The night had been cold, and restless, an ominous sign from the Loa. Vol'jin had spent his time meditating, waiting for Bwonsamdi to counsel him on what to do about Uyoga. No leader liked sentencing one of his own to death, but Uyoga had broken her oath. Every troll swore allegiance to their Chieftain, every troll swore to uphold and follow every rule set. Uyoga had disobeyed him, had harmed another member of the tribe, and had attacked Cenahria. Vol'jin knew exactly which angered him most. He did not know what that meant, for him or the tribe.
It had taken some time for Bwonsamdi to make himself heard. Vol'jin had the impression the spirit did not want to become involved in such a trivial matter, but such was the troll way. As expected, Bwonsamdi demanded death. "Send da traitor's soul to me. I will make her see da error of her ways, and she can spend eternity serving me." Bwonsamdi's voice was like ice, and Vol'jin sighed. "It feels wrong to kill one of my own." "Are ya not a child of mine, shadow hunter? Send me da traitor's spirit. Dat is what trolls do." And with that, Bwonsamdi had withdrawn from their brief talk, and Vol'jin had tried to sleep. Dreams plagued him throughout the night, dreams of him protecting Cenahria, keeping her safe from all harm. Sometimes, he hated the Loa.
Dawn lit the sky soon enough, and Uyoga was brought into his hut as the sky was turning a sweet pink. Many other trolls had gathered, either outside the hut, or to stand in a circle inside. Vol'jin noted that Zaria and the other druids had chosen to stand inside, behind his chair. Uyoga was flanked by two of his guards, and they dragged her to the centre of the circle. Forcing her to her knees, the guards retreated a few steps, but kept their spears trained on her. Uyoga had lost none of her ferocity, and she spat at the floor beside both of them.
"Ya know why ya have been brought here, Uyoga. Ya broke ya oath to ya Chieftain, ya harmed one of our own. Da spirits demand ya be punished." The other trolls nodded in agreement. Uyoga finally raised her head, and looked him in the eyes. "Ya know dey not be da reason ya want to kill me, Vol'jin. Ya know da reason why, and ya hate yaself for it. I tried to save dis tribe, save it from ya ineptitude. Ya have damned us all!" Heat burned through Vol'jin's veins, as he struggled to keep his temper under control. "Look at ya. Look at what dat elf whore has done to ya. Once, ya commanded respect. Now, elves walk freely among our kind, when dey would easily stab us in da back." Uyoga's eyes had glinted at the word 'whore', a look of malice crossing her face. Vol'jin growled slightly, desperately wanting to defend Cenahria, but knowing that she was trying to bait him. The other trolls were completely silent, some confused, others concerned. He briefly wondered how many of his tribe knew what he was struggling to admit to himself.
"I have communed wit da Loa. Bwonsamdi himself demands ya soul in retribution for ya broken oath. My thoughts are my own, but da laws of our kind are clear. Da spirits want ya life, and I be more den happy to give it to dem." Uyoga stared back at him defiantly. There was no fear on her face. She would fight anyone who tried to execute her. That much was clear. "Do ya have any last words to say, to ya family, before ya die?" For the first time, emotion crossed Uyoga's face, and instantly Vol'jin regretted his choice of words. "Da elf's kind slaughtered my family. Ya know dat Vol'jin. Ya be cruel to remind me of dat, now I come to join dem." Vol'jin moved to take his spear from Zaria, who was holding it for him, when a broken voice came from the doorway. "We killed your family?" Vol'jin looked to the doorway. Cenahria was stood, her face a picture of pain. Tears shone in her eyes, and he knew, in that moment, that Cenahria felt Uyoga's pain, and grief. She understood why Uyoga had attacked her. And she felt sympathy for her. "Cenahria. I didn't think ya would want to be here for dis. Maybe ya should go home, and we can talk about dis after?" He tried not to beg her with his voice. She was too innocent, too pure, to watch him kill one of his kind. He couldn't let her watch this. "Vol'jin. You aren't going through with this?" Cenahria met his eyes, and when he nodded, the tears vanished. She strode into the centre of the room, and to his utter disbelief, she stood, between Uyoga and him. Zaria looked confused, and the other trolls began to whisper amongst themselves.
"Please, get away from Uyoga. She be a traitor to our kind, she tried to kill ya! She may not have a weapon, but she could still attack ya, even now. For ya sake, wait outside?" This time he did allow a note of pleading into his voice, but Cenahria just straightened, and continued to look at him. It struck him how she looked, standing in her troll dress, eyes locked onto his. He couldn't look away. He couldn't close his mind to the thoughts. He wished they were alone. "This is a trial for her crimes. As you say, she broke her oath to you, and she harmed Zaria. I understand you have your laws to follow. But you cannot execute her for trying to attack me. I won't allow it." Amazement flooded through Vol'jin. This was the same elf who only a few weeks before, had cowered behind his chair when a troll had tried to take her hand. Now she was risking her life, to defend the very troll who had tried to kill her? "Ya won't allow it? Ya not be one of us. I don't want ya pity, or ya help." Uyoga spat at Cenahria, but the elf ignored her. "You cannot execute this troll for trying to kill me. After what my people did to her, and her family, it is understandable what she has done." Cenahria turned to face Uyoga, and her eyes softened. "You may hate me for the crimes of my kind. I hate them too. Your family did not deserve to die. They did nothing wrong. And I am truly sorry that you have lost them. Please. Allow me to make up for the sins of my people, by giving you a second chance at your own life." Cenahria's voice had grown gentle, and she had knelt beside Uyoga. The trolls continued to stare at Cenahria, and Vol'jin's mind raced. On one side, he had an obligation to Bwonsamdi. The Loa demanded Uyoga's life. But Cenahria was asking him to spare Uyoga's life, as a means of apologising for what her kind had done. His heart tugged towards the only option he knew he had.
"Ya wish me to show mercy, to da very troll who tried to kill ya?" Cenahria looked at him, and nodded. There was a slight fierceness to her gaze, that hardened when he reached for his spear. She moved herself slightly in front of Uyoga. "As Chieftain of dis tribe, I have asked da Loa for guidance. Uyoga, ya have broken ya oath, and deliberately harmed one of ya own. For dat, ya must be punished." Cenahria's eyes narrowed, and followed his movements, as he stood in front of Uyoga. Slamming the spear into the ground next to the troll, he bent to the floor. "But, I cannot punish ya for attacking Cenahria. She is our guest, and she has begged for mercy on ya behalf. Dat I must honor." Uyoga met his eyes, and for a moment her hatred vanished. It seemed Cenahria's words had affected her. Vol'jin moved to stand by his chair, and looked straight through the open doorway, ignoring every troll in the room. "From dis day forward, ya are no longer part of da Darkspear. Ya are exiled from dese lands. If ya return, we will kill ya. Leave. Now." He growled the last word. Exile was rare amongst his kind, and already murmurs were beginning to grow amongst the watchers. Uyoga stood, as did Cenahria. Their eyes met briefly, and Vol'jin could only guess what passed between them in that moment. Uyoga stormed out of the hut, and the other trolls followed. He knew that they would make sure she left the lands swiftly.
Vol'jin sank into his chair and sighed. Bwonsamdi would not be pleased with his decision. "Thank you, Vol'jin." He looked up to see Cenahria had stayed behind. She had remained in the centre of the room, and was watching the procession of trolls following Uyoga to the border of the Isles. Sadness emanated from her form. He wanted to go to her, to tell her it wasn't her fault, what had happened. He wanted to hold her, to take the sadness away. He wanted to tell her how her compassion struck him, how rare it was to find someone as pure as her. He wanted to do so much.
Vol'jin watched as Cenahria silently left his hut, disappearing into the brightening day.