A Flight of Thieves

Victoria has spent all of her sixteen years in a secluded palace on Ben Nevis Island under the protection of King Henry, who is one of the three original robots programmed by the ancestors to rule the flooded planet Earth. She's safe there, but her family and their intelligent clockwork servants treat her like the tomboy child she used to be—and sometimes still is. She yearns to fly away in one of the great iron airships, to see the world and become the person she's meant to be.But the world is a dangerous place. Air pirates prowl trade routes and slaver fleets cross the oceans to raid unprotected islands. The Royal Navy is building up to a war footing under its own steam and Henry's old friend the Lord of Ireland is accused of giving safe harbour to pirates. Suspecting his advisors have deliberately isolated him, Henry asks Victoria to board the Royal Airship Elizabeth with him disguised as her robot footman and fly over the sea to meet the Lord of Ireland. Victoria jumps at the chance for an adventure and they take to the skies together.