Half Lost (The Half Bad Trilogy #3) - Sally Green Page 0,68

are, and neutralize the Hunters’ ability to go invisible, I’d count the mission as a success.”

“You might; I won’t.”

“Well, I agree; we should aim for more. We need to remove Soul, Wallend, and Jessica, and we need to ensure no one escapes the building: capture all those in it.”

“I thought the plan was to walk in and kill them?” And I’m reminded again of my father’s advice to kill them all. I’ve killed so many minor players, unimportant Hunters, that it would almost be an insult to them if I let Soul, Wallend, and Jessica off.

“Kill or capture,” Celia says.

“Fine.”

Celia continues. “There are several problem areas, of course.”

“Of course.”

“The first problem is getting into the Council building. There are three entrances. The main entrance, the one on the high street, is the simplest way in but is too public. The last thing we want is some fains noticing something.”

I know that entrance. It’s open and clearly going to be guarded and protected. Even invisible, I don’t fancy that route.

“OK, I agree with that,” I say.

“The rear entrance isn’t used now and is sealed off as far as we can tell. I think they saw it as a weak spot: it was always difficult to guard, with poor sight lines and fain properties very close all around. Anyway, it’s no longer an option.”

The back entrance is the one Gran and I used to use when we went for my Assessments and is a way I know well but that doesn’t matter now, it seems.

“The entrance in Cobalt Alley is still in use but too dangerous.”

“They’re all dangerous,” I say, “but I know how the magic in the alley works. It draws you into the building, right? Can’t we use that to our advantage?”

Celia shakes her head. “The alley leads into an internal courtyard, which is an exposed area where we could be contained and picked off. If I was in charge of security I’d make this option look tempting but the next access door would be impenetrable. I’m certain that is what Soul will have done.”

“So what’s it to be then? The roof? The windows?” I’m only joking a little. I’m sure the whole place will be protected against intruders.

“We go in through a cut from another Council property. From the Tower.”

“The Tower?”

“Roman Tower, to give it its full name. It’s the Council-run prison for White Witches. I know it well. So does Greatorex, so do all the Hunters. Part of Hunter duty every year is spent there working as a guard. There’s a cut from the Tower into the Council building.”

“And you can get us into the Tower?”

“I’ve had it watched for weeks. We know the routines of the guards, the numbers and times they change. There is a system of passwords and checks but you, Nathan, will be able to enter with the guards while you’re invisible. Once you’re inside, you overpower the guards and let us in.”

“How many guards are there?”

“Six Council guards and four Hunters at any time. Each on eight-hour shifts. The prison is easy to guard and patrol. None of the prisoners are ever let out of their cells.”

“Nice.”

“It’s not meant to be nice.”

“OK. So I slip in, deal with the guards, and let you guys in. Then what? I go through the cut to the Council building and find Wallend, Soul, and Jessica?”

“Precisely. But that brings us to the second problem: Jessica.”

Celia rubs her face with her hand, then says, “Even if Soul, Wallend, and the Council are defeated, the Hunters will still be against us. The Hunters do the bidding of the Council but they don’t follow Soul; their true loyalty is only to their leader, to Jessica. While Jessica is alive, the Hunters will fight. Whatever has happened to Soul or Wallend, she’ll never surrender.”

“And?”

“You let her live in Geneva,” Celia says.

I laugh. “Oh. So the problem is that you think I won’t kill her?”

“Is it a valid problem?”

“No.” At least I don’t think it is. Jessica is my half-sister, the daughter of my mother, but I hate her. I do believe she’s evil. And I know she’d kill me without a second thought. It’s true I let her go in Geneva. But we weren’t at war then. Things have changed, and I’ve changed too.

I tell Celia, “Don’t worry. I’ll kill or capture her.”

Celia nods and moves swiftly on. “Problem three is also to do with Hunters. There is a myth about them that they won’t surrender or run—ever. But, as you