Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 3

I don't know what I was expecting. 

The black void seems to resemble our sky, full of tiny white specks that seem like endless pinpoints of light floating in the air. They remind me of stars. I want to reach out but Helen grabs my hand. "Those are other portals, sometimes they get bigger and dragons go in them." 

It's fascinating, I marvel as I take in the vastness of this realm. Dragons float through the sky and all around us, varying in size and shape. Lipa keeps her wings close, protecting us. Helen makes a motion with her finger to keep quiet.

I resist the urge to wander her body, instead, I watch the ground which is blocked by cloud cover. "Have you ever explored?" I murmur.

"No. This is only my third time doing this." One of the white specks explodes and I hear a chant, the dialect is confusing and when I steal a glance through the portal I see that homes appear to be made of sticks. The dragon spins as it flies through the portal and Lipa snarls at it, snapping at the air in frustration. 

I notice Helen is petting her at the same time that I do. Why is this dragon helping us? "How do you know Lipa?"

"She came through the portal a few years ago and she was trapped. The government was hunting her, they were trying to catch her to study her when Tyler found her. He was able to send her home, every time he opens a portal, she flies through to visit us. We've really enjoyed having her but we have to be careful, the government would snatch her up in a minute. Tonic had said her name was Lipa and she was your dragon."

I run my fingers over the inky black scales and think about how I could ever repay the Alpha look-alike. "Lipa was trapped in your time?" I had almost forgotten Verando was here. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness as I clutch him closer to my thigh. 

"Yes. It was odd. There are no other Solomonaris in our time. As I said, we searched ever since I met Tyler. When we go through the portal, we will be in my home. The future is very different from the past and I don't know how much time has passed, could be months, could be years-"

"How long have you been in our time, Helen?" Verando's voice is kinder, despite its rough undertone from his drowning. He shocks up both with his intrusion.

She hesitates, thinking it over. "A few years. I came too early and I couldn't find anyone, so I remember Tonic talking about a Coronation and I sought out finding your Aunt Esmeralda. I got a job with her and waited. It's-" She twiddles her fingers. "It's been really tough. But it's been worth it. I got you both." 

I know her expression all too well, the look of someone who's been forced to do anything to survive. I know how our time period treats women, I know how her lack of name and money would have made it very difficult to survive. 

Verando keeps his opinions to himself, keeping his eyes on us and not on the ground. I notice Lipa surges as we head toward a large white circle and I swallow back the fear. 

What if I can't help these people?

The light is blinding, I feel the water pour over us as we enter a room that smells faintly metallic. As my eyes adjust, I struggle to gain my balance on the slick floor. It's silver, a shiny type of tile, I blink rapidly to encourage my vision to cooperate. The distant yelling breaks through the deafening ringing, it's Verando. 

He's curled up on the floor with his hands over his ears, his face contorted in agony as he seems to be trying to get away from something. Distant voices echo all around us as I crawl towards him and rest my hands over his in an attempt to find what's hurting him.

Hands snatch my arms, blinded by the focus on the man before me, I'm fighting against them. I freeze someone's arm in an attempt to get back only to see someone pin him down and shove something into his ears. Beyond the hum that builds all around us and the massive array of lights, I see him go still as his chest heaves.