Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

S tepping out of the portal and onto a small platform that was in a covered area, Solomon felt more than relieved that he made it.

The portal opened again.

Cautious of what was happening, Solomon rushed through the covered area.

Several men in black cloaks stepped out and shifted into formation. Three fired lightning strikes at Solomon while he fled.

Spinning while he called up an extra thick shield, Solomon dropped his coat and satchel. Then he raised his hands and fired back multiple lightning strikes.

The three men continued to send various strikes all around Solomon, trying to get around his shield. Two others moved to another angle to fire shards of ice along with a wave of stones.

Under assault, Solomon built and extended the shield.

“Drop the air. The circle sensed your true magic, mage. Who are you?” a mage called out while he stepped forward with more spikes of ice.

“Don’t think you have the right person. I’m just a mage with air and lightning. Nothing more. Nothing less. You have the wrong mage.” Solomon continued to fight back, but something felt off this time. His feet felt like they were weighed down in bricks. His fingers trembled and tingled. And his magic… it felt sluggish.

Was he only powerful in the East? Is this what happened if he dared to leave the East? There was no way he could fight in Central.

Drawing up as much energy as possible from the ground, he whipped a hard wave of air that sent all the mages back multiple steps to force them to recenter their attack. When he sent lightning, it sparked and fizzled.

“No. No. No!” Solomon sent another series of lightning streaks.

Again, the lightning faltered.

Now his chest constricted. He gasped for breath.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Then he remembered the sharp poke in his back.

“Professor! Protect the professor,” Grayson called out while he raced across the field with several uniformed mages.

While racing, the uniformed mages set off a frightening array of an attack.

Outnumbered, the cloaked mages raced for the portal. One held up a shield to protect their retreat as another activated the portal. Then they all dove through the portal before the security guards could reach and prevent them from escaping.

“What in the flames are they doing at that station? This is the wrong portal exit. It’s on the far side of the laboratory. Find out what happened,” Grayson snapped.

“We’ll investigate it, Doctor. Immediately,” a guard said. He whistled at two guards and they began an investigation around the portal site.

“Gray… Not… Good…” Solomon called out, unable to move any further. His body felt so heavy and lifeless. His ribs kept constricting his ability to breathe.

“Solomon!” Grayson raced over to Solomon.

Solomon watched as if caught in a slow movement. Nothing was responding. His body was failing. He gasped for air.

Before his legs collapsed underneath him, Grayson was there to catch him with one of the security guards.

“Solomon? Solomon, talk to me. Come on, my friend, talk to me,” Grayson called out to him.

“Attacked…” Solomon gasped.

“They’re gone.”

“No… Portal… Before… Leaving… Back…”

“What?” Grayson glanced at the guard.

“I think he meant that something hit him before he left. Somewhere on his back. Lean him forward, Doctor,” the guard said.

Grayson adjusted Solomon in his arms. The guard lifted the back of Solomon’s jacket, vest, and shirt.

“Got it. Here. Lower right back. Puncture mark.”

“Blast the flames! Is there a needle?”

The guard pressed his fingers around Solomon’s clothing. “Here it is. This is caught in his jacket lining.” He pulled out a thin needle with a clasp at one end. “Close point jab with a stealth injector. Classic Carmine attack.”

“Blast the flames. Has to be poison. Get a portal to the lab, now!” Grayson rose with Solomon in his arms. He scooped him up using magic. “Grab his things. Keep that needle handy, but don’t touch it any further. Might be the only thing left to figure out what they used to hit him.”

Another guard grabbed Solomon’s jacket and satchel.

A different guard spun up a portal.

Solomon tried to stay awake while they used the short-cut portal to get inside.

“Breathing shallow. Pulse thready,” Gray called out. “Code Blue! Code Blue! Ready a room. Find Mac! Full emergency response. Possible poison attack. Bring the poison detector kit! Stat!”

“Gray…”

“Stay with me, Sol. Stay with me. Give Mac and I a chance to figure out what the flames they hit you. I’m not telling Mac you arrived only to have you keel over on me. Stay with me. Fight.”

A whimper escaped Solomon as his body shuddered out of control.

Grayson laid him out on an examination table. Nurses and techs helped strip Solomon of his jacket, vest, shirt, boots, socks, and trousers. They left him some dignity by keeping on his underwear. Then they stuck all kinds of patches and needles in him.

Then he went into convulsions and shook hard.

“Hold him! Hold him steady. Hold him,” Gray ordered.

Several hands pressed down on his trembling limbs.

“Stay with me, Solomon.”

Solomon could barely hear Grayson’s voice.

“What is going on? Who is this?”

Mac.

That was his beloved Mac’s voice.

“It’s Solomon.”

“Solomon? That’s not him. He doesn’t leave the East.”

“Not now, Mac,” Grayson snapped. “It’s Solomon. In disguise. He went through a security portal. A guard hit him with a stealth injector. We have the needle. Poison. I need to figure out what the flames it is.”

“Poison? How the flames…” Mac muttered.

“Keep him stabilized. His numbers are all over the place,” Grayson said.

After more convulsions ripped through him, Solomon whimpered and opened his eyes. He reached out his hand. Then he could only stare at Mac, trying to convince him to come closer and take his hand.

To forgive him.

“Solomon?” Mac rushed over and took Solomon’s hand.

“Mac…”

Blackness filled his vision. He slid into unconsciousness with the sounds of warning alarms and Mac’s shouts.