This was high summer, so they knew the park would be packed with picnickers, bikers and tourists during the day. But at night it was virtually empty.
‘The area around the park is very exclusive – some of the most expensive property in London. But it’s also densely populated,’ Raj explained, pointing at white lines just beyond the southern quadrant of the park. ‘We should be able to drop you off without being noticed. The problem is getting you across the park and to the top of the hill safely.’
He gestured for Dom to take over.
With her cursor, she traced a dark, curving line. ‘If we let you off here, you could walk up quite easily, but we believe this path is too exposed. It’s the most popular route for tourists because it’s along a gentle curving slope.’ The cursor moved to a longer footpath, which came into the park from another direction. ‘This one is steeper and travels through wooded terrain. It provides more cover and thus safety. However, it means you’re on foot longer in the park, which increases the risk, if Nathaniel’s guards are where we expect them to be.’ Through the clear lenses of her narrow glasses she glanced up at them. ‘Despite that, we believe the benefits outweigh the dangers, and this is the better path.’
Sylvain frowned. ‘You think we can avoid Nathaniel’s guards?’
‘You’ll have to,’ Dom said.
Raj took over, pointing at a white line at the edge of the green. ‘We’ll drop you off here, on Tanza Road. From there you’ll need to hike five hundred yards due east to meet up with this footpath here.’ He tapped a slim black line on the screen. ‘After that, your journey to the top of the hill should be straightforward. I will station guards in the woods along the way to provide protection but it’s nearly a mile to the meeting point. You will need to be extremely cautious.’
‘What about police? Civilians?’ Sylvain asked.
‘If you see the police you’re just a couple of kids looking for a place to be alone.’ Raj spoke without apparent embarrassment, but his words made Allie go red.
‘Civilians?’ Sylvain prodded him.
‘If you see people, avoid them. That’s the basic rule,’ Raj said.
‘Will Lucinda be with us the whole time?’ Allie asked.
Raj shook his head. ‘She’ll take a different route. Keeping you together would be too dangerous. You’ll meet her at the top of the ridge.’ He tapped his finger on the screen. ‘Now, our guards will be all over that hill but that won’t be enough. Nathaniel’s guards will be there, too. You’ll need to rely on your training and your wits to get through this. Because whatever Nathaniel has planned, it isn’t a parley.’
‘We’ll be ready,’ Sylvain vowed.
Allie couldn’t tear her eyes from the map, glowing green and white on the computer screen. She wished she felt as confident as he sounded.
When they came out of the meeting, Rachel was waiting in the corridor, a huge stack of papers in her arms.
Seeing her, Allie felt a sudden burst of unexpected happiness. A friendly face was just what she needed about now.
She ran up to her. ‘Hi! Looking for me?’ She glanced at the papers. ‘How did you know I’d run out of all the paper in the world?’
Rachel peered over her shoulder. ‘Not exactly,’ she said. ‘I mean, I’m always happy to see you but during this particular Cimmeria apocalypse I’m here for someone else.’
‘Rachel. There you are.’ Dom’s voice came from behind them.
Eagerly, Rachel stepped past Allie, holding up the pages so Dom could see them. ‘I got your message. Here’s the information you asked for.’
She fairly vibrated with excitement.
Allie watched her with interest; it had been a while since she’d seen Rachel so enthused and animated.
‘Great.’ Taking the papers from her, Dom handed her the laptop case. Without a second’s hesitation, Rachel draped it across her shoulder and followed the tech down the narrow corridor, skipping a little to keep up.
‘We need to plot some walking routes,’ Allie heard Dom explain in a brisk tone. ‘We’ll need to take the Ordnance Survey maps and then recalculate time and pace …’
Her voice faded as they walked down the hallway, absorbed in their plans.
‘Rachel fits well with Dom,’ Sylvain had walked up next to Allie without her noticing.
‘Yeah,’ she said, watching them disappear down the stairs. ‘They’re two clever peas in a super smart pod.’
As she headed down the shadowy top-floor corridor, Sylvain fell into step beside her. It was very quiet.
As they walked, Allie glanced at him. ‘How do you feel about all this? Do you think we’re ready?’
He looked at her, his eyes a flash of turquoise in the dimness. ‘It’s OK, I guess. But we’ll need much more precise knowledge of where to go once we enter the park, how we’ll communicate … everything.’
Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)
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