As she made her way to the Volyrt's lair, her determination increased by the second. Ever since Lilliban was dragged out by those horrid monsters, she had been steeling herself to go to the place of the assembly, even if it would mean her death.
The Volyrt lair was located on a mountain on level one, isolated from everywhere else. As it came into full view, she noticed how deserted it was. No one came there willingly. And those who were brought there, rarely came out alive. She marvelled at the haunting beauty of the place. Majestic, yet dangerous.
As she made her way in, she put her arms around herself, taken aback by the cold. There were volyrt guards everywhere, not minding her presence. No one had ever broken in, after all, no one would want such a painful death which would await them afterwards.
As she tried to find the council's chamber, she was astounded by the sheer number of people soldiers were taking out of different rooms. The living ones were disfigured or mutilated, while the majority were dead.
According to legend, the Volyrt lair was created by an evil princess who lived there centuries ago. She was fond of torturing her servants, as she defiled and mutilated them. She committed all forms of atrocities, like cutting off the nipples of her servants, to sawing them in half over the littlest mistakes. It got so bad, she was nicknamed 'la sangue reale'. Screams could be heard from her castle every day.
At the time, the world was faced with one of the highest crime rates it had ever experienced. The prisons were overflowing with criminals. Since there was barely any space, she was asked to accommodate some condemned criminals in her infamous dungeons, which she gladly accepted. Thus, her experiments began. She was fond of taking blood baths, so she had at least three criminals skinned and bled out each day. She conducted mock trials, where she determined who would be next, based on criteria best known to her.
As more criminals were brought to her, the mock trials, now known as blood trials increased in popularity. Over time, she held them to determine which criminals would be sent to her. Condemned. Over time, the Volyrt was born, with a then-aged princess as its leader. They held trials to determine the fate of criminals. As their power grew, their function changed over time. As the centuries passed, though the members had changed, and the purpose was fully recognized, there was now the high council of volyrts, just as sadistic and eager to carry out 'justice' for the sake of the empire. They were highly revered, and no one who crossed them lived to tell the tale.
Most disfigured people she saw being led out after their punishments had been meted, looked like they were from level three. The volyrt judgement was hard on all, but even harder for the lower levels. It was an open secret.
As Valerya scoured around, she recognized one of the monsters who took part in the arrest, standing in front of a heavy mahogany door with brass handles. The initial hearing was already in session. Valerya did not wait to think, nor to tell herself she was stupid. She rushed at the door, moving the giant from the way just enough to squeeze past the doors.
Caught by surprise, the man took a second to respond, more than enough time she needed. She ran to the centre of the council's court, which was colder than the outside had been, yet not feeling it. Before she could utter a word, hands grabbed at her and the giant, along with its colleague, started dragging her out.
She tried to fight them to no avail, but in the process, sneakily stole his bracelet from the giant's wrist. She knew she would probably need it later.
"Leave her," a cold voice shot out. The men obeyed the command immediately, letting her go, and they hurriedly backed off and stood at the back of the room.
Relieved, Valerya looked at her surroundings. She first noticed that the ceiling was impossibly high, and then she noticed that everything was carved out of stone. There were fifteen carved chairs so high up she had to crane her neck to get a better view of the occupants. Even though she was not a criminal she felt completely at their mercy. She figured that was the intention. In the middle, a step higher than the others, Auguri Rita looked at her with mild curiosity. Her daughter, Auguri Anna, stood just behind her, a few paces to her right.
"Who are you?" Auguri Rita asked.
"I an Valerya D'ajnes. I am here because my sister has been accused of a crime she didn't commit."
"Was she, now?" the old woman asked with a faint hint of amusement.
"Yes, Auguri. She was."
Auguri Anna smirked before talking, all the while keeping her gaze fixed on Valerya, "I would like to take this case, Auguri Rita. I believe it would be an interesting one, and would help me with my training."
Auguri Rita hummed, considering, and probably putting the pieces together, to try to find the connection between both girls. "Go ahead. I leave this case, in its entirety to you. High council, take note."
Valerya felt her stomach drop to the floor. She knew the case was lost before it even started, but she had to try.
"She is accused of dealing with high-energy proton beams," Auguri Anna said to Valerya.
"I know that. But she didn't do it. What is your proof that she did? You can't punish an innocent girl for a crime she didn't commit."
"Ms. D'ajnes, right? This is an introductory hearing of the case amongst council members. The hearing is set for tomorrow, and I give my permission for you to be in attendance. We would hear from the dealers in whose possession the proton beams were found, and then we would know who is guilty or not. Understand?" Auguri Anna asked.
"Yes," Valerya spat out bitterly as she glared at the vengeful girl who had the power to destroy the person she cared about the most. Auguri Anna only smiled back. She was glowing.