Free Martin King and the Prison of Ice (Martin King Series) by James McGovern, Science Fiction, Teen Books, Paranormal, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Books on Sale, YA Fantasy, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Science Fiction Romance, aliens, cyberpunk, teen Page A

kissed her.
    “Of course. I
love you, Fire Opal.”
    “I love you,
Tommy.”
    They kissed
again, and when they finally broke away from each other Tommy had a thought.
    “What are they
like? Axis Lord weddings, I mean. And where do they take place? Not a church?”
    “My father
tells me that normal Axis Lord weddings are more full of pomp and ceremony than
human ones. But weddings in the City of Serenity were never like that.” She
smiled. “They’re not about rituals, or showing off. They really are just about
two people being in love, a simple expression of faithfulness.”
    “So… where do
they take place?”
    “Anywhere,
really. They’re quite quick events, and usually nobody is invited.” She paused.
“If you wanted… it would be…”
    “What?” said
Tommy gently.
    “It would be
nice to have a second wedding… in a few years, I mean, when we’re both ready. A
human wedding—the kind of wedding with guests, a cake, dancing.”
    Tommy smiled.
“That sounds good. So where are we going to have our first wedding?”
    “Well, there
was a special place in the City of Serenity. We could get my father to take us
there… if you wanted.”
    “It sounds
perfect,” said Tommy.

CHAPTER 8: THE MARRIAGE
DOME
     
    Tommy and Fire Opal were sitting
in the back of Laser Wolf’s small spacecraft, heading towards the City of
Serenity. The ship was about the size of a car, and it had circular windows
looking out over the clouds.
    “Sorry if it’s
a little cramped,” said Laser Wolf. “I still need to get around to building a
proper-sized ship; this little cruiser is just something I put together last
night.”
    Tommy glanced
around the interior of the tiny ship, impressed.
    “You built this
in one night?”     
    “Yes.”
    “Wow.”
    Tommy didn’t
mind about the size; after all, it was an excuse to be huddled up with Fire
Opal on the back seat. He glanced out of the window; they were high above the
clouds now. It was a surreal experience. He had the strange feeling of being
inside a flying car.
    “I’m glad you
are getting married to my daughter,” said Laser Wolf. “I would be happy to see
many more Axis Lord and human relationships.” He paused. “None of us really
know how all this will work out, yet. I mean, with all of us Axis Lords living
on Earth. It can only be a matter of time before the human governments realise
that we are here.”
    He paused, and
added darkly, “Looking at Earth’s history it doesn’t seem that you react very
well to newcomers.” Laser Wolf turned, and smiled at Tommy. “No offence.”
    “None taken. I
suppose humans must look pretty backward to you.”
    “No, no,
backward isn’t the right word. I mean, you humans have many admirable qualities
that Axis Lords do not possess. Maybe a mingling of Axis Lord and human
blood is the best way forward—quite literally, the best of both worlds.”
    The Axis Lord
paused reflectively, and Fire Opal turned to Tommy.
    “Sorry about
father,” she whispered. “He’s just happy about the wedding. He always gets
philosophical when he’s feeling emotional.”
    Laser Wolf
didn’t hear her. Tommy stroked her white hair and kissed her on the cheek.
After about ten more minutes, the ship began to descend.
    “Nearly there,”
said Laser Wolf.
    The little ship
passed down through the clouds and Tommy could see the City of Serenity. It
looked exactly as he remembered it—the colourful buildings, the dark gothic
structure dedicated to the Wheelmaster… There was only one difference. It was deserted.
    Laser Wolf
landed the ship on the beach. They climbed out. Fire Opal immediately took her
shoes off so she could feel the warm sand beneath her feet.
    “It’s strange
to be back,” she said. “I’ve become so used to Italy.”
    “I miss the
city,” said Laser Wolf. “But it would be too risky to stay here for a long
period. If the Axis Lords managed to reactivate the shield we would be trapped
again.”
    Tommy saw
something