PROLOGUE Malkin pressed his forepaws against the flight deck window and peered out The silver airship was still following gaining on them The purr of its propellers and the whoosh of its knife-sharp hull cutting through the air sent a shiver of terror through his clockwork innards The fox tore his eyes away and stared at his master John’s ship Dragonfly was fast but she had nothing in the way of firepower The silver airship by contrast bristled with weapons Sharp metal spikes stuck out from her hull making her look like some sort of militarized porcupine Just then Dragonfly’s rudder shifted and she pitched as John twisted the wheel into a one-eighty turn to swoop back past her pursuers The silver airship shrunk away but within seconds she’d swung around to follow She began closing in once more her propellers chopping through the clouds throwing dark shadows across their stern When the two airships broke into a patch of blue she fired A harpoon slashed across the sky and thudded into Dragonfly’s hull the point piercing her port side Thud Another harpoon speared into the stern Malkin let out a bark of alarm as the stench of burning gas filled the flight deck and the needles in the rows of instrument panels flickered into the red danger zones Over the whine of their stalling engines the crackle of straining
steel cables could be heard The silver airship had begun to pull them in John locked Dragonfly’s wheel and engaged her autopilot He threw open the cockpit door and with Malkin at his heels dashed toward the engine room Pistons pumped and crankshafts turned at full power while the cabin juddered and shook In the center of the floor a metal egg-shaped pod sat among a tangle of pipes John threw open its door No room for both of us he said You go Malkin The fox gave a whimper of disapproval No It should be you John Humans over mechanicals It’s the law John shook his head I can’t leave my ship I need to try and guide her down safely and you’ve no opposable thumbs He gave a half-hearted laugh and withdrew a battered envelope from his pocket Crouching down he stuffed it into a leather pouch around Malkin’s neck This is for my Lily See that she gets it What’s in there John smiled Secrets Tell her to keep them safe She mustn’t tell anyone about them not ever Can you remember that I think so Malkin prodded the pouch sniffing at it with his nose Good John said Make for Brackenbridge that’s where she’ll be If I get out of this alive I’ll come find her Is there anything else And tell her I love her John ruffled the mechanimal’s ears one last time It’s at least a day’s journey from here Have
