The Sirena

Chapter Two

The door swung open with a melodramatic crunch, Katherine strode regally into the centre of the room waiting to be addressed. Lord Keyton slunk off to his seat.
"Ah! Lady Hepwick welcome back. Marie, come pour the water if you please- Keyton come back here and escort Lady Hepwick to her seat." Rambled the ink black haired small, bony man Sir Leonard Connelly, head of the Cathwind Council. The maid, Marie scuttled forward as if she were a beetle cautiously moving as not to be stepping upon.
"Hurry it up we haven't got all day." Ushered Sir Leonard hurriedly, desperate to begin the Choosing.
As Marie went about pouring water for the Council, Katherine felt sick inside. Countess Isabella Winthorpe touched her shoulder gently. Her sallow face sunken and stricken with concern.
"Are you quite alright?" She whispered to Katherine.

Katherine flushed and touched her face self consciously as she realised she had turned almost as pale as Countess Isabella.
"Oh. Oh yes, quite alright thank you." Katherine whispered back.
Yet, she was lying. She still felt awful. How could anyone be excited about such a horrible thing like the Choosing?
Still the task had fallen to her after her father died to conduct it. And Katherine forbade herself from disappointing her father. No matter how much she disappointed herself.
She hadn't noticed how much time had passed until Sir Leonard boomed, "Bring forth the Chosen."
Katherine watched each elderly face turn towards the door. Her eyes rested upon Lord Keyton momentarily watching the excitement blaze in his hungry eyes as he flung his head towards the people entering. Katherine rolled her eyes.
Sir Leonard nodded at Katherine as she started to speak. As she began, she sized up each of the Chosen in turn. Including herself and Lord Keyton they were the only young ones in the room. Even the guards were in their mid sixties. And all of them were in ragged clothing, without shoes, mud caked on their face and dust in their hair. Well, Katherine thought hopefully, at least they were fed and given shelter. But even so, they are still people no matter what they had done. They deserve respect.

She droned on and on. Evaluating each and every Chosen, not even paying attention to what she was saying since she knew it now by routine. ".....how has this affected Cathwind? Did you have any dutiful role in the protection on Cathwind before your convicted crime?" Once she had finished her evaluations, Katherine looked over each of them in turn again. Watching how they quivered, only being held together by the firm grip of the guards with them and how sad and hopeless their eyes were. It broke her inside. How could she do this? How....
Father.
The one word flashed through her mind in a second. But it was enough. She needed to pull herself together. She fixed a firm gaze upon them all.
"Let the Lady Hepwick have a moment to make her final decision." Said Sir Leonard turning to her.
Her eyes swung, over each of them in turn until they all blurred into one. Taking a deep breath she stared into the eyes of  the one she had chosen. Watching the dismay on their face soon change to horror, she lifted her hand and pointed.
"You."