a trick, a kind of magic? Or is it just his idea? He's not just sneaky, right? Just good at escaping attention? It's better not to be like this.

They meander their way up the hill to the south, through rugged ground and mottled snow, through bushes, and over shoddy wooden fences. They remained silent, leaving Andex increasingly curious about how it all worked, but nothing happened. They are just out of sight, in a normal way.

However, when they reached the clearing at the beginning of the mountain, Pepper stopped. He looked around and pricked up his ears to listen to the sound of the wind. Anchors and Agunn remained silent as ordered, but they cast a few questioning glances at each other, which Pepper ignored.

Then he heard their voices: the whispers returned. There are only a few, on the edge of the most audible. They're getting closer, though; Or at least it seems to be getting louder.

Pepper shuddered in shock, and if he hadn't remained silent, it might have been accompanied by a curse. He looked up at Androx and Argn, looking at them with an expression that Androx couldn't understand. The boy lowered his head, and in a moment, the whole world changed.

Androx sensed that something had changed now, deeply, but too subtle to see clearly. He couldn't say anything, he couldn't say anything. It feels like the world is retreating. His senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell are the same as before. He heard Agn gasping for breath over the rough terrain and touched Pepper's warm little hand. But somehow, I felt like the whole world was going backwards. It's like the first dream begins to fade and separate. It's still there, but even less. Separate.

The whispers around them rose like a crest, from barely inaudible to loud and direct in the time of a few heartbeats. The unseen shadows swirled, ran, swirled on the ground, accelerated, spiraled out and back. Hunt.

Pepper's little man looked already struggling. He took a step forward, pulled his parents forward, and they were gone. Each step is choreographed with more care than the dancer and twice as graceful as the dancer. Anchors and Agn had no hope of matching, their footsteps creaking loudly in their ears.

The shadows followed them, but not completely. They whispered in the sunlight and made unseen sounds. Every once in a while, if it had a form, it would run into him, but they never stayed around. Pepper must have hidden them too, and they were upset.

Pepper kept his pace, his head firm. Its tail swirled over the ground, not swishing at all, not even a single leaf. The boys' short legs slow them down, but it's welcome. With each step up the hill, Andax had a lot more to lift than the skinny little piece of gear, and he felt it. So is Aguna. If she was allowed to speak, he would love to hear what she had to say now.

They were about a third of the way before Androcleus remembered to glance at the army and kill him. It still grows near the mountain pass, about a mile and a half away in the open area.

Fifty cavalrymen had just broken away from the army and looked like they were coming this way. They should know about the warbands he destroyed by now. They knew for sure that these people would come with heads. The terrain is terrible for horses, but with so many horses, it's probably not a big deal. They will come around him, pounce on him as they descend the mountain, and then ......

Pepper's little paw poked into his hand, or rather, the claw later. Now, they're just slightly pointed fingertips and nails. Andlos looked down and saw that Kit was glaring at him, and he realized that he had been letting his emotions spiral out of control. He needs to be calm. Perfect calm. A few deep breaths eased his growing tension, and Pepper nodded.

If Pepper can hide them, it doesn't matter how many soldiers come, at least not right away. Let five hundred come. If Androcs hid from one person, he hid from five hundred. They won't find out about him.