Jaxon Prayer (Jaxon Prayer Trilogy Book 1)

by Rachel West

  A sound crashes immediately behind be. I spin, facing the direction of the oncoming creature.

  “Keep going!” Red yells. But I can’t. I am frozen in time. The wet, panting breath of the automaton draws closer. I take a step backwards but fear keeps me from turning my back on the creature. I can’t let it pounce on me from behind, like some demon in the night. I refuse to die running. I refuse to die without seeing the creature that will bring me to my knees.

  CHAPTER 13

  The automaton is the size of a large dog. Its back is ribbed with four spiked blades running its length like a startled cat. Teeth, three times too big for its head stick out from the mouth; some broken and rusted away - but enough left to render and shred through flesh. The automaton rears back when it sees me; its mouth pulled back in vicious snarl.

  The worst part is the eyes. The eyes look real. They probably are real. One of them is popped - deflated like an old balloon and hanging from the socket. Something writhes within the flesh. Parasites, making this dying creature their host. The creature’s other eye, the one still whole, glares up at us full of rage and pain and the desire to tear us to pieces.

  It stands still for a moment, one good eye locked on us. A whirring sound fills the air. For a heartbeat each blade glows softly blue before fading back to normal. Synthblades. The entire creature is made of synthblades; back, claws teeth and tail.

  “Evie. Run.” Red screams. His words burst forth, startling as gunfire. I look to Red once. Run? I can’t run. I won’t leave them here to die. I stay rooted to the spot. The automaton bobs its head, looking first to Jaxon, then to me, then to Red, before starting all over again.

  Jaxon slowly pulls his knapsack from his shoulder, each movement so minuscule it’s hardly movement at all. From within, he slips out a weapon larger than the one he gave me. With a flip of his wrist the weapon splits in half, one part smoothly locking into the other. A synthblade; but twice the length of most. A sword -- just like Red fights with in the Coliseum. Jaxon tosses the weapon at Red, who catches it with ease, despite the shocked expression on his face. The motion draws the attention of the automaton and it lunges for Red.

  Red raises his blade, shoving it into the creature’s mouth as it tries to bite down on his arm. Two loud bangs from the right draw my attention. Jaxon is holding a gun - but there is a disappointed look on his face. He shakes his head and throws the gun to the ground. He pulls his own synthblade from the sheath at his waist.

  I stand rooted to the spot as Red and Jaxon fight the automaton. Red’s movements, so familiar from the years of watching his Coliseum battles, are flashier than Jaxons. Wide arcs of his sword, a dancer on his feet. Jaxon’s motions are quicker, but less practiced; someone who has spent his time fighting enemies who don’t attack back. Soon they are moving so fast I can barely follow their attacks . To me, it’s all sounds. The crash of metal on metal. A cry as Jaxon’s arm is sliced by the creatures tail. A howl when Red breaks out nearly all the automatons teeth.

  I grip my blade firmly in both hands. My feet stiff but my knees loose, ready to move. I try to remember all Red has taught me about fighting. When to attack. When to draw back. But with this screaming, howling creature in front of me my mind empties. The creature’s tail whips past my face. I snap my hand out, slicing at the lone blade at the end of its tail. My synthblade catches on metal - but the automaton is so old its blades are no match for the more modern weapons we carry. The tail breaks off in a jagged point and writhes on the ground, some internal motor still powering it.

  The battle seems to last hours, but it’s only moments before the creature has collapsed to the ground. Shattered bits of metal surround it. The automaton’s legs stir weakly, but there is no fight left. I crouch down next to the head.

  “Evie, don’t,” Red says. But I can’t help myself. I lean in, looking closer. The automaton’s eye follows me. I wonder how long it will stay alive out here, even broken into dozens of pieces. The automatons were created from metal and flesh. Not lifeless, but not truly alive either. I can’t--

  My eyes burn with tears for the monster that tried to kill us. I take my synthblade, unsure if my plan will even work. But I can’t leave this thing out here, to spend hundreds of years lying broken on the ground. Wishing for death but unable to die. I slide my synthblade between two metal sheets on the skull. I sever wire and maybe veins until I finally hit something soft. I push harder and the light goes out in the automaton’s eye.

  ***

  All three of us stand quietly around the dead automaton. The forest is silent now. Red has his synthblade powered down and dug into the ground, using its height to hold him upright. Jaxon doesn’t even bother, and throws himself to the ground, back against a tree, and head hanging between his knees.

  “What the hell man,” Red breaks the silence with a shout. He’s standing with his sword in hand now, waving it in Jaxon’s direction.

  “What the hell Red,” I jump in between the two. I hold my hands out in front of me, blocking Red’s path to Jaxon.

  I look to Jaxon, who lifts his head wearily from his knees. “What now?” he says, but he doesn’t sound angry. Just tired.

  “You didn’t think it would be a good idea to give us weapons before we were attacked? Might have saved a little trouble.”

  “You have made it quite apparent how you feel about me. I was a little worried you might stab me in the back. Literally.”

  I rub at my eyes; I can’t deal with this right now. “Come on. Let’s find somewhere to sleep for a few hours. I think we could all use it.”

  “Here seems fine,” Red says.

  “No!” Jaxon and I shout at the same time. “No,” I repeat, “I don’t want to sleep next to this-- thing.”

  “You don’t know much about them,” Jaxon adds, “Could be when one dies, more will come investigating.”

  “I’m sure you would know all about them, wouldn’t you? Considering your father uses them against his own people to keep us trapped in Haven.”

  “My father has nothing to do with the automatons,” Jaxon jumps to his feet and pulls out his synthblade to point at Red.

  I am ready to throw myself between them again, to stop the growing argument, but Jaxon’s blade wavers in the air for a moment, then he drops his arm with a sigh. “We need to find someplace to rest. I refuse to sleep next to this...thing.” For a moment, it’s impossible to tell if his comment is aimed at Red or the automaton.

  “Of course,” I say. I try to catch Jaxon’s eye, but he won’t look at me. He busies himself gathering the scattered contents of his knapsack. I glare angrily at Red who rolls his eyes at me, before both of us follow slowly behind.

  We walk for perhaps a mile, maybe more, before Jaxon chooses a spot to rest. I see nothing that differentiates the spot from any other we have passed, but the minute Jaxon sees the small clearing, he throws his bag down with a muttered “this is good.”

  My vision wavers with exhaustion. The whole forest seems to weave back and forth in front of me. I blink rapidly and realize it’s tears in my eyes. I rub sullenly at my eyes. I have nothing to be upset over, why am I crying?

  Jaxon ignores Red and I, laying down far away from us, using his knapsack to rest his head on, and wrapping his blanket like a sleeve around his body.

  “Guess I’ll take watch,” Red mutters, annoyed.

  “Shut-up Red. Why are you being such an ass to him?”

  “Are you an idiot?” Red whispers harshly, “He’s a Millennial.”

  “So?” I rebut. “He’s done nothing but help us. So stop being such a jerk.”

  “Evie,” Red shakes his head slowly, “I see the way you look at him. Do you think when this little adventure is over - when he realizes he can’t run from his father forever -- he’s going to take you up to Crescent City and make you his Millennial bride? And you two will what? Live happily ever after?”

  “It’s not like that at all.” I defend myself, “he’s just helping me save my sister. After thi
s he’s gone. I want nothing to do with Millennials.”

  “You seem awfully interested in this one.”

  “I told you, he’s helping me. Besides. He’s not that bad most of the time.” I remember back to all the times Jaxon and I shared in my apartment. How he resiliently shoved corn mush into his mouth without complaint each morning. The way he’ll toss out a clever turn of phrase and then watch me with an expectant smile, waiting for my reaction. The map he created for me -- the same map that is guiding our steps closer to my sister. “He’s not a bad guy at all. He’s different from the rest of them.”

  “He’s an arrogant jerk who thinks he’s better than the rest of us.”

  “No,” I defend, “He’s not. I mean, sometimes he’s a bit of an ass. But he’s different when you’re not around. Maybe if you weren’t such a jerk to him, he wouldn’t always be so defensive around you.” Despite my words I can’t help but remember the argument Jaxon and I had. How he can change so quickly from someone I want to be around to…someone else. Someone who’s shut himself off from the world. Someone whose icy exterior is glued together by cruelty.

  “I don’t trust him,” Red says with finality. “And I never will.”

  CHAPTER 14

  “Wake up,” Jaxon whispers into my ear. I jerk into an upright position, afraid of another attack by the automatons. “No,” he laughs lightly, “everything is fine. I want to show you something.”

  “What time is it?” I mumble from my spot on the ground.

  “Who cares? Come on,” he pulls at my arm, urging to my feet. I get up, taking a moment to adjust to my abrupt wakening.

  “Fine,” I sigh, “What about Red?” Red’s sleeping form is a bump on the ground, nearly invisible in the darkness.

  “It’s for you,” he says solemnly. “This is only for you.”

  A shiver runs down my spine at the intensity of his voice. “Fine,” I mutter, trying to keep the sound of annoyance in my voice, “give me a minute.” I unroll the jacket I’d been using as my pillow and pull it over my shoulders.

  A cold wind ruffles my hair and dances around my ears. I pull the hood of the jacket up. Somehow the air outside of Haven feels much colder than within. “Where are we going?”

  “Not far. You’ll see,” Jaxon says and it sounds like he’s laughing. His voice is full of excitement and he’s practically dragging me forward. Our path leads us up a hill - steep enough that I’m panting within a few moments.

  “Seriously Jaxon, where are we going?”

  Jaxon doesn’t answer. He just turns around and gives me the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. A blush rises in my cheeks. His smile grows wider.

  “Come on, come on,” he urges me impatiently through the darkness. I have a hard time seeing - I wonder for a moment why he didn’t bring any light bands to guide our way. Soon I am too focused on not running into a tree that I stop thinking about anything.

  The hill grows steeper until the trees fall away. The ground is rocky and hard. I stumble over a loose stone. When I manage to catch my balance, I kick the stone away in annoyance. Where is Jaxon bringing me? And why did he want to leave Red behind? I can’t stop the hint of the old fear – that this is all a trick…a trap. I hear Jaxon’s steps come to a halt. Pulling my eyes from the ground I find him staring at me, an expectant look on his face.

  “What now?” I say to him.

  “Not at me,” Jaxon points to the sky with a smile “Look up.”

  I narrow my eyes, confused for a moment, and then bring my gaze to the sky above us. A gasp catches in my throat. The sky is covered in tiny dots of lights - millions and millions of them. They flow into each other, lighting the sky with a million glimmers so thick they almost seem to form a shimmering curtain.

  “What?” I whisper. But I know the answer -- stars. They’re stars. Tears form in my eyes and I can’t stop them from falling. The sky expands out in every direction and everywhere I look it’s the same. I’ve never - I can’t explain what I’m feeling. But my heart feels like it’s about to burst, and there is a strange feeling in my stomach like I’m going to be sick and laugh and cry all at the same time.

  “There is more,” Jaxon says, “look over there. At the moon.”

  I turn to look behind me where Jaxon is pointing. The moon is cresting over a hill. So close I feel like I could run to it. Larger than I’ve ever seen it. But there’s something -- “What’s wrong with it?” I ask.

  Jaxon laughs softly. “There is nothing wrong with it. It is an eclipse,” Jaxon says the word and I remember sitting in a classroom as the teacher tells us of one. A shadow moves across the moon - so slowly I can barely notice it but each time I blink a little more of the moon has disappeared.

  “I’ve never seen-- “ I stop, unable to finish my sentence over the knot in my throat.

  “I thought not,” he says, and I’ve never seen someone looking so pleased with themselves. “On Crescent City we can see it sometimes. But the stars never look like this there. To really see them you have to escape all the lights from of Haven. My father once brought me out. There is an observatory not too far from here where you can watch the stars. It’s--“He stops and swallows hard, “There’s nothing like it. Not in the entire world”

  “It’s beautiful,” I say. I swallow hard. My words due no justice to what he’s shown me.

  “Yeah,” Jaxon replies softly, “It is.”

  I lay on my back to stare up at the stars. Jaxon lays next to me close enough that I can feel the warmth of his body. I shiver against the chill of the ground that seems to be leeching heat from me. Jaxon tilts his head to look at me; his face only inches from mine. The stars reflect in his eyes, large and infinite.

  “Here,” he murmurs. He stretches his arm out and pushes it lightly under me. I lift my head until he has settled. When I lay back down he tightens his grip, pulling me closer to him until my head rests on the edge of his shoulder.

  “I am sorry for deceiving you,” Jaxon whispers softly, almost regretfully. His breath tickles my hair with warmth.

  “I know.”

  “It was not my intention to hurt you.”

  “Jaxon,” I tilt my head up but all I can see is the underside of his jaw, “I know you didn’t want to hurt me. I get it. Why you did it. I understand. And I forgive you.”

  Jaxon makes a soft humming sound in his throat. Agreement or disagreement I can’t tell. But I’ve said what I need to.

  In silence, we watch the stars until the rising sun blots them out.

  “We better go,” I say, hating to be the one that breaks the quiet, “Red will worry if he wakes up and we aren’t there.”

  ***

  Travelling through the forest is an experience like none I have ever known. At first the land around us is achingly quiet as we trudge through day after day of walking. Each word shatters a silence that shouldn’t be. But as the days pass on and our efforts at conversation slow I realize the land outside Haven is anything but quiet. Birds call out morning songs to each other. There is a constant buzz in the air – the vibrant life of insects. Occasionally we hear the distant howl of some creature – wolf, or automaton, we never find out.

  “How much further,” I ask one morning three days after we’ve left Haven. We’ve stopped for lunch by a small brook. Red is washing out clothing gone stiff with sweat and dirt while Jaxon disappears into the shadows between trees.

  Red looks over his shoulder at me with his head tilted to one side like he didn’t hear what I asked. I repeat my question, louder this time, as two birds startle from the tree above me.

  But it’s Jaxon, not Red who answers. “Another week,” Jaxon says. His hands are piled full of wood which he drops to the ground at my feet. I glance back to Red, whose face has transformed into a scowl at Jaxon’s appearance.

  The arguing between the two seems never-ending. I can’t tell if Jaxon is taunting Red on purpose; but every time Jaxon leaves the more difficult chores to us, or stretches out in a nap while he should be keepin
g watch, Red fingers his blade with the same scowl he wears now.

  Jaxon drops to the ground next to me and piles the wood into a small triangle. Despite our travel he still manages to somehow end the day looking immaculate. His cheeks have gained a hint of color to them and his eyes sparkle like this is the grandest adventure he’s ever been on. Each evening he fastidiously washes his clothes; sleeping wrapped only in his blankets while his clothing dries.

  I glance self-consciously at my own dirty nails and the fraying edges of my shirt. It is unfair, that even facing the same conditions a Millennial is somehow… more than the rest of us.

  “A week?” I ask Jaxon. I snag a small stick from his pile, a branch with the shape and width of a straw, and draw shapes in the ground with it. I glance up to Jaxon, his tattoos, and begin mirroring the same sharp angles in the dirt.

  Red’s shadow falls over me and I glance up to see what he wants. Water drips from his body and onto my dirt drawing. The ground is so dry that each time a drop hits a small dust-cloud explodes upwards.

  He kicks at the ground near where Jaxon builds his pile of wood. “You’ll need more than that for a fire,” he says.

  Jaxon glances between his pile and Red’s angry scowl. “I believe this will be plenty.”

  “No,” Red thrusts his jaw out, “That will –“

  “I’ll go get some,” I stand up, cutting of the conversation before it devolves into another argument.

  “You shouldn’t go alone,” Jaxon says.

  “I’m fine. I won’t go far.” I think of the deadly creatures haunting the land around us. “I promise.”

  “I will go with you.” Jaxon pulls himself to his feet. He pauses for a moment to brush dirt off his knees before turning to me with a small smile.

  “Don’t worry about me,” Red calls sarcastically after us, “I’ll stay here. Mind the camp.”

  I brush away small branches as we travel deeper into the forest. In the few short days we’ve been out here, we’ve learned dead trees make for the best fires. Leaves just simmer and smoke; branches pulled fresh from trees have this scent to them when they burn that left us all with a throbbing headache by morning.