When the sun sets more than once a day and the world's diamonds are stolen, a small brave girl, struggling to belong, has secrets to discover.
Marigold leaves her lonely life to join extraordinary thieves, Bert and Bob. Who is their Mistress? What i...
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In the workshop, Marigold watched Lady Artifice's wizened hands touch her screen. A large image of a crown appeared on it. The old woman looked up and noticed Marigold among her assembled audience. She glared at Whatnot. 'What's she doing here?'
Before Marigold could reply, Whatnot spoke.
'I'm keeping an eye on her', he said. 'You know what trouble she can cause when left to her own devices.'
'Hmm', frowned Lady Artifice as she turned to point at the crown. 'This is the Queen Mother's Crown of 1937', she told them. 'Encrusted with over 2,800 diamonds including the Kohinoor or Mountain of Light.' She indicated the large diamond mounted in the centre of a cross at the front of the crown.
'Koh-i-noor', repeated Bert.
Marigold and Jet moved closer to the screen. Without even turning around, she knew Bob's snout would be drooling.
'Wow! Look at that rock!' said Jet.
Lady Artifice smiled. 'It's perfect', she purred. 'I will bathe in the Mountain of Light and be restored forever', she announced. 'Forever!' she warbled.
'She's not going to start singing again, is she?' whispered Marigold to Jet.
The dog clamped his paws across his ears at the thought. Marigold giggled.
Lady Artifice pursed her thinning lips at them in disapproval. She turned to the thieves. 'Take a good look, Bert. You and Bob will bring me that crown from The Tower of London.'
Bert rushed to the screen and pushed his face right up against it.
'Oh and Bertram...', his mistress continued. 'As a little incentive... If you're not back in...' She glanced at the clock on the screen. '...three hours time, I will destroy Jet.'
Marigold saw it was almost 7.00am.
'More bad', said Bert before zooming out the door.
'Wait for me, you numbskull', protested Bob as he waddled after him.
Marigold gave Jet a comforting pat and stared at the old woman. 'I won't let you hurt him', she announced.
Lady Artifice laughed.
Whatnot took a step closer to her. 'Haven't you done enough to my dog', he said nervously.
'Your dog!' exclaimed Jet and Marigold at the same time.
'I always thought I were 'ers', said Jet, jerking a paw in the woman's direction.
'Me too', said Marigold.
Lady Artifice sighed. 'What will it take for you people to learn? I can do whatever I like!' Her wrinkled fingers stabbed a sequence of buttons on the Crusher's control panel. Marigold's ears were filled with a terrible shredding noise. She watched as the diamond grabbers began to cut themselves free from inside the barrel. They seemed to have grown since her last encounter with them. They swung out towards her. She heard Whatnot's gasp and then felt his hand pulling her away from them. She looked at him and saw he was pushing Jet out of their reach with his other hand.
But the arms swung high above their heads. They gripped the glass cabinet. With a great cracking sound, they wrenched it away from the pipe above and the steps below it. Marigold watched the grabbers arms move the cabinet through the air and place it over the large hole burnt through the top of the barrel. She listened to the whirring and crunching noises that came from the machine. Straining her eyes, she could just make out a finger on each of the metal hands drilling a hole through the glass floor and roof. Their work done, the arms lowered themselves to the floor. They came to rest around the base of the Crusher's jaws. She was surprised to feel herself shudder as she watched the grabbers' metal fingers twitch every so often.
Lady Artifice smiled as she pulled the lever to start the Crusher. The machine shook itself to life. The diamond light shot out from the top of the barrel and filled the cabinet before escaping through the skylight. 'A much more effective design, don't you think?' she said.
Marigold glared at the stooped figure in black.
'Not bad for "a heap of junk", eh, Jet?' she said.
Marigold looked for him. Had he managed to sneak away? She felt his tail brush against her legs. She turned around and saw he was edging towards the door.
Lady Artifice waved her remote control device at him. 'You're going nowhere'.
Jet plodded back the way he'd come. Carefully avoiding the grabbers' fingers, he sank to the floor before the old woman.
Marigold caught his eye. As she gave him a weak smile, she could feel Lady Artifice watching her. 'Whatnot!' she exclaimed. 'Chain up that revolting little pest. Don't let her out of your sight until I'm ready to begin surgery on her.'
Marigold felt Whatnot's hand on her shoulder once more. He began to steer her across the attic. But she didn't struggle from his grasp. A thought had struck her.
He's been protecting you. That could mean he's not my enemy - and that could mean he might help us...
