Martin King and the Prison of Ice (Martin King Series) Page 14

  Martin smiled grimly at the irony. The Axis Lords were about to engage in the most brutal and unnecessary battle in their history. Darcy glanced at the book that Martin was holding.

  “What’s that?”

  “Oh, I found it under my chair. I suppose Agamon or one of the others left it there by mistake.”

  He handed it to Darcy and she flicked through it. “It’s all written in another language,” she muttered. “Makes no sense to me.”

  Martin frowned. Why hadn’t it translated for Darcy? Martin took the book and handed it to Tommy.

  “You understand every language, Tommy. Can you read what it says?”

  Tommy took the book. “No,” he said blankly. “That’s weird. It’s the first language I haven’t been able to read. I wonder what language it is…”

  Martin was puzzled. But, at that moment, Agamon walked past their seats. He saw the copy of the book and held out a hand.

  “I have been looking for that,” he said.

  Martin didn’t hand it back. “What language is it written in?” said Martin. “Tommy can’t read it—and he can usually read any language.”

  Agamon smiled. “It’s written in Thieron Quantum Code. Unless you have the correct translation key, it is indecipherable—even for an omnilinguist.”

  Martin nodded and handed the book back.

  “I could understand it,” he whispered to Darcy.

  “Really? How?”

  Martin shrugged. “I don’t know. It just seemed to translate itself for me. I was reading about Axis Lord battle customs.”

  Falcon walked up to their chairs. “Hello again. Did you three bring any weapons?”

  They shook their heads.

  “No matter,” said Falcon. “There are some more suits of armour and Blazing Diamond guns in the armoury, if you follow me.”

  They followed the Axis Lord out of the main hall and into a black corridor. He led them into a small room that was filled with weapon racks. Most of the guns had already been taken, but there were still several large Blazing Diamond guns left.

  Three suits of armour were hanging up behind glass. They were made of some sort of glistening white material.

  “I had these made especially for the three of you,” Falcon explained. “I heard that the battle would be taking place on the snow, so white seemed the best colour.” The alien opened the glass case. “Please—try them on.”

  He showed the teenagers which armour belonged to each of them.

  “Isn’t there a changing room?” said Darcy.

  Falcon shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

  The alien turned to look away as the three teenagers got changed. The armour was a continuous piece that you stepped into and then fastened around yourself; it had obviously been made to their exact specifications, so they needed to undress to put them on.

  Martin watched Darcy as she pulled her jumper and shirt off, followed by her jeans. Darcy looked up; Tommy was watching too.

  “Martin’s allowed to look,” said Darcy, “but you have a girlfriend of your own.”

  “Sorry,” muttered Tommy, grinning.

  They finished getting changed into their armour. Falcon turned around and beamed at them.

  “How do they feel?”

  Martin turned around in the armour. It felt very comfortable, almost like a second skin. And it was so light.

  “The body armour was designed by a Thieron,” said Falcon. “It is light but exceedingly strong. Even a Blazing Diamond gun would have trouble piercing the material.”

  Darcy touched the white armour. “If it’s so good, won’t the Axis Lords have them too?”

  Falcon shook his head. “Axis Lords stopped all dealings with Thierons about 50 years ago.”

  “Falcon?” said Tommy. “There are only three pieces of armour, but… what about the others? What about Fire Opal?”

  “Do not worry, Tommy. All of our soldiers have armour and weapons. Which reminds me—” Falcon pointed to three guns that stood side-by-side. “These are yours.”

  Martin took one of the guns.

  “They are Blazing Diamond guns,” said Falcon. “They use burning diamonds instead of bullets—very effective. You can try them out in a few moments.”

  Another weapon caught Martin’s eye. It was a silver sword, and a large red stone was set into the handle.

  “Ah,” said Falcon, glancing at the glass case. “That is a very special weapon. There is only one more of those in the whole universe.”

  “What’s special about it?” said Martin.

  “It was made by Dominus himself, the first emperor of the Axis Lords,” said Falcon. “Every time Dominus led his people into battle, he insisted on using this sword. He made a second sword as a back-up, but this first sword never failed him. When he died, Dominus gave it to one of my ancestors, and it has never left my family.”

  “Have you ever used it?” said Tommy.

  Falcon laughed. “No, never.”

  Martin stared at the sword. For some reason, he felt drawn to it.

  “Come on,” said Falcon. “You need to have some practice with the Blazing Diamond guns.”

  *

  Falcon led the teenagers into the battle room. There were ten battle rooms on the ship; all of the others were occupied by other soldiers. The Axis Lord army would be arriving in two hours, and they all needed as much practice as they could get.

  The room was quite large and empty. It was very dark, but there was a white line painted on the floor.

  “Do not step past the white line,” said Falcon. “Now arm yourselves.”

  Martin, Darcy and Tommy raised their guns.

  “The operation of Blazing Diamond guns is quite simple,” said Falcon. “Simply press the red button on the back—that switches off the safety—aim, and then pull the trigger.”

  The teenagers pressed the red buttons on their guns. Each gun was large and heavy; they needed to use both hands to hold them steady.

  “Ready?” said Falcon.

  They all nodded, not quite sure they were ready for. Falcon flicked a switch on the wall, and a glowing humanoid figure appeared. Martin guessed that it was some kind of holographic projection. It was moving about quickly.

  “To be effective soldiers you need to be able to hit a moving target,” Falcon explained. “Now who will try first?”

  Tommy swung his gun around, trying to aim at the target. But it was moving very fast. Tommy pressed the trigger and there was a flash. But he missed. He tried again, and again. Finally, he managed to aim correctly and a burning diamond shot through the hologram. With a crackle, it disappeared.

  “Oh, well done, Tommy!” shouted Falcon.

  Suddenly, three more holographic figures appeared. Darcy and Martin both stepped to the edge of the white line and began to fire. It was very hard to aim correctly. Martin managed to take two of the figures down, and Darcy got the third.

  “Brilliant!” said Falcon.

  He pressed another switch and four figures appeared. This time they were travelling more quickly than ever before. Tommy raised his gun and fired four times. He hit all of them.

  “Excellent shooting, Tommy!” said Falcon. “I’ve never seen such skill—and you’ve never used one of these before?”

  “Well,” said Tommy, “I’ve never used a Blazing Diamond gun before, but my dad takes me clay pigeon shooting once a fortnight so I suppose I’ve had a bit of practice.”

  “I think you should come with me, Tommy,” said Falcon. “You can show the other troops how it is done. Come on.”

  Falcon led Tommy from the room, leaving Darcy and Martin alone with the holograms. Martin tried to aim at the figures, but he was distracted. He turned to Darcy.

  “I’m scared, Darcy,” he said.

  “Why?” said Darcy, who was still trying to hit the projections.

  Martin flicked the switch on the wall and the holograms vanished.

  Darcy groaned. “What did you do that for? I was enjoying myself
.” She sighed. “Sorry—you said you were scared?”

  “Not for myself.” Martin paused. “So many people that I love are here—on the Battle Island. You, my mum, my granddad, Tommy, Slater, Falcon… I mean, what if we lose, Darcy? What then?”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” said Darcy. “I couldn’t bear to lose you, Martin.”

  Martin sighed. “And what if the worst thing happened? What if everyone died but me? What if everyone I care about was lost—and I was left alive? How could I live after that?”

  Darcy hugged him. “We can’t think like that Martin. If we do, then we will lose. We need to be strong.”

  Martin nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” He glanced at his indestructible watch. “Just over an hour left now. And then it starts.”

  He reached out and held Darcy’s hand, and made a silent promise that if anyone had to die, it would be him.

  CHAPTER 14: THE DEATH OF MARTIN KING

  It was time for the battle. The soldiers were all lined up on the snow. The white frost was firm beneath their feet. The army stood in silence, facing the sky, waiting for the inevitable arrival of the enemy.

  “Remember,” said Agamon. “We will only attack if they attack first. Until then, we will keep our defensive position. As soon as the Axis Lords are in sight, Mulciber will cast a shield over us. We will not fight until they do.”

  Falcon, Agamon, Slater and Mulciber were in the centre of the line. To Mulciber’s right stood the 50 other Axis Lord warriors. Martin, Darcy, Tommy, Fire Opal and Laser Wolf stood to Falcon’s left, and the Pendulum Officers were next to them. The SAS men stood to the left of the Pendulum Officers, followed by Jaspin Zegrak, Aurora King, Levanté, Stone and Dr Peter Ackerman.

  Nobody spoke. Martin glanced at his watch again. It was two minutes until the Axis Lords arrived. He glanced at his comrades, squeezing Darcy’s hand more tightly. He, Darcy and Tommy were wearing their Thieron armour and carrying Blazing Diamond guns. All of the soldiers were wearing armour of some kind.

  They all stood in silence. Martin looked again at his two best friends. He lifted up Darcy’s hand and kissed it, and then kissed her on the lips. Was this it—was this going to be the end? Even if they did win the battle, there would almost certainly be casualties. Even if the Earth was saved, Darcy and Tommy might be killed.

  There was only one possible way to win the battle without any casualties. It was a stupid idea, and it had hardly any chance of success. But it might just save his friends.

  “You’re hurting my hand,” whispered Darcy.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  Martin let go of his girlfriend’s hand. He hadn’t realised how tightly he had been gripping it. Suddenly, there was a flash in the white clouds—almost like a glimmer of sunlight. But it flashed again, and Martin realised that it wasn’t sunlight.

  All of the soldiers raised their guns. Immediately, a hundred shapes burst through the clouds. It was the Axis Lords. They were riding horses that seemed to be made of fire. Martin sweated as his finger hovered over the trigger of his Blazing Diamond gun. Tension crackled like electricity through their army, but nobody fired.

  The flaming horses galloped down from the clouds in a stream of fire, and landed on the snow a long distance away from their army.

  Five Axis Lords stepped down from their horses. Martin squinted; he recognised them as the members of the Axis Council that he had met on Hope—Nymon, Anova, Daniz, Ilyssa and Orbin. The five Axis Lords began to walk slowly forwards; the other 95 Axis Lords stayed behind on their fiery horses.

  Agamon, Mulciber, Slater and Falcon walked forward to meet the members of the council. They stood still for a while. Martin guessed that they were going over the agreed terms of the battle. He looked at Darcy again. He tried to think about what life would be like without her, but it was too terrible to contemplate.

  He thought about his reckless plan, which he had formed after reading the book that he had found under his chair.

  “I love you, Darcy,” he said suddenly, kissing her. He stroked her hair. “And I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?”

  Without waiting to answer, Martin ran towards the Axis Council.

  “Come back!” Darcy shouted, but he didn’t listen.

  The shield crackled as he passed through it.

  “What are you doing?” yelled Aurora.

  He didn’t stop running. Some of the Axis Lords on the horses pointed their guns at him, but Nymon waved a hand. Martin stopped in front of the Axis Council, breathless.

  “Lower your weapons,” said Nymon gently, smiling when Martin arrived. “Hello again, Martin.”

  “Hello,” Martin replied.

  “Have you changed your mind about fighting us?” said Nymon. “If you have, believe me when I say that you will be treated with the utmost courtesy. You will be honoured as a royal member of the Axis Lords for the rest of your life.” He smiled. “Look at those people you are with, Martin—all those degenerate Axis Lords and weak humans. You are different, Martin, I know you are. Join us. Leave them all behind.”

  “What are you doing, Martin?” said Slater.

  “I’m not going to join you,” Martin told Nymon. “I want to volunteer as a champion for the Earth.”

  “You can’t!” shouted Falcon.

  Nymon looked astounded.

  “I’m afraid he can,” said Anova, with a nasty grin. “You know the rules, Falcon. Any member of any army can choose to become a champion, as long as the other side agrees.”

  “Don’t do this, Martin,” said Slater. “Please. We have been through so much together. To see you die—I do not think I could live through it.” He put a hand on Martin’s shoulder. “Revoke your championship. You can fight, but fight alongside your friends. We stand a much greater chance together.”

  Agamon nodded. “Valdragor is right. It would be suicide.”

  Martin shook his head. “I’m sorry. But I have to do this.”

  Falcon turned to Nymon. “Please, Nymon. Do the right thing. Do not offer a champion. Then we can fight a just war.”

  Anova laughed. “I hardly think so, Falcon. As it happens, we have a very excellent Axis Lord already prepared for this eventuality.”

  Nymon nodded. “Anova is right. This boy has volunteered as champion, and the rules of combat are very clear—to volunteer is the right of any soldier.”

  Martin turned around to glance at Darcy and Tommy. Then he turned back.

  “I won’t change my mind,” said Martin firmly.

  “Very well,” said Nymon. “We shall prepare. All step back.”

  Nymon and the Axis Council took a few steps back from Martin. Left with no choice, Agamon, Slater, Mulciber and Falcon also stepped back. Martin glanced at his grandfather—he didn’t look angry or upset; he was actually smiling.

  “Activate the Combat Stage,” said Nymon.

  Ilyssa lifted her arm; there was a small control panel built into her armour. She pressed a button, and the ground beneath Martin began to stir. Suddenly, he felt himself rising into the air. A large white platform was ascending from beneath the snow, lifting him up with it.

  A few seconds later, the platform stopped moving. It was about the size of a football pitch, and completely white. Martin glanced over the edge—it was a long way down. Now he could only see his friends as tiny specks in the distance.

  Nymon’s voice filled the whole island.

  “Martin King has volunteered as champion,” he was saying. “As you all know, the outcome of the battle now depends on this single fight. The final result cannot be altered. If Martin wins, the Earth will be spared. If our champion wins, the Earth will be destroyed.”

  Martin swallowed. What was he thinking? Whoever the Axis Lords chose, it would certainly be a powerful warrior. And what could he do? Of course, he could fly, but what use was that in a battle? And he only had a single gun. Martin didn’t even know how many diamonds were inside it.

  If Martin died, all of his fr
iends would die too because the Earth would be destroyed. Unless he managed to defeat the champion, he had actually consigned his friends to their fate.

  “What have I done?” he muttered, shivering.

  Before he could have time to prepare himself, an Axis Lord appeared. Martin raised the gun, but it was a face he recognised.

  “Falcon?” he said.

  The alien forced a smile. “Hello again,” said Falcon. “I’ve brought you something.”

  He held out a sword to Martin. It was the sword with a ruby in the handle—Dominus’ sword. Martin took the sword from Falcon.

  “I’ll take that,” said Falcon, taking the Blazing Diamond gun from Martin. “It won’t be any good against their champion; it won’t even pierce his armour.”

  Martin handled the sword. It felt… right. As if it was designed for his personal use. He swung it from his arm; it was almost as natural as breathing.

  “Thank you,” said Martin.

  “I wish you would reconsider,” said Falcon. “Their champion—Diagoras—is a born warrior. The Axis Lords have not engaged in war for thousands of years, but they have always been ready for one. Their warrior has been training for over 100 years.”

  “I need to try,” said Martin quietly.

  Falcon put a hand on his shoulder. “Then I wish you very good fortune, Martin.”

  Martin smiled. “Thanks, Falcon.”

  The Axis Lord vanished, and Martin was left alone on the white platform. The surface was strange; it looked very smooth, but it was easy to walk on without slipping.

  Another Axis Lord appeared. He was three times the size of Falcon, and he was wearing black armour that was covered with vicious-looking spikes. The alien was holding a large golden axe. Martin held up his sword.

  “The champions are both in place,” said Nymon’s voice. “Diagoras and Martin King will fight to the death. The final result will decide the fate of the Earth.” He paused. “Now, let the battle begin.”

  Martin hadn’t taken his eyes off Diagoras, who was smiling at Martin. He had large, pointed teeth.