Leah acted without thinking. Fiercely ignoring the fact that she might fall, she sprang forward with her arms outstretched, her body like an arrow, as Gladstone and William tipped over the precipice. William and the professor yelled in panic as their bodies shot over the edge, the professor going first, with William’s arms clasped around his chest.

‘Help!’ Gladstone cried in a strangled voice.

Stones crunched painfully beneath Leah’s stomach when she landed, but she barely noticed as one of her hands grasped William’s ankle, straining desperately to pull him back. She wasn’t strong enough to stop him and the professor from falling, though. They continued to slide forwards, William panting with panic as his body inched out over the edge.

Leah tried desperately to dig her feet in, to find anything to grip against, but she was much smaller than both William and Gladstone. To her horror, Leah felt her own body beginning to slide forwards. It was no use – they were going to drag her off the side of the pyramid with them!

Suddenly, there was another hand alongside hers, wrapped securely around William’s other ankle. Leah looked up to see Khalid beside her, his face pinched with effort as he hauled on William’s leg. Relief flowed through Leah as William and the professor finally stopped moving forward.

‘We’re coming, L!’ Mimi shouted. She dashed forward and grabbed a fistful of Leah’s pinafore. George helped, too, taking hold of Khalid. The five of them puffed and heaved, pulling first William and then Gladstone until they eventually managed to drag them both back over the edge.

They sprawled on the rocky path, breathing hard. Gladstone’s bodyguards had fled in panic, leaving the professor and the children alone. Leah’s head was reeling with all that had happened, her heart pounding as she let herself think about how badly that could have ended. Her limbs shook and she squeezed her eyes shut. This entire night was beginning to feel like a nightmare.

The professor was the first one to recover. He sprang to his feet, his face determined as he lurched forwards, preparing to run down the pyramid after his two bodyguards.

But he didn’t get far.

Without moving his body, William’s hand shot out, once again aiming for the professor’s knee. His weak point, Leah realised, recalling the conversation they’d had with Gladstone in his tent. Gladstone came crashing back down and landed on his bottom with a snarl.

‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Leah told him, her mouth set into a grim line.

‘What’s going on up there?’ a familiar voice called from the base of the pyramid. Leah sat up and peered over the edge. Down below, she saw a cluster of lights bobbing around in the darkness. Candle flames.

‘It’s Amma!’ Khalid cried in relief. ‘We should get down there and tell her what’s happened.’

Getting down to the sand below was harder than it looked, though. Professor Gladstone didn’t want to make it easy for them. It took both Mimi and Khalid to force him down the path, each keeping a firm grip on the professor as he tugged and pulled, trying to get free. William slung his arms around Leah and George’s shoulders for support, his ankle hurting again after the struggle with the professor. They walked slowly, careful not to lose their footing on the uneven path.

When they finally reached the bottom, Amina was waiting for them, but she wasn’t alone. Standing next to her was Dr Simons. Leah’s stomach dropped. What if Dr Simons was just like Gladstone? But as he stared at Leah and her friends, he looked just as shocked as Amina. Behind him, Leah noticed Gladstone’s two bodyguards. They were surrounded by a group of angry-looking scholars.

‘Khalid!’ Amina gasped, rushing forward. ‘What happened? You look terrible!’

Dr Simons’ eyes moved past them and flared as he took in Professor Gladstone. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ he demanded, outraged.

‘Dr Simons,’ Leah said, stepping forward. ‘Professor Gladstone isn’t who you think he is.’

As she explained what had happened, Dr Simons’ face transformed. His jaw went slack when the Pharaoh’s Fortune was mentioned, and gradually, the outrage was replaced by disbelief. As she saw the emotions flicker across his face, Leah realised that he’d never been a part of Travers and Gladstone’s plan after all. Just like Amina, he’d only been another piece in their plot.

When Leah had finished, Dr Simons stared at them all, his mouth gaping. ‘Th-this . . .’ he stammered finally. ‘This is unthinkable. Are you suggesting that a woman . . . found Hatshepsut’s lost amulet?’ He looked at Amina in disbelief, but her eyes were focused on the children, her mouth open in shock.

‘It’s all lies, Eric!’ Gladstone shouted, but Dr Simons ignored him.

‘Do you have any proof that what you’re saying is true?’ he asked Leah, arching his eyebrow.

Proof? Leah hadn’t thought about that. But there had to be something that would convince Dr Simons she was telling the truth.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. ‘Yes!’ she cried. Gladstone’s head whipped towards her, his eyes furious. ‘We do have proof.’ And she told Dr Simons about Amina’s stolen brown folder and the half-finished report on Professor Gladstone’s desk. ‘And it wasn’t just Professor Gladstone, Dr Simons, sir,’ George piped up, rubbing his hands together nervously. ‘He was working with Mr Travers. Although, er, we don’t know where he is right now.’

Dr Simons signalled to one of the scholars and whispered something to them. With a nod, the man hurried off in the direction of the tent.

‘Eric, please,’ Professor Gladstone said, as soon as the scholar was out of sight. He tried to take a step forward, but Mimi and Khalid stopped him from going too far, tugging him backwards.

Dr Simons gave a quick shake of his head. ‘Not to worry, Charles,’ he said. ‘We’ll get this sorted out in no time.’ He shot Amina a dubious look. Khalid’s aunt pretended not to see.

It didn’t take long for the scholar to return. He scurried across the sand and in his hand was a wad of papers. Leah’s heart surged with hope as she spotted Amina’s brown folder amongst them.

The scholar’s face was grim as he handed the documents over to Dr Simons. ‘What the girl said is true, sir,’ he said with a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘It’s exactly as she described it.’

Dr Simons’ eyebrows shot up and he rifled through the papers. His jaw dropped open and he jerked his head up. ‘Charles . . . what is this? Have you really . . . ?’ He frowned. ‘You’re a thief!’

‘A thief?’ Gladstone laughed desperately. ‘Everything that woman has is because of me! I deserve to be remembered!’

Dr Simons shook his head sadly. ‘Oh, you will be remembered, but not for the right reasons. I’m sorry it’s come to this, but . . . you’re not the man I used to know.’ He turned to two of the scholars behind him. ‘Please escort Professor Gladstone to his tent. And do not let him leave. Someone locate Mr Travers and detain him. I’ll be contacting the authorities in the morning.’