Martin King and the Prison of Ice (Martin King Series) (10 page)

“I will
regret
it,” said Martin. “but it’s not foolish, I have to—” He broke off. “How do you
know what I’m about to do?”

“Because we are
very alike,” said Mulciber, “and if I was in your situation I would do exactly
the same thing. I’ve been watching you, Martin, and I know what’s going on.”

Martin fiddled
with his blazer buttons. “Darcy doesn’t love me… I… I have to end it.”

“What do you
think, Softie?” said Mulciber, turning his neck to look at the clockwork bird
on his shoulder.

“You’re wrong,”
squawked Softie, facing Martin. “You’re wrong.”

“I told him to
say that,” said Mulciber, grinning. “But the bird’s right. You are about to
make a very big mistake.”

“You don’t know
what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, I do.”
Mulciber stroked the bird. “I mean, doesn’t Darcy’s behaviour seem
out-of-character to you?”

Martin nodded.
“It does. That’s what’s been getting to me the most. She’s been so different
lately. But maybe that’s what happens when you fall out of love with someone.”

The Axis Lord
shook his head. “She still loves you, Martin.”

“Then why is
she acting like this?”

“Because
something is
making
her, Martin.”

Martin’s heart
began to beat faster. “What do you mean?”

Mulciber took
out his pocket watch. “I’ve been getting strange readings on this thing for a
while now—that’s what alerted me to what’s going on. And the strange readings
are coming from Darcy. There is some sort of energy field around her.”

“So…
something’s taking
control
of her?”

“Correct. Very
good.”

“But
who
?
And
how
? If there’s something wrong, why didn’t Darcy tell me?”

“I don’t know
all the details. But please, don’t break up with the girl. Talk to her, ask her
if she knows anything.”

Martin still
wasn’t completely convinced. But if there was a chance of saving his
relationship with Darcy he had to take it.

Martin nodded.
“I’ll try.”

“Excellent!”

“But why are
you so interested in me?” said Martin. “Why help me out like this?”

Mulciber smiled
mysteriously. “All will become clear—eventually.”

“Well… thanks.”

“No problem.”

Suddenly, the
Axis Lord vanished. Martin glanced out into the corridor. The snow had all disappeared.
The rest of the class came flooding into the room, making wild speculations
about the origin of the snow.

Martin didn’t
share that lesson with Darcy, but he resolved to talk to her at lunch. If there
was a chance… a chance that he wouldn’t have to break up with her…

He smiled. Even
a tiny chance was better than no chance at all.

Martin sat in the canteen at
lunch. He glanced at his phone again. He had received a slightly encouraging
text from Darcy about ten minutes ago.

I’m really
sorry for what you heard earlier. It’s really not what you think. I’ll explain
everything to you at break. I should have told you sooner.

Darcy walked
into the canteen and sat down opposite Martin. She had obviously been crying.

“So,” said
Martin, “what did you want to tell me?”

“What you
heard—in the maths corridor—I didn’t… I didn’t mean it.”

“You said you
were going to break up with me,” said Martin. “Why would you say that unless
you meant it?”

Darcy stared at
the crumbs on the table.

“I’m waiting
for the explanation you said you’d give me,” said Martin.

He felt bad
about being so cold and harsh to her, but a part of him felt like she deserved
it.

“It’s weird,”
said Darcy, “and I know you won’t believe me…”

“Try me.”

“I know that I
said
I wanted to break up with you. And I know I’ve been acting weirdly for a while.
But it hasn’t actually been me doing those things…”

She tailed off,
looking sheepish. “I know that it sounds stupid. But I’m telling the truth.”
She looked into Martin’s eyes. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

Martin looked
at her. Her eyes were red and her make-up was smudged, but she was still the
beautiful Darcy that he had fallen in love with. And he knew that she was
telling the truth. He took her hand and kissed it.

“I’m sorry,
Darcy.”

“No,
I’m
sorry. I should have told you sooner.”

Martin paused.
“Someone has been trying to make us break up, Darcy. Someone who really hates
us. But who could possibly hate us that much?”

He looked into
her eyes.

“Either way,”
said Martin. “Whatever’s happening to you—don’t be scared. I will always be
there for you whatever happens.”

“Thank you,
Martin. I love you.”

“I love you
too, Darcy.”

Martin silently
vowed revenge upon the person that had tried to break them up. Because if it
hadn’t been for Mulciber’s intervention, they might have succeeded…

*

Martin went home at the end of
school feeling happy again. The sun didn’t seem like some giant villain now; it
seemed to cast hope and promise again. Martin kissed Darcy as he got off the
Tube train. He made his way up the escalator and out into the street.

As soon as he
reached the apartment building, he took the stairs up to the second floor. He
was frightened of travelling in lifts. It used to be a big thing for him, but
now he really couldn’t care less. Since he had started going out with Darcy, Martin
had realised that it really didn’t matter whether or not he could travel in a
lift. Lots of people had a phobia of some kind. It was actually kind of
ironic—he didn’t mind flying around all over London, but when it came to lifts…
no way. He grinned as he used his keycard to get into the apartment.

His dad was
standing right by the door; he seemed to be in a state of shock.

“Dad?” said
Martin. “What’s the matter?”

His dad paused,
as if trying to force his mouth to open for words to come out.

“He’s come
back,” said his dad. “Your grandfather has come back.”

“Really? Well,
that’s good, isn’t it?”

Martin had
always wanted to meet his grandfather. After the death of his mother, Martin’s
grandfather had apparently disappeared. His dad had always said that he could
never get over his daughter’s loss.

“Is he here—can
I see him?”

Martin’s dad
sighed, and gestured with his head towards the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,
Martin.”

“Sorry? For
what?”

“For lying to
you.”

Martin frowned.
He didn’t know what was going on. But he walked, slowly, towards the kitchen,
and peered around the corner.

The man smiled.
Martin’s grandfather had white hair and purple eyes.

“Hello,
grandson.”

Martin stopped
breathing. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was Mulciber.

“But… I don’t understand,” said
Martin.

The Axis Lord
was leaning against the worktop when Martin entered. He poured some oats into a
bowl, and the clockwork bird began to peck at them.

“That thing
eats
?”
said Martin, momentarily distracted.

Mulciber smiled.
“Yes, he does eat. Softie has a clockwork stomach; he absorbs the energy from
starch and uses it to re-wind himself occasionally.”

“Huh.
Impressive.”

“Yes. I suppose
you have many more questions to ask me.”

Martin laughed
humourlessly. Where to even begin?

“How can you be
my grandfather? I don’t understand. I’m human.”

Mulciber shook
his head. “No, not human. Only half human.”

“What?”

“Your mother,
Aurora King, was my daughter. Your father took her surname. The Axis Lords
consider it an offence for a man to take a woman’s surname. It was a little act
of rebellion. ‘King’
is an Axis Lord name meaning ‘godlike’.”

It had always
seemed a little strange that his father had taken Aurora’s surname. His other
grandparents, the Greens, had always said that his dad had been too much in
love to argue.

“But… why has nobody
ever told me this?”

“I told your
father not to tell you,” said Mulciber.

“Why?

“Because your
grandfather wanted you to have a normal life, Martin.”

Martin turned
at the new voice. His dad had entered the kitchen. He put a hand on Martin’s
shoulder.

“Imagine
growing up knowing that you weren’t completely human,” said his dad. “You are
something entirely new. Axis Lords and humans have never had children together
before.” He sighed. “I  meant to tell you about it. Ever since you got that
superpower I knew it was time. But it was hard… hard to admit that I’ve lied to
you for so long.”

Martin shook
his head. It was all too much to take in. But it sort of made sense. His dad
had
been strangely accepting of the fact that he could fly.

“Where did you
two meet?” he said finally.

“A bar, funnily
enough,” said Charlie. “Aurora was on Earth doing some research for the Axis
Lords. She was a biologist. I must have seemed so ignorant to her… so
backward…” He paused, smiling, as her memory lit up his eyes. “But we fell in
love. She left everything for me—her people, her home…”

“I came down to
Earth for the wedding,” said Mulciber. “I was thrilled about what had happened.
Axis Lords are such a pompous race.”

“Why didn’t she
look like an Axis Lady?” said Martin.

“You know that
crucifix she used to wear?” said Charlie. “Well, that was actually a Deceiving
Necklace. She was determined to lead a normal human life.”

“But then she
died, right?” said Martin.

“No,” said
Charlie.

Martin blinked.
“What?”

“No. All those
years, drinking myself to oblivion, and she was alive all this time…”

“
Might
be alive,” Mulciber corrected him. He turned to Martin. “We had always thought
that Aurora had died in a spaceship crash in a star system near Atrios. She was
in her third life at the time, so it seemed obvious that she was dead. But…”

“But what?”
said Martin.

“I received a
message,” said Mulciber. “A message that I think is from her.”

He took a blue
ring from his pocket. “This is a Ring of Last Resort. It’s an antiquated bit of
Axis tech—a sort of digital message-in-a-bottle. They are designed for when
you’re in a hopeless situation with no way out. This particular ring homed in
on me.”

Mulciber
activated the ring. A voice filled the kitchen.

“Located—located
on—located—located on—”

“It’s broken,”
Mulciber explained. “The only data remaining on the ring is that tiny fragment
of the original recording. But it’s Aurora’s voice. If she is alive, she needs
help.”

Martin poured
himself a glass of water and drank it all in one gulp.

“I don’t buy
it,” he said finally. “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that I’m half Axis
Lord.”

Mulciber
stroked Softie. “Haven’t you always felt like you’re… different from everyone
else? That you’re
better
than everyone else?

Martin paused.
He had always felt different—set apart from everyone else that he knew. He had
always found it very hard to relate with other people his age. Even Tommy and
Darcy sometimes seemed hard to understand.

“All the signs
have always been there,” Mulciber went on. “For one thing, you are a genius.
There is no such thing as a stupid Axis Lord. You have higher than usual
stamina… you hardly ever get ill… I suppose you experience occasional feelings
of mania, euphoria.”

Martin nodded
quietly.

“So you say
that mum is still alive?” he said finally.

“Perhaps.”

“Then how do we
find out for sure?” said Charlie.

“
We
don’t
do anything,” Mulciber said firmly. “This is Axis Lord work.” He turned to
Martin. “We need to leave, and quickly.”

“Where are we
going?”

“To the
Universal Switchboard.”

*

Mulciber’s ship was called the
Helios
.
The interior was about as different from Slater’s ship,
Valiant Star
, as
possible.

They were
sitting in the dark control room (unlike
Valiant Star
, it had no lounge)
as the ship moved through space. The black walls were covered with inset
circles. There was a wide rectangular window at the front of the control room.
It looked out to space; Martin had spent several minutes staring out at the
stars. They had been sitting in silence since the beginning of the journey.

“So what exactly
is the Universal Switchboard?” said Martin finally. “Some kind of telephone
exchange?”

Mulciber
smiled. “Not quite. It’s a planet. It was custom-built by the
Universal Tax
Authority
to clamp down on tax evasion. It is a planet-sized directory that
allows you to locate any sentient being in the universe. As long as you have a
sample of their DNA, you can find them. It’s the envy of every police force and
criminal gang in the five galaxies.”

“That’s
amazing,” said Martin.

“Yes, it’s
wonderful technology,” said Mulciber. “Then again, I did invent it.”

“
You
did?”

Mulciber
nodded, stroking Softie modestly. “Well, I got bored one night and the UTA had
been offering me a fortune to put something together for them.”

“And now we can
use the Switchboard to find my mum?”

“I hope so,
Martin. I really hope so.”

*

The
Helios
touched down
on the Universal Switchboard. Mulciber handed Martin a gun.

“Here, hide
this somewhere.”

“A gun?”

“Rule one of
going anywhere—always take a gun with you.”

Martin didn’t
feel that comfortable carrying the gun, but he did as his grandfather told him.
It occurred to him that Mulciber looked very young.

“Mulciber—I
mean, granddad?”

“Yes?”

“How old are
you?”

“245,231 years
of age,” said Mulciber. “I’m in my third life now.”

“Right.” Martin
paused. “And how long am
I
going to live? I mean, if I’m half Axis
Lord?”

“Good question.
I really don’t know. Like I said, there’s never been a human-Axis Lord hybrid
before.”

They stepped
out onto the surface of the planet. It was very dark, but two perfectly smooth
moons provided some illumination.

“It’s always
night here,” Mulciber explained. “It’s an energy-saving measure. The UTA are
very miserly.”

There was a
light, artificial breeze. It felt more like air-conditioning than wind. The
entire surface of the planet was covered in what looked like the pattern on a
circuit board. Mulciber pointed towards a cluster of buildings a five-minute
walk away.

“That’s the
main control city,” he explained.

“It’s huge,”
said Martin, squinting to see in the gloom.

 The control
city stretched on as far as he could see.

“It needs to
be. This planet is the main tax centre for the entire Blue galaxy, with an
employee count of over two million. The bulk of the planet is
uninhabited—simply part of the circuitry. But that control city is roughly the
size of Germany.”

Martin and
Mulciber walked over the strangely smooth surface of the planet towards the
massive control city.

They entered
the city. They walked along a grey street, which was illuminated by regular
streetlamps. It was filled with nondescript grey buildings. Martin assumed that
most of the workers were inside the buildings doing their jobs. A couple of
workers were walking along the street, and greeted them as they passed.

“Thierons,”
explained Mulciber. “They make up virtually the entire staff on this planet.
They’re honest, you see. Famous for it throughout the entire galaxy. It’s
genetically impossible for them to accept a bribe. Of course, they’re also very
attractive.”

The aliens
were
attractive. Every Thieron that Martin saw could easily have been a
professional model on Earth—they were all astonishingly beautiful, with bright
eyes and perfect complexions.

“How are things
with your girlfriend?” said Mulciber, glancing at a passing blonde Thieron.

Martin smiled.
“Better. Thanks to you. She said that there
was
some force controlling
her. But she doesn’t know what it was. It’s pretty scary, actually.”

Mulciber
frowned. “Yes, it is.”

“I’m glad you
came back, granddad. I wish you’d visited sooner.”

“I’m sorry, Martin,
but I wanted you to have a normal upbringing with your father.”

Martin stopped
walking, and looked at his grandfather.

“What did make
you decide to come back?”

“I… I won’t lie
to you Martin. There were a few reasons. Of course, I wanted to see you. I also
want to help save your planet from the Axis Lords. But also…”

Mulciber tailed
off.

“What?” said
Martin.

He shook his
head. “Never mind. Come on.” He pointed ahead. “You see that blue building?
That’s the Tax Office—that’s where we’re heading.”

They carried on
walking.

“You told me
before that you transmitted a signal to Abaddon,” said Mulciber.

Martin nodded.

“I always
thought he was just a legend,” said Mulciber smiling. “A fairy tale to frighten
children. ‘Eat your vegetables, or Abaddon will be unleashed upon you
.’ How did you manage to send the signal?”

“There’s an Axis
Lord called Slater—he took us to a planet called Wormwood to use the
transmitter. Oh…”

“What?”

“Slater got ill
on Wormwood—some sort of disease that only affects Axis Lords. I got ill too,
but we didn’t know why. I suppose I do now.”

“Indeed. So
where is this Slater now?”

“He rejuvenated
his body,” Martin explained, “and he’s in his second life now. He had all this…
energy
all of a sudden. I don’t know exactly where he went. He talked
about finding an old friend.”

Mulciber
frowned thoughtfully. “Well, I hope we can find him when we get back to Earth.
I would very much like to meet him. Ah, we’re here.”

They stopped
outside an angular building. It stood out from all the other buildings, not
because of its shape, but because of its colour. While all the other buildings
were grey, this one was coloured a peaceful sky blue.

“It’s blue for
a reason,” said Mulciber. “Most of the people who work in here have all of the
most boring jobs. The suicide rate was going through the roof. So they painted
the outside and put lots of green plants inside.”

“Did it work?”

“Not really.”

*

The inside of the Tax Office was
still quite depressing. The floors and walls were painted blue, but that only
made them look more miserable. There were office plants scattered around in
cheap pots—many of them seemed to be dying from lack of water.

“I need to
speak to the man in charge,” Mulciber explained. “As the designer, I can go
anywhere I like on the planet, strictly speaking. But it’s sometimes better to
observe formalities.”

Mulciber seemed
to be heading towards the lift. Martin was about to say something, but Mulciber
turned before they reached it and started to walk up the stairs.