Prologue                     

Mars’s whiskers twitched as he stared out of the Dragonfly’s window as the silver airship drew closer. He saw the ship’s harpoons glinting in the sunlight like iron spears, ready for action. He heard the roar of the cannons firing buckshot, like dragon’s breath. He sensed the burning gas as a fire

caught hold, as sharp as acid. Turning to his master, Mars purred, “By all that ticks Mark, it is time for you to jump! Humans before mechanicals!”

Chapter 1

Nudging the backdoor of Octavia Dogood’s Academy for Young Girls, Molly Hartman peered across the playground. No one was in sight and within a few seconds she was running as quick as her legs could carry her towards Crimblin Lane. At the end of the lane, she paused and leant against a tree to catch her breath.Once again she opened the letter and read through the dreadful news. Her father, Mark Hartman, was missing and his airship destroyed. His last words to her had been so strange, ‘Make sure you save time’. Many nights she had lain awake in the dormitory and wondered about what it might mean.

At that moment, she heard a recognizable meow and a familiar face appeared from some bushes, ‘By all the tocks, you’ve taken a ticking long time to get out of that awful place!’ exclaimed Mars, ‘Give me a wind-up will you? I’ve used up a lot of energy escaping from those scoundrels.’ Molly smirked as she wound the key and Mars gave a low purr of delight. His soot fur was somewhat singed from the airship’s crash landing but otherwise he was in fine form.

That afternoon, Robert was surprised to see Molly and Mars standing in Pincher’s Alley at the back of Townsend’s Horologists. ‘Of course, it’s your decorated clock,’ he said. Molly sorrowfully nodded her head. The clock was something that her mother had treasured. She had put it on a bedside table in Molly’s bedroom. Many nights Molly had lain awake, watching the second hand inch round, as steady as a heart beat. On the clock’s face a painted robin perched on a branch like a crimson flame but the memory of her mother was still heart-wrenching. ‘Sorry,’ muttered Robert, looking down. ‘He’s right,’ yammered Mars, ‘No time to lose. We need to take a steam-wagon back to Bridge Manor and begin the search before some rapscallion gets their clutch on that clock.

Chapter 2

Outside, the yellow and orange leaves gilded gracefully and the trees slowly swayed in the wind. As they walked inside they saw a painting of Molly’ s mother staring at them as they creped through the halls. They kept their heads low so then they wouldn’t be discovered by the house maid. Once they got up five stairwells they had made it to Molly’s room.

It had been awhile since she’s seen her room. She stared around the room and saw her old doll.She remembered playing with her on a white rug in the living room and curling up in bed with her on cold nights. She continued to look around the room and saw her wardrobe. She opened the wardrobe and saw her scruffy cream dressing gown then noticed an old notepad shoved in the back of a draw. She opened the notepad to see an unfinished story she was writing about a princess.

She slumped down in her chair and saw the clock her mother gave her at the age of six. She has chairished that clock ever since but never knew why her mother said to keep it safe. What could be so special about it. Mars jumped on top of the clock and pushed some sort of button! He immediately bounced off. The top of the clock began to open.  

They both gasped…there were two gold rings decorated with emeralds, rubies, amethysts and sapphires. They both gazed in awe. 

“That’s why she said to keep it safe,”whispered Molly. 

“I guess so. ”shouted Mars. 

Sound boomed through the house.The echoing made Mars’s ears shatter.

“Mars!”she whispered angrily, “The housemaid is coming!”

“Indeed she is.”said Hannah, the housemaid. 

She patrolled into the room and snatched the clock and the rings. She ran out of her room and locked Mollys door. 

Chapter 3

Mars panicked and darted under Molly’s bed. 

“Don’t be a wimp Mars.”

“I’m not a wimp!” he exclaimed.

Molly started to look around the room trying to find a key of some sort but there was nothing there. She looked in all the draws on the desk under the desk under her bed on the shelves but still nothing. Mars creeped out from under Molly’s bed and began looking for keys to. He squeezed behind the wardrobe and saw something glisoning. He looked closer and saw it was just a bracelet.

“We’re doomed.” mumbled Mars as he lay down on the floor looking as if he were to perish.

Just then he noticed a row of paintings. He assumed that it was from Mollys childhood, but it looked like there was no wall behind them.

“Molly.” shouted Mars as he scratched the wall below the paintings.

“I’m busy trying to find a way out of here. Whatever you need, do it yourself.”gesagard Molly. 

“These paintings here look like there is no wall behind them.” 

Molly ran towards the paintings and examined them carefully. Out of nowhere she punched through one of  the paintings.

“Mars, gather some things to make me taller so I can get through the hole.” Ordered Molly

“Eye eye captain.” Chanted Mars sarcastically.

Molly rolled her eyes and stood on the chair that Mars got her. She picked up Mars and a duffle bag and scrambled through the hole that she could barely fit through. She saw a window in the next room.

“Mars.” she whispered. 

“Yeah.” murmured Mars.

“Go get my blankets and sheets.” She demanded.

Mars ran through the wall and bit the blankets and sheets.

“How many sheets does this girl have!” said Mars in a muffled voice.

He quickly pounced and sprinted through the wall again.

“Why do you need all of these?” questioned Mars.

“I saw an escape like this in one of my books.” Molly replied.

“Of Course you did.” interrupted Mars.

She tied all of the sheets and blankets together and attached them to the widow. She started to slide down the blankets and Mars met her at the end of the line of blankets and sheets. Molly ran towards the nearest tree, put her duffel bag down and fell asleep.

Chapter 4

The housemaid unlocked the door and crept into the room. She paid no attention to what was in the room. She lied down on the floor next to Molly’s bed and wiggled her hand under the bed and found Molly’s father’s plans for a new air ship. Hanna quickly ran out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Molly dreamed. She was like a ghost. She noticed she was in her childhood bedroom. She saw her five year old self play with her mother. She was dressed as a princess and danced around the room with a doll. Suddenly everything went dark. Molly began to run from the darkness but it caught up to her. It was as if a monster was chasing her. She tripped over and scrambled to her feet and sprinted as fast as she could. A voice began to play in Mollys mind. It was her Mothers. There was a blurred picture of her. Molly stared at the picture. Just then she was yanked by her ankles and dragged into the everlasting void.

Molly woke up out of fear and made Mars jump. He climbed up the tree they were resting on and hissed at Molly. 

“What happened Molly?” exclaimed Mars.

“Just a nightmare.” groand Molly as she rubbed her weary eyes.

Molly grabbed Mars and her duffle bag and ran to the side of the Manor. She dropped Mars and reached for her duffle bag. She checked what was in it. There was a pen, old paper and instructions for a machanimal.

“Need a wind up.”mumbled Mars.

Molly looked at the instructions and found the key and wound up Mars.

Excitedly Mars jumped to his paws and began to run around Molly.

“Don’t use it all up on just running, Mars.”suggested Molly.

Mars stopped and noticed the housemaid outside with a lot of wood and metal. Mars turned to Molly just to see that she was staring as well. Molly quickly pushed herself against the wall and Mars tried to as well. 

“We need to see what she’s doing,”explained Molly.

They slowly creeped through the big garden weaving in and out of the bushes and hiding behind them too. Once they had gotten close enough to see what she was doing they saw that Hanna was building an airship. Just then Robbert appeared and sneakily ran toward Molly and Mars. Robbert showed her a waggon full of wood and metal.

“Is that gonna be enough?”asked Molly

“Of Course not. 

So that’s why I have a bunch more in the ally way.”replied Robbert.

They all ran to the ally way and began to build the airship.

“How will we know what to do?”questioned Molly

Robbert pulled out instructions to build an airship from his pocket and spread it out.

“Why do you have this?”pestered Molly

“Your father taught me to build weapons for his airship so I was part of his crew.”replied Robbert

“Why-”

“Stop yappin and start workin lassie!” Shouted Robbert

They built the airship and Mars added the extra parts and it was done.

“Let’s get her in the air!”shouted Mars.

Hanna was finished with her airship as well. Both airships began to rise up into the sky. They both flew away from the Manor and travelled many miles. Hanna had only just noticed Mollys air airship when they got to Snow Mountain. Both of them readed their weapons and with a blink of an eye…BANG! 

Molly and Mars were ready to go into their battle stations but then a colossal bomb crashed into their ship! The ship was incredibly strong but there was a hole in it. Without a thought crossing Molly’s mind she immediately jumped into her battle station and begon firing a tremendous amount of bombs and harpoons. Mars pounced into his battle station and watched as the holes in the airship grew bigger. 

“You’re amazing at this Mars!” shouted Molly from across the ship.

“Well it ain’t my first rodeo.” reapplied Mars.

Hanna’s ship began to look as if it were about to fall from the sky. Molly and Mars were still firing bucket shots while Robbert Was stirring it around the bombs and harpoons Hanna was shooting. Just then Mars made an amazing shot and hit the preprelers off Hanna’s airship. It quickly fell out of the sky and fell onto Snow Mountain.

Molly and Mars climbed out of their stations. Robert made a sigh of relief and landed the airship on Snow Mountain. Molly ran towards Hanna’s airship and walked inside. She sped up her walking because Robbert looked like he were to fly off. She got to the end of the corridor, opened a draw and saw the clock and the two rings. She ran out of the airship and jumped in hers. Robert started the airship and flew back to the Manor.

The End