Escape

Antalya showed no particular reaction, which didn't surprise Ali in the least.

Howard had already obtained the communication crystal from Jelia, so he must have made contact with Antalya by now.

"Has he reached out to you?" Ali asked, even though she was pretty sure of her guess.

"Yes," Antalya nodded.

"Howard contacted me. He had an encounter with Jelia, and now Red Eye's people are onto him."

Ali thought of the four bodies.

"He killed those four men, but not before he managed to extract some information from them."

Antalya's gaze fell on Ali's face.

"The Old Nobles. This secret seems to be tied to everything behind Red Eye - his motives, his strength, his influence. Do you know anything about it?"

Ali shook her head.

"I didn't expect Howard to resort to torture. I saw the scene, and it's still unsettling to me."

"That means you still need training," Antalya remarked, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.