Grounded By Love

by Lily Thomas

  Kaeldar pulled up on the reins and faced the horse in the direction he’d just come from. He ignored his wound, as he straightened up. He’d been trained to endure.

  Guilt ate at him. She might need his help.

  He was a rock giant. He had no need to feel this way about some human female, but it didn't sit right with him, that his life should be spared just so another could take his place.

  They would consider her a traitor, and the sentence would most likely be death. There was the probability, if he went back, he would find her dead already, but he might still find her alive. He should at least go back to know for sure. He held himself to standards. If he dropped those standards just because she was a human female, he wouldn't be able to call himself an honorable and just man.

  He had a debt he needed to repay.

  Chapter 6

  When he got back to the human female’s cottage, night had already fallen. Everything seemed hushed and shadows danced around under the moonlight. He approached slowly, to make sure there were no humans wandering around the area.

  There were no lights shining through the cracks of her shutters, but she could be asleep. There was still the possibility her people had spared her from any punishment.

  As he drew closer to the cottage, he couldn't help but notice the silence surrounding him. There were no bugs and no sounds coming from her cottage.

  Dismounting he made his way over to the cottage with hurried steps. As he opened the door of her cottage, he knew he wasn't going to find her inside. Peering around the cottage, that was draped in darkness, Kaeldar didn't find her within.

  That had to mean the villagers had taken her away already. In all probability, they had taken her back to the human village.

  He lifted his armor to look down at his wound. It still looked rancid, and he hated to reopen it, but if he saved the human female, he could take her with him, and she could continue to heal him.

  Not only could he keep his honor, but he would also have a personal healer. He had come this far to save her. He would go the extra little bit to see her safely away, if he could.

  Mounting up he cringed as his butt met the saddle. If it came to him battling some human males, he was unsure whether or not he would be the one to come out as the winner.

  This wound was a handicap he wished he didn't have to deal with, but he might be able to startle them. Then he might have time to rescue her. He spurred the horse toward the village.

  The sun was rising, when he made his way to the edge of the forest surrounding the human village.

  Was the human female still alive? Was she inside one of those many buildings? How was he to find her? This rescue plan could end before it had begun.

  As the sun rose, his eyes zeroed in on a metal cage in the middle of the town. They put one of their own in a cage, without any protection from the environment? He could see the small frame of the human female. This village was lucky he was injured, or he would’ve ransacked the whole town.

  He marveled at how the humans thought the rock giants were ruthless barbarians. The humans seemed just as willing to dish out cruel punishments on their own.

  Kaeldar was close enough to catch people casting her glares and even flinging curses her way. Though he was too far away to hear anything they said, he could tell by their body language that they found her to be abhorrent.

  He knew he was the reason she was in such a situation. For taking pity on an injured giant, she was being treated horrendously by her people.

  The afternoon came, and still Kaeldar remained patient, as he watched the villagers. Perhaps caging her was their way of punishment and afterwards she’d go free. Then Kaeldar could return to his people, his conscious free of any guilt or burden of a debt unpaid.

  But then some of the village men started to put kindling below a platform that had a wooden stake sticking out from it. Kaeldar's stomach dropped. They were going to burn her to death! His eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. Wasn’t she allowed a second chance?

  “Unbelievable. And we’re the uncivilized people? I’ve never seen a burning in my entire life.”

  Once done, they dragged her from the cage, but she did put up quite a fight. It was good to see she hadn't given up hope.

  After they were done getting her under control, they put her up on the platform and tied her arms to the post behind her. At first, she looked exhausted, but then her shoulders straightened, pulled her head up, and stared down the villagers around her.

  It was some sort of sick spectator sport that he still found hard to believe. He knew any other rock giant wouldn’t care about a human female, yet here he was about to risk his life for one.

  Claira glanced up, as she heard the cage door hinges squeak. Was it the next day already? She wasn't ready to die. She still had hopes and dreams.

  A villager reached in, grabbed her ankle, and yanked her out of the cage. She kicked out her other foot and heard the satisfying snap, as her foot connected with his nose. Blood gushed down his face, as he cursed at her. Backing away he let another man come forward to drag her out of the cage.

  Fight them the whole way to the stake or go down in dignity? It was a hard debate for her, but she decided she would go down screaming. She twisted in the man's grasp and stepped on his foot with force.

  He gave out a curse and backhanded her across the face. She gasped from the shooting pain that coursed through her skull.

  She wasn't about to win this fight. Instead, she’d just end up getting herself beat, before she was burned, and being burned was enough for her. She didn't need to add any more pain to her last hour.

  A few tears built up in the corners of her eyes, as she thought about her impending death. She might be a strong woman, but she was terrified about being burned alive. She knew enough about life and death to know hers was going to be appalling.

  As they tied her to the stake, she kept her head held high and her gaze strong. Any wetness that built up in her eyes was quickly blinked away. She wouldn’t give any of them the satisfaction of seeing her cry, especially the mayor.

  Taking a glance at the kindling below the platform she was relieved to see the amount of timber. At least the fire would be burning hot below her feet. She might not have to endure it for long, before she died. Then again the smoke might be the part that killed her.

  The mayor stepped forward. “Unfortunately, Claira has been caught aiding a rock giant and now…”

  Claira’s attention drifted off at the sound of approaching hooves. Looking up from the mayor she saw the rock giant riding towards the villagers, and he appeared to be coming straight for her.

  His sword was out, and he looked ferocious, but she knew the wound had to be causing him a lot of agony, but he held his sword with a steady arm and showed no sign of discomfort. He must’ve been trained to endure on or die.

  She wondered if he was crazed or delusional. There was no way he was going to win a fight, when he was this outnumbered. Why had she bothered saving his life in the first place, if he was just going to turn around and waste it?

  The mayor noticed the approach of the rock giant first. “Quick men, grab something to defend yourself with. We mustn’t let him go alive.”

  The women scattered, dragging their children behind them, to safety. The men came to attention and grabbed whatever they could brandish as a weapon. The village men stepped forward to block the rock giant's path, forcing him to pull up on the reins or skewer the horse’s chest.

  Her jade eyes clashed with the giant’s onyx ones. He was here to save her. She could feel it in her gut, and she hoped he’d be successful.

  “Hand over the female.” The rock giant demanded, his voice deep and sturdy, as he spoke their language.

  “We will never hand her over. She must be an example for the village. We’re at war, and she’s been deemed a traitor to our land and people.”

  If she’d been the mayor, she would’ve handed herself over. The rock giant didn't look like he was in the m
ood for a negative answer.

  Another man piped in from her side. “Let him have her. It's what she deserves, if she wants to go around healing rock giants. He might do a better job of teaching her a lesson!”

  She glared at the man. She should’ve let him die of small pox, two years ago. She turned her gaze back to the rock giant. Why had he returned for her? Maybe he knew he might need a healer to make it back to his people alive.

  The mayor shook his head. “She is wicked, and she must be burned! We mustn’t let her go free to spread her wickedness elsewhere!” Of course, the mayor would be so adamant about having her torched. He’d been waiting for her to slip up for a few years now.

  The mayor had been worried about his popularity, when she’d come to town. He’d been afraid her healing would win over the villagers. As soon as he could, he ostracized her. Since no one had known her at the time, they’d followed his lead. He’d decided to condemn an innocent woman from the moment she came to the village. That was not the quality of a leader, but the villagers were blinded by their love and trust for him. They were just a pack of animals following their leader blindly.

  She’d never felt such a burning hatred for anyone, but the mayor was the exception.

  With a shrug the rock giant stated, “As you will then.” He lifted his sword and charged the group of men standing in his way.

  Claira would’ve expected the townsmen to scatter like street rats, and some of them did, but quite a large group of them stayed their ground.

  Instead of fearing for the lives of the villagers, she was concerned for the life of the rock giant. She worried he wouldn’t be able to stand up to the village men with his wound, but, of course, he surprised her.

  The rock giant rode into the middle of their group, and the horse reared almost hitting a couple of the men in the head, but they managed to dodge the deadly hooves.

  A few men grabbed at the rock giant's legs, but with a few quick slashes of his sword he had the men backing up. They cried out, as their arms dripped blood from the sharp cuts of the rock giant's sword.

  More men rushed in trying to take their place. All Claira could do was stare in horror, as the rock giant lifted his large sword and brought it down, slicing a man's head clean from his body.

  Claira averted her eyes. She didn't want to watch him cut his way through the villagers, yet she dearly hoped he’d be able to save her. She’d rather try her luck with him, then to stay at this stake and try her luck with a burning platform.

  She pulled against the ropes that tied her to the stake, hoping they might loosen, but of course she wasn’t that lucky. The rope was well tied, and she only ended up scratching her already raw wrists.

  Turning back to face the rock giant she watched as he lifted his sword, about to swing it down upon another one of the village men.

  Letting out a cry she leaned against the ropes holding her. “Please don't kill any more of them!”

  Even though the villagers had no love or respect for her, it didn't mean she wanted to watch them die in front of her very eyes. Wishing them ill was different than seeing it.

  Irate voices drew her attention away from the rock giant and the village men. Looking over to her side she saw a group of women, and one of them held a lit torch in her hand. The blood drained from Claira’s face. She was so close to being rescued, and now it looked so far away.

  “No,” she whispered softly as she stared at the women approaching the platform. “No! All I did was help someone in need!”

  The woman threw the lit touch at the kindling below Claira's feet. The smoke climbed up first, choking her and stinging her eyes. Then she saw the flames licking at the timber below her feet. The heat of the flames tickled the bottoms of her soles.

  A scream ripped through her throat, as the flames came up to eat away at her flesh. She was barely able to hear the answering roar from the rock giant. She was in too much torment to clearly process what was going on around her.

  Dismay sank into her chest, as dread soared through her.

  She thought she’d black out from the pain, but with one glance she saw the rock giant finally push his way through the villagers. He forced the horse to jump onto the platform, cut the ropes, and swung her onto the front of the saddle.

  He pushed the horse into a gallop, while the villagers stared after them in shock. She supposed they were too stunned that a rock giant had foiled the burning of the so-called witch.

  Claira was the one being rescued, and she could hardly believe it. She was scorched, but she was alive, and she had the rock giant to thank. She had no idea why he’d done it. Claira raised an eyebrow. Perhaps the rock giants weren't as ferocious as everyone wanted to believe.

  She wanted to check his wound and look over her feet and wrists, but she didn’t want them staying too close to the village. Once the villagers recovered from their shock, a few might come after them.

  As they rode through the day, Claira drifted in and out of sleep. Sleep helped her escape the pain of her semi-scorched feet. She also hadn’t much rest in the past few days with worrying about the rock giant, and then about her own safety.

  She felt bad he was the one who was guiding the horse and staying awake. It wasn't fair of her. He was probably in more pain than she, but he wouldn’t hand over the reins, when she tried to take them from him.

  Chapter 7

  They traveled through the night, and by early the next morning they arrived at a small river. The villagers could reach them if they wanted, but Claira and the giant needed to get some rest off the horse.

  After picking a spot to set up camp, he dismounted and helped her down. She noticed how gentle he was with her, setting her down lightly. Trying not to hurt her feet?

  Maybe she’d found herself a gentle rock giant, assuming such a thing existed. Time would prove whether or not he truly was a gentle giant though. He could just want a healer, and then get rid of her the moment he had no need for her.

  Now that the fire wasn’t licking at her feet she could admit they hadn’t been burned too badly. They were only slightly singed. She’d be fine, especially if she went out to search for some herbs.

  He left her to stand beside the horse, as he took a pack and set up a tent.

  Claira was glad she’d decided to leave his supplies on him when she found him on the battlefield. Or else they would’ve been sleeping out under the stars, because where ever he intended to go she assumed it would take a few days.

  It might not be night, but she was ready to doze off. The bumpy horse ride hadn’t allowed her much rest, and she wanted him to take it easy as well. He could’ve reopened his wound, yet she wasn't in the right condition to be helping him.

  The skin on her feet would definitely start to peel, at some point, within the next day or two. What she needed was to find some plants she could use to speed up her recovery or to at least cover up the aching pain.

  She watched, as he set up the tent, and a shiver ran through her body. She was about to go on an adventure with a rock giant. Part of her was thrilled by it all and part of her had to wonder if this was a good idea. There was no way to tell what his intentions were or where he might be leading them.

  He had to be going back to his people, and she couldn't imagine them welcoming her with open arms, though maybe she shouldn't be so quick to judge. Even though her own people didn't welcome her, it didn't mean the rock giants would ostracize her.

  If she made herself extremely useful to them, they might come to tolerate, perhaps even accept her among them. She was a dreamer, what could she say. Claira just wanted to settle down and practice her healing in peace.

  “I will be back with something to eat. You will stay here.” His voice penetrated the air and caused her to jump a little.

  “I don’t…” She trailed off, as he turned on his heel and left. “So much for that then.” She grumped. If he wanted to bleed to death, then that was his problem. She wasn’t about to stop a full-grown rock giant warrior from stomping a
round the forest.

  He didn’t need to be getting food. What he needed was a rest, a nice long rest with no sudden movements.

  Gingerly, she walked around their small campsite and picked up sticks for kindling. If he did catch something for them to eat, they’d need a fire to cook it on.

  When she figured she had enough, she went to grab a dagger. Claira winced every once in a while, as she hobbled around. Although singed, her feet hadn’t been in contact with the flames for too long.

  She folded her legs under her so her feet were sticking out from under her butt. Then she used the dagger like a shovel and made a wide shallow hole for their fire pit. After arranging the wood, she coaxed the smoke into a lively flame. Very soon, she had herself a good-sized fire going. It happily crackled over the sticks in the fire pit.

  Claira froze, as her heart seized in her chest. After her close encounter with fire earlier, she wanted to smother it with water or dirt, but she reminded herself that this was just a cooking fire. No one was about to throw her into it.

  Kaeldar half expected the human to flee the moment he left camp and definitely hadn't expected her to start a campfire. He would’ve thought she’d take the horse and left him. He was the stuff of human nightmares, yet she stayed.

  Did she still intend to heal him or had it just not crossed her mind she had the horse and could’ve ridden off?

  She was sitting with her legs tucked under her, and he had a perfect view of the bottoms of her feet. They were slightly touched with the blush of a burn. He’d been hoping he rescued her in time to spare her any pain.

  He shifted the rabbits in his hand and walked over to the human female.

  Her sea green gaze looked up, as he came up beside her. Kaeldar sat down next to her, laying the grey rabbits out in front of them. Kaeldar couldn't take his gaze from hers. He couldn't get over those striking green eyes of hers. They were so different, but so beautiful.