Jaxon Prayer (Jaxon Prayer Trilogy Book 1)

by Rachel West

  Red and Jaxon huddle beneath the alcove of a building, barely visible in the shadows. Red reaches out and pulls me toward him, hugging me against his chest like he thought he’d never see me again. I linger for a moment then shove him away, “I told you I’d be fine. It was nothing.”

  His teeth flash brilliant in the night. He crouches down next to me and holds a hand out to Annie. My sister is hovering behind me, her hands have a vice grip on the back of my jacket, pulling it too tight around my throat. “Nice to finally meet you,” Red says. His voice is low and gentle. Soothing. I remember he greeted me with the same tone the first time we met, as he tried to draw me out from where I cowered deep in my little burrow, hiding from the cruelty of the Hollows.

  Annie doesn’t respond. She pushes her head into my back and it reminds me of when she was a tiny child. I step to the side, urging her forward. “It’s fine,” I reassure her, “they’re my friends. Red and Jaxon.”

  “Hello,” Jaxon says hesitantly. He pulls his hood down. For a moment Annie’s eyes bulge out, she stares at the tattoos on his face and takes frantic steps backward. She makes a sound, low in her throat like a scream and sob all in one.

  “Annie,” I whisper harshly. She struggles in my grasp. I wrap my arms around her, pinning her hands close to her body. She scratches at my face. Stomps on my feet. And through it all, screaming, screaming. “Annie, be quiet. He’s fine. It’s okay. He’s on our side. Shhh.” I rock her back and forth in my arms. Her screaming becomes loud, violent-sounding sobs that shake her whole body. “It’s okay, I promise you. He’s the one who helped me find you. You’re safe now.”

  “Evie…” Red says and I hear the sound of warning in his tone. When I look to him, he jerks his head roughly to one side. Across the way a door is opening. The black and crimson uniform of a Praetor is just visible through the cloud-covered night.

  CHAPTER 22

  “This way,” Jaxon jerks his head to the left, behind the barracks I just came from. “I retrieved all our supplies. They are back by the wall. Come on!”

  “Come on Annie,” I say soothingly. I keep her back to the Praetors so she doesn’t see them and panic again. “We just have to get out of here, then we’re home free.” The Praetors haven’t noticed us yet but it’s only a matter of time. Two of them are looking around while two others cluster together and whisper quietly.

  Jaxon leads the way while Red follows behind Annie and I. I’m not sure how Jaxon knows where he is going, but he guides us with assurance. Every now and again he looks back and whispers light, encouraging words. A misty rain begins to fall as the wind picks up. Drops run down my face and into my shirt. We cross behind building and after building. The farm stretches on for eternity.

  The piercing glow of a flashlight causes us all to freeze in terror. “In here,” Jaxon says, pulling us into an empty shed. My back is pressed into Jaxon and I hold Annie in front of me. It smells of mildew and dirt and rotting fruit. Footsteps approach and Jaxon pulls me in closer. He whispers something into my ear but I am too frightened to make it out. We’ve come too close to get caught now. Annie shakes quietly in my arms, her whole body quivering with terror. I hold her tight, trying to reassure her, but it makes no difference. There is a patter on the roof as the rain begins. The wind blows through the empty cracks and small holes of the shed, creating a haunting melody.

  Reality fades away until the whole evening takes on a dreamlike glow. The rain pouring down. The beam of flashlights crossing our path. Footsteps and yells. Eventually we begin moving again. An alarm sounds. Red light flashes from high on the wall. Everyone’s movements begin to look jerky. Like a puppet on strings.

  I think Red is talking. Or maybe Jaxon. I’m not sure. The wind blows stronger and the only sound I can hear is the rushing in my ears. We’re running along the side of the wall now. At one point Red crouches down and lifts our three backpacks into his arms. He tosses one to Jaxon who catches it easily. The other is handed to me and I hold it in my arms like a child.

  Jaxon guides us into another building. I bend over, hands resting on my knees, and try to catch my breath. Annie drops to the ground, her legs splayed out gracelessly beneath her.

  “We have a problem,” Jaxon says. He pulls out the tube of corrosive paste and tosses it at my feet. “This does not work on wet surfaces. We can’t use it to break through the wall.” He shrugs nonchalantly but I hear the tension pulling in his voice.

  “What are we gonna do?”

  “I still have these,” he holds up five metal stakes, “we can draw the electricity away, but they’re useless without the boom-paste.”

  “Can we climb over?” I ask.

  Red considers then shakes his head slowly “No. The wall is too sheer and too high. There’s nothing to grip onto.”

  “What about your saw -- can you use it to cut through the wall?”

  Jaxon answers this time, “Maybe. But it would take hours. They’d find us long before we finished.”

  “What else can we do?” my words are a desperate cry. The sound is nearly lost in a clash of thunder. I jump, startled by the sound.

  Jaxon crouches down next to my sister. He tries to get her to meet his eyes, but Annie keeps averting her gaze. At least she’s not screaming anymore.

  “Annie. Can you look at me?” He bobs his head in front of hers. “Listen. We need to get out of here and to do that we need your help. Can you do that? Can you help us get out?” He points to me, “Help your sister get out.”

  She’s looking at him now, but she doesn’t say anything. Her eyes are fixated on Jaxon’s tattoos. She looks on the edge of panic. She looks so young, sitting there. Lost. I drop to my knees next to her. This is my sister. My family. And I have no idea how to soothe her. I remember the lullabies our mother use to sing and I stifle a sound that’s more sob than laugh. What use am I?

  I bump my shoulder lightly against Jaxon’s, trying to smile reassuringly. But I am so sick with fear that the edges of my lips quiver into a grimace. I take one of her hands in mine and Jaxon’s hand in my other. My hands are slippery and wet with rain and sweat but I hold on tightly. “Look,” I say gently, “we’re friends. He’s okay. We’re all okay. We just need to get out of here. You can trust him.”

  “You can trust me, I promise” Jaxon repeats my words. “We need to find a way out. You’ve been here for a few years. Is there anywhere that has a structure close to the wall. Something we could use to climb over?”

  Annie’s mouth moves but I can’t make out the words. “What?” I lean in close.

  “The orchards,” she repeats.

  “The trees!” I grip my sisters hands tight in thanks. “We can use the trees to climb over.”

  Jaxon stares off into the distance as if he’s trying to figure something out. His brow lowers and he squints, seeing something the rest of us don’t. He begins speaking, the words are slow, halting, “Maybe it could work. Draw the electricity away. Use some branches.” He nods, making the decision for all of us, “We can try.”

  “Which way?” I ask my sister.

  “The pear trees,” She says - for the first time her words carry the sound of confidence. Like she’s here, with us - and not lost in the hazy, panicked place she’s been all night.

  “Good. The pear trees,” I stand up. I wipe the dust off my knees, but my wet hands just spread it in a muddy smear.

  The pear trees. It could work. Maybe we will make it out of here. I can picture us all scrambling up into the trees and over the wall like squirrels. The Praetors unable to follow us. Even the night seems brighter now that we have a clear goal in mind. I see the rain as less of a hassle, and more as an aid, hiding us from the Praetors’ eyes.

  We run forward. Sprinting through the night - leaving the alarms and flashing lights behind as we head deep into the orchards. Trees arch overhead like ancient sentinels. The sound of the rain drops hitting their leaves makes it seem like they’re talking. Telling secrets kept for hundreds of years.

 
; Annie starts lagging behind. I slow my pace and reach my hand back. She looks at me with a blank expression and ignores my hand. Hurt crawls in my gut, but I squash it down and pull my arm back.

  A shadow builds up in front of us. The wall. Jaxon comes to a sudden stop. His feet slide forward in the muddy ground but he manages to keep his balance. I’m not so lucky. I crash forward with too much momentum and go flailing into a tree. Jaxon reaches out to catch me but he’s not quick enough. The side of my face bangs into the tree - hard enough to make me see stars, but not enough to knock me out. Someone -- Jaxon-- is steadying me from behind. Hands rest on my shoulders, fingers digging in almost painfully as he struggles to keep me upright.

  “I got it,” I say, but I don’t shrug his hands off. We stay frozen, like two ancient statues, for just a moment too long. There’s a heaviness in the air that has nothing to do with the wind and rain. Nothing to do with the fear and desperate flight. Red clears his throat uncomfortably. Jaxon pulls his hands away like he’s been burned.

  “Spread out,” Jaxon says authoritatively, “We need to find the right tree. Look for something close to the wall with branches thick enough to hold our weight.”

  I nod slowly, careful not to jar the pounding in my head. I reach a hand up to gently prod at the side of my face. I can feel wetness but it’s impossible to tell if it’s blood or rain. Blood, if the pain is anything to go by.

  “Here!” Red calls out. He’s standing under the boughs of a tree. The bark is rough and grey, but the branches spread out in every direction like the rising sun. Bright and vibrant and full of life. The leaves are inches away from the top of the wall - but the closest branch leaves a gap of a couple feet.“We need--“ Red begins to say, but Jaxon pulls out the saw before he finishes. Something flashes between the two, camaraderie maybe.

  Jaxon hands the saw to Red, who takes it and crawls up into a neighboring tree. It takes a moment for it to dawn on me what he’s doing. He’s sawing though one of the thickest branches on the tree. The saw eases through the wood like it’s hardly even there. Behind us, Jaxon jams his metal stakes into the wall. There is a small explosion with each one, like something on the end of the stake aids in forcing through the stone. He spaces each about three feet apart and moving up the wall like a ladder. Once they’re all lodged in, he presses a small silver button on them. A slight buzzing sound can be heard over the rain. “Be careful not to touch these,” Jaxon warns.

  From there it’s surprisingly easy to escape. The branch Red is cutting through drops to the ground with a wet thud. I close my eyes for a moment, against the bitter memory of limping Liddy being murdered by the Praetors. I swallow hard and push it away.

  Together, Red and Jaxon drag the branch into the tree we’ll use for our crossing. They secure the loose branch with one end resting in a split bough, the other placed on top of the wall. “Here we go,” Red says. He drops to his hand and knees and inches across the branch.

  My heart jumps into my throat. I try to yell at him, but terror transforms my scream into a croak. As he inches closer to the electrified wall, I can’t stop imagining his death. Over and over I see him die before me.

  I close my eyes. I can’t watch this. I won’t. I need Red. We should have tested the wall; there had to be a way we could have.

  “He’s over,” Jaxon says near to my ear.

  I slowly open my eyes. Even though I know better, I’m certain Jaxon is playing a trick on me. That I’m going to open my eyes and see Red just as he touches the wall.

  “It worked. We drew the electricity away. It’s safe to climb over.”

  “He’s safe?” I ask. Jaxon responds with a smile and I feel like an idiot. I should have trusted him. Despite all the help he’s given us. Despite how he’s left his entire life behind and risked everything, I still find myself doubting. “Annie next,” I demand. I cross over to Annie, who is hovering as far away from Jaxon as she can manage. She doesn’t trust him either. “Your turn,” I tell her. “Do you need help?”

  She shakes her head and scrambles up the tree so fast I nearly miss it. I’m amazed for a moment, then realize it makes sense - she’s spent five years climbing these trees. For a moment she balances on top of the wall. Then she spreads her arms out and throws her whole body off the wall like she’s jumping from a cliff to her death. A gasp rises in my throat. But I hear no screams, no cries of pain. I don’t know how close the wall is to the ground on the other side. Close enough that jumping isn’t a death wish. That’s all we need.

  Relief shudders through me. My blood dances through my veins and it’s on fire. I did it. I rescued Annie. For five years I have been consumed by her loss. Consumed by guilt. And now I am free. The weight of it all, the weight of self-loathing, the weight of weakness – gone. I turn to Jaxon – Jaxon who helped me every step of the way. Jaxon who kept pushing, pushing, pushing. Always moving me forward. Jaxon whose hair is plastered to skin by cold rain, whose eyes are shadowed with exhaustion, Jaxon who in this moment is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

  “Thank you,” I whisper and my throat swells because words will never be enough. The wind whips between us. I tuck a strand of hair behind one ear and watch Jaxon. Watch as the fear on his face fades and he smiles at me like I am the only thing in the world. Like maybe I wasn’t just some promise he was fulfilling, not some duty that he owed.

  “You’re welcome,” he says and there is a heaviness to his voice that sets my heart beating even faster. I look away, unable to deal with the twisting, churning emotions in me. Guilt. Relief. Fear.

  Love.

  It’s all too much and there’s no time to sort through it anyway. So I grab his hand and pull him towards the tree.

  “Go on,” I push him forward.

  “No. You next,” Jaxon gestures with his chin.

  “No way,” I say defensively. “You should go now. I can climb faster than you - if anyone shows up, it’s best if I’m last.” But the truth is right now I would only slow him down. The Praetors are coming, I can hear them in the distance, their shouts echoing through the trees. With the condition of my shoulder I wasn’t even certain I could make it up the tree. I wouldn’t be the reason Jaxon was caught. No, I needed him to go first. I needed to know, that after everything he’s done for me, he at least makes it through tonight alive. I’ve rescued Annie; I won’t let Jaxon sacrifice himself for it.

  He looks like he’s going to argue. He throws his shoulders back and takes a deep breath. Lightning flashes. His body is framed for an instant in perfection and I see Jaxon Prayer, the Millennial Prince. Tall, proud and arrogant. Stronger than the rest of us. A man who could win any argument. “Fine,” he says.

  I jerk my head back in surprise. He’s already climbing the tree by the time I manage to let out a mangled “good.”

  Another flash of light. Wind. Rain. I begin climbing the tree when Jaxon is only halfway up. I’m moving slow. Too slow. My fingers tremble against the bark and I am afraid my shoulder will give out. A howl sounds behind me. I blink slowly, confused by the sound. The second time I hear it, I understand. Dogs. Light shines on me but this time it’s not lightning. The Praetors have found us.

  “Jaxon, go!” I shout up to him in terror. I don’t think he can hear me. The Praetors are moving closer. A dozen of them jogging through the paths of the orchard. Every other one is led by a dog. They converge together, like a building imploding inwards, and move as a tight platoon towards the tree we cower within. “Jaxon!” I scream as loud as I can.

  His face turns down to look at me. I can see the exact moment he spots the Praetor. A smile transforms into a grim line. Eyes go hard and cold. The blood drains from his face and he looks at me with terror. He loosens his grip on the branches and I see something in his eyes that makes my heart freeze.

  “Don’t!” My voice is a desperate shout. I know exactly what he’s going to do. The Praetors won’t kill him, no matter what crimes he commits. “Keep going. Please.” I don’t know if he hears my p
leas or just sees the look on my face but he gives a jerky nod and sets to climbing again. I follow close behind moving as quickly as my bruised body will allow. My muscles feel numb with weakness. The rain chills me to the bone and a truth has settled into my heart that I can’t shake.

  I won’t make it.

  I try to push myself faster as the Praetors gather at the base of the tree. A weapon is pulled. Then another. Guns. I am a sitting target. Moving so slowly I’d be impossible to miss. Jaxon reaches the branch-bridge. I don’t know if I feel relief or terror. It means we’re almost to the top. But it’s the most open position.

  I reach up and my hand catches on something. I pull back, knocking a bird’s nest loose. It drops slowly to the ground, almost as if the wind is fighting its fall, before it lands, splitting apart against the tree’s roots. Two eggs tumble out and are crushed beneath the Praetor’s boots. For a moment, I forget everything around me and all I can think is those poor birds never even got the chance at life.

  I draw my eyes away from the fallen nest and see four guns aimed on me and all the panic comes rushing back. I swallow my fear as chills run down my spine and fade. All I can see is the barrel of the gun. A black hole, drawing me in. Nothing else matters. Nothing else is there. Just me, the gun, and the bullet that will take my life away.

  “Evie,” Jaxon screams, breaking me from my trance. He’s balanced on top of the wall. All I have left to do is cross the tree-bridge and I’ll be free. But I can’t move. Terror has frozen me. I feel every pulse of my heart. The sound of blood rushing through my veins. I hover, still hidden by the branches, to give myself a moment to think. I’ll need to get across as fast as I can. The branch is almost level, with only a slight incline. Crawling could take a minute or more - but running. Only a few, leaping steps and I will be across.

  I stumble to my feet and scuff at the bark of the branch, to test its slipperiness. The rain has left the wood slick to my touch but I can still feel something of a grip. I can make it. Only a few steps. I look across to where Jaxon waits on the edge of the wall. His face is white, so white in the darkness. And I try to smile to reassure him but my lips tremble and my eyes well with tears.