And Once More Saw The Stars

by Rae Magdon

  This time, it was Eva who reached out to touch Lilith’s arm. “Not everyone who commits suicide is trying to escape a guilty conscience. Some people are mentally ill, and can’t see any other way.” Lilith frowned, but did not offer a response. Instead, she went to catch up with Lady Godiva and Grace O’Malley.

  Eva could not help staring at all the knotted trees that they passed. She was amazed that each of them had been a person once. Some even had nests in them, but no birds sang, although she thought she could hear the rustling of large wings. “Lilith? What are those?” She pointed at one of the lumpy nests.

  “Those? They belong to the Harpies. Bird-women. A little like the Erinyes, but much uglier, much shorter, and no snakes. They also smell terrible.”

  Eva swallowed, scanning the tree branches for any sign of feathers or wings. “What are they doing here?”

  “They torture the inhabitants of the second ring. The tree-souls feel pain when their branches are broken. There are other things in this Circle that hurt them besides the Harpies, but it’s nothing compared to what will happen to them at the end of days.”

  “The end of days?”

  “The second coming. When other souls are reunited with their bodies to be judged, the trees will remain trapped here. They gave up their bodies willingly in life, so their physical forms will be hung here from the branches, reminding them of what they destroyed.”

  The thought that these damned souls would be trapped inside of a tree for all eternity was more unsettling than any of the other punishments so far, but Eva did not want to start another argument. Instead, she watched Grace O’Malley point at a black lump perched in one of the trees. “That has to be the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said loudly as an eerily human face with a hooked nose glared out at them from beneath a ragged black wing.

  “Don’t insult it,” Lady Godiva said. She shot Grace a nervous glance. “Harpies rarely travel alone...”

  “It’s not the Harpies I’m worried about,” Lilith said. Another bird landed on the branch beside the first. Their bodies were torn and filthy looking, and the smell of rotting meat wafted down from the low branches. “They prefer dead meat.”

  Several more Harpies swarmed overhead, circling the treetops before finding perches. They crashed carelessly through the branches, deliberately trying to snap off as many twigs as possible. Drops of blood from the weeping trees spattered onto the dirt and dead leaves beneath their feet.

  “You know,” Lady Godiva said, taking several slow steps backwards, “I think I preferred the Greek Harpies that only stole food... because there were only three of them.”

  “We need to get out of here,” Lilith said. “If there are this many flocking around us, that means...” She made as if to move, but froze again when a low, deep growling started from somewhere behind the nearby trees. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Lilith?” Eva stepped closer, raising her staff as she peered into the forest. “You said there were other things in the forest a minute ago. What were you talking about?” Lilith did not have to offer an explanation. A large, dark body prowled out from behind the nearest tree. It was squat and close to the ground, but the shape was still easily recognizable.

  “A dog?” Grace O’Malley snorted, obviously not impressed by the creature despite its size and the bulging muscles beneath its wiry black coat. “That’s it?” The dog bared its teeth, revealing a set of enormous white fangs that dripped with drool. It let out a low, rumbling bark, and its eyes began to glow. The trees around them shuddered, and an entire pack of the creatures emerged from the depths of the forest, growling as they scented prey.

  “Not dogs,” Lilith said. “Hellhounds. Run!”

  But there was nowhere to run. They were surrounded, and the Hellhounds were on them in seconds. They leapt forward teeth-first, trying to tear and rend with their fangs. Only a wild swing of Eva’s staff prevented one of the creatures from latching on and savaging her arm. She brought the end crashing down against its shoulder, knocking it aside. It whimpered in pain and staggered back into the rest of the group, but another took its place, charging at her with its lips pulled back over its teeth.

  Lilith ripped the creature away from her before its bite closed on her leg, tearing open its soft underbelly and leaving it to bleed out on the ground. Another one launched itself onto her back, and she tried to beat it off with her wings, stumbling as its weight threw her off-balance. Before Eva could strike a blow, the hound slid off of Lilith and collapsed onto the ground. Blood dripped from its crushed skull, and Grace O’Malley stood over its body, holding a rock she had picked up from somewhere on the ground.

  “Damn it, I want my sword!” Grace snarled, sending another of the beasts whimpering as she kicked it directly in the snout. The hound was not injured, only surprised by its prey’s boldness, and it bunched its muscles for another strike. Lilith dispatched it with another swipe of her claws, ripping open its face until blood spurted out from where its eyes had been.

  Eva barely had time to be amazed at Grace’s absolutely ridiculous fighting style. She struggled to fend off a fourth hound when she noticed the pirate bent over one of the fallen corpses. “What the hell are you doing?” she shouted, narrowly avoiding the clip of teeth by her face.

  “If I can’t have a sword, I’ll have to make do.” Grace stood back up with a pair of large, curved fangs, one clutched in each of her hands. Somehow, perhaps with the strength of desperation, she had managed to yank them from the dead beast’s mouth. She handed one to Lady Godiva, who was the most vulnerable of all without any clothes. Slowly, Eva crept toward them, turning until she had her back pressed against Lilith’s. Together, the four of them formed a tight circle. The pack had grown larger while they were fighting off the first attack, and they were completely surrounded.

  “They aren’t finished yet,” Lilith said. “They were just toying with us.” As if to prove her right, the hounds began closing in. They growled, crouching even lower to the ground as they prepared to leap in for another attack.

  This time, Eva was ready. When the nearest hound struck, so did she. She crossed her staff in front of her chest, blocking the bulk of its charge and pushing it away with a hard shove. It scrambled back, and before it could strike again, she swept the bottom of her staff beneath its feet. Lilith jumped as soon as it fell over, latching on to its throat with her teeth. The dog howled, but went still as Lilith’s claws raked down its heaving sides.

  Grace O’Malley fended much better with a weapon in hand, even if it was only a bloody fang. When Eva managed to look over at her, she noticed at least two bodies at the pirate’s feet, and her only wounds seemed to be scratches. Even Lady Godiva managed to thrust her fang up into a hound’s barrel-shaped chest, but not before it managed to claw a chunk out of her shoulder, sending blood running down her arm.

  By the time the second wave pulled back, there were even more dogs surrounding them, licking greedily at their lips and baying in anticipation of a meal. The harpies clacked and screeched, making the twisted trees rustle with what few leaves they had left. “They’re trying to wear us down,” Grace spat, swiping her hand over the side of her cheek. Something had caught the side of her face, leaving a few raw, open gashes, but they had missed her eye. “Once they do, they can tear us apart. It doesn’t matter if we take a few of them with us.” There were only about eight hellhounds lying dead at their feet, and several times that number were still waiting in the trees, tracking their every move.

  “We have to break out before more of them come.” Lilith swung her hand to the left, pointing at a small gap in the trees, but several of the beasts still stood in the way. “Go!”

  They charged before the Hellhounds managed to gather themselves for a third strike, running headlong into the pack. Teeth clipped behind Eva’s legs, and one of the large creatures launched itself into the air in front of her, but she brought her staff d
own against its side, knocking it out of the way for the split second it took to run forward.

  Tree branches tore at her clothes as she ran, and she heard even more crashing behind her as the hounds charged through the forest, snapping entire trunks in their hurry to give chase. She wanted to close her eyes, to shut out the cries of the dying trees, but she knew that if she faltered even for a moment, the dogs would be on her, tearing chunks from her flesh for the Harpies to feast on.

  Her run became a staggering jog as she dodged past bushes and thorns, ignoring the branches that seemed to hold her back. Her lungs burned for breath, and she could hear the ragged, desperate panting of Lady Godiva and Grace O’Malley beside her. Lilith stayed behind them, trying to offer some cover with her wings when the hounds got too close. One managed to slip past her, and it tore at Eva’s leg, nearly sending her toppling forward into Lady Godiva. She aimed a kick at its face, and the it staggered back, crashing into one of the gnarled trees. The sound of that soul being torn apart by its thick body made Eva want to rip off her own ears so that she could not hear the unholy shrieking.

  At last, the trees broke open into blazing red light, and suddenly Eva realized that she was running on something soft and uneven that shifted beneath her shoes. She heard twin cries on either side of her and saw Lady Godiva and Grace O’Malley stop short, trying not to let their bare feet touch the ground. The dead leaves and twisted roots of the forest floor had given way to burning black sand. Heat rose up from the ground, choking off her breath and stinging her eyes.

  She turned, feeling rather than seeing Lilith stop at her side, and noticed that the dogs had formed a line near the edge of the forest. They watched with tormented, glowing eyes as they howled their frustration. One of them stepped forward, trying to continue the hunt, but a streak of light shot across the sky, screaming as it came. A ball of fire crashed into the ground inches from the dog’s paws, forcing it to stagger back. It howled and tucked its tail between its legs as the rest of the hounds scattered, obviously unwilling to test the fire.

  Eva adjusted her pack, which had nearly fallen off in their mad scramble to safety, and when she looked up, she saw nothing but an endless stretch of rolling black sand in front of them. Pieces of ash drifted down from the sky like snow, dusting her clothes and making her cough. “Where are we?” she asked, craning her neck to see if she could spot anything in the distance. Although she thought she could pick out a few moving shapes through the falling ash, she could not be sure what they were.

  “The third ring of the Seventh Circle,” Lady Godiva said. Blood still coated the side of her right arm. “The desert of the blasphemers.”

  Canto XVI:

  “Behold the monster with the pointed tail,

  Who cleaves the hills, and breaketh walls and weapons,

  Behold him who infecteth all the world.”

  “And here I was, thinking I would be happy if I never saw another damn river again,” Grace O’Malley said as they trudged along the bank of a small, clear stream. Even though the desert appeared to have no discernible landmarks among the endless dunes and the flickering shapes in the distance, Lady Godiva had managed to find the only source of water. The narrow river ran swiftly, and it did not boil and bubble over its own sides.

  “At least the Lethe is clean,” Lilith drawled. She cast a sidelong look at Grace. “You were a disgusting, slimy mess when you came out of the Phlegethon.”

  Eva snorted with laughter, but quickly stifled the noise when Grace scowled at her. “Well, let’s see how you look after a couple of centuries in a river of blood, princess. Bet you wouldn’t come out so pretty, either.”

  Lilith’s head whipped to the side, and she shot Grace a narrow-eyed glare. It was bad enough when the pirate’s irritating behavior was directed at her, but she would not allow any rudeness toward Eva. “I’m surprised spending a few centuries underwater hasn’t taught you how to shut up.”

  Instead of getting angry, Grace gave her a wide grin. “Aw, don’t get jealous just because I’m better-looking than you and the red on my skin washes off.”

  Lilith clenched her fists, but Eva reached out to hold her hand, urging her to relax without words. “I’m starting to think crossing the desert with you is worse than this Circle’s punishment,” she muttered. She licked her lips, which were uncomfortably dry and chapped with thirst. Even though she did not need to drink water to survive, she could if she wanted to, and the Lethe was starting to look appealing.

  Eva noticed her glance wander with the current. “Guess it’s too much to hope that the water is safe to drink?”

  Lady Godiva shook her head. “I’m afraid not. The Lethe carries the water of forgetfulness. Anyone who drinks will begin to part from their previous life and lose their memories.”

  “At least it’s still useful to us,” Lilith said. “It runs directly down from the Acheron and splits off to form Cocytus, the frozen pool at the very bottom of Sheol. Then, the river continues all the way past the Ninth Circle to the base of the Mountain of Purgatory. If we’re lucky, it should show us the way out.”

  “Forgetfulness, eh? That’s not so bad. I’d gladly trade my memories for a drink,” Grace O’Malley said. She stared longingly at the water as it ran near their feet, lapping at the shallow bank. “Most of them are terrible anyway.”

  “But would you trade your identity?” Lady Godiva asked. “Drinking wouldn’t just take away your sin, it would take away everything that you are.”

  “So in this instance, it might not be such a bad idea,” Lilith muttered. “Ouch!” She flinched as Eva broke their joined hands apart and shoved the side of her arm.

  “Lilith…”

  “Very well.” She heaved a reluctant sigh and turned back toward Grace. “Surely your time on Earth was not that terrible. There must be something...” She hesitated, looking back over at Eva, “or someone you’d like to remember.”

  Grace pouted in disappointment for a moment, but she turned away from the water, unwilling to drink. “You could say that,” she muttered. Silence stretched between them for a while, and Lilith was a little surprised when Grace spoke to her again. “What about you? I know you’re trying to find your soul, but say you didn’t have to. Would you forget your time on Earth if you could?”

  Lilith stared down at her feet. Grace had no way of knowing, but she had asked herself the same question more than once. “I’ve spent thousands of years wandering the Earth. That’s a lot of time to erase. I might need to drown myself in the Lethe instead of just drink from it.”

  “What was it you said before?” Grace said, grinning at her past Eva’s shoulder. “In this instance, it might not be such a bad idea? Ow!” She turned to frown at Lady Godiva, who had given her a chastising nudge. “Just because she did it earlier doesn’t mean you have to,” she muttered, jabbing her thumb in Eva’s direction. “We aren’t even sleeping together.”

  “Certainly not,” Lady Godiva said. A small smile teased the corners of her lips. “You would need to vastly improve your manners first.”

  Grace folded her arms over her chest and turned her head away, but a blush crawled over her face. Lilith smirked. Anything that made Grace uncomfortable was worth enjoying. Pleased that their uninvited guest had finally decided to remain silent, she took Eva’s hand in hers and sped up her pace. The pad of Eva’s thumb brushed the inside of her wrist, and she turned to see her lover looking up at her with a curious expression. “So, would you?” Eva asked softly.

  Lilith did not hesitate. “Drink from the Lethe? No. If you had asked me that question a few years ago, my answer might have been different. But now…” She slowed down again, reaching out to brush a loose strand of Eva’s golden hair back behind her ear. “Having a few good memories to keep makes the awful ones bearable.”

  “Like the first time you tried to feed from me?”

  “I started to doubt my path centuries befo
re then, but yes. Choosing you for my meal did change things. Those months filled me with memories I could not bear to lose now.”

  Eva grinned up at her. “Well, I certainly made you work for it. And you did end up on your knees in the end… just not in the way you expected.”

  Gradually, the river grew narrower, and the banks grew steeper until they were traveling on the edge of another cliff. Its jagged edges disappeared into the swiftly flowing water below, causing white foam to crash and spit against the rock. Lilith stopped first, peering down into the river, which had grown incredibly deep and fast. It was almost too dark to tell, but she thought she could see large shapes moving beneath the constant shifting of grey and blue.

  “Do I want to know what’s down there?” Eva asked with a note of caution on her voice.

  “Probably not,” Lilith said, “but he’s our only way forward from here. The cliffs leading down to Malebolge are too steep to climb.”

  “He?” Grace O’Malley stopped beside her and squinted down into the water. “There’s a person down there?”

  Lilith smirked. “Well… not exactly.” She picked up a small rock from the ground, tossing it in her hand a few times before passing it to the pirate. “Here. Why don’t you see for yourself?”

  Grace gave her a suspicious glare, but she took the rock and stepped up to the edge of the cliff. She drew her arm back and tossed it in. The cliffs were so high and the rush of the river was so loud that Lilith could not hear the splash, but she could see it as the rock broke the surface, sinking into the ever-shifting darkness of the water.

  One heartbeat passed. Then two.

  A giant bubble rose from the depths of the river, bursting and sending droplets spattering in every direction. Several more followed until the water was alive and teeming with them. A great current divided the river, swirling endlessly down into a whirlpool, and out of it rose a large, hideous thing that was almost beyond description.