The Messiah [1]

7: Jax

Jax was in the middle of sparring when a hush fell over the training grounds. Where only a moment before there had been lively chatter, chilling silence swept through, disrupting the peaceful pattern of the day. His focus slipped for only one moment, but that was all the opening Basil needed. Two quick thrusts and Jax's sword went sailing into the air, landing with a large clatter against the cobblestone. The humid heat was soaking into Jax's skin, and he felt the sweat sliding between his shoulder blades as Basil flicked the edge of his blade just beneath Jax's chin. The cold steel rested on his throat.

Groaning, Jax ran his hands through sweat-heavy hair, slicking back his thick locks in hopes they would stay out of his eyes. Jax could feel his muscles shift and bunch under the thin white shirt he wore to train in, but he didn't notice the stares and whispers he was drawing from the ogling maids. He could already feel the habitual soreness setting in, but Jax didn't regret waking up early to devote the whole day to training. Despite the king's harsh words, Jax refused to give up his time in the pit. It was the one thing within the castle that gave him purpose. No amount of history lessons, or meeting with dignitaries' daughters gave Jax the same satisfaction. In the ring, he wasn't the prince, but a force to be reckoned with - something beyond just a puppet for his father to control.

"You lose focus like that in an actual fight, and you'll be nothing but blood on stone." Basil mumbled among the growing commotion, eyes crinkled in curiosity at the crowd gathering around entrance to the main hall.

"So you've told me." Jax responded smartly, walking to pick up his sword. Once it was retrieved, he slid it back into the sheath at his side, his attention also drawn to the crowd. "What's happened?"

"It's said they've caught the Messiah." A maid whispered excitedly behind him, arms linked with a friend as they scurried past.

Jax froze, his mind seizing in shock as the guards exited the hall, a dark-haired girl supported between them. Jax could tell she was drugged because every so often she would stumble - her feet sliding out from under her as the guards jerked her around. No one was that clumsy. Jax took a step forward, eyes wide as he stared at the most fearsome mage to have been born in centuries. Limp hair covered the girl's face, but Jax could see blood leaking from the corner of her lips. For a moment, the crowd was silent - then a cheer rose and people began to jostle one another for a look at the so-called savior. Jax couldn't seem to move and he looked down expecting to see his feet ensnared by roots.

"Jax, go back to your room." Basil shouted over the growing cheers from the crowd, taking the sword from his hand and pushing him toward the opposite side of the courtyard.

Stumbling, half expecting to feel resistance when he tried to move his feet, Jax stared dumbly at Basil's back as he dashed away into the crowd. The messiah; an individual with limitless magic who would destroy the world as they knew it - that was what the king had preached as had his father before him. But as Jax watched the limp form being dragged between the guards, his stomach tightened in pain. She was so small. The girl couldn't be older than he was - yet he was to believe she would be responsible for the deaths of the thousands of citizens within their kingdom?

Jax couldn't reconcile the horror stories he'd heard as a child with the diminutive girl currently being cursed by the seething crowd. His mouth opened, but he couldn't think of a damn thing to say. As if sensing his inner turmoil, the girl raised her head - and suddenly Jax was looking into a pair of piercing dark green eyes. Jax felt like he'd been sucker-punched as the oxygen whooshed from his lungs - and even though their eye contacted only lasted for a second, Jax felt something shift. It was so small, as if a breeze had knocked him off balance, but suddenly knew things would never be the same.

But before he could figure out what it was, the guards dragged her into the main laboratory and the contact was broken. Shuddering, Jax turned and ran back to his room before anyone could see that he'd stayed - all the while troubled by one thing.

In her eyes, Jax had seen nothing but fear.

Φ

Jax paced his room, his expression as dark as the clouds of thunder rolling in from the mountains. If the rumors were true, and the messiah had indeed been captured, then the war might finally be at an end. The familiar prophecy as was taught within the kingdom echoed within Jax's head, bouncing around until his head began to throb.

"When the green eyed angel

ascends to the throne of god,

the world known by all will fall to

fire and ash."

If the messiah ever reached full potential, the world as known to him would crumble. Jax didn't know what to feel – but as the words rebounded in his head, he couldn't help but think they felt unfinished. As if he only owned one piece of the puzzle. At times like these, when Jax became pensive, he couldn't help but think of his mother. Her soft smile, and whispered words on her deathbed would never leave him. Now especially, he couldn't help but remember her lessons on magic; she'd always told him to never judge someone he couldn't empathize with - because if he couldn't understand them, he had no right to judge them.

Jax was in the middle of these thoughts when his door swung open, bouncing off the wall. Basil stormed in, his expression solemn. Jax couldn't help but notice the wrinkles that bracketed the older man's face – wrinkles that hadn't seemed to have been there yesterday. Jax couldn't remember a time without Basil by his side, his constant companion and guardian.

"Where have you been? I've been waiting for hours." Jax growled, stopping to stare at Basil, his hands fisted on his hips.

Just because he loved the man like a father, didn't mean he was going to get all sappy on him. Basil would laugh himself silly if he knew Jax was having such unnecessary emotional turmoil just because he'd made eye contact with the girl suspected of being the messiah.

Basil shut the door, hissing at Jax when his voice carried down the hallway. "For god's sake Jax, keep your voice down. If your father knew I was here, telling you this, I'd be hung out as a traitor."

Jax waved his hand, marking Basil's words as an exaggeration. The king may be overzealous, but Jax couldn't comprehend his father ever being so violent. Many in the kingdom feared King Jasper – and for good reason – but Jasper was still his father. Such violence was nearly unimaginable, considering Jax had never been allowed outside the castle to witness anything beyond the simple punishments his father doled out.

"Yes, I understand." Jax said, lowering his voice, "So is she really the Messiah?"

"Ye-" Basil began, flinching as the door was thrown open.

It banged sharply against the wall, and Jax was sure this time there would be a mark. Sighing grievously, he watched at his father swept into the room, his ever present guard Simian following. Jax paid little attention to the fearsome-looking man who was constantly trailing after his father, and so didn't notice when the man's cold eyes fastened on him.

"There you are, Basil." King Jasper said, his voice cold as his eyes flicked to his son, and then back to Basil, "I appreciate your interest in... protecting my son, but I need you to come with me. Now."

Jax opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Basil shook his head. His father was looking between them, his expression impassive – but Jax could tell by the rigid way the king was holding himself that he was furious. Jax clenched his jaw, irritation coursing through his body and swamping him. As the king's heir, he should be kept in the loop, but he never was and Jax hated it. The king had rarely treated Jax as a son – more like a dog who refused to learn the tricks his master taught him.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Basil said, turning on his heel and walking from the room after the king. Jax watched in silence, one thought beating through his head, imprinting itself in his mind.

He had to find out more about the girl.