by Lily Thomas
Grounded By Love
Lily S. Thomas
Chapter 1
Kaeldar couldn't believe a human soldier managed to drag him from his horse, yet here he was, in a puddle of his own blood. When human soldiers came back to finish off the dying rock giant soldiers, he’d somehow avoided death by sheer luck. The soldiers had just bypassed him, thinking he was already dead.
But he wasn't certain if this was a blessing or a curse. The human soldiers would’ve put him out of his misery, but now he’d have to pray he survived his wound. With the amount of blood he’d lost, he had a slim chance at life. Though he was positive the wound had closed up. His fear, now, was infection.
He took a glance over at where the tree line was.
The sun was finally setting. This would be the best time to struggle his way to cover. There were some clouds moving in that threatened to release their load down on him. Personally, he was already in enough pain. He definitely didn't need to get soaked to the bone, as well.
With a pained groan, he pulled himself towards the cover of the forest. The distance seemed impossibly far, in the state he was in, but the need to survive pulsed through him. Kaeldar crawled over his fallen rock giant comrades and human bodies that had been over looked.
It took him a few hours to make his way to the forest, and to his irritation, he didn't make it to the trees, before the rain poured down on him.
After crawling a few feet into the forest, he stopped for a rest, since his strength was sapped. Where he was would have to do for the night. Either he would get better or he wouldn't. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even stand, at the moment.
Perhaps another group of humans would come to make sure all the giants were truly dead. Kaeldar would’ve preferred a more honorable death, but he didn't want to die of his infected wounds either. He was a warrior, and he didn’t want to die a slow death all by himself.
Kaeldar went in and out of consciousness, as the pain built in his side. He knew no rock giants would come back to search the dead for any survivors. Anyone lost in battle was lost, in his culture.
Every once in a while, he would wake to the sound of animals scuffling around. He knew the mass carnage would attract scavengers.
Groaning, he reached over to yank a knife free from a dead body.
There was no way he was going to be any animal's meal. Kaeldar had no intention of being eaten alive. Being eaten alive was a worse fate then dying by his wounds or by a human male stabbing a sword into his heart.
When Claira arrived back from the village, she was exhausted physically and mentally. There were some soldiers who she’d been unable to help, and they hadn't made it through the endless night. All she’d been able to do was make them comfortable.
Sometimes healing brought her joy, but other times it just made her realize how short life truly was. Even though it was a grueling task, Claira would never give up medicine. She might not be able to save everyone, but she could save some.
She put her medicine pack back in her cottage and went out to take a look over the battlefield. Most of the human bodies had been taken away, but she still felt remorseful for the losses on both sides.
In her mind, there was no reason for this war. All the humans and rock giants had to do was talk and discuss a truce, yet both their leaders refused.
Thankfully, she’d trained herself to control her emotions, when it came to healing. She never broke down when faced with impossible odds, and she’d keep helping the soldiers, even if she didn’t believe in the war.
Claira’s thoughts turned to the villagers. They treated her with disgust and contempt, even though she always did her best to help them. Where ever she went, she was thought of as a witch. So after some time, she decided to settle down and just stay put in one village with the hope they would grow used to her presence.
These villagers forced her to live on the outskirts of their town, but that was fine with Claira.
She still dreamed of finding a village that would accept her, so she could belong somewhere, but she was also patient. Healing had taught her to bide her time.
Heaving a sigh, Claira shook the thoughts from her head. It didn’t matter what they thought. She was doing some good in a world that had been turned upside down.
She decided to get ready for another night of helping the injured soldiers in the village. She’d run out of her herbs and needed to resupply before heading back.
As Claira was about to head into her cottage, movement from the battlefield caught her attention. Claira looked down at the field again, watching closely to see if it’d been a trick of the eye. She stood there for a few minutes, and when nothing moved she laughed at herself. The stress of these days was getting to her.
Shaking her head again, she turned, but stopped, as she yet again caught movement down on the field. Squinting, she took a few steps away from the cottage to get a better vantage point. Claira watched, as something dragged itself over other bodies. A human who had been overlooked? Or was it an injured rock giant?
Whoever it was, they were injured. They wouldn't be crawling, if they were capable of walking.
She felt as though she had an obligation to go down there and help, whether they were rock giant or human. Everyone deserved to be healed, or at least that was her belief. There was no possible way she could ignore someone in need.
Her fingers trembled slightly, as she played with the skirts of her dress. If it were a rock giant, he might not understand she was trying to help. He could kill her.
Claira had never seen a rock giant warrior up close, but she could imagine an injured one would still be a force to reckon with. Some of the wounds on the human soldiers had been appalling, clearly delivered by a stronger opponent.
“You wouldn’t be able to live with yourself, if you abandoned them though.” She reasoned with her conscious. “But the villagers might come to get me, if any wounded humans have a turn for the worse.”
She’d have to be careful, if she brought a rock giant into her cottage. Then again she could always leave him in the forest and treat him there. She would have to see, when she got down there.
Shaking her head, she rushed to get a pack of herbs ready. Grabbing a knife from near her fire she tried to tell herself it was better than nothing, in case it was a rock giant and he decided she was better off dead. Claira had no intention of dying to save a rock giant warrior.
She gave one last glance at the battlefield. Whoever it was had made it into the forest.
Taking a deep breath Claira made her way down the hill. Suddenly, she halted mid-step. “How do you plan on carrying a man or a rock giant up this hill?” She criticized.
She made her way back up the hill and to the small barn that housed her only horse. Grabbing some rope, she guided her horse down the hill and into the forest. As she made her way through the trees, she paused to collect herself. She was about to head into the gore of the battlefield. It was one thing to see it from a distance, but a whole different thing to head straight into it.
Claira was willing to do it, at least, she hoped so. She’d seen death and blood before, but nothing like the mass of bodies she was about to encounter.
She made her way carefully over boulders and fallen tree stumps. As she drew near the bottom of the hill, she stopped to sit on a boulder. After slowing her breathing, she listened carefully for any signs of someone moving. All she was able to hear were animals, the wind whistling through the trees, and her horse’s breath.
She grumbled to herself, as rain spilled from the sky. Wasn’t it bad enough she was about to go searching through dead bodies? Now she was going to be searching through wet dead bodies.
Slowly, she rose and took a look around. She could smell the thick scent of bl
ood wafting through the cool air. Her mind told her to flee the area, but she quelled the voice.
Claira was about to continue looking through the bodies when she heard a grunt. She was close to whomever it was, thank the gods. She didn’t want this excursion of hers to take too long. She was already getting soaked to the bone from the ever-constant downpour.
She held in the bile that rose thick in her throat, as she guided her horse over the dead. She came across a body missing its head, and she sucked in a deep breath, which only drew the scent of death deeper into her lungs.
She was a healer, but this war was her first. Never before had she seen such brutality from both sides. Usually she dealt with the ill or people who injured themselves in daily life. It was hard for her to imagine someone stabbing another.
Shuddering, she made her way through the mass of bodies. There were so many rock giants. They were larger than she had thought they’d be. She stared into some of the blackest eyes she’d ever seen. No wonder people liked to tell stories about these giants. They’d be anyone's worst nightmare. She could only imagine one of them wielding a sword against her.
Stepping over bodies she tried to ignore her mind, as it yelled at her to run far from this place. She hoped whoever was injured would make another sound so she could find them quickly. The sooner she could get out of here the better.
Looking down at her feet she gagged again. The bottom of her dress and shoes were covered in blood and gore.
Kaeldar drifted in and out of consciousness, but he fought for every lucid moment. Every time he woke, he’d check his wound. He wasn't pleased with how it was progressing. Death was slowly creeping into his body, through his wound. He would be beyond lucky, if he made it out of this situation alive.
Sometimes his own groaning would wake him from his fitful slumber. He had a raging fever and felt like flames were licking his flesh away, even though the freezing rain was pouring down on him. The ground around him had become a soaked mess of mud and blood.
He growled into the forest. He was warning any animals nearby that a predator was hurt and wouldn’t stand for anyone trying to eat him alive. Though he figured he most likely wouldn’t be alive for much longer. Soon he wouldn’t have the strength to hold off any animals that came for an easy and fresh kill.
As his vision blurred, he started to drift back into unconsciousness. Kaeldar heard a gasp come from beside him. He let out a growl, and another gasp sounded. He fought to stay conscious, but failed. As he blacked out, frustration coursed through him. He needed to stay awake to defend himself.
Claira couldn't believe she’d found him, and he was a rock giant. A huge rock giant with the most hideous gash she’d seen on his chest. For only one split second, she was tempted to walk away and leave him. But there was no way she’d be able to turn her back on someone in need. It would haunt her, for the rest of her life.
He groaned in his sleep, and her heart went out to his obvious suffering. He had to be in unimaginable pain from the laceration on his chest.
Quickly, she scrambled her way to him with her horse in tow. In her rush to aid him, her foot got caught on a body, and her momentum took her down. Claira let out a squeak, as she gazed into empty black eyes. She’d landed on top of a dead rock giant. Goosebumps spread over her skin and the hair on the back of her neck rose.
He smelled so rotten and disgusting. Bile threatened to rise up in her throat. She wanted to puke so badly, but she couldn’t afford to be ill. She had a task at hand.
Claira put her hands against the dead rock giant’s chest and pushed herself back up. His head rolled to the side. At least, he wasn't staring at her with those blank eyes anymore.
After getting back onto her feet, she stared down at the front of her dress and her hands. She was going to need a bath, after this, and she would have to get new set of clothes. Claira doubted any of this blood was going to come out of her dress, but that was the life of a healer.
Using her hand, she brushed some blonde hair out of her face, wiping blood and mud on her cheek.
She bent down next to the giant who’d let out the groan. Running her hands over him she searched for the wound that must have brought him down. There was a lot of blood on him, and she was unsure whether it was his or from the dead bodies surrounding him.
Nervously, she ran her hands up and around his head. She hoped there wouldn't be any head injuries, since it wouldn't bode well for his survival. When she didn’t find any wounds on his head, she made her way down to his neck, and then to his shoulders.
She wouldn’t want him wielding a sword against her. Those were some thick muscles he had. She was amazed he’d even gone down in the first place. He seemed like he should have been the victor, but it must have been complete chaos on the battlefield.
Lightly, she brushed her hands down the rock giant's sides and over his ribs. When he sucked in a breath and let out a groan, she ended up so startled she landed on her butt in the mud.
Watching carefully, she made sure he was still unconscious. It wouldn't be good if he woke, while she was trying to save his life. He could harm her or harm himself.
She realized he’d just been reacting to the pain, and not because he was close to consciousness. Letting out a breath she’d been holding, she bent back over him.
Gently, she laid a hand on his forehead and was shocked by the fever he was running. A fever like this could mean he was beyond her care. Either way she was going to try to save his life. Too many had died on both sides.
She pressed against his ribs causing him to suck in another breath. Her fingers went along his armor, finding the deep slice in his armor plating. She was concerned about how deep it might have gone. Someone had swiped at him with the intent to kill.
She rolled her eyes. Of course, they aimed to kill. This was a battlefield.
Dipping her fingers into the slice she pulled the armor away to expose his flesh to her view. She needed to see what she’d have to contend with.
She frowned, as infected flesh greeted her. How much worse could it get for him and for her? It was so crusty and swollen. How long had he been out here suffering on the battlefield all alone?
Even if she couldn’t save him, at least, she could make him comfortable and keep him company. Her heart went out to him. How could it not? He must’ve been in such agony, with a wound so far gone.
After she finished inspecting him for any more wounds, she looked up the way she’d come. Now that she knew he had only the one wound and no broken bones, she felt sure he could be moved. There was no way she would be able to care for him down here and in the rain.
Claira would be able to give him better care, if he was in her cottage, where it was warm and dry, and where his wound would be able to heal in peace.
The only problem for her was how to get the brawny rock giant tied up to her horse. She didn't want to reopen his wound on accident. She had no platform to put him on. If she tied him to the horse, she could cause him more damage, but if she left him he faced certain death.
Tying him up to the horse was the only choice she had. It was a challenge she was up for. She only hoped he could hang in there, while she brought him to her cottage.
After leading her horse over to the rock giant, she attempted to lift him. Huffing and puffing she struggled to raise him so she could wrap the rope around him. Once done, she and the horse slowly made their way up the hill.
Her horse almost had the rock giant to the top of the hill. This hill had never seemed so massive, but she hadn’t ever made her horse drag a rock giant in full armor up such a hill. It now seemed like a mountain, as she ran between guiding her horse and making sure the rock giant didn’t get stuck on any forest debris.
Claira hoped he’d be grateful for her saving his life, because she was working her hardest to do just that. Never before had she worked so quickly to get rocks and other debris out of his way, as the horse dragged him. She was near to collapsing from the work and from the cold rain that pelted her.
It didn't help she had decided to keep his armor. This journey would’ve been finished much faster, but she’d been reluctant to remove any of the items in case they held any special meaning to him. These items could help him with his recovery. Familiar items could always bring the injured comfort in their last moments.
If she did end up successfully healing him, he would need these things to survive. The rock giants had retreated from the area, and he would need to dodge human troops who were now prowling the area for any survivors. His only defense would be his armor and weapons.
She would take his sword off him, once she got him to the cottage. Then she would search him for any other hidden weapons. She would keep them all far away from his grasp, just in case he didn’t enjoy the sight of her.
Taking a deep breath, she continued to remove any harmful debris from his path, as the horse dragged him up the last step of the hill.
The rain had let up to Claira’s relief, and she gave a brief smile, but the rain started up again to Claira’s great frustration. When she made it to the top of the hill, she stopped to suck in some much needed air. What she and her horse had just completed was no small feat, by any means.
At least, the horse only had to drag him across flat land to her cottage now. They were so close to warmth and comfort.
Another groan slipped out from between his lips, and her heart broke. At least, he wasn't dead yet, but she was unsure whether or not that was a blessing. They would both have quite the challenge in the upcoming days. He would have to be strong to beat the wound he’d been dealt by his opponent.
Once to the wooden door of her small cottage, she stopped her horse and looked down at the giant’s broad frame. Would the rain never relent? She was trying to do a good deed here and the rain was just drenching her to the core.
As a healer, she needed to remain healthy or she wouldn't be able to assist the ill. Right now she was shaking because of the piercing cold drops of water that kept hitting her.