by Lily Thomas
Finally, she got a response from him as he nodded and demanded, “More soup.” His voice was gravelly and harsh.
Smiling she hastened to grab some more soup for him. He hadn't actually answered her, but it was a start. Maybe after she fed him, he would be willing to talk to her some more.
Claira needed to know if he felt well enough to ride. After he spoke in her language the first time, she figured he would know more.
After filling the bowl with soup she added some chunks of meat. The rock giant would need the extra protein. As she came over to the edge of the bed, she stretched her hand out. Now that he was awake she was going keep her distance, just in case. She still didn't know who he was, or what he would do with her if he were able to grab her.
Instead of taking the bowl of soup from her hand, he attempted to sit up. Unfortunately, his arm buckled under him, and he landed right back where he’d started.
“Oh my! Let me help you!” Claira stepped up to the bed to offer him an arm. The rock giant said nothing, but accepted her help as she assisted him into a sitting position.
Now that he was settled against the headboard, she handed the soup bowl over to him. He nodded, which she took to be a thank you. Smiling she leaned against the wall of the cottage and watched him from a slight distance. Claira shouldn’t have rushed over to help him, but he hadn’t harmed her. Maybe she could trust him.
She found herself delighted he had an appetite. She’d never doubt her skill at healing ever again. Here was her proof that she could do anything she put her mind to.
Within minutes, he finished the bowl. After refilling it, she sat back down to watch him.
His top half was exposed, and Claira couldn't help but take her fill of the sight before her. He might be a rock giant, but he was sculpted like a god. Watching the muscles in his arms flex made her feel so womanly and perhaps a little heated. Her cheeks flushed.
Never would she have guessed she would like the sight of a well-muscled rock giant. Not only was he giant, but he was a warrior. He took lives, while she saved them.
Mentally, she gave herself a shake. There was no possible way he would have any interest in her. She was only feeling this way about him because of the bond of patient and healer. Once he was out of her cottage, everything would return back to normal. Or so she hoped.
Perhaps she was nervous about letting him go because she didn't want to be alone again. The only villager who wanted anything to do with her was Robert, but Claira couldn’t bring herself to marry him. He was a friend, not a lover.
Robert would want her to play the part of a traditional wife, but Claira wouldn’t be able to accept that. She had her healing, and she needed to practice it. There was no possible way she would give it up for a man.
Again he finished his bowl of soup and handed it to her. When she refilled it, she turned around to find him asleep.
“Did you not hear me about needing to get up and leave?” Claira knew she was just talking for the sake of talking. He was snoring like his life depended on it. “The villagers will kill you, and maybe me.”
He needed to be awake and responsive. Frustration coursed through her. Bolting over to the window she peered out. Still fairly dark, but morning was just around the corner.
She could always go with the rock giant, but if she remained behind, she could delay the search party they were sure to send out after him. The villagers would be hot on his heels. He would need to ride, and he would need to ride like the wind.
She gave him a few minutes, but when he still hadn't woken up she gave up. Claira came up to the side of the bed, gripped his shoulders and shook him awake. “I don't know if you understood me or not, but we have to get you out of here. Now!”
He blinked up at her, as if trying to clear the fog from his brain. Claira helped him into a sitting position and assisted him to stand. He was a bit wobbly, but he held his own weight.
Claira got a good view of his manly parts, but she glanced away. No need to ogle him. Claira led him over to a corner of the cottage, where his clothing, armor, and swords were. She couldn't very well send him off butt naked. Letting go of him she turned away to let him get dressed in peace.
She heard buckles clatter and cloth brush over his skin. Claira couldn’t help herself. She took a peak over her shoulder. Hissing in a breath she faced away again. His body made hers react suddenly and violently. Once silence had fallen over her small cottage, she turned back to face him.
Sucking in a deep breath, she looked him over. She’d thought he looked like a fearsome warrior before, but now, he looked more formidable. Actually standing at his full height she could see why people feared the rock giants. She was unable to imagine how any man could go into battle against this.
The rock giant was clearly watching her facial expressions, so she schooled them, not wanting to give away how she was feeling.
Grabbing one of his arms Claira guided him to the door. Then led him outside to her waiting horse. Thankfully, he followed her lead, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to move him, if he didn’t want to move.
The horse gave a snort, at the sight of the giant.
Letting go of his arm she held the reins of her horse. “Calm down now. I need you to take the rock giant for me.” She whispered. This rock giant could make anything and everything tremble in its shoes, so she wasn’t surprised her horse was startled to see him.
Once he mounted up, she addressed him. “I wish you the best of luck. Don't slow down for any reason. I’m sure they will try to find you, when they discover what I’ve done.”
The rock giant just stared down at her with his deep onyx eyes. He had to be experiencing some side effects from the tea she’d drugged him with. So she slapped the stallion on the flank hoping the rock giant wouldn’t fall off.
She watched, as they disappeared into the forest.
All the pressure that had been on her shoulders fell away. Now she only had to fear for her life, when the villagers came. Their chance to finally burn the “witch” had come. She shook her head. Wait until she was gone and disease would spread making them wish they still had her around. Then they might learn to cherish others.
Turning back to her cottage she prayed for the rock giant.
Chapter 5
The sun shone down on the lonely cottage, highlighting the group of men riding towards it. The large group of approaching hooves gave away the troop of villagers.
Claira got up from her chair to peer out the window. It looked like every single man from the village had come. They must’ve been afraid at the thought of a rock giant. Clearly, they thought he would give them a run for their money. They were going to find out soon enough how much of a run he was going to be giving them.
Claira stepped outside and closed the cottage door behind her.
She wasn’t surprised the town mayor was leading the group. He’d be the first one chopping at the bit to get her burned at the stake. They stopped a few feet away from her.
He dismounted, took off his hat, and addressed her. “Hand over the rock giant, Claira, and nothing will happen to you.” He talked to her like he would a disobedient child, and it made her bristle.
She gave him her most clueless smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She folded her arms in front of her. She was going to delay them for as long as possible. That meant not letting them into the cottage to find the rock giant missing.
“There are no rock giants here.” She tried to smile sweetly, but she hated this man. He’d tried to get rid of her once, proclaiming her a witch, but thankfully the villagers had been too uncertain about a decision, since she’d been new to the area.
Robert came to stand beside the mayor. “Claira, they know you have him in the cottage.”
She cast a glare in Robert’s direction. How had she ever thought of him as a possible friend? If he were a friend, he would’ve helped to hide her secret, not expose it.
“Don't make me pull you aside.” The mayor warned her. “We want to
work with you.” He was only pretending to be on her side for the villagers’ benefit. He didn’t want to come off as the bad guy. The mayor had an image to maintain, after all.
Now she glared at him. “There is nothing inside my cottage of any interest to you. I don't know what Robert has said to you, but there is no one inside my cottage.”
“I'll be the judge of that.” The mayor flicked his hand in her direction.
Two men from the village stepped forward. Each man took one of her arms and held her back, as she squirmed in their grasps. The mayor stepped forward with a couple other men and entered her cottage.
She waited, still glaring in the direction of Robert. She suspected he hadn’t just let the information slip on accident. She knew he had some pent up frustration about her rejecting him. He’d found a way to take a stab at her, and he’d taken it.
How could he say he loved her when he couldn't even keep a secret for her? He wasn’t a man she could trust.
Her heart pounded in her chest, as she heard them tearing through her things. Glass shattered and she struggled against the men holding her. They were going to wreck her cottage!
“Let me go!” She tried her best to yank her arms away, but she had no hope.
“I found something!” One of the men yelled from within her cottage.
Her heart stopped. Had there been some sort of evidence she had forgotten to hide or get rid of? She thought she’d sent the rock giant off with all of his supplies.
The mayor strode out of the cottage holding a dagger. He smiled at her and waved it in front of her nose. “Do you recognize this?” He asked her.
Yes, she did recognize it. It was a dagger that belonged to the rock giant. “It's mine.” Claira blurted.
The mayor gave a short laugh and held the dagger up to point out the writing. “I highly doubt you have a dagger with the giant language written on the hilt. Where is the rock giant, Claira?”
“I won’t tell you anything.” Claira spit. He had made them into enemies. They could’ve been friends. All he had to do was accept her, when she’d come to the village, but he refused.
He nodded to the man on her right, and the man started to twist her arm.
Letting out a pained gasp she screamed at him. “I sent him away!”
The pressure let up on her arm, and she sucked in a couple of pained breaths. Claira looked up to glare at the mayor. She hadn’t expected him to use force on her. She knew there had been the possibility, but now she knew for certain her life was in true danger.
It took him a while to catch on. “Check her stable and be quick about it!”
“No horse in here!” The men called back in unison.
“Where did you send him?” The mayor yelled in her face, spittle spraying out from between his lips.
Claira shrugged. “I have no idea where he’s headed. I gave him my horse, and he rode off. It wasn’t like I decided to strike up a conversation with him.”
Chest puffed out the mayor yelled at the men. “Go out and check the surrounding woods! We need to find the rock giant!”
Robert decided to chime in on the conversation. “He was wounded badly. He shouldn't be hard to take captive.” He almost seemed excited about the impending manhunt. Jumping up on his horse Robert headed out with some of the men.
The mayor and one of the men holding her arms stayed with her.
They spent half the day at her cottage, as the men went looking for the rock giant. The mayor took advantage of that time to interrogate her for any information she might have.
She thought him deranged. Claira wouldn’t hand over any information to him. Not that she knew much. She’d given the giant her horse, which was all she knew. She had no idea where he was headed. All she could assume was that he was headed back to his people.
She’d never enjoyed the mayor’s presence. He always used his sly wit to keep himself in power, and he would take down any man who tried to defy him. Whether or not that man had a family.
He’d been the one who poisoned the villagers against her, when she’d first come to this village looking for a fresh start. He’d seen her healing skills as a threat to his power in the village.
The mayor tried switching his tactic. “I’ll spare your life, if you will just tell me where the rock giant went. Come now, Claira, no one wants to see you die.”
Claira wasn't a fool though. She knew he would never actually spare her life. She had dug herself the perfect hole, and he was going to use it to bury her once and for all.
The villagers would stand by and let him snuff her life out, because they believed he had their best interests at heart. They all had weak backbones, when it came to standing up to the mayor. He had ultimate power here.
The sound of approaching hooves finally drew the mayor's attention away from her. Robert and the rest of the village men were coming back from their search around the area.
“There were no tracks for us to follow, so we did a search of the surrounding area and found nothing.” A man reported back.
A sigh of relief escaped Claira. She’d done it. She saved the life of the rock giant, and she couldn't help but feel proud of her triumph.
“Tie her hands. She’s aided the rock giant in its escape, so she will be the one to take its place.” The mayor proclaimed to them all. “Aiding a giant is treasonous.”
“Say what you must to justify my death.” Claira couldn’t help but utter.
The mayor ignored her comment. He had her where he wanted her. Now she was a dead woman walking.
Within seconds, her hands were tied in front of her, which were then tied to the side of the mayor's saddle. They were going to make her walk the whole way to the village?
Robert gave her a sympathetic glance, but said nothing as they led her back to the village. He hadn’t thought this all out. Clearly, Robert thought she had no spine and would give the rock giant up to the villagers. He shouldn’t have assumed she was so meek.
The hot sun pounded down on her, and sweat poured over her skin, causing the rope to itch and stick to her sensitive skin. Eventually, she felt like a wilted flower and probably looked like one. Her shoulders slumped, as she plodded across the ground. Claira had to go as fast as the horse or get dragged.
None of these men would care. Robert might, but he wouldn’t speak up for her. He was the one who had the weak spine. She wouldn't be in this situation, if it hadn’t been for him.
When the town came into view, she pulled herself together. Claira wanted to appear strong, and she didn’t want people to think she regretted her actions.
Villagers came out of their homes to gape at her. She kept her shoulders straight, her chin up, and her eyes flashed defiance. No one would beat her down. No one. If healing was a crime, then she was guilty.
Once they got to the middle of town, the mayor cut her loose, only to have another man come up and take her by the arm harshly.
“You’ll sit in a cage for a full day, before you are burned at the stake for aiding the rock giant!” The mayor proclaimed in front of the whole village that had gathered around.
Robert paled. “Burned at the stake?”
“She’s a witch, and now she’s used her powers to help the enemy. We mustn’t let her go unpunished.”
Robert glanced in her direction. If he was seeking forgiveness, he’d better look elsewhere. He’d chosen his side.
Even as they pushed her into the cage, Claira held her head high. She didn’t want to give away the fact that her heart was beating madly, and she was petrified of what was to become of her. The sound of the lock settling in place made her stomach twist. They were going to starve her out in the open for a full day, before burning her alive at the stake.
With her locked away, the people dispersed, going about their business like nothing happened. It was amazing how easily they could ignore her dilemma, after the mayor had given her a death sentence.
Why wouldn’t he just leave her alone already? Claira wanted to bag her head again
st the bars of her cage.
“I promise you, I will convince the mayor to release you.” Robert declared from the other side of the cage.
Shaking her head, she raised an eyebrow at him. “The mayor will never let this go, Robert.”
“I will strike up a deal, for your release.”
“He’s had it out for me, for a long time.”
“No. Don’t think this way. You will live.”
“Robert, I’m in a cage watching while they prepare the platform for my burning. I think I have the right to be looking on the down side of life.”
Eventually, he left her in peace, only to have village children came over to gawk at her.
“Don’t stand too close to the witch!” One mother came over to shoo away the curious children.
Claira rolled her eyes. She’d assisted in the births of some of these children, yet she was now a danger to them. How laughable!
Others came by to hurl insults her way, trying to beat her down even more. The mayor was encouraging them, she was sure. He was probably whispering into their ears. It was what he did.
She tried to push any negative feelings away, but eventually her hatred for the villagers started to show through the cracks. She’d done her best to make a life here. It was just denied to her at every turn. She couldn’t help, but be resentful.
Kaeldar was draped over the horse's neck, as it galloped through the forest. His wound was killing him with the throbbing pain. Every time the horse took a step, it jarred his injury, but he had to get farther away.
He had a head start on any human search party, but he didn't know how determined they’d be. A rock giant as a prisoner would probably thrill them to no limit, but he had no intention of being captured.
As the day waned into late afternoon, he wondered about his savior. Surely, the villagers had come to her cottage and found him missing.
What would they do to one of their own? The humans called the giants savages, yet he had seen more brutality from them than any other species. He hoped she wasn't about to suffer some sort of ill fate because of him.
