Seeker excerpt

“Breath in.”
“Breath out.” Mother’s soft voice flowed through the dining hall another afternoon session. We're only allowed one twice a week. Well if father is being generous, he usually isn’t.
Mother has no say in our meetings even though she was the one to give birth to me she has no ownership of me. She was only father’s concubine away she had no pace giving orders.
“Ros focus,” Uncle Tómasson’s voice boomed behind me. “It is not befitting of a future queen to lose focus like this.” He said sternly.
“Honey let the girl be. Ros sweetheart that’s enough for today you’ll be an honorable queen one day.” Her coarse hands pet my hair but I keep my eyes close refusing to look at her.
“Yes, Mother. Shouldn’t you be on your way?” My eyes flutter open to the sight of Uncle Tómasson helping her up. I can’t help think if only his mate was here to see how gentle he was with my mother she’d have a fit.
“Shouldn’t be touching her so sweetly Uncle Tómasson wouldn’t Lady Jory not like that?” I seethed I truly despised the man standing before me.
“You know I hold no love for your mother Ros.” He informed me backing away from my mother, bowing he turned to make his way out mother not far behind.
Signaling a maid, I made my way from the dining hall to my chambers knowing I could rid myself of this dreaded day. Tomorrow, Mistress Veronica would finally arrive to the kingdom for her first officially visit since taking her place as Queen of Murcurcia. She must be impressed if we wished to live the people of Unos depended on us.
Slipping into my room I began to strip out of my gown slowly removing each piece one by one gently laying them down on the chair. Lifting the linens from my bed I slipped into the bed closing my eyes drifting into the land of dreams. Like every night before I’m transported to a little cabin were a family of four lives. This time around instead of being on the outside like a visitor viewing the scene I was living it. Looking down in the water of the lake instead of my face I see the face of the mother.
“ Lumis, Rosa come we must go inside.” My lips no her lips call to the children playing in the field. One a young boy no older than the age of twelve it seems with fair dark being chased by a girl who looks a little older about the same age as me. Her long amber hair blew in the wind as she continued to chase after her brother I assumed.
“ Children listen to your mother hurry up and come inside!” a voice hollered behind causing me to jump.Turning I come face to face with a giant well a giant compared to the height of the women. His head was covered with a straw hat a country bumpkin, sweat glistened down his mocha skin causing it to shine in the sun.
“ Father must we always go inside early the hunters won’t appear for hours.” The girl Rosa said coming to stand near her father Lumis not far behind.
“ Rosa you already know the answer to that Lumis can not be seen you know what accores when the sun goes down,” He lectured her patting her head “ Now come on we must head off to the celear grab whatever you need from the house you to.”
The children turned following their fathers orders heading towards the house. So distracted by watching the kids I hardly noticed the that gripped my fave no her face until lips decended. The woman’s body automatically reacted kissing the man back.
“Fermosa está ben?” he asked against her lips gently rubbing circles into her arms.
“Yes, I just worry what if they find out about Lumis? What if they hurt him?” She mumbled against his lips.
“Well be—Wake up Ros!” my body began to shake the voice sounding so familiar slowly blinking my eyes I came face to face with the Queen or as I know her móðir.
“Dóttir what have I told you about ignoring your studies and sleeping.” She asked pating my face in a loving matter a bright smile on her face. Sometimes I wished she could be my mother.
“ But móðir I had a long day after my mother had visited me earlier,” I said sitting up in bed brushing my hair back behind my ear. I hope I could be just as good as a Queen as her. “ Why have you awaken me anyways the moon still shines high in the sky.”
“ An lashing Helic has returned he’s caught another runaway Outfast plans to punish her but decree of the king.” She whispers standing to fetch me my gown it doesn’t worry me that there will be another execution. I could never understand why we killed and punished them.
“ Do we have to go móðir?” I asked but I got my answer from the look she gave me her brows frowning and lip tightening. Putting on my gown and slipping on my shoes I headed towards the door the Queen not far behind. The guard held the door opened stepping to the side I let the queen go first as custom even the king walks behind the queen I was no better. As she walked by the guards bowed their heads lowly servents were not allowed to stare at the queens face it would a crime. We walked down the hall until we reached the chamber of sercrets you see high up in the chamber was a tower were the royal family would be able to watch the execution.
The moonlight passed through the opened windows as we passed by causing my face to glow a bright pink the harvest would be coming soon and the moon would be high at this point and time. Mating usually starts during the harvest I haven’t meet my mate yet and I was already one hundred in thirteen years of age. I hope I meet him soon.
Once we reached the chamber we started the tedious walk up the stairs taking us about five minutes to reach the top. Father, the twins, Lord Tomasson and Lady Jory were already in the tower waiting for us taking our seat we waited for the execution to started we watched as Lord Helic dragged the Outfast out on to the stage before going back as his brother came out on to the stage. At that moment I started to feel a pull like I would during on of my dreams my eyes started to droupe shutting closed. A few seconds I started to blinking, looking up the sight before me was the sadistic smile on Helix face. Turning my gaze to look around me I was greeted with the looks of discugsted on the peoples face oppening my mouth to say something nothing came out again I couldn’t communicate through the persons mouth only see through there eyes.
“ This demon, sickenning outfast has commkinted the most hanessed crime trying to run from her master,” Helix voice boomed over the silence of the crowd. “ By decree of the king she will be pushed with one hundred lashings.” Lifting up his whip he grazed it againist her back I shivered as if it were happening to my own body I hope that would never accore.
Gazing up at the chamber I see my father stand a serien standing before to echo this message to all the people. Clearing his voice he began to speak “ Today this girl no this abomination stands before us to be punished for her crimes and to serve as an example to her people of what is two if they disobey the orders of my men. The Outfast need to know their place begin Helix.” Just as Lord Helix brought down the whip on her it was like I was transport back to my body by this invisible force. I gasped as my eyes open
" Such fair skin." his silk voice flowed into her ear as the whip came down on the pale skin of this girl I don’t even know her name but I can feel her pain. Her screams pierced through the air as he marked her skin I could every lash as if my own skin was being marked. Crows pecked at the flesh of her back feeding on the bloody tissue.
The whip comes down she let out another heart wrenching scream. Her eyes gaze up at the crowd that had formed around her before traveling up to the chamber her gaze meets mine piercing my soul. Looking down I noticed the tear's leaked down the faces of the women as they shield the children's eyes from the gruesome sight. I watch as she flinch as a finger dips into her open wounds Helix pulles his finger back sucking on them

" Such fine blood," his sickly sweet voice reaches my ears and as sick as it sounds captivates me. His gaze travels from the to lookup to gaze at me flashing the knowing Lord Helix smile before turning back to the crowd. " Any Outfast scum take this as a warning disobey the order of Mistress Veronica and face the same fate."

Silent whisperers pass through the crowd. The whip comes down again causing the Outast to shriek in pain silencing the crowd.

" Do you understand!" his voice boomed through the hall murmurers of yes came from the frightful crowd. A guard walks up to the Outfast and begins to drag her off to the prisons were she will be forced to spend the night. The crowd starts to dispan as well all heading back towards their homes.
After a while of sitting father stand dismissing us back to our chambers to rest for the arrival of Mistress Veronica. We all fall his order and head back to our chambers but I can’t help but to look back down at the grown the girls blood on the ground and feel this sick feelings in the pit of my stomach on how wrong this is. I also wondered why at the moment in time I would fall under a dream like that and if the visions were actually dream or if they were real. But that would have to be dealt with other day I need much sleep to prepare for the arrival of the Mistress tomorrow no one wished to anger her.