Martin King and the Prison of Ice (Martin King Series)

by James McGovern

  “The Custodian is in charge of Styxa,” said Aurora. “He rules the prison with a kind and gentle hand. All of the prisoners are treated with dignity and care. I’ve only met him once, but he seemed like a gentleman.”

  “He was your captor,” Mulciber reminded her.

  Aurora nodded. “I know.”

  At the top of the staircase was a large oak door. Mulciber knocked on it, and it opened.

  “After me, I think,” said Mulciber.

  They entered the room. It was a large study. A thin, bearded Axis Lord was sitting at a mahogany desk, peering over a document.

  “Ah,” he said. “I knew you were coming. I am the Custodian. Sit down.”

  The Custodian gestured to three chairs that were in front of his desk.

  “You knew we were coming?” said Martin.

  “Of course. I have the gift of prophecy. I can see some events thousands of years in the future, but many others I can only see a few hours before they happen.” He pointed to a small screen on a wall. “Also, I saw you on the security cameras.”

  Mulciber smiled.

  “Now, will you have a drink?” said the Custodian.

  They nodded, and he waved a hand. Four cups appeared. Martin took a sip, and recognised it as warmia, an Axis Lord beverage that tasted like spicy toffee.

  “You know why we’re here, of course?” said Mulciber.

  “Of course. You want to know why your daughter was brought here, and by whom.” The Axis Lord bowed his head. He looked very old, but his purple eyes were sharp and bright. “I brought her here.”

  “You did?” said Mulciber.

  The Custodian nodded. “I took control of Aurora’s ship to make it crash. A split-second before the collision, I teleported her out of the vessel. And I have kept her imprisoned here ever since.”

  “But why?” said Mulciber.

  “I have seen a prophecy. A terrible prophecy. Charles and Aurora King, the bringers of darkness… they will cause the destruction of the entire universe.”

  Martin felt like he was falling. “What?”

  “Yes.” The Custodian nodded sadly, peering at Martin over his spectacles. “Your parents will destroy the universe.”

  “I would never do such a thing!” said Aurora.

  “I’m afraid the prophecy is very clear,” said the Custodian. “And I was foolish. I thought I could stop the prophecy from coming true. I hacked into the mind of an Axis Lord called Alexander Howell—who already hated you, Mulciber—and I drove him mad with hatred. I pushed his detestation to the point of irrationality. I wanted him to eradicate your entire family.”

  “You were behind all of that?” said Mulciber.

  “I’m sorry,” said the Custodian. “I thought that it would be possible to extinguish the King bloodline completely, but I should have known better. You simply can’t change the future when events have been fixed. Whatever you do, time always reverts back to the arranged pattern.”

  Martin suddenly had a thought. “I visited a planet called Wormwood,” he said. “There was a sort of shrine in the temple, and a picture of my dad.”

  “Not a shrine, Martin,” said the Custodian. “It was a Devil’s Altar, a place where the savages could try to appease the Angry Demon, Charles King.”

  “Angry Demon?”

  The Custodian nodded. “My former assistant, Kurtza, travelled to Wormwood on my orders many years ago. Kurtza told the Hag-Mundi a little about the prophecy. He told them that the Angry Demon would destroy the universe unless they helped to build the temple. The plan was to use the relay device to kill all of the Axis Lords. However, the Axis Council found out about the plan, and terminated the project. They took over the relay station for their own purposes. I tried to send Kurtza back years later to take control of the station, but they killed him before the plan could be effected. The only reason I am still alive is because the Axis Lords are so scared of me.”

  Mulciber frowned. “You were going to kill every single Axis Lord?”

  “Yes. And I would have died too, but it would have been worth it to save the universe! The Axis Council did not see it that way. In their eyes, if they have to die then so should everyone else.”

  Aurora King stood up. “All of this is irrelevant. I would never destroy the universe, and neither would Charles. You’ve made a mistake!”

  The Custodian smiled. “I am never mistaken. But I now know that I can do nothing to prevent the fulfilment of the prophecy. You may leave.”

  The two Axis Lords and the half Axis Lord stepped out into the snow. They started walking back towards the Helios. Martin’s head was spinning. It was amazing to have his mum back, but all that stuff about the end of the universe…

  “He was wrong, wasn’t he?” said Martin.

  “Who knows?” said Mulciber.

  “Yes!” said Martin’s mum firmly. “The Custodian was mistaken. I am a good woman, and your father is a good man.”

  Martin sighed. In his heart, he knew that this was true. Even though his granddad had killed people, he was good too, deep down.

  “It’s really good to see you again, mum.”

  Martin smiled at her through his spacesuit. Aurora put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Likewise.”

  “We need to go to Earth straight away,” said Mulciber.

  “Why?” said Aurora.

  “There’s a fleet of Axis Lord ships coming to sterilise the Earth. We must stop them.”

  “Is your life always like this, Martin?”

  Martin laughed. “Pretty much, yeah.”

  They entered the Helios and removed their spacesuits. Mulciber set the controls, and the ship began to fly back to Earth.

  CHAPTER 12: THE MISSILES

  Charles King ran to the door when he heard footsteps in the hall. As soon as Martin and Mulciber had left, he had immediately suspected himself of dreaming the entire thing. Before he could prepare himself, Aurora, Mulciber and Martin walked into the flat.

  “It’s… you’re…”

  Martin’s dad was completely lost for words. His mum opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Eventually, they both embraced.

  Martin and Mulciber shared a smile. Martin could still hardly believe what had happened. It was almost too good to be true. Him, his dad, his mum, and his granddad—all reunited at last. He had sometimes imagined moments like this, usually at night, if he’d had a particularly bad day. He had imagined his mum coming home one day, telling him that it had all been a big mistake, that she hadn’t actually been dead. And now it was happening for real. Of course, when he’d imagined something like this happening, he hadn’t expected his mum and granddad to be aliens, but that seemed a minor point.

  Charles turned to Mulciber and his son. “Thank you,” he said, his voice barely a croak.

  “Come on,” said Mulciber softly. “We’ll leave them for a while.”

  Martin and his granddad left the apartment.

  *

  Martin and Darcy were sitting on chairs on her balcony, looking out at the stars. The alien ships were visible now. They looked like tiny golden stars. Martin had told Darcy all about his visit to the Universal Switchboard, and about Alexander Howell.

  “I thought there was something about him when we met,” said Darcy. “A kind of evil glint in his eye. I said so—do you remember?”

  “No you didn’t,” said Martin, grinning.

  “I’m so sorry,” said Darcy, looking at the stars.

  “For what?”

  “For all the things I’ve said and done over the last few weeks. Being sharp with you, kissing other boys…”

  Martin took her hand. “It wasn’t you,” he said. “It was Howell taking control of your mind.”

  “I know, but I still feel bad about it.”

  “Well don’t. It wasn’t your fault, Darcy.” Martin smiled. “I can’t believe she’s back. My mum. It’s so amazing. But I feel so sorry for all of those kids whose mum is really dead, and won’t ever be co
ming back.”

  “Well,” said Darcy, “it doesn’t hurt anyone to have hope.”

  They were silent for a while.

  “We need to skip school tomorrow,” said Martin. “Mulciber’s organised a conference so we can make preparations for the Axis Lord invasion.”

  “Right.” Darcy paused.

  “I need to tell you something,” said Martin.

  Darcy frowned. “What?”

  Martin hesitated, fiddling with his sleeve.

  “Mulciber told me something. A secret about myself. I’m… I’m not human, Darcy.”

  “What?”

  “I’m only half human. My mum, Aurora, is an Axis Lady.”

  Darcy was too shocked to speak for a moment. Martin took hold of her hand. But she pulled away.

  “What’s wrong, Darcy? It doesn’t… it doesn’t change how you feel about me?”

  She sighed slowly. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Finally, Darcy took hold of his hand.

  “No, no it doesn’t change anything. I love you, Martin.”

  “I love you too.”

  Martin and Darcy kissed, their backs to the stars, as the golden Axis Lord ships came slowly closer.

  *

  Martin King, Darcy, Mulciber and Tommy entered the gates and passed into Downing Street, walking towards Number 10. Everyone who could help the humans to stand against the Axis Lords had been invited to the conference. Martin couldn’t help but feel excited as he walked towards the British Prime Minister’s residence.

  “Here we are,” said Mulciber. “Thanks for coming, all of you.”

  “No problem,” said Martin.

  A policeman greeted them at the entrance; after checking their ID cards he allowed them in. A young man in a suit greeted them as soon as they entered.

  “Right this way,” he said. “The Prime Minister is waiting.”

  *

  Mulciber and the three teenagers sat in the well-lit conference room. They were the last ones to arrive. The Prime Minister was already seated, as were Agamon and Michael Slater. A bearded man was sitting at the end of the table. Martin recognised him from the TV. It was Alastair Weathersby, the leader of the Alien Defence Party.

  “Ah, good morning,” said the Prime Minister, “and thank you for having the idea for this conference, Mulciber.”

  The Prime Minister turned to Agamon. “Now, please.”

  Agamon pressed a button on his pocket watch and a projection of the approaching Axis Lord ships appeared near the ceiling.

  “You all know why we are here,” said the Prime Minister, pointing at the projection. “The alien ships will have reached Earth in approximately two days. When they do, it will be a massacre. We need to stop them.”

  There was a murmur of agreement from around the table.

  “Now,” the Prime Minister went on, “we are extremely lucky to have three Axis Lords on our own side—”

  “How do we know they’re on our side?” Alastair Weathersby broke in. “How can we trust them? They’re Axis Lords. An Axis Lord tried to destroy the Earth last year—and now they’re doing it again.”

  “You doubt my honesty?” said Agamon, his temper rising.

  “Yes,” said Weathersby. “I do.”

  “Now look here—” Agamon began, but the Prime Minister broke in.

  “Please, gentlemen. We are all here to work together.”

  Weathersby snorted, but he fell silent.

  “Now,” said Agamon. “I have received word that the Axis Lords do not plan to engage in ground combat. They prefer to do battle from the comfort of their own ships. Instead, they are going to fire thirty missiles at the planet.”

  Mulciber looked shocked. “As if we weren’t notorious enough.”

  “An interesting point of view from a murderer,” said Agamon, frowning at Mulciber.

  “Listen,” said Mulciber. “We were friends once. Why can’t you just accept what I said? All of the people I killed deserved it.”

  “I don’t believe that murder is ever justified,” said Agamon.

  “If we could just… focus on the main issue,” said the Prime Minister.

  Michael Slater stood up. It was strange to see him looking so young. If Martin had just met him, he would have thought him to be in his twenties.

  “I have an idea,” said Slater.

  Martin smiled.

  “I have thought of a way to stop the missiles,” Slater went on. He turned to the Prime Minister. “Do you know about the City of Serenity?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Agamon has told me everything.”

  “Good,” said Slater. “Well, you will know that the City of Serenity was designed so nothing could get out. That is, until Moonstone removed the defences.” The alien’s eyes twinkled. “My idea is to switch the defences back on.”

  “Why?” said Tommy.

  Slater smiled. “Once the defences are switched back on, we can redirect the Axis missiles into the city. That way, the missiles—”

  “—would be trapped,” Mulciber finished. “The destruction would be contained within the City of Serenity and the Earth would remain unharmed.”

  “That’s brilliant,” said Martin.

  Slater bowed his head humbly.

  “That’s all very well,” said Alastair Weathersby. “But what then? The aliens aren’t just going to give up. Once they realise that the missiles have failed they’ll simply try something else.”

  Slater nodded. “True. That is why we have to set up as many weapons and defences that we possibly can in two days. Then we will be prepared for any kind of attack.”

  There was another murmur of agreement.

  “OK,” said the Prime Minister. “We need to coordinate our efforts.”

  “I will visit the Axis Council and try to make them see reason,” said Agamon. “If they will listen to anyone, it will be me. They are still my people, and I want to avoid a war if possible.” He turned to Martin. “Will you come with me, Martin King?”

  Martin nodded. “Yeah, OK.”

  “I will gather support,” said Mulciber. “If this does turn into a battle, I’d rather have as many fighters as possible. There are quite a few Axis Lords living on Earth to round up.”

  “And I will stop the missiles,” said Slater. He turned to Darcy and Tommy. “Can I rely on your help?”

  They all nodded, and Slater smiled.

  “We will have to speak to the people,” said the Prime Minister. “If… if there is going to be a battle we need to prepare them.”

  Agamon nodded. “Yes, but not yet. If I can make the Axis Lords change their mind war might be averted.”

  The Prime Minister nodded slowly. “All right. Then it’s settled. I wish you all the very best of luck. And I hope with all my heart that we can prevent a war.”

  Michael Slater smiled at Darcy and Tommy.

  “Well, let’s see if we can stop those Axis missiles.”

  Darcy nodded, and turned to Martin.

  “Be careful, Martin.”

  Martin nodded. “I’ll try.”

  *

  Martin and Agamon stepped into the alien spaceship.

  “This is my ship, the Intrepid,” said Agamon.

  It was decorated even more sparsely than Mulciber’s ship. Everything was grey. The man led Martin into the control room and began to operate the controls.

  “We will arrive on Hope in about 30 of your minutes,” said Agamon. “Please, let us talk.”

  He and Martin sat down in uncomfortable grey chairs in the control room.

  “Tommy told me that he met you again in the City of Serenity,” said Martin, “and about that portal that nearly swallowed him.”

  “Oh, that was very unfortunate,” said Agamon. “I never did find out what happened with the machine.”

  “An Axis Lord called Alexander Howell opened it,” said Martin. “He blamed Mulciber for killing his brother so he wanted to cause as much damage to Mulciber’s family as possible—which included hurting me,
Darcy and Tommy.”

  Agamon sighed slowly. “I see. And where is this Howell now?”

  “Dead.” Martin paused. “My granddad killed him.”

  Agamon took a deep breath. “Perhaps I have been a little hard on Mulciber. He used to be one of my closest friends. Falcon, Mulciber and I—it was always the three of us, right from childhood. We were inseparable.”

  “You knew Falcon?” said Martin.

  “Oh, yes. Of course, Falcon was put on trial for escaping Hope to give superpowers to you and your friends. Then Mulciber was charged with murder. And it’s only a matter of time before the Axis Lords come for me—I broke their rules, too, by coming here.” Agamon frowned. “It’s peculiar. It’s almost as if… this was always going to happen. Does it seem strange to you? Three children, growing up together, all turn renegade, and all end up on the same planet?”

  Martin frowned. “Yes, I suppose it does.”

  “Perhaps our destiny is on this planet,” said Agamon. “I do not know how, but… I feel like we were always heading for this.” He sighed. “I will apologise to Mulciber next time I see him. We should unite against the real enemy—the Axis Council.”

  “Which is where we’re going now,” said Martin.

  Agamon nodded. “I have to admit, Martin, that I had a particular reason for asking you to accompany me here. It is unlikely that the Axis Council will listen to me. I am not even a prince anymore. No, I want them to see you, Martin.”

  “Me?”

  “Oh, yes. I heard Mulciber telling Slater the truth about you. Half Axis Lord, half human. You are something entirely new, Martin King. Axis Lords have never successfully mated with another species before. Perhaps if the council see you they will realise that Earth is more than a community of dull barbarians. Well—we shall see.”

  *

  The Intrepid landed on Planet Hope. Agamon and Martin stepped out onto the planet. It was icy, but not too cold. Martin gazed at the planet. It was stunning. He had seen it once before, using Fire Opal’s VDS machine. He had also seen a painting of Hope in a Victorian shop. But to actually be there was extraordinary. A few purple birds circled the sky, and he could hear the singing of the far-off trees.