Migration: Beginnings (Migration Series Book 1) Read online

  Jason bounds into the house with a renewed sense of energy and runs into the kitchen, opening the door to the pantry and spotting the overstuffed plastic bag of fluffy, white treats. He grabs them, and makes it back out to the firepot just as his grandfather is walking back from the side of the yard, two long, but manageable sticks in his arthritic hands.

  Jackson manages to pierce a couple of marshmallows onto the end of each branch, and they sit back, holding the sticks out over the still-glowing coals, letting them get good and gooey on the inside, and dark brown and caramelized on the outside. Picking the first treat off the end of his stick, and holding Jason’s so he can manage the same thing, Jackson asks, “So what kind of story do you want to hear?”

  Thinking about it, Jason munches happily on his marshmallow as an ember pops, and a hint of flame reappears in the firepot, the warm light glancing off of the triangular shaped pendant hanging around his grandfather’s neck. “Tell me about that, Grandpa,” Jason says as his little fingers reach over to touch the metal. “Like, where did you get it? Is it magic? It looks cool…”

  Jackson reaches up and touches the metal pendant hanging on a silver chain around his neck, and he smiles. “This?” he asks. “Well, this has a long, long, long history in our family. It’s been with us for as long back as anyone can remember.” He takes off the necklace and hands it to Jason. “My grandfather gave it to me, who got it from his grandfather before him, who got it from his grandfather before him, and so forth, all the way back nearly a thousand years. It’s been in our family from the very beginning, and it’s very, very special.

  “You see,” Jackson says, fingers dancing over the necklace, “This was made a very, very long time ago, by a group of people who wanted to make sure a part of history was never lost. The Builder, as he was known, gave this to the most trusted person he knew. This trusted man was given specific instructions that he was to never let go of the necklace—not ever take it off—and that he would pass it along to his ancestors, along with the story, so that one day, when it was safe, the true meaning could be revealed.”

  Jason’s eyes grow big, and he almost misses stuffing the second marshmallow into his mouth. Around the sweet treat, he asks, “What was it?”

  “These people were really smart, and they developed a very special machine. It didn’t look like much, but when you put everything together the way that each piece fits, it would open up what looked like a window. But instead of opening a window to the outside like the ones on the house, it opened a window to a whole new world; a world far, far away, high up in the sky.”

  Jason’s so entranced by the possibilities his grandfather’s talking about that he nearly forgets to breathe. “Whoa,” he manages. “Like going to Mars or Jupiter?”

  “Even better,” Jackson says. “It takes you to planets even farther away than that!”

  “Can we go find it?” Jason asks, automatically standing up and ready to head for the car.

  Shaking his head, Jackson replies, “Not yet. We were told that we’d know when it was time. But they had to hide it because there were bad, mean people who tried to steal it. They wanted to take the device away so only they could use it. But the device is there for the whole world to use when we need it. So the really smart people who built the device carefully took it apart, and sent each of the three pieces in three different directions, so each piece could be taken far away, to be kept safe.

  “The first piece was taken by horseback for a week across the country, then by ship over a channel of water, and was finally put on a beast of burden, which then traveled for many weeks, ending up in a high mountain range. The group who found the beam took it and buried the piece in a valley near one of the tallest mountains on the planet, so that it would be hidden there, but would still be able to see over everything on the horizon, with the soaring birds to watch over it.

  “The second piece took longer still and crossed water, mountains, valleys, and was even strapped to a camel for a ride across a vast desert. It took them many weeks before they found a proper place to hide it. And when they did, it took them almost a whole week to get the task completed.

  “The last piece had to be treated very special because it was the one that controlled the other two pieces. The people had it taken across a great body of water, farther than anyone had ever been before.

  “When they finally landed, they carried it across a vast yawn of land, filled with trees, rivers and people, none of which they’d never encountered on any of their journeys. They traded some supplies and were helped across the land, where they finally came to a desert. The people who had lived there had long abandoned the desert, but there were houses built into the tops of many high cliffs. They knew that this special piece of the device was meant to be kept there, so that’s where they left it.

  “When they were ready, and this was years and years later, the leader of the group sought out the bravest, smartest, and most trustworthy man he knew, and that was your great-grandfather.”

  “My great-grandfather?” Jason asks, his voice quiet as if not to break the magical air surrounding them.

  “Your 28th great grandfather, to be exact. His name was Andus Beauchamp, and he lived hundreds of years ago. When The Builder sought him out, he told Andus all that they had done, why they had done it, and asked for his secrecy and cooperation.

  “The Builder told Andus about all of their adventures that had happened when they hid the pieces, telling him that the first piece was hidden so far up that it was almost in the sky. The second piece was hidden far away from where he stood, and it was deep, behind a wall of water, where the air was filled with mist. And the third piece was the farthest, farther than anyone had ever been, hidden deep in the earth, so far the sun wouldn’t shine on it again until it was found.

  “And while each piece was hidden away, this necklace,” Jackson says, pointing to the pendant on the chain hanging from his grandson’s fingers, “would always be here, to give us clues so that one day, when we were ready, we could find each piece.”

  He looks over at Jason and smiles at the awed look on his grandson’s face. “And that, my son,” Jackson says as he pops another perfectly caramelized marshmallow into his mouth, “is the story of this necklace, and how very, very important it is.”

  Jason considers the necklace for a minute and finally asks, “So, since you got that from your grandfather, and he got it from his grandfather, does that mean that I get to keep it?”

  “Not yet,” Jackson says as he levers himself up from the deck, holding out a hand to help pull his grandson from where he’s sprawled. “But one of these days you will,” he adds as he reaches out and takes the pendant and chain back, slowly putting it around his neck. “But first, you have to learn all of the stories. And when you do, I promise you that this is yours.”

  Chapter 5

  Rhys looks over the notes he’s been scribbling for the last forty-five minutes and heaves out a sigh. Jason had recounted nearly every detail of the story he’d been told time and time again by his grandfather, with Donna throwing in a detail here or there when necessary. They had been as precise as possible with the facts as they knew them, each of them holding a bit of an exasperated look as they figured out that the story they’d heard for most of their lives growing up might actually be true.

  “You know, I should definitely go down to Eugene tomorrow,” Donna says. “Thing is, we have my family’s genealogical history going way, way back. And it all begins with Jason’s 28th great grandfather—a man named Andus Beauchamp.” At Rhys’ curious look, she adds, “I remember looking it up after Dad told me the story the first time.”

  “But that could just be a coincidence, right?” Jason reasons. He looks around, hoping for a reassuring look, but is instead given a questioning look from his husband, who shrugs his shoulders.

  Picking up the bottle to top off Jason’s glass, Rhys says, “I don’t know, Jase…stranger things have happened.”

  Jason automatically take
s a sip, and puts his glass down when the sound of Ainslie stirring comes through the baby monitor.

  “No, no,” Donna says as she stands, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I’ll see to her; you boys need to talk and to decide what—if anything—you should do next.” She walks off and Rhys smiles, momentarily forgetting the ordeal they’re in as he hears Donna cooing over the young girl.

  Grabbing his glass, Rhys takes a sip of the rich wine, appreciating the tannins as they warm his throat. He puts his glass down, saying, “That little girl is gonna be spoiled by the time Leslie comes back from Seattle.” He lets his thoughts momentarily turn to thoughts of Mike, his father-in-law, and it’s almost as if Jason can read his mind. They reach out, grasping each other’s hand, Rhys giving it a squeeze before letting it go and getting back to the topic of discussion.

  “So, first things first,” he says, then holds up a finger and gets up from the table. He disappears from the kitchen, long enough to retrieve their digital camera from the bedroom. “I’m gonna need to take some pictures of that,” he says, pointing at the necklace around Jason’s neck. “Do you want to take it off? Or…”

  Jason gives him a look that seems to convey something along the lines of ‘fat chance’, so Rhys steps in close, undoing the top two buttons of Jason’s shirt. Jason immediately changes his expression to an impish smile and asks, “What, here? Now? I knew you couldn’t resist me, Mister Tambor,” and leans in, pulling Rhys into a passionate kiss. It isn’t exactly Rhys’ intention, but it’s not like they’ve had much time alone. And then Rhys hears it; they’d completely missed hearing Donna come down the stairs and only figure it out when she clears her throat from her perch on the bottom step.

  “Oh, we were just…” Rhys starts as he lets go of his husband, though Jason totally interrupts him.

  “Moooommmm! You said I could have boys over until ten o’clock!” Jason says, crossing his arms and giving his mother an imaginary pout.

  Rhys and Donna both let out an involuntary laugh. “She okay?” Rhys asks of little Ainslie.

  “She just misses her momma,” Donna replies, crossing to the table. She settles back into her chair and asks, “So where were we?”

  Rhys pushes his glasses back up his nose, abandons the camera on the table, and grabs his notebook. “Here’s what I was thinking…I want to talk to Harvey. He’s in the Western division leadership team with me. I trust him, and I want to see if he wants to pursue this. Harvey’s a lot like me; he likes a good mystery and has always been taken by archeological stuff, which this seems to be. And then, if Harvey approves,” Rhys pushes up his glasses again, and continues, “which I know he will, then we will make an official trip out to Utah to examine this beam. If it really is putting off an energy reading—like they think it is—then I think we have to consider finding the other two pieces. And then,” he says, sinking back into his chair with a sigh, “see what happens.”

  “Right,” Jason says, then grabs the camera, handing it over to Rhys. He leans back in the dining room chair, shaking his head and breathlessly says, “I’m ready for my close-up, Mister DeMille.” And damned if Rhys doesn’t laugh again, almost dropping the camera as he stands up to get as tight a shot as possible.

  “You boys, I swear,” Donna says with a laugh and a shake of her head. “You're both just as playful as the day you introduced him to us,” she adds. “Don’t ever change.”

  “I may grow old,” Jason says, a noble tone to his voice, “but I refuse to grow up.”

  “And that’s just one of the reasons why I love you, Jase,” Rhys says, leaning down to grab a quick kiss.

  “Love you too, boo,” Jason replies.

  Rhys picks up his notepad and hikes a thumb over his shoulder. “I should probably go type up all these notes and send them off to Harvey.”

  Jason nods but holds up a finger as a way of caution. “Just don’t wake up Ainslie.”

  “I won’t—I promise,” he says, and then turns to the stairs. “Oh, and Donna—don’t forget your marinara on the stove.”

  Donna stands up, glancing toward the kitchen. “Oh, I need to go finish it and put it away.”

  “Here, I’ll help,” Jason says as Rhys starts up the stairs to the office. Rhys leaves his husband and mother-in-law downstairs for a while, so he can type up everything he’s written down. It takes a couple of hours to get everything right, and Rhys painstakingly includes the original report and also includes scanned copies of the pictures he printed out and drew in the constellations.

  It’s close to 11:00 p.m. by the time he’s done, and he wonders if he should have Jason check it over. Though he usually goes to bed with Rhys, Jason’s bedtime has been all over the map lately, what with the influx of neighbors and their young charge. Rhys thinks about printing out the report, but nixes the idea, for fear he’ll wake up Ainslie. Instead, he saves the report to a thumb drive, then takes it and his personal laptop down the hall to their bedroom, noting with a glance down the stairs that the rest of the house appears dark, like everyone else has gone to sleep.

  Rhys opens the door to their bedroom and breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that not only is Jason’s bedside light is on, but he is also still awake, reading a paperback. “Good, you’re still up,” Rhys says, walking into the bedroom and closing the door behind him. “I was afraid you might be asleep already.”

  Abandoning the paperback to the bedside table, Jason shakes his head. “Naah,” he says, stretching his arms out in front of him as he gives a bone-crunching yawn. “Figured you’d probably want me to look at your stuff before you sent it off, so I stayed up. Though, you owe me…big time,” he says while suggestively waggling his eyebrows.

  Rhys sits down on the bed next to him and slowly leans down to steal a kiss, his laptop forgotten on the bedside table.

  “But work comes first!” Jason manages, just before Rhys connects with him.

  Rhys opens his eyes, and Jason gives him a playful look as he picks up the abandoned computer and puts it in his lap.

  Standing up, Rhys groans, his shoulders sagging in defeat and he slowly makes his way to their bathroom, where he brushes his teeth and then fills his mouth with a minty rinse. He wanders back out into the bedroom as he swishes the crisp liquid in his mouth. He strips out of his shirt and undershirt in one quick move, and grabs his sleep shirt from his dresser before starting to unbutton his jeans. When he pops the first button, he looks up, attention pulled up by a wolf whistle, and sees a reappearance of those playful eyebrows. As Rhys undoes another button, Jason starts to dance where he sits, humming out what Rhys thinks is an old stripper-tune.

  Rhys is almost out of his jeans, fighting a losing battle trying to keep from laughing when Jason blurts, “Can I get a lap dance, baby?” Rhys almost trips out of his jeans as they puddle at his feet, and he barely stays standing, though his mouthful of mouthwash isn’t so lucky. He spews a bit on the carpet, then chokes back a laugh as he makes his way, as quick as he can, back to the bathroom, making it to the sink just in time. He walks back out, hands on his hips, then goes to wipe a stray bit of mouthwash from his lip.

  “You’re cleaning that up,” Rhys demands, though he holds absolutely no heat in his voice.

  Pointing to the laptop that he has balanced on his knees, Jason tries to be innocent, saying, “Sorry, I’ve got work to do,” and then gives Rhys his most angelic look. “Where are my glasses?” he asks.

  Rhys rolls his eyes as he heads back into the bathroom, first grabbing a towel, but Jason quickly stops him with, “No, not that one; that’s one of the good towels.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to use it for then?” Rhys throws back.

  Sighing, Jason replies, “You’re not. It’s supposed to hang there so that everyone who comes by thinks that this is a classy joint. You know, and there’s not underwear hidden under the bed and dirty clothes in the bottom of the closet.”

  Shaking his head, Rhys sounds defeated as he says, “Fine…” and comes back with a
rag to clean up the errant liquid. “Happy now?” he asks, then tosses the rag toward the dirty clothes hamper, where it bounces off and lands on his shirt. He ignores it and heads to his side of the bed, climbing in next to his husband.

  “So, how is it?” he asks as he cuddles up next to Jason.

  “Good, good,” Jason responds without turning his attention from the screen. “There,” he says, as he presses a combination of keys on the laptop, and hands it over to Rhys. “I only made a couple of changes here and there—mostly just word choice. Read it over in the morning, but otherwise, I’d say it’s good to go.”

  Rhys keys in the laptop’s shutdown sequence, and once again abandons his laptop on his bedside table. He slips off his glasses, placing them on top of the laptop and turns his attention back to Jason, who lets out a cartoonish snore.

  “Huh…He fell asleep,” Rhys says as he cuddles up next to his husband, letting his fingers gently stroke down Jason’s arm. “Guess I’ll have to start without him.”

  “The hell you will!” Jason counters, then turns over, climbing on top of Rhys.

  The two share a knowing smile, as Jason leans down to claim a kiss, and the two get lost in the moment.

  Chapter 6

  Rhys wakes up with the warm sunshine of the early morning spilling through the open curtains. He hears a raucous laughter coming from the open window and realizes that their neighbor, Leslie, has finally returned. Though they’d been home for almost a week now, they’d not seen Leslie since they headed for Hawaii, a few weeks previous.

  Rhys reaches over, but he already knows that Jason’s not in the bed next to him; he’s so used to the sound of his husband’s even breathing during sleep that it’s almost discomfiting when he wakes up alone. Still, he reaches out for the empty pillow next to him, and pulls it close, enjoying the smell of his husband that lingers on the pillowcase. He sighs, hugging the pillow, then puts it back into place, stretching as he gets to a seated position. Thoughts of the night before come tumbling back through his mind, causing him to smile at the happy memories.