Rane's Giants Read online

  Old Erma had just sent the parents out to gather wood for the fire, and water to heat when she noticed what Rane was doing. By the time the parents of the child came back, expecting to find the dying child, they found that he was breathing normally. His color was almost white again instead of the unhealthy blue it was an hour ago.

  The old woman told the parents the power of the Gods saved the child.

  From that night on, Old Erma worked with Rane to develop her talents. She cautioned against using the talent for less than life or death to keep from being labeled a witch.

  So they continued as before, never showing anyone the gift Rane possessed, until no one was around but Old Erma, Rane, and their patient. They always made certain the patient was sedated shortly after the healing, so any residual memory of the process was explained away as a side effect of the herbal remedy.

  Two weeks after Rane turned twenty-four years of age, Old Erma passed from the world. Rane had been in the forest gathering herbs when she felt a gentle hand whispering by her cheek. She knew what she would find when she got back to the hut, and grieved all the way home. Her mentor had passed from old age. Her elderly heart could not be repaired, no matter how many times in the past few years Rane tried to knit it back together. They knew Old Erma’s time was near, but it did not make it any easier for Rane to bear.

  Three days after they placed the elderly healer’s body in her grave, men started appearing in the dungeon.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as Lord Ludwig left she crawled from behind the big chest, and slowly approached the prisoner. He had not moved since they brought him in and shackled him to the wall. Her hands began to warm as she slowly ran them from the top of his head to the tips of his toes so she could assess the damage done to his body.

  This man had taken a beating like none before him. His skull was a web of cracked bone, and three of his ribs were completely broken, with one sticking out from his flesh. His thickly muscled legs were striped by fresh rope marks, and his entire body was bruised with deep painful injuries. The stab wound in his gut worried her a bit, but not as much as the cracked skull.

  This warrior had not gone down easily.

  She had to sit astraddle his thick muscular thighs to reach his head with her hands. Goddess, but the man was huge. Her legs were spread so far apart she could feel the burning stretch in her own thighs. It was good he was unconscious because she could feel the thick bulge of his man organ nestled between her own sex.

  Rane placed her hands on his head over the worst of the webbed bones under his hair and skin. She began the tedious task of melding the bone back together, making sure to interlock every small shard of bone so none would be left to float around in his skull after she healed him. Any tiny sliver of bone could cause damage and pain later, so it was better to get the pesky things taken care of the first time and be done with it.

  She leaned over him for hours, concentrating on healing his skull, and pushing the gel that was causing pressure on his brain to seep out of the lesser openings where the skin was broken. Even if she had water to wash away the blood, she would not have done it yet. It would take another day, at least, to heal the rest of his injuries enough to remove him from this place, and place a pile of ashes in his spot.

  Rane was getting quite a collection of big men hiding in the cave near the river. As soon as she heard the Lord had a new prisoner, she slipped into the dungeon through the secret rock in the wall, and observed the guards and the Lord or Simon come into the room to torture the men for information.

  When they left the men beaten and shackled at death’s door, she slipped through the wall and healed them enough to secrete them out of the room, and into the small tunnel leading into the forest.

  Today’s discovery of a new prisoner was merely happenstance. She had been hiding in the dungeon because this was the one place Simon rarely ventured into without his small gang of hangers-on. She again thanked the Goddess for the small size of her body as she hid behind the trunk of torture implements in the darkest corner. There had been no time to hide in the tunnel without being seen by the guards.

  That she was already here in this room when they brought him in was a blessing for the warrior had he but known it. The bleeding in his brain causing the swelling would have killed him after days of torturous pain. That is, if the stab wounds and the blood seeping from the place his rib stuck through his flesh had not caused him to bleed to death. Or the wound became infected with filth, and he died from the infection.

  Rane took her hands from the warriors head and waited for the wounds to bleed a little more before sealing the seeping wounds on the inside of his flesh. That way, when his captors came back they would see what it appeared to be. The huge man still incapacitated from his mortal wounds, complete with fresh blood still slowly causing him to bleed to death. They liked that. They took bets on how long a prisoner would still bleed, and even how much they would bleed before death. Almost to a man, Lord Ludwig’s men were as depraved as he and his sibling.

  It puzzled her as to why this warrior, and the past three like him, had not been killed outright on the battlefield as so many had been. Nor had they been subjected to the lord’s usual depravities. For some reason he seemed to fear these men, and when a small pile of ashes had been found where the prisoner had been chained, all he did was grunt and nod his head. He ordered his guards to sweep up every ash, and scatter the ashes into the wind over the fields.

  When the lord felt particularly like he needed entertainment, and there were no prisoners in the dungeon, he would have a villager brought into the hall on a trumped up charge, and allow his men to torture the poor soul. The villagers were raped and beaten for screaming during the process. One man had been strung up over the blackened beams overhead, and roasted over a vat of bubbling fat. His screams were said to still echo in the hall on cold nights.

  Sadly, by the time each villager was tossed out of the hall like a pile of garbage, if still alive, their mind was too broken for Rane to heal them. She might heal their bodies, but the mind was in the hands of the Goddess.

  Younger people from the village had been fleeing from Droildorf in the middle of the night. Sometimes in two’s and sometime in four’s. Especially the young people of the age of puberty. No one was safe in this place anymore, and loving parents were helping as best they could to get their progeny out of harm’s way. The refugees were said to have been allowed to build lives and shelters if they found their way to the castle of Tremble On The Sea.

  It was said to be a haunted place with a violent past. The villagers made good livings by fishing and were encouraged in artisan works.

  Some of the younger people that had made it to Tremble found a way to come back, and take their older relatives away to the new life they had made. The former occupants of Droildorf village thrived in their new situation, and Rane was happy for them. Perhaps one day she would leave and beg the Lord of Tremble to allow her to ply her trade as a healer in his village.

  For now, she needed to leave the dungeon and ground the pain that she had taken from the warrior. She could feel it pushing from the corner in her mind. Until she released the pain energy into the flowing water, or another person, it would hammer at her brain until she was blind with the pain she took from another.

  The quick, evil thought of gifting Simon with the pain crossed her mind but was quickly rejected. To cause him pain and not kill him would be a death sentence. Her life was more precious than to throw it away on a creature such as him. If he were to attack her, that would be an entirely different circumstance. She would be forced to leave immediately and find her way to a new life elsewhere.

  “Warrior, hear me, I must leave you now but will return soon. I have healed the direst of your wounds as best I can for now. Use the time for healing sleep. I promise to return.”

  Rane stifled a groan as she stood. Her knees and the long muscles in her thighs and calves burned from holding the position in front of the warrior for so
long. She crawled to the opposite wall and climbed upon a rock setting on the floor. Before pushing inward on the hidden stone, she sent out feelers to make certain no one was around to witness her departure from the room.

  By the time she made her way to the cave housing the five other men in various states of healing, she was exhausted. She was forced to stop and immerse herself in the river to allow the pain to flow from herself into the strong current. Then she had to catch enough fish to feed the men since she did not have the time to snare several hares for the men to eat.

  The water ritual helped to energize her so she could keep going up the rocks burdened with the large catch of fish.

  The man called Nord was sitting behind a rock ready to trounce anyone attempting to discover the hidden cave. He helped Rane carry her burden by plucking the sack from her fingers, and hauling her up by the arm over the large rocks.

  The huge sword at his back was something Rane had found while searching the sites of the battles for men who might still be alive. She had hidden several swords and dirks in the cave after a skirmish or battle for a few years. Now she knew the urge to hide the weapons came to her from the Goddess.

  It was on two of her recent forays into the darkness she had found the other two men. She would need help moving the warrior in the dungeon. One of these men would be enough, she hoped, to pull and help her carry the huge man through the tunnel and woods to the cave.

  After seeing to the broken leg of the man the others called Mouse, and tending the other’s various injuries, she knew they were just about ready to make their way back home. She never asked them where they came from, because it didn’t matter to her. As long as their enemy was her enemy, they were worth using her talents on and risking exposure.

  Mouse and Nord began cleaning the four large fish Rane brought to them. There were still potatoes and four heads of cabbage left on the rocks near the fire so the fish would be a good change of meal for the men.

  She decided to tell the men about the giant warrior, and hoped at least one would volunteer for the dangerous mission of rescuing the man. She knew if she asked one to help, there was no way he could refuse her request. A volunteer knew the consequences and did the job anyway. That was what she needed.

  “They brought another of your brethren into the dungeon today. He was, and still is, in dire straits. The man is a giant. He has dark brown hair. I did not see his eyes. He does have a large tattoo on his back, but I did not see the whole thing because he is too big and heavy for me to lift on my own. His injuries showed me that he did not go down easily. I would guess that Lord Ludwig lost more than a few fighting men when they tangled with the warrior.

  “If I had not ministered to him before I left, he would soon die from blood loss or infection. I did as much healing for him as I possibly could. I am not certain, but I believe that Lord Ludwig is not going to allow him to die as the rest of you have done. He said something that disturbed me when he bashed the man’s head into the stones. He told the man that his death would be the vengeance for Lord Frank’s death.”

  As soon as she mentioned the size of the warrior still in the dungeon, the men before her began to stand, even Mouse with his broken thighbone tried to stand. At the mention of the tattoo, they began to gather weapons. The looks of pride and resignation that she saw on their faces as they exchanged looks told her that this man was important to them. It seemed she would not need to ask for volunteers. She would be forced to deny all but one of them direct participation in the rescue of their fallen comrade.

  Nord was the fittest of the men since his injuries had been more superficial than dire, when Rane found him in the dungeon. The only problem with taking him was the fact he was nearly as big as the warrior that needed to be rescued.

  She remembered her first sight of Nord. The man had been sitting against the wall of the dungeon, much like the giant that was a captive now. Nord had been hit on the side of his head with something large and hard to have cracked the side of his skull as it had. She was forced to straddle his thighs in order to reach her hands to hold his head. As she concentrated on healing his bones, her body seemed to hum and her belly tightened as the heat radiating from his huge body warmed her. She blushed to remember the way her breasts and nipples had hardened from her nearness to the big man. When his thick cock hardened and rose between the cradle of her thighs, the feelings became more intense. She drew her hands back from his head and found his intense blue eyes staring at her. She scrambled from his wide thighs and landed on her rear end on the floor.

  From that moment on, she had not allowed herself to look into his eyes. The picture of his naked body sealed to hers came to her everytime she tried to meet his gaze. He had taken the knife she brought with her and released the shackles holding him to the chains embedded into the stone wall. As they made their way through the tunnel, he had been forced to shimmy his body wormlike to get through the passage. His shoulders had been badly scraped by the time they had reached the forest floor.

  “Nord, I have no doubt of your abilities to help, but I need to take someone smaller into the tunnel with me so there will be room enough for three of us to pass through. The man is not just big, he is a giant. I planned to have only one other with me to get him out, but you can help us with carrying him when we leave the tunnel, if you feel the need to see the man yourself.”

  Drago, Max, Hawk, and Nord stood in front of her like a solid wall of overdeveloped muscular flesh. Mouse was still struggling to rise until Nord said something to the man under his breath that even Rane’s sensitive hearing could not catch. Mouse stopped his struggles, and sat still with a resigned look on his face.

  Max spoke up, “I will go into the tunnel with you, Lady Rane. Hawk will guard our path, and Drago will have our backs. Nord and I will carry our Lord Tremble if need be.”

  The men started for the entrance of the cave. And Rane had to stop them from rushing out until it was dark enough to hide them from spying eyes.

  “The path is treacherous in the dark as you all know, but if we go now someone could see our passage and report to Lord Ludwig. Right now he thinks you have died and turned to ash in his dungeon. If you are seen before we rescue your lord then he will be killed without delay. His brother, Simon, is a sadistic man who would make the death a very painful one.

  “As much as I would like to go back right now, we must be smart about it or all will be lost.”

  The men nodded, yet continued to move around the small space, flexing their muscles and scowling. The wait was wearing on their nerves, but there was nothing Rane could do about it. She found a patch of soft dirt near the back wall and sat to meditate. For some reason the name of the giant was familiar. Wait, Lord Tremble?

  Tremble by the sea, the castle where most of the fleeing villagers had settled. But why would they come to Droildorf? From all accounts, the castle of Tremble had everything this place did not. There was nothing here to attract raiders except fighting. Why were they here in the first place? Rane did not realize she had spoken the question aloud until Nord came and sat in front of her then Hawk flanked him.

  “Why did we come? Do you have any idea of the numbers of refugees that have come to Tremble by the Sea in the past two years? We are running out of room to house and feed them all. Droildorf is not the only town with a vicious overlord. Your Lord Ludwig stands out from the crowd of tyrants.”

  Chapter Three

  Nord took up the conversation as Hawk stomped to the entrance of the cave.

  “Lord Tremble cannot bring himself to turn away the refugees and it is getting to the point where a man cannot walk five steps in any direction without tripping over a child or servant. No one is allowed to laze around at Tremble castle. So positions have been manufactured for all of the new people. We have run out of options to keep the additional people productive.

  “We were sent to negotiate with four overlords and one of them is now breathing dirt. Lord Ludwig did not give any of us that were sent a chance to neg
otiate, or even speak, before the treacherous bastard attacked our parties. I still have no idea what happened to my men, nor do any of the rest of us. I suspect they have all been murdered, and if that is what has happened, then there will be plenty of company for Ludwig in his dirt resting place.

  “His followers will be put to death as surely as he will be. The Lord Tremble must have decided to find out what the delay in our return was, and came himself to investigate. If I had to guess, I would say that he allowed himself to be taken so he could find us. He is unmatched in battle, no petty little tyrant could have brought him low unless he allowed it to happen.

  “Now, Lady Rane, it is time for us to leave. Darkness is falling, and I would like to get my Lord Tremble out of that place without delay.”

  It seemed her small army of patients was taking over and she let them. Rane was tired, but knew it would be hours before she would allow herself to rest. Goddess knew what would happen once they got back to the warrior Lord Tremble. His name certainly fit him as far as she could tell.

  The man was a giant in size. She would wager many people would tremble from seeing him come their way if he was in a mood. His face was square and his nose was a straight thin line. While she had not seen his eyes, she could remember they had not been spaced so close together as to look cross-eyed. His body under the bruising and bloody injuries was magnificent.

  They made their way through the rocks with ease that made Rane envious. Nord insisted on carrying her on his back most of the way to the tunnel. He told her she was slowing them down, and needed to conserve her energy, so she would be able to heal Lord Tremble when she got to him.