Pellets of rain lashed her face as Rahríténne let herself out of her family's house, gently shutting the door behind her, careful not wake her mother and younger brother, Sahaim.

Glancing round the street once, she let out a relieved sigh as she confirmed that there was nobody else around. Pulling her hood up and keeping her head down, she started the long walk to the Reode Clan's meeting place, pocketing her key as she walked.

Three months beforehand, the Dhére's Fey Elders had made it law that every week, a representative from each of the families in the clans must turn up to a meeting in their designated area - a motion designed to bring the Kingdom closer together and keep track of its residents. However, if a clan failed to produce an adequate amount of people for a meeting, there would be an order for an entire family to be beheaded. The family would be picked randomly, heedless of if they had or had not turned up to the meeting.

She shuddered slightly. In their clan, this rule had been enforced once. At night, she still heard the screams from the chosen family when they realised that it was they who must die; even though they had faithfully attended each week.

Their four and five year old sons' lives were taken at the same time.

Biting her lip, Rahríténne told herself not to worry. Although the Reode Clan was the Clan with the lowest population in the Dhére, they were also some of the most caring people that she knew. Not one of them would miss the meeting, as none of them wanted a repeat of that dreadful event.

Her breathing came slightly easier. So far their Clan had managed to scrape through, by their faithful nature. But she still had to go anyway. If any more than five families from their Clan were out of attendance... looking down at her hands, she clenched them, her nails digging into her skin. This was how small the Reode Clan was.

Forcing her gaze away from her skin, she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. These meetings had to be for a reason. She just wanted to know what it was.

Sighing, she tried to ignore her complaining feet. She was halfway there, after all.

An hour later, she reached her destination - a stunningly large hall decorated with flowers and furnished with plenty of chairs and tables. She did not feel any excitement at seeing it though. The reality was that it didn't belong to her Clan; it had been built by the Dhére Elders many years ago, primarily for the purpose of these gatherings.

The Dhére laws were vile, but they were necessary. Without them, the Dragons would attack Dhére, causing their home to become a battleground.

Shuddering slightly, she wondered the reason for allowing the Dragons to live- the Fey would be far better off without them. It was well known that Dragons had no pity, and the brain of a savage animal. If they could, they would oliberate Dhére, burning it to the ground.

There was already quite a queue outside the doors, and she silently joined the end of it. She realised that she should have set off a little earlier, as the hall appeared to be packed, and a lot of jostiling was going on. Wincing at the thought of making her way through that crowd, she moved forward into the free space before her.

Surprisingly, it did not take long before she reached the admittance desks at the front. There was a faerie lounging behind one of them. He gestured for her to come over, leering as he did so. She did as he wanted, as there was no other options.

"Proof?"

Rahríténne wondered what he was talking about, as she had never been asked that question at a meeting before.

An expression of obvious annoyance on his face, he gestured towards her hood.

With a start, she realised that he wanted proof that she was a faerie. Shrugging, she pulled down the hood so that he could see her slightly pointed ears.

He gave her a disgruntled look. "Name?" He barked.

She answered him quietly. "Rahríténne Dówrs."

"Speak up!" His eyes flashed at her menacingly.

Trying not to shake, she repeated the information in a louder voice. He nodded, satisfied, and checked for her on the list. Once he had certified that she was on there, and had signed her off, he ordered her to go inside. Meekly, she obeyed.

Once inside, she had to fight through the throng surrounding the entrance. Her delicate nose wrinkled at the smell of some of the other fey folk. She tried to breathe shallowly, only relaxing when the crowd got thinner around her. Choosing a seat around the middle area, she sat and gazed at the stage, tapping her fingers against her lap, nervous about what the meeting would bring.

It only took one half of a candlemark for all the fey folk to settle down and seat themselves. Rahríténne's posture was rigid, and completely upright during most of this time; she barely moved.

As the official that came to their Clan each week ascended the stage, she successfully managed to conceal the small choked sound that threatened to escape her. Gripping onto the edge of her seat, she watched as the Faerie took its time getting to the speaking position. It was absolute torture, having to wait.

Finally, the Faerie began to speak.

"Welcome to the weekly meeting. At this exact point in time, gatherings like this are happening all over Dhére, as per the wish of our benevolent ruler, Awiyn." It paused to allow for the clan to murmur the obligatory 'Blessed be our ruler', then resumed its speech.

"Now, we do not have any information about any new developments in our Realm at this point in time. But we do have news; there are not enough family representatives present at this meeting."

When this announcement sank in, Rahríténne's hands began to shake badly and she made no move to steady them. She would witness a family being killed, or worse, witness her family's deaths – after which it would be her own turn.

The faerie seemed to be oblivious to the panic circulating round the room, as it continued their speech with an impassive expression.

"We have decided which family shall face the penalty. The family that shall suffer because of your selflishness, and your unwillingness to cooperate, is the Keríos family. They will be punished here at this current point in time."

His previously unaltered voice took on a darker tone. "Let this be a warning to you all."

The faerie bowed, then left the stage.

Rahríténne slumped back into her chair slightly, relieved that their family had been spared, this time. She felt guilt, for although she wasn't going to die, others were. She also had a strange feeling in her stomach that appeared to be telling her that she was missing something. Something crucial. Frowning, she thought about the name Keríos. Somehow, she recognised it.

A scream rent the air and Rahríténne twisted her head round to see a family of four being dragged through the arched doorway. Her mouth dropped open slightly in shock as she saw the face of the smallest faerie; the boy was one of her brother's friends that he had made from playing in the streets.

The family lived opposite them.

The Keríos family were shoved and kicked by their handlers all the way down the aisle, until they reached the stage. They were then prodded until they ascended, and stood in front of the wooden slab that the people of the Reode Clan wanted so desperately to avoid.

The youngest faerie – Sahaim's friend - was the first that they forced onto the chopping block. His older brother soon followed, then his mother. By the time it was the father's go, the block was already stained cherry red.

Tears ran down the father's cheeks as his head was pushed down. Rahríténne's last thought before the axe fell was that he never got to say goodbye to the rest of his family.

Rahríténne had been watching all this is silence, but her cheeks, as well as several others in the audience, were wet. She realised how easily it could have been her, and she mourned for the fey folk that she barely even knew.

The meeting broke up quickly after the event, as nobody wanted to stay around. As she began the walk back home, she realised with a rising sense of dread that she was going to have to break the news to her brother.

When she neared home, she lowered her head, and prepared herself for the worst.