Rise of the Warrior of Everfen

Chapter 57: Fury

"Will you translate? Allow them whatever last words they choose?" She glared at Chief Gussten and then looked to Cold Hammer. They stood here and witnessed everything, the "trial" the orcs held in which it was already well determined beforehand the two men were guilty. The moment they'd seen her they'd started begging for her to help them, take them to the human king. She supposed they never expected to actually have to pay for their crimes. She imagined their thought process had been along the lines of 'if we get caught we just get taken home.'

She turned away in disgust and demanded, "Will you do nothing to stop this?"

Cold Hammer had been nothing but stoic since the archers turned their weapons on them, since Gussten reminded him how his parents were burned alive. "No." He stated, just as deadpan as he was when he told her to get up and watch the trial.

"Cold Hammer,"

"No." He said more harshly. She could see the fury that had risen in his face with every second the trial had commenced. She'd seen the rage when he looked at the elder that had nearly burned alive in his home. Even now, Cold Hammer looked at him, face grim. "He barely made it out."

"We—"

"Are outnumbered, Sheobulf!" He snapped at her, voice low enough that no one else could hear. "Nothing I do here today will stop this."

Fury whipped through her. "Is that your belief or your excuse? I can see it in your face, you think they deserve it."

"They do deserve it!" He hissed, growing angrier by the second.

Cold Hammer hadn't tried to reason with the chief at all since the trial started. "You should be reciting Lohke's laws to them. Threatening to bring the Great Chieftain's wrath down on their heads."

Cold Hammer wheeled on her, his massive hands grabbing onto her arms, he bared his teeth at her as he shouted, "You will do as the chief asks! You will write to Wren and inform him that you were here, that your bore witness and sanctioned the trial."

"Cold Hammer!"

"Erinne!" His voice rose louder still. "Translate their last words or let them die without."

She stared up at him, rage fueling every inch of her body into a state of tenseness that she didn't think she could ever break out of. She lowered her voice so only he could hear, this time pleading with him, "Will you truly do nothing?" This would start a war, he had to know that. What would happen to their family if the war began again? Andol was so young, she'd hoped for decades of peace, time for her son to grow up and have a decent childhood.

"Last words?" The Chieftain asked again, impatient now. She felt something in her heart crumbling as she came to the realization that nothing was going to stop this. They would drown these men here and she feared how the humans would react to it. Their actions were going to break the treaty in half. Humans were to be sent back to the humans for trial and prosecution.

"I'm leaving." She said slowly and turned, reaching for Andol, but Cold Hammer didn't let her go. "I will not watch this!" She hissed at him but when she looked back at him, his eyes were on the archers again who'd lifted their bows.

She fell silent, staring at them a long moment before she shifted her eyes to the chief. When he spoke, his words were matter-of-fact. "I summoned you here to bear witness. You will bear witness."

"You threaten our lives." She hissed at him.

"Erinne." Cold Hammer's words were just as chilling in their tone. Their lack of emotion tore at her. "Do as he says." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, glaring at the chieftain. She looked up at Cold Hammer one more time, his eyes still on the archers. She understood they were trapped, but she didn't understand his silence.