by Rae Magdon
Its face was human, perhaps even handsome, but further down, it was all beast. The huge, writhing coils of a serpent made up the trunk of its body. A giant pair of wings shot up from the churning waves of the river, and water sluiced off of the beast’s gleaming scales. Two giant, golden paws slammed down onto the bank as it pulled itself up, and Lilith was reminded of the lion she had faced in the forest beyond the gate. A huge, pointed tail with a stinger attached to the end waved hypnotically above the beast’s head.
“Who dares to disturb my slumber?” he rumbled, the strength of his voice making the rocks along the cliffs tremble.
Lilith smirked and pointed a thumb in Grace’s direction. The pirate stepped back, holding her arms up in a nonthreatening gesture. “It wasn’t me!” she blurted out, jabbing an accusatory finger at her instead. “She told me to throw the rock!”
“Perhaps you should have thought twice before listening to me,” Lilith said.
“Quiet!” Lady Godiva shouted, causing both of them to clamp their mouths shut. She turned to the beast, obviously not afraid of it despite its size. The thing that had emerged from the water looked like it could swallow her whole. “Geryon, we apologize for disturbing you. We seek passage down to the Eighth Circle.”
Geryon sniffed, his tail lashing in annoyance. “Why do a creature of Heaven, a sinner, and a living soul want to travel down to Malebolge? None of you belong there.” At last, he turned his attention to her. “And you, First One. You put yourself in great danger by continuing on to Judecca.” He paused. “The Master is not pleased.”
“He is not my Master,” Lilith said stubbornly. She unfurled her own wings, letting them stand out from her back. “He doesn’t even have the courage to fight me. He resorts to sending the guardians after me instead.”
“He knows they will not succeed.” The layered tones of Geryon’s voice were so deep that they made her skin tremble over her bones. “Your sins lie in the Ninth Circle along with your soul. That is where you will be at your weakest.”
She nodded once to show that she understood, and her face fell. “I know. I’m asking you to take us there anyway. Past Malebolge, if you can.”
Geryon shook his great head, and the motion stirred the water beneath him. “I will carry you down the cliffs to the Eighth Circle, First One, but no further. The others must stay here.”
“No!” Eva reached out, threading an elbow through hers and gripping her forearm tight.
“No?” Geryon’s claws dug deeper into the rock, splitting it open and leaving great furrows as he pulled the length of his body up over the cliff. He bent down, gleaming scales running with water as he lowered his head toward them. His giant face was close enough for Lilith to feel the warmth of his breath. “I wonder, what could be strong enough to drive an un-judged soul to the Ninth Circle?”
“Love,” Eva said. Her voice was unwavering.
That answer seemed to satisfy Geryon, and he bent his enormous head, offering them his shoulders. “Your quest will end in ruin, human, but if love compels you to try, no sense I speak will cure your madness. Climb on my back.”
Eva hesitated, and so Lilith slid a hand beneath her elbow in support, helping her to climb up along one of Geryon’s giant, golden-furred arms. She followed a moment later, hauling herself up instead of flying so that she could catch Eva if she fell. It was something of a scramble to the top, but eventually, they were both seated behind the beast’s head, fisting locks of his hair in her hands. He was so large that Lilith doubted he could even feel their weight. She turned to see Lady Godiva and Grace O’Malley finding their own places. They followed her example, gripping tufts of fur to keep from falling as they scrabbled forward over his slick scales.
Lilith leaned forward, folding Eva into the circle of her arms. “Hold on,” she whispered, pressing her lips to the shell of Eva’s ear. “This won’t be like flying with me.”
With a powerful burst of coiled energy, Geryon launched himself into the air, his wings unfurling to stir the water of the river beneath. Great gusts of air pushed him up, and they rose high above the ground. Lilith stole a glance at the ground below, but all she could see was desert stretched out on one side, and water on the other. Geryon circled higher, high enough for her to glimpse the tree line of the forest when she looked back over her shoulder. Then, in one dizzying tilt, he changed directions, flying downward and hurtling into the ravine that the river had cut through the cliffs.
Eva screamed into her shoulder, but the sound was completely lost in the roar of wind rushing past her ears. They wheeled downward - spinning, spiraling, diving - following the rush of water until they descended into the yawning maw of a great whirlpool. Just before they were swallowed whole by the water, they flung out into dark, empty space, where there was nothing but the eerie, red pulse of the sky. The noise vanished.
Geryon circled down, following a seemingly endless wall of rock. It was a sheer drop, and the face of the giant cliff fell so far into the abyss that the bottom was impossible to see. A sticky, cloying heat rose up from the depths stretching below, almost like the foul breath of a creature even greater than Geryon. Finally, the ground rose to meet them, approaching so swiftly that it seemed like they would collide with it. Lilith caught a glimpse of a neat circle, rings upon rings of fire cut out of its gut and dissected like the spokes of a wheel, but then Geryon tilted, and she did not dare to look down. She closed her eyes and refused to open them again until she felt the shuddering jolt of Geryon’s landing.
“Well?” Eva’s voice asked beside her ear. “Are you going to climb down?”
Lilith shook herself, more than a little embarrassed that their flight down the edge of the cliff had left her so dizzy. She was the only member of their party with wings, and she should have been accustomed to the sensation of vertigo. “Perhaps I don’t like high places when it’s not my wings doing the flying,” she mumbled.
When she felt Eva begin to scurry down Geryon’s arm, she followed, holding her breath until the bottoms of her feet touched rock. It took a few moments for the world to stop spinning, but when it did, she let out a sigh of relief. They were on a path again, one that stretched out to either side and bent subtly in the shape of a circle. Before them, a wide bridge cut out of the rock led off into a pulsing red mist.
Lilith heard a loud ‘oof’ from behind her, and she turned just in time to see Lady Godiva and Grace O’Malley trying to pick themselves up from a heap on the ground. Apparently, one of them had slipped during the climb down Geryon’s shoulder. “Is she blushing?” Eva whispered to her, sneaking one last glance at Lady Godiva as she took the pirate’s offered hand.
“I hope not,” Lilith said. “I’m still not sure I trust our new friend.”
Before Eva could say anything in Grace’s defense, the sound of wind returned. A gust of air buffeted her back, and she stumbled slightly. Geryon had taken off, launching himself off of the ground and shooting into the air like an arrow from a bow. Lilith brushed her hair out of her eyes and tilted her chin up to watch him climb. He streaked upward, unfurling his giant wings as he scaled the side of the cliff, growing smaller and smaller with each passing second. At last, his enormous body faded to a speck before disappearing completely.
“It’s hard to believe there’s anything above us but sky, let alone the whole world and almost all of Hell,” Grace O’Malley said, still staring up even though Geryon was far out of sight. For once, she sounded humbled instead of arrogant, and Lilith understood why. Riding on Geryon’s giant back and following the face of the endless cliff had made her feel incredibly small.
“Forget what’s above,” she said, turning to face the bridge. “Focus on what’s below us. Once we pass over Malebolge, we’ll reach the edge of Caina.”
Canto XVII:
This side and that, along the livid stone
Beheld I horned demons with great scourges,
Who
cruelly were beating them behind.
“Malebolge has ten ditches,” Eva heard Lilith say as she stepped out onto the bridge. It was cut from the iron-colored stone of the cliffs themselves, and there were no handholds, but it was wide enough for all four of them to walk abreast. The eerie red mist surrounding her faded the further she went, but it still blurred her vision, preventing her from seeing more than a few yards ahead. “They run in circles, and this bridge divides them like the spoke of a wheel. The Ninth Circle is at the center.”
“So this bridge leads straight to the middle?” she asked. Lilith nodded. “Then we can just walk right across. That makes things easy.”
“I wouldn’t call it easy,” Lady Godiva said. “Most of the punishments of the Eighth Circle are contained in the ditches, but there are still plenty of dangers. Look over the side and see.”
She stepped over to the edge of the bridge, careful not to misjudge the distance in the red mist. At first, the pulsing haze blocked some of her view, but as her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out figures moving below. They were human, or had been once, forced to trudge along in an endless line through the middle of the ditch until they were swallowed by the mist. Large, winged figures with clubs and lashes stood on either side of the line, beating and bludgeoning the sinners as they stumbled forward.
“These are the panderers and seducers,” Lady Godiva told her. “They spend eternity being tortured by demons, since they never felt the sting of their consciences in life.”
Grace snorted, obviously not impressed. “As long as we aren’t dealing with any more Hellhounds or blood rivers or centaurs. The Seventh Circle is still worse.”
Lilith gave Grace an irritated look and turned away, continuing along the bridge. “You’ll change your mind by the second ditch.”
“I don’t see what can be worse than boiling alive in the Phlegethon for eternity!” Grace called out, walking faster to catch up.
“There are worse things than blood to be boiled in,” Lilith said. As if in response to her words, the mist broke, and screams began rising from beneath their feet. “Look,” she said, gesturing over the edge.
Grace boldly walked up to the side of the bridge and peered down, but she immediately recoiled. “God, the smell!” she choked, stepping back and cupping her hands in front of her face. She spat onto the ground between her fingers, clearly trying to get the taste of something horrible out of her mouth.
“I’m surprised you didn’t notice it before now,” Lady Godiva said. Her nose wrinkled in distaste, and she edged as close to the center of the bridge as possible. “Those are the flatterers.”
“You don’t need to explain,” Eva said, pulling the front of her shirt up over her nose. The scent was foul, and instantly recognizable. It reminded her of the stench between the Sixth and Seventh circles.
Grace O’Malley gave Lilith a sulky but resigned look. “You’re right. I’d rather be submerged in blood than shit. Guess I’m glad I insulted people instead of complimenting them while I was alive.”
Lilith did not say anything. Instead, her satisfied smirk simply grew wider.
They crossed over the next ditch, which was littered with large stone baptismal fonts. Smoke and fire belched from their open mouths, and when Eva saw a pair of feet sticking out from one of them, she swallowed and looked away. She held her own elbows and folded her arms close to her chest, reminded of how claustrophobic she had felt in the graveyard near the entrance to Dis.
Lilith noticed and reached out to stroke her arm. “The fourth ditch isn’t so awful, just astrologers and seers. They only have their heads turned backwards.”
“Up ahead is where things might get difficult,” Lady Godiva said. “That’s where the Malebranche live. They torture the sinners of the fifth ditch.”
Grace cast a glance over the edge of the bridge again, as if looking for them. “Didn’t we already see demons in the first ditch?”
“Those weren’t the Malebranche.” Lilith raised a hand to her brow, peering up into the glowing red sky. “They’re larger, faster, and crueler. And they can…” Her voice trailed off, and she took a step back as a shadow passed over their heads. “Fly.”
They came from the sky in a dark spiral, swooping down with a battering of wings and the sparking scrape of metal and claw on rock. Some of the demons bore hooks in their hands. Others wielded barbed tridents. One had the lash of a whip coiled around her hand and forearm. The largest of them carried a great scythe, its blade chipped in several places. His chest was broad and rippling with muscle beneath his burnt red flesh, and his horns curled back on his head like a ram’s. Eva gripped her staff tighter.
“What do we have, Barbariccia?” the giant demon asked. His voice was low enough to be a rumble.
The demon beside him slammed the base of his hook against the ground. He leered, showing his black gums and sharpened fangs. “Fresh meat from one of the upper Circles.”
The demon carrying the whip kicked his shin with her hoof. “Idiot. That’s the First One!” she snapped, pointing at Lilith. “Can’t you smell her?” She ran her forked tongue over her lips.
“Quiet, Calcabrina!” the largest of the demons barked, raising his scythe. He studied Lilith intently, his glowing eyes narrowed to slits. His breath came so hot that it curled up from his broad nose like smoke. “So, did you come to bring us a snack, First One?” He circled out from the group to stand in front of them, and Eva noticed Lilith’s eyes tracking him as he moved.
Lilith stepped forward to claim some of the space between them. “These souls are mine, Malacoda. You will let all of us pass to the Ninth Circle.”
Malacoda let out a low, rumbling laugh. “You’re insane to have come this far. I know why you’re here, trying to reclaim your soul. Taking it back will only weaken you, if He doesn’t stop you first.”
“If the First One wants to go on a suicide mission, let her,” Calcabrina said. One coil of the whip uncurled from around her wrist, and she fixed her eyes on Lady Godiva. “Just make her leave the others behind. I want that one.”
Barbariccia brandished his hook. “You can’t have one all to yourself,” he hissed. “You play with your food too long.”
Grace O’Malley’s lips set in a frown. “Food? I don’t think so. We’re going on to the Ninth Circle.” Eva shot her a warning glare, but she did not seem to notice. “You should have seen what happened to the last pack of drooling animals that tried to stop us.”
Malacoda raised his scythe and pointed it directly at the center of Grace’s chest. “Take her!”
The Malebranche surged forward, beating their wings and lashing out with their hooks. One caught behind Grace’s knees, and it nearly sent her toppling backwards, but she managed to grab the prongs of a trident that threatened to spear her through the middle and keep her balance - at least for a few more seconds. It took four of them to do it, but they hauled her in like a fish until they had her pressed face-first into the ground, weapons digging between her shoulder blades to keep her from thrashing.
Lady Godiva tried to run after her, but Calcabrina blocked her path, uncoiling her whip. She seized Lady Godiva’s long blonde hair and yanked her forward, but as soon as her hands touched naked flesh, she shrieked and let go. She stumbled back, sending Lady Godiva sprawling with a kick of her hoof. “Fuck, she must be from Heaven! The little bitch burned me!” She howled in anger, raising her whip to strike.
Eva acted on instinct. She threw herself forward, trying to block Lady Godiva’s body with her own. The end of the demon’s whip coiled around the center of her staff, but the force wasn’t enough to shake her footing. Calcabrina swore again, yanking her arm back and trying to reclaim her weapon. “Malacoda! Make her...”
Calcabrina did not even have to finish her sentence before Eva felt herself being hauled off her feet by powerful arms. Her staff was ripped out of her hands, and she heard the sound
of snapping wood. She tried to struggle free, to catch a glimpse of Lilith behind her, but the unyielding grip on the back of her shirt forced her to stare into Malacoda’s blunt, ugly face. “You…” He leaned closer, and Eva instinctively held her breath. “You smell…” His eyes lit up, and his serpent’s smile grew wider. “Living.”
“Living?” Barbariccia asked. “You mean an untainted human?”
Eva stared helplessly at Lilith, trapped by one of Malacoda’s arms and the thick handle of his scythe. She could feel the whisper of the blade tickling at her jaw.
“You brought a living soul all the way to the Eighth Circle?” Malacoda asked, his voice edged with disbelief.
“I didn’t bring her anywhere,” Lilith said. Eva watched as she took another step forward, hands clenching into fists. White fire burned from her eyes. “She came here herself, of her own free will. Now, let her go. The others, too.”
“Learn to share, First One.” Malacoda pulled her tighter against his broad chest, crushing her with the handle of his scythe. She tried to pull away, but his claws caught in her shirt, slitting the material and revealing several patches of bare skin. “I haven’t broken living flesh in hundreds of years. You feed on the surface all the time.” His hot breath skated against her ear, and she forced herself to swallow down the bile that burned the back of her throat.
Lilith’s wings whipped out from her body, unfurling behind her. “Don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you.”
The rest of the Malebranche retreated several paces, watching Lilith warily, but Malacoda did not let her go. “What’s so special about this one? It’s only a human…” Eva shuddered as a black, forked tongue flicked next to her face, tasting the air. “And it smells delicious.”