Legendary Stars

Part 2 Chapter 11

Boaz carefully made it back to Tora's house without being seen. He returned Magma and Ash to the backyard, where he was immediately greeted by Tora.

"That looks bad. Let's hurry and get them inside," he rushed towards Magma, lifting a body from her back. Boaz could easily lift two to Tora's one, and the pair quickly moved everyone inside. When they looked at Zay's bloodied body, both were hesitant to touch him.

"I'll grab his arms. You take his feet," Boaz suggested.

"I'm not even sure if we should touch him at all. Look, he's bleeding through the bandages. I'd hate to do more harm than good," Tora replied.

"Yeah, and if someone sees that you have a heavily wounded Fireheart in your backyard, that won't go too well for you either. Now help me."

Tora sighed heavily before aiding Boaz in carrying Zay inside.

"Let's take him upstairs with Jai. We can put him in my guest bedroom," Tora suggested as they started inside. Quickly but carefully, they took Zay upstairs and gently laid him on the guest bed. "I have some medical supplies in my main bathroom. Stay here while I go and get it," Tora rushed out of the room.

Boaz closed the dark red curtains in the room. As he pulled them together, Tora reentered, "What are you doing? Scared of the light?"

"No, I just didn't want to take a chance at someone seeing what's going on here," he replied. "Something moved downstairs."

"I didn't hear anything," Tora shrugged while unwrapping Zay's bandages.

"I didn't hear anything either, and I felt something move downstairs. I'll go look," Boaz left Tora tending to Zay.

He carefully crept downstairs, not wanting to startle anyone. He heard murmuring voices. As he turned the corner, a few of the Firehearts came back around.

"Who are you," a light brown-eyed girl with a dimpled right cheek asked.

"Boaz of Theyra, I helped Sheraga rescue you. Are you okay?" He slowly walked towards the girl before someone put him in a choke hold from behind. Boaz reflexively squatted and thrust his elbow into his attacker, sending him flying.

"What the hell is your problem?"

His attacker was a large and sturdy Fireheart man with honey eyes, "Where are we, and where is the Legend," he asked, glaring at him.

"You're in my house, and the Legend is upstairs, you oversized fool," Tora walked downstairs, lightning flashing around his body like armor. Once he turned the corner, all the Firehearts went silent. His presence and power radiated off of the walls of the room, lowering the heads of the group of bold and boastful Firehearts. "Flamethrowers, huh? Well, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Talk about biting the hand that fed you."

The girl with the dimple looked with pleading eyes, "Tora, we're sorry, we were just a little disoriented and shocked to not be lying at the border. Is Jai alright?"

Tora turned away from them, "I don't know, I'm no doctor, but I have dealt with my fair share of injuries. His condition is unusual, and I'm not sure what happened to him. I intend to wait it out until Sheraga returns. He's more well-versed in these things than I am. No one goes upstairs unless you plan on getting through me. Boaz, come on," Tora commanded.

As Boaz followed Tora upstairs, he watched as the Flamethrowers huddled together, everyone who was consciously supporting the head of someone who wasn't. He followed Tora to the guest bedroom where Zay was resting. "I'm sorry about that. I should have stopped you from going down there. You're a Landkeeper. They were bound to be hostile. Look, I'm going to stay with the Legend until Sheraga returns. You stay here with him."