Johnny Mackintosh and the Spirit of London (15 page)

Maybe it was like an autocue, Johnny thought, with the words somehow scrolling as the soldier read? He was wishing the soldier would get to the end, whatever the end was—his
arms were now screaming at him as he struggled to keep hold of Clara. As though sensing this, she moved her arms from his waist to around his neck which helped a little.

“I hereby decree that the Terrans, Johnny and Clara Mackintosh,” said the soldier, looking up, “be taken forthwith to the Imperial Palace where they will remain at His Divine Imperial Majesty's pleasure.” He looked Johnny straight in the eye and said, “You will come with me.”

Johnny gulped. He looked across to Captain Vadour, who managed a slight shrug, but that was all. The Dauphin however, was ecstatic. “I knew it. I knew you would pay the price for your insolence,” it said, skipping from foot to foot, while its servant ran round trying to stop it treading on its robes. “Didn't I say your insults would be fatal on Melania? Didn't I?”

“Silence!” boomed the Regent at its offspring. “Let us depart this place with a little dignity.”

The Dauphin, suddenly sheepish, stopped squawking at once and followed its parent and the blue-clad soldiers away. Johnny looked at it, wondering if despite its height it was just a little child.

Up until now everything had happened so quickly he'd not had time to be frightened. Finally it was catching up with him. He looked back to the soldier and nodded. If he'd tried to speak, only a squeak would have come out. Far below the crowd were all whispering and pointing. For a moment they seemed to shift out of focus, and then, high in the air, his feet met solid, but invisible, ground. He, Clara and the soldiers were standing on a perfectly see-through floating platform—like a magic carpet. Johnny's arms gave out in relief now he no longer had to hold Clara. The lead soldier looked up to Johnny and Clara's winged support and said, “Leave us.” It seemed only too happy to fly away. Then the platform began to move, silently, picking up speed as it went over the heads of the vast assembled crowd.
Johnny thought there must be millions of aliens beneath them. They were heading, straight as an arrow, toward what was unmistakably the Imperial Palace, with the tower that stretched high into the sky in the far distance. Johnny watched as the twin suns Arros and Deynar slipped into the waters behind the palace, turning them blood red and being so much more fantastic than anything he'd ever seen in a film. For the first time since the folds on board Cheybora, Clara turned to Johnny and spoke.

“That's a little what it's like,” she said. “It's so beautiful.”

Johnny nodded. With his arm around her shoulder and hers around his waist, their silent escort surrounding them, they eventually left the crowds behind and headed toward the sunset.

It was night before they reached the edge of the sprawling mass that was Melania's planet-wide city, and arrived at the waters that marked the border of the Imperial Palace. Johnny told Clara what had been read out before they'd been taken away. The soldiers stood motionless in a circle around them, but facing outward, which he found reassuring. It seemed as if they were protecting Johnny and Clara rather than threatening them. There was plenty of space to see between them too, and nothing blocking the view above or below. Johnny didn't know whether to look down at the wonders beneath him, or up at the sky full of strange new stars. Except it wasn't
all
full of stars. Although the sky was far brighter than any he'd seen on Earth, and included four especially bright stars forming a diamond shape off to one side, directly overhead was a patch of nothingness so black it was unlike anything he'd seen before. And at its edge a brilliant jet of light was streaming out, almost touching the closest of the four stars to it.

“I think that's a black hole,” said Johnny, pointing into the darkness for Clara to follow. “We must be near the center of the galaxy—they thought there was a really big one here. It's called Sagittarius A*.”

“Have you seen down there?” asked Clara, nodding beneath them. They'd crossed the first ring of water, much larger than it had looked from orbit, and were now directly above the first area of greenery they'd seen on the planet. Johnny watched as a great herd of six-legged animals with horns tried to keep pace with them as they ran below. They managed quite well until reaching a cliff face that the invisible platform effortlessly began to climb. Clusters of little blue creatures, each with suction pads instead of feet, were grouped together, feeding on occasional clumps of vegetation on the rock face.

Then, at the top of the cliff, both of them saw a sight that took their breath away. It was a building, but not like any Johnny had seen before. One moment it looked crystal clear. The next, when it caught a little of the starlight above, it seemed to sparkle with a million colors.

Clara said it was a diamond and Johnny thought she was probably right. Diamond was the hardest and strongest thing there was, as well as being beautiful to look at. And it was fitting for the palaces of the Emperor of the Galaxy. They left the giant diamond behind and reached another band of water. The size of it all amazed Johnny. Next to him, Clara's head began to nod. Johnny realized she couldn't have slept or eaten since the Proteus Institute, at least a day ago. Johnny laid her down on the platform and she curled up and fell asleep next to him.

Johnny didn't want to sleep through the journey, though he didn't want to think too much about what would happen when it finished. He wondered why no one had seen the Emperor for a century and why they had been summoned to him. As they flew with their soldier escort above the decreasing circles,
becoming ever grander as they went, he wished Bentley's reassuring presence was there with them. All his life he'd wanted to meet aliens, but he'd feel a lot safer with his faithful companion beside him. And while Johnny was living his dream, his old friend was, at best, lying wounded beneath the Proteus Institute in a storeroom, hiding from the krun. And where was Louise? He didn't want to think of the worst.

The platform began to slow. They were nearing what must be the very center of the innermost island. The tower stood right at the central point, built almost of blue light, that stretched above them as far as Johnny could see. It might even have gone all the way into space, or it could have been Melania's space elevator. They were heading down rather than up. At the foot of the tower was a diamond-shaped open space, a fire burning with blue flames at its center. As the platform settled on the ground Johnny spotted a hundra, but clothed, wrapped in the same cream and gold coloring as the soldiers. By the fire was a solitary figure, hooded and robed, who looked to be talking with a levitating head, but before Johnny could focus on the strange sight, whatever it was simply popped out of existence.

Johnny went to shake Clara gently awake, but she was already staring wide-eyed, taking in everything around them. The hundra lifted itself slowly into the air and the circle of soldiers opened, leaving a route out toward the hooded figure. The guard who had read from the scroll gestured for them to move in that direction saying, “The Emperor Bram Khari.” Johnny expected a long list of titles like they'd heard before, but the soldier didn't continue. Nervously, Johnny and Clara walked toward the figure, exchanging a quick glance and silently agreeing to kneel before the Emperor.

A rich deep voice said, “Rise.” The hood was removed to reveal an ancient, near-human face, heavily lined, with wild silver hair which (or was Johnny imagining it) radiated light
softly out into the square. Although the Emperor looked old his bright blue eyes blazed with energy. “There is no need for you to kneel before me. The trappings of power are for the weak—the strong have their own protection.” Johnny and Clara got to their feet. “Leave us,” the Emperor said to the soldiers who, without a sound returned to the clear platform and lifted silently into the air and away. “I am Bram Khari,” said the figure, a definite twinkling in his eye. “And I expect, Johnny and Clara Mackintosh, that you are hungry.” Clara smiled and as the Emperor waved an arm a table laden with an enormous feast appeared in front of them, together with huge sofas for each of them to lounge on. “Come, let us eat,” said the Emperor.

With all the food suddenly in front of him, it seemed to Johnny that he'd never felt so hungry. After a lifetime of Mr. Wilkins's cooking this was heaven—he lay on his sofa, like a Roman centurion, tucking in to the most delicious food he'd ever tasted. The Emperor chose mainly blue food that he said came from the magule plant of Naverene, though Johnny noticed he also took a very large helping of mashed potato. Johnny tried the magule but he wasn't keen. Everything else, though, was stunning, and amazingly there was even sticky toffee pudding—his favorite back on Earth. As he scraped the bowl clean the Emperor said to him, “I thought you'd like that—have some more,” and with a slight swish of the wrist Johnny's bowl was refilled.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Johnny. “Sorry—is that what I should call you? And what are we doing here, Sir … Your Majesty?” He didn't seem able to stop himself—once he'd begun the questions just kept coming out. “Why did you bring us here? What's going on? Why us?”

The Emperor laughed. “Slow down, slow down,” he said. “No
more questions tonight. There's plenty of time for that. You have had a long journey. For now, let us eat and enjoy it. Both of you should try this,” he said, pointing to a ball that proved to be chocolate ice cream on the outside with hot chocolate sauce at its center. Johnny and Clara both agreed it was delicious.

They finally ate themselves to a standstill. Johnny even thought there was a slight chance he might be sick, which had happened way too much with all this folding recently, but happily he only burped.

“It has been a long time since we were last together,” said Bram.

The pair of them looked quizzically at him. Johnny started, “Are you sure you've not mixed …”

“Uh-uh,” said the Emperor, interrupting. “No questions tonight, remember. That's my rule, and normally when I say something people obey. Now you must sleep—rest yourselves properly. Would one of you care to summon a guide to take you to your quarters?” Bram was pointing behind them, so they turned round and saw that a giant gong had appeared beside the blue fire.

Clara rose first from her sofa, picked up a wooden mallet and brought it crashing into the middle of the dimpled metal. Sound reverberated all around, followed by a whirlwind blur of arms and legs racing toward them at a hundred miles an hour from out of one of the surrounding buildings. It stopped, instantly, just a few meters away, to reveal a figure in a bowler hat and pinstriped suit, looking nearly human. His footsteps clunked the last couple of meters toward them and it was only when he reached the fire that they could see his face properly—it was almost metallic.

“Master Johnny … Miss Clara—I am so excited to meet you,” said the creature. “As you can see, the Emperor told me where we shall be going so I did a bit of research. Do you like
it?” The creature lifted the bowler hat for a second, before putting it back on his head.

“Er … yes,” said Johnny. “It's great.” He didn't have a clue what he was being asked, but thought this was probably the right response.

“You think so?” he said. “Oh I am pleased,” and he started skipping on the spot.

“Alf,” said the Emperor. “I think that's enough for now. Why don't you take Johnny and Clara to their quarters—without asking them any more questions—I've banned those for the evening.”

“Oh, of course,” Alf replied. “I am so sorry—you must be exhausted. And you need your rest with everything you have ahead of you …”

“Alf,” the Emperor said sternly.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” said Alf, again raising the bowler hat off his head.

“Excuse me,” said Johnny.

“What is it Johnny?” Bram asked.