He didn’t get to finish his sentence.

The second lightning strike was much closer. Twenty metres away, if that. He saw the lightning fork strike a boulder halfway along the line of climbers. As it hit, he felt an electric surge run up one leg and down the other. He called out in surprise and pain, and almost lost his footing again.

Then, above the howling of the wind and the driving rain, he heard a scream. And a fraction of a second later, as a third lightning strike hit, he saw why.

Mickey had fallen. The flash of lightning was just enough for Max to see him tumble to the left, down the side of the ridge. Suze, immediately behind him, was being dragged down. In an instant, Max knew that if he didn’t do something, they would all plummet down the rocky slope.

‘JUMP!’ he bellowed at Angus. ‘JUMP TO THE RIGHT!’

It was instinctive. If the others were tumbling to the left, Max knew that his only hope of saving them was to make use of the opposite slope. Grabbing the rope in two hands, he strode to the edge.

There was no time to think. Thinking would just lead to fear. Max threw himself from the ridge, pulling Angus with him.

As Max plummeted though the air into nothingness his stomach lurched, as if he was on a rollercoaster. Then his fall was halted with a horrible jerk as the slack rope tightened. He slammed hard against the wet rock ten metres below the apex of the ridge line. The rope strained. Above him, Angus was shouting in pain and clutching one arm.

Max was battered too. His right side was sore where he had crashed into the rock. But he didn’t think he’d broken anything. He could hear panicked shouting, but indistinct above the noise of the storm. He made the mistake of looking down. His legs felt weak as he saw the slope disappearing into the mist and rain.

He tugged on the rope. It was taut but there was no drag. That was good. It meant Mickey, at the other end, was not slipping down the opposite slope. But what should he do? Should he try to scramble up? Or would that mean his weight was not acting as a counterbalance? He hung there, gasping. As the wind and rain battered him, he tried to work out his next move.

Seconds later, his decision was made for him. He slipped a little way down the slope, bumping painfully against the rock. The same happened to Angus, who whimpered in fear.

Max knew what must be happening. Mickey, and whoever else was at the end of the rope, was climbing to the top of the ridge. Max and Angus had to climb too, otherwise they would all slip down this side.