Fighting hearts

Twenty-four

Now that Carlisle was dead and Roth's mother was held in prison, it was as if Evie, Roth, and his sisters were stuck in a nightmare, worried sick and frustrated. They couldn't do anything for Hiso and knew little about her current circumstances because she couldn't receive visitors. They could only speculate about how she was treated, which was probably not good, considering she was an older orc who'd killed an important human.

Evie once again couldn't help but think everything was on her. At least, partly. Roth had tried to convince her that nothing was her fault or their fault, but Evie knew that he, too, was feeling guilty about his mother's poor fate.

"I don't know h-how to help Roth," Evie said softly, crying more tears while she was visiting her brother and sister-in-law. "I can't do anything. I feel so useless. And I miss him."

Even though they'd seen each other a few times since that fateful day five days ago, they had never been alone. She just wanted to hold him.

"You aren't useless. You are there for him." Ipra stood up from her seat and sat beside Evie, holding her in her arms. "And that's all you can do." She sighed, pulling her fingers through Evie's hair. "You poor thing. I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"I'm so sorry this happened to Roth and his mother... Ultimately, Hiso is the most unfortunate one in this case."

"It's not a competition, Evie," Ipra said.

"I know. That's not what I meant."

"You have every right to feel this way. Even though you think Roth's sisters disagree."

"They don't like me."

"Oh, baby sis," Nicholas said, "this is not on you. Hiso did what she felt was needed to protect her son and the one he loves. That was her choice. And I, for one, am happy she made that choice. Carlisle is dead, and it's glorious. That creepy lunatic bastard didn't deserve to live. Look at what he did to you! He could have..."

"I know." Evie sat up straight, grabbed her handkerchief from her skirt pocket, dried her eyes, and blew her nose. She took a deep ragged breath. "I know what he could have done. But ever since it happened, I've been asking myself why Hiso couldn't just shoot Carlisle in the leg or something. But she killed him, and now she might have to face the—the death penalty."

The terrifying thought of Hiso getting the highest penalty almost had Evie bursting into tears again. Hiso could end up in the electric chair or get hung on the gallows.

Poor Roth. Poor sweet loving Roth. That man didn't deserve all this pain.

Evie stuffed her handkerchief away and took another deep breath. "I can't bear to think about how Roth will feel if that happens. He's already hurt and angry about how things are playing out."

Things were escalating in town. A few different groups of humans had thrown rotten food against Hiso's house and killed a few of their chickens. People were talking badly about her and her family, and even about orcs in general, and they'd written offensive texts all over the walls of town. Even Evie herself had been harassed, her house painted with insults and garbage dumped in front of her door.

"They're orcs, Evie," Ipra said. "And Carlisle was a powerful man."

"If only those people knew..." Evie sniffed.

They might not think, speak, and act like this if they knew all the bad things Carlisle had done. If they knew who the real monster was.

"Wait a minute..." Evie whispered, the gears in her head working until she got an epiphany. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Nicholas questioned.

"Ipra, can you please give me one moment with my brother alone?"

"Of course, I'll go see if my pie in the oven is done."