Chapter 11!

LOK!

#49

Enjoy!

Bolin... no...

Korra's mouth slowly parted as her breath caught in her throat. Hot tears streamed down her throat, soaking her shirt... his shirt...

The guard dropped the body onto the ground, which fell with a heavy thump, and left just as quickly as he came. The women were very much left alone to themselves most of the time with a patrol that only came around with a new cart of rocks. Or when someone had died...

When the guard was out of sight, everyone stopped what they were doing and scrambled from their seated positions over to Bolin. Touching his face and his arms, some were crying... Death was always painful...

"I'm so sorry Korra..." Ola placed her hand on Korra's shoulder comfortingly. "It happens sometimes..."

Korra's frame started shaking and soon she was shaking her head, "No..." and she crawled over to Bolin's body. She placed his head on her lap. "No... don't be dead... please don't be dead..." She hunched over and her tears dropped on his bare chest. She was sobbing now, she could not imagine a world with out his laughter and smile. And Mako... oh god, how was she going to face him after she'd failed utterly to save his brother?

Her forehead landed on Bolin's cold chest with a thunk as she could not hold herself up anymore; just how much her life had changed because of his friendship. She needed him to be alive, to tell her things were going to be okay, to be that voice of caution, and confidence. Tears pooled on his chest... glowing with her uncontrolled will and then slowly slid off when his chest rose... he was breathing! Barely, but it was a breath! Gasping, she put her ear to his skin. His heartbeat was so faint... but she could hear it!

Not wasting a second, Korra stuck her hand out and summoned the water from the canal to her hand. It came to her call as a stream of liquid flowed to her palm and settled in a perfect oval which she pressed to his chest.

The women gasped and cried out as the witnessed her power, they could not believe it that the guards would make such a mistake by bringing on a Waterbender... Though the three eldest silently watched with knowing eyes.

The water glowed with low light and seeped into his skin... willing his life force to grow stronger and repairing the damage done to him... it would take several moments. Sweat beaded Korra's forehead as she worked harder than ever before to save him. He was so close to death that she had to pull him from the grim reaper's cold grip...

Sheishen turned when she heard a cart rolling down the tracks, "Hide her, girls!" She ordered and the ladies snapped out of their stupor to form a wall with their bodies, blocking Korra and Bolin from anyone's sight.

A cart, with one man and two guards approached.

"Why are you not working?" One of the guards asked sternly.

"We are mourning our dead, Sir..." the eldest woman, Yun, spoke for them. "He was just brought to us.."

"Very well..." The guard responded with an accepted nod, the answer was reasonable and they could see the dead man's face over the ladies heads. The cart was dropped off without incident, though the guards still looked back at the group uneasily. The girls were occasionally glancing back at them nervously and that was slightly suspicious. "Why are they looking at us like that?"

"We always fear and respect those above us." Yun responded with practiced grace and nerves of steel.

That too was a believable answer. "Fair enough." The guards left with the man and the cart.

A collective sigh was let out as their figures disappeared into the dark...

Then... Bolin slowly opened his eyes... "Unh..." he groaned out as he blinked several times. His vision could make out Korra and several women surrounding him with worried faces. Was he alive? Or was Korra dead too?

"Please tell me this is heaven... because there is no way in hell I could be surrounded by this many beautiful ladies..."

The women laughed and Korra smiled wide. He was back. The water pulsed through his body... healing the damage done by constant abuse and torment, mending torn muscles and soothing aches in his hands and feet. His color was coming back and the veins were fading away. She also found a strange foreign chemical in his bloodstream, and rid him of it... Washing him clean from the inside of the stain of this horrible place.

After several more moments, Korra's healing glow seemed to dissipate and the excess water splashed onto her friend's bare chest.

Startled, Bolin looked up at Korra, blushing because of the women but mostly because his head rested on her lap, "Hey... were you crying?"

Korra wiped her face, "No... just had dirt in my eyes.." she lied, but Bolin knew. Suddenly, she smacked him in the head. "Don't scare me like that again!"

Bolin's face cringed then softened as he held his head. Pain, yep, he was definitely alive. He'd never known her to get scared, but... that she would worry over him like that gave him some comfort, "Sorry..." he smiled sheepishly. "I wont, I promise."

Their attention was then grabbed by Yun's approach, the group of women parted to let her pass, "I know who you are... Avatar."

This caused hushed whispers to break out and gasps of surprise. Korra looked proud, though not her usual proud smile, not denying who the woman accused her of being.

The elder hushed them and continued, "You must never reveal yourself to the guards, unless you want us all to suffer what this young man has gone through... and your own death."

Korra looked up at Yun, her face serious, "I don't intend for any of you to be harmed. I'm going to save you all."

"You give us a false hope, dearie..." The elder sighed. "You are not the first to try to escape... nor will I doubt you be the last.."

"But none of them are the Avatar." Korra set Bolin aside and stood up, a thumb to her chest. "I don't carry false hopes."

"No one has defeated the Warden," The second eldest chimed in. "And we cannot bend outside of this room..."

"I'll handle the Warden when the time comes." Korra spoke with determination.

"It's a fool's errand," another older woman, Runi, spoke. "It's pointless. You should just accept this existence."

Fool's errand? Korra frowned, "You may think it's not going to work, but you don't know me. I will get you to the surface, I promise. You will be shackled no more."

Runi sneered, "Like I said... pointless!"

Yun's face was still and void of any surprise.. or gratitude as she took in the Avatar's words, "Dearie... we're tired of being lifted up and torn back down. Just leave us to live in peace.." And she tenderly sat down to get back to work and the others soon quickly followed her example.

Korra was left standing, infuriated by their refusal to believe in hope. Not even the label of Avatar could raise their spirits... She looked back to Bolin.

"You tried. But you'll show them soon enough." He commented as he sat up, brushing the water from his chest.

Korra leaned over to help him and paused... there was still some of that chemical she pulled from him in the healing water. Suddenly, the light bulb flickered on in her head. With the water on her hands she touched the nearest woman, Ola and the water quickly absorbed into her skin .

"Hey!" The woman protested the invasion by the water but Korra had a tight grip on her.

It was in her too. Within the seconds she yanked the chemical out from her blood stream, pulling out a dark, metalic liquid into the water. Ola blinked at the stuff and felt a little woozy, "My word, what is that?!"

"It's the stuff I pulled from Bolin, but you have so much more of it." Korra spoke as she tossed the water at the wall, the dark stuff stuck to the wall and seeped into the rock like it was a sponge. "I bet it's in all of you too. I can also bet it's what's been making you so complacent."

Ola looked shocked that that stuff was inside of her it looked so alien. The attention of the other women was caught as well.

"Ugh that's filthy!"

"Do me next!" One woman got up and sat in front of Korra.

Bolin looked up at her from where he sat, "Good job Korra." He smiled.

"This is just step one..." Korra smiled back and then turned determined. "Still gotta figure out how to destroy these collars without killing us."

End Chapter 11

Comments and advice are very much appreciated as I am always trying to improve!

Things are looking up for our heroes!

Til next chapter!