Aislin glanced overhead, then slowly disappeared into the underground passage as well.
"Are there... only three entrances to the secret passages below?" Carpenter blurted out.
Seeing that his little sister's first reaction after receiving so much explosive information was concern for their family's safety, Russell felt a sudden flicker of pride. "Don't worry. Aislin knows about five routes. She only revealed the three connected to the public areas."
"Then..." Carpenter pressed her lips together.
"Our teacher left just one route for our own people, but it's exceptionally well hidden. And only those whose auras are recorded by the formation can enter. Anyone else... even if they have the ability to get in, they might not come out alive." Russell stroked her little head. "Our teacher is frighteningly cautious."
He pressed his lips together, privately suspecting that the last secret passage had been dug on short notice because of him and Carpenter, and had not existed at first... Gilbert could never have undertaken such extensive work in the Black Mystery Tower without a powerful backer.
Otherwise, Aislin would not have been so familiar with these passages. Perhaps she had even helped when they were first dug.
But Russell could confirm that Aislin knew absolutely nothing about that particularly grand-looking secret passage.
After all, as she moved around, she had carefully avoided the two passages she wanted to conceal, yet had leaned against the hidden passage several times.
When Aislin first stood to one side of the tunnel, cautiously observing Nanalie, she had even rested her hand on the entrance to that secret passage.
That made Russell even more certain of his suspicions.
Still, Carpenter did not need to know any of this.
His little sister was good in every other way, but she was rather sensitive to pressure. It would not