“Artistic differences, that’s all,” I tell him and then motion for him to close his eyes. We’re in the backyard and it’s a nice and warm day. The perfect spring day to spend outdoors after the winter we had, but we won’t be enjoying the sunshine. At least not on this world.
“You’re teleporting us?” Jaak asks when I come close and hug him. The familiar pull of the magic used to teleport is easy to identify. It feels like you’re swinging and suddenly you’ve swungtoo high and the rope snaps. Everything moves and nothing does at all.
“I am,” I tell him and concentrate on the place I want to go. I think of it as intensely as I can while checking to make sure Jaak keeps his promise of closing his eyes. I’ve never been there so making the trip isn’t easily done but for him I manage it.
“Teleporting makes you sick. What’s the occasion?” he asks.
“Your birthday.”
We aren’t sure if it’s his birthday or not but Nina’s in an astrology era and told me all about Taurus season and the first day seemed as fitting a day as any to pick for his birthday.
“It’s a powerful day. Plenty of good stuff to work with. It would make a perfect birthday. I wish it was my birthday to be honest.”
That sealed the deal on Jaak’s birthday. He was happy to have the day and teared up when I told him I’d found the perfect day for us to celebrate. This is his first one that he’ll be able to remember which meant I had to go big or go home with the gift.
Naturally, I went nuclear.
I’m taking Jaak home today.
I found his world purely by accident during a divination session with Sunday. I almost didn’t realize what I was looking at in the silver bowl we’d filled with water until I’d seen the hills. They were the fields, the exact same color, the exact same sky overhead. Everything was alive and bright, just the way Jaak remembered it before Eri came.
“That could be any world. Any planet,” Sunday told me. “Are you sure this is smart?”
“I feel it. I’ve seen it in his memories. Granted, there aren’t a lot to go off of but I know this is the place. I need your help to get me there.”
It took us a month to get my teleporting skills up to snuff and another two weeks for Sunday to feel confident enough inturning me loose to find the planet. All-in-all it had been months of work, every bit of it worth it to bring him here.
No augers bother us on our way past. I see a few beings I can’t identify just out of my field of vision but I pay them no mind. There’s nothing to fear here. Not anymore. The familiar pull of a journey’s end settles down around us. A second later the ground materializes beneath our feet.
The wind whistles around us, it sweeps through the fields and hills of Jaak’s home. We’ve landed on a hill not too far outside of a settlement. Hills rise up around the settlement. The homes here are small and quaint, built from dark wood with colorfully tiled roofs. From our vantage point I can see each home sports a different color, some are blue, others yellow and green, along with purple and red. It’s beautiful.
I swallow hard and look up at Jaak. His eyes are still closed. Of course they’re closed, my husband knows when to keep a promise.
“Okay, we’re here. Open your eyes.”
“The mystery destination revealed at long-” Jaak falls silent the moment his eyes open. He goes still too, so still that I don’t expect the way he staggers to the side. I rush to him and grab his arm to help hold him up. Thankfully, he’s in his human form and easier to support.
I hook his arm over my shoulder. “Jaak?”
“It’s my home. You-you found it.”
I bite my lip and nod. I don’t know how to interpret his face. I can feel him, everything feels the same through our bond but I’m not sure.
“Sunday helped. I’ve been working for months to make sure I could get us here.”
Jaak looks away from the settlement and to me. “That’s what you’ve been doing when you vanish after dinner.”
I nod. “I had to make sure I could get us here in one piece. Do you know how embarrassing a fail it would be on your birthday? I-well, is this okay? I didn’t really think this through, I’m now realizing. What if you didn’t want to go home or something and I just zapped us here.”
Jaak doesn’t tell me if it’s okay or not, he does however pull me into him for a crushing hug. He hugs me so tightly that I feel the air leave my body but I don’t stop him. I hug him back. There’s tears in his eyes but he’s smiling when we break apart.
“You are perfect. This is perfect. Thank you. This is more than okay. I,” he pauses and looks around, he spins slowly and shakes his head, “I never thought I would see Acheron ever again.”
Acheron.
Every time he tried to remember he came up with nothing. No amount of trying gave us any information, but now Jaak’s home finally has a name.
“You remembered the name!”
