She raced through the garden wall to the field and tore open the envelope. This time though she couldn’t make heads of tails of the words inside. But fortunately she spotted her brother making his way towards the woods and charged after him. Max was brilliant at puzzles – he must have worked it out.

  Meanwhile Carlos read his clue and wondered where the girl was going. It seemed pretty clear to him and it certainly wasn’t in the direction Kensy was headed.

  ‘Max!’ Kensy called out, fearful that she would get lost in the woods.

  The lad stopped and turned around, his chest heaving.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she shouted, charging up the light-speckled track towards him.

  ‘The same place you are,’ he called back.

  Kensy was puffing and panting as she reached the boy.

  ‘I couldn’t work out the puzzle so I just followed you,’ Kensy confessed.

  She pulled out her clue and handed it to her brother who scanned the words and pulled out his own piece of paper.

  ‘Oh crud!’ he said. ‘I think we’ve been had. My clue is different to yours, which makes absolutely no sense!’

  Kensy looked at her brother. ‘I think I know who the saboteur is.’

  ‘You know you can’t tell me what you’re thinking – it’s against the rules,’ Max said.

  In the control room his grandmother couldn’t help but smile. None of the children knew that the special watches they’d been issued with for the duration of the treasure hunt provided the organisers with more information than just their locations. The control room could hear the participants whenever they spoke and the drones overhead could locate them at all times too. Which was a good and bad thing. Cordelia was going to have a word to the teachers about some colourful language, but right now she was more excited about watching the children’s progress in the game.

  ‘Come on,’ said Max. ‘We need to head back to the house and get another clue – hopefully the right one this time.’

  Kensy and Max ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but they didn’t have to go all the way to the house. An ant trail of runners was heading towards the cliffs so the pair took off after them. When the twins reached the lighthouse keeper’s cottage, Max needed to rest, falling onto the ground, grasping for breath and Kensy ran to the tap by the side of the building, cupping her hands and gulping the cool water. Kensy spied Misha disappearing around the other side of the building. She grabbed her brother’s hand and hauled him to his feet. He stopped at the tap too and then the pair set off in search of their peers.

  It didn’t take long to find them. ‘Kensy!’ Max shouted in surprise, as a crowd of colourful canopies opened in front of them.

  ‘Base jumping,’ Kensy gulped. This was new.

  ‘Actually, Kensy, if you look carefully, everyone has small fans attached to their backs so you’ve got a bit more control,’ Mr Frizzle pointed out. ‘And there’s a parachute too. Anyway, let’s get you strapped in.’

  ‘Sir, what’s the objective?’ Max asked. ‘I’m afraid someone swapped out the clues Kensy and I received and we don’t know what we’re supposed to do.’

  The man handed them an envelope and Max quickly worked out that they had to fly to the beach a couple of miles up the coast where they would receive their next clue.

  ‘I hope the saboteur hasn’t got to any of the chutes,’ Kensy said, only half joking as she climbed into her flying suit and donned a helmet and goggles.

  Elliot Frizzle looked at the girl. ‘No, we certainly wouldn’t allow them to do anything to endanger your lives – and you have a reserve parachute, heaven forbid anything goes wrong.’

  Kensy looked at her brother, the pair of them arching their eyebrows. Whoever had interfered with Max’s bike clearly hadn’t got that memo.

  The twins raced to put on their equipment and checked one another’s gear to be doubly sure that it hadn’t been tampered with. They headed to the grassy knoll, which would provide their runway.

  ‘See you on the beach,’ Max gave his sister a wave and ran towards the edge.

  ‘Yeah, you’ll be right behind me!’ Kensy charged ahead of the boy.

  The pair pulled the ripcords and started their tiny blower engines as they leapt into the abyss. Except that Kensy’s chute didn’t open properly. Part of it was tangled. Max saw it straightaway and dropped down as fast as he could.

  ‘Jettison it and use the reserve!’ he shouted.

  Kensy turned and saw the mess behind her. No wonder she couldn’t get any altitude. Kensy pressed the button on her harness and suddenly felt as if she was falling even faster. The canopy flew up into the sky, but the reserve hadn’t opened.

  ‘You need to press the other button!’ Max called out.

  Kensy’s heart felt as if it was about to jump right out of her chest. She did as she was told and suddenly the secondary device plumed out behind her and she could breathe again.

  Her brother could too. Max turned and gave her a thumbs up then headed north. With the breeze at their backs they could see their friends ahead – a rainbow of silk in the azure blue sky.

  But things were about to get serious as they began their descent onto the long beach. Carlos was first to land, skidding along the sand on his bottom. He pressed the button attached to his harness, which automatically repacked the parachute then he undid the straps that attached the contraption to his torso. He dropped it to the ground and spotted Mr Nutting further up the beach.

  When Max arrived, he raced to the teacher to get the final clue. The students had to climb to the top of the cliff. Though it was steep in sections the ascent wasn’t overly dangerous – not as long as you concentrated and kept your footing. Max ripped open his envelope and read.

  At the top of the cliff you’ll find a bike, but it needs a key or you’ll have to hike. Homeward bound to the room of games, bowl your ball, to stake your claim.

  Max turned the words over in his mind. He wondered what sort of bike it was – but the rest was easy. The target was the games room in the basement at Alexandria where the bowling alley was located. He just had to get there first. The rock face was covered with students all looking for the easiest pathway. Kensy caught up to Autumn, the pair gripping the same long ledge with their fingers.

  ‘Where did you go? You were miles ahead of me,’ Autumn said.

  ‘Someone messed with Max’s and my clues and we went the wrong way,’ Kensy said with a frown.

  One by one the children popped over the top of the cliff to find a row of mountain bikes sitting ready for them. Except that the front wheels were chained with padlocks for which there were no keys.

  Max raced to find a bike that hadn’t yet been claimed then looked around, wondering what he could use to attack the lock.

  Kensy had located a bike too and reached into her birds’ nest hair to pull out a bobby pin. Autumn had at least four of the accessories pinning her tresses neatly into place. The girl was so focused on the task that she didn’t feel Max’s deft touch as he brushed against her and stole one for himself.

  But Kensy had seen him and shook her head. She had to wonder if Autumn had let Max take it on purpose because of her role as the saboteur. Either that or she was just trying to win brownie points because she wanted to be his girlfriend.

  At the other end of the row, Alfie was cursing his luck, having jammed a tiny stick into the mechanism, which had broken off. Meanwhile Carlos had been fiddling with his watch and realised that there was a long metal pin that he could extract from the dial. Dante and Yasmina had seen him do it and were now toying with their own timepieces as well.

  Kensy was first to get her bike unlocked. She grabbed the helmet that was slung over the handlebars and jammed it on her head then took off. It wasn’t long before there was a trail of riders behind her, legs pumping, leaping over ruts and jumps in their quest to reach the house first.

  Kensy decided to take a short cut – at least she thought it would be – and veered left towards the family crypt. Yasmina pursued her while Max stayed on the well-worn path, Autumn and Carlos right behind him. Curtis decided to chase Yasmina and almost came to grief as he realised there was a stone wall he had to get over. He slammed on the brakes just in time and noticed the gate further down. He had no idea how Yasmina and Kensy had jumped the wall – clearly his mountain biking skills needed work.

  It was anyone’s race as the children hared towards the rear of the mansion. Except Alfie who had only just managed to unlock his bike and was now riding at top speed to have any chance of getting there within the allotted time.

  Kensy looked across the home paddock that led to the stone wall at the rear of the house. She could see Max approaching from the other side. Her lungs were burning and her legs aching, but she had to get there first – and she did. Skidding the bike to a halt, she raced through the gate to the kitchen door, having already plotted her route to the games room. There were two ways you could come at it, but she was sure this would be fastest.

  Max had gone the other way and the pair entered the room from different sides at almost the same time, but it was Kensy who reached the bowling lane first. She picked up a ball and hurled it at the pins. Seven went down so she had to go again. Behind her, Max’s ragged breaths were doing her head in.

  ‘Be quiet!’ She turned and yelled at her brother. ‘I can’t concentrate.’

  Kensy lined up for the second attempt and this time took down the three remaining pins. On the scoreboard at the end of the lane the word SUCCESS appeared and she knew that she had completed the challenge. Whether or not she’d achieved enough points to get into the lead was another thing.

  Max scored a strike on his first attempt and Yasmina did too, which concerned Kensy greatly, though she still thought she had probably done enough. She’d been ahead of the girl in parkour and, despite the incident with the parachute, she’d reached the top of the cliff in front of Yasmina as well. She was also certain she knew who the saboteur was, so another fifty points should do the trick.

  Max fell backwards onto one of the couches as the rest of the trainee agents finished the course. But there was someone he still had his eye on. He’d been thinking a lot about the saboteur and things were beginning to add up. He just hoped that his hunch was right.

  The children were gathered in the ballroom of the mansion, awaiting the announcement of the final winner. Earlier they had enjoyed a delicious three-course meal in the formal dining room with Dame Spencer and the teachers. Mrs Thornthwaite had outdone herself with a cheese soufflé, followed by roast beef and vegetables, and chocolate soup for dessert, which Alfie declared was the best thing he’d ever eaten.

  Upon arriving back at the stables at the end of the challenge the children had each been taken aside by Mrs Vanden Boom and asked to submit their theories about the saboteur.

  Kensy was certain she had this in the bag. Despite not knowing what their scores were on today’s challenge, she was sure she knew who the saboteur was.

  ‘Good evening, everyone,’ Romilly said, as she stood on the podium at the end of the enormous room with its red velvet wallpaper and sparkling chandeliers. ‘What an eventful day you’ve had.

  ‘Well, I don’t want to keep you waiting too long as we have a final surprise downstairs to celebrate the end of the games, so without further ado I welcome Dame Spencer to make the announcement,’ Romilly said.

  The children clapped and cheered. On the wall a light flickered and the scoreboard appeared with the results as they had stood at the beginning of the day.

  Autumn was sitting between Kensy and Max with Carlos next to them.

  ‘It’s anyone’s game, you know,’ Carlos said. ‘Well, maybe except Alfie – he was pretty slow off the mark in the last challenge. Unless he’s managed to work out the saboteur.’

  ‘Maybe no one has guessed,’ Autumn replied.

  Kensy rolled her eyes. ‘As if.’

  ‘I would like to declare that the winner of the twenty-fifth Pharos Trainee Spy Games Challenge is . . .’ Cordelia paused, clasping her hands together.

  Kensy jiggled in her seat, ready to leap up.

  The children began an impromptu drumroll with their feet on the floorboards. The names on the scoreboard moved up and down, stopping and starting several times until finally it came to rest.

  ‘Maxim Grey,’ Cordelia said.

  The children went wild, clapping and cheering. While they were a competitive bunch, when push came to shove they always had each other’s backs – though that meant Max couldn’t have been the saboteur. Carlos had chosen him and so had several of the other children.

  Carlos clenched his fists, hoping that Max would choose him as his offsider on the mission.

  Kensy couldn’t believe it. She slumped in her seat, a knot of disappointment forming in her stomach. She was sure that she’d done enough and she was absolutely certain of the saboteur – she’d seen her with her own eyes.

  Max stood up. He was grinning from ear to ear, but when he looked at Kensy, she turned away.

  He walked to the podium where his grandmother placed a gold medallion around his neck. She gave him a hug and Mrs Vanden Boom did too.

  ‘Now, Max, given that you were the only student to correctly guess the saboteur, which propelled you to the lead, would you mind telling everyone the answer?’ Romilly said with a smile.

  Max stepped up to the microphone and looked out at his friends. ‘Of course, but first of all I just want to say this has been a lot of fun, a bit dangerous and scary, but best of all I got to share it with my friends. Thanks to Mrs Vanden Boom and the other teachers for giving up their half-term break to make this tournament absolutely amazing. And thanks for cutting back on the baked beans, Alfie. All of us boys appreciated that last night.’

  There was a roar of laughter.

  ‘The saboteur was . . . Harper Ballantine,’ the boy said. ‘And I knew that because I saw her take the screwdriver that Alfie accused Sachin of stealing, which caused the fight. I also heard her asking Song for a pair of scissors the morning before the commando course – which I was pretty sure she’d used to fray the rope. And although I didn’t need a third thing – I checked her motor scooter after the race. There was nothing wrong with it. She had stopped before the finish line to throw us off the scent.’

  Harper smiled sheepishly.

  Kensy jumped to her feet. ‘But I saw Autumn from the roof in the parkour challenge. She hadn’t even completed the flag run and she got a clue from Miss Ziegler.’

  Autumn’s jaw dropped. Did Kensy really think it was her? Then again Kensy had been her guess.

  Harper stood up too and shook her head. ‘You saw someone with a wig that made her look just like Autumn – at least from behind,’ the girl said. ‘Sorry, Kensy. But I was really pleased with that. I was fairly sure that a few of you would see me from the roof. I will tell you one thing, I did manage to sabotage most of the bikes, but I swear I didn’t touch Max’s. I don’t know what happened there – I would never have done that.’

  Kensy sat back down, completely deflated. She folded her arms in front of her and slumped in her seat. Not only had she messed up completely, it was possible that the person who was trying to kill her and her brother had managed to strike during a school-sanctioned event.

  This was a disaster.

  ‘And Max, you don’t have to choose now, but if you do have someone in mind that you’d like to accompany you on the mission, I’m sure that your peers are eager to hear it,’ Romilly said.

  Max looked out at the crowd. ‘Well, I’d take everyone if I could. But I can’t. And really there’s only one choice.’

  Carlos was waiting to hear his name. Curtis was hoping it was him too and although Autumn would have fallen off her chair if it was her, she couldn’t help wishing.

  Kensy looked at her boots, thinking she probably should have given them a polish.

  ‘Kensy,’ Max said.

  The children clapped and cheered again, but Kensy hadn’t heard him.

  ‘Kensy,’ Autumn nudged her friend. ‘Max said you.’

  Kensy looked up and saw her brother smiling. Her stomach lurched. ‘Me?’ she pointed. Was he serious? Surely he meant to say Carlos.

  He grinned and nodded. ‘You saved my life – again. I think it’s the least I could do. Sorry, Carlos. There’ll be plenty more missions when we’re finished our training, but for now, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side.’

  Cordelia Spencer wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

  Kensy leapt out of her seat and made her way to the front where she hugged Max tightly. ‘I love you, little brother,’ she whispered.

  ‘Yeah, you’re not so bad yourself most of the time,’ the boy whispered back.

  With the formalities over and done with, the children were taken downstairs where the games room had been converted into a disco, complete with lights, disco balls and a fully stocked jukebox.

  For a few moments the children hung back shyly until Song asked Dame Spencer to dance and the pair cut a lively figure to the tune Man! I Feel Like a Woman! – one of Song’s favourite country songs.

  ‘Do you want to dance?’ Max asked Autumn.

  The girl could feel her cheeks turning red. ‘Sure,’ she said and the boy took her hand and led her to the floor. Autumn didn’t care about winning the games – as far as she was concerned this was way better.

  ‘How about it?’ Carlos said to Kensy.

  She shook her head.

  ‘Aw, come on. You got my spot on the mission,’ the boy pouted.

  Kensy rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, all right then.’ She looked over at her brother who grinned. The twins were both wondering where this assignment would take them, but they knew all would be revealed in due course.

  Dame Spencer somehow found her way between the pair with Song twirling her about. ‘Hope you two are ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Whenever that might be,’ she said to Kensy and Max and spun away across the floor.