“That prick?” said Achilleus. “You got to be kidding me. The only side I’m on is my side. And as I see it, that’s your side too, Maxie. And yours, Blue.”

“You can count me in,” said the girl from the museum.

“Who’s she?” said Achilleus.

“I’ll explain later,” said Maxie. “All you need to know for now is that she’s coming with us.”

“Fair enough.”

“Where’s everyone else?” said Maxie.

“If it’s all gone according to plan, Whitney should be waiting for us outside on the parade ground with the other kids. We’re all going over the fence. We’ve had to keep it quiet in case David found anything out. So far so good.”

“But David’s bound to find out what’s going on,” said Maxie. “He’ll try and stop us.”

“We created a diversion,” said Lewis. “Let out his pets. With any luck the palace bozos are going to be way too busy to notice we’ve gone until it’s too late.”

“My man,” said Blue, and he gave Lewis a hug.

Achilleus looked at Maxie. “You want a hug?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.”

They went to the door and checked that the coast was clear.

“Wait!” Big Nose shouted, and they turned around, ready for anything.

“Take me with you.”

“What?”

“I’ve had enough of David’s crap. Please. Take me with you. He’ll only punish me if I stay.”

“Fine with me,” said Achilleus. “But if you try any funny stuff, Big Nose, you’re sausage meat.”

Five minutes later the six of them burst out through the front arch onto the parade ground, where they found the entire Holloway crew assembled in battle formation, ready to leave. Maxie laughed and whooped and tilted her face up into the rain to shout “Yes!” at the top of her voice.

Paddy the Caddy hobbled over to Achilleus, struggling beneath the weight of his golf bag and Achilleus’s shield.

“You need your spear yet, Akkie?”

“Not yet, caddy boy. Give me one of them cans, though.”

Whitney gave the order, and the whole group marched toward the already open gates. Maxie could hardly believe it. Ten minutes ago everything had looked hopeless. And now they were walking to freedom.

It wasn’t over yet, though.

As they were trooping out onto the road, there came a shout from the balcony.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

It was David. He had Jester and five guards with him. The guards were training their rifles down toward the block of kids.

“We’re off,” said Maxie. “You blew it. That’s all you need to know.”

“I don’t think so!” David shouted. “You go any farther and I’ll order my guards to open fire. And don’t think I won’t, because—”

There was a sharp crack and one of the guards fell back with a cry.