Post by Dante on Apr 11, 2005 5:57:17 GMT -5
Within the city, a great many Shades lounged about; most were leaning wearily against pillars, steps, or benches, speaking amongst themselves. The white walls of the city were in pristine condition, save for the wall which ran into the realm of King Minos. This was cracked and dirty; the stones were crumbling and loose; the archway overgrown. The white paved stones of the city stopped abruptly at this high archway which marked the entrance to the Lustful, and were followed by more rocky dirt, sloping downwards. A single Shade stood by this arch, looking bored, and it was plain that he was the current messenger. Beyond the arch, and half-way down the ridge, a great slab of stone had been laid down, and raised upon it, ‘til it reached equal height with the archway, a terrible throne of grey rock, and sat upon it was a red-skinned creature, muchly the same shape as a man, but again with horns growing from his head. He was dressed with the robes of royalty, but these seemed decaying from endless ages, and protruding from the back of the creature was a long, sinewy tail, which was wrapped many times about the pillar upon which the throne was raised, and ended in a point. Taking a deep breath, the two Shades and their guide stood upon the border of Limbo, and faced King Minos.
“Minos!” cried the guide. “Halt us not, turn us not back. These two are on a fated journey to see what punishments their sins will beget, and not you shall bar us from reaching the light again!”
At this the King shifted in his seat, and eyed the guide with a humoured expression.
“I’ll hinder them not, save for a second or two, and yet I’ll hinder you, fool. There is no fated journey here for them; they came to the gates the natural way. No heart beats beneath their dead skin – they are just as you are, and yet greater liars. It’ll be down in Fraud that I’ll send them, and no further – the mountain is barred to them.”
At this, the guide leaped into the air, astonished, and turned to face his companions. “Is what the King says true?” he cried. “Have you deceived me, travellers?”
“It was his idea…” pleaded the shabby man.
“I didn’t know that you had to be alive to leave,” said the other, quickly.
The guide turned red, but restrained his rage, and instead hissed at them, “You thought that you could exploit me, and see once again the light above? There can be no tricks down here, for here alone can there be truth. Never again shall the light strike your eyes, any more than it shall strike mine. Down to the depths with you, liars!”
And with this the Shade turned swiftly on his heel and strode away. The messenger-Shade could be seen shaking his head, and glaring at the two, disgust in his eyes.
“Well,” said the King, with a gloating smile, “now that you two have learnt the difference between truth and lies, let’s see where your Earthly sins have placed you.”
And in saying this, he reached out a clawed arm and placed his hand upon the head of the liar. The King’s eyes closed for a moment, but then he opened them again, and wrapped his tail about himself nine times, and then unwrapped it, and then circled himself twice more.
“Your place is in the dread lake Cocytus,” he proclaimed, “in Antenora’s Gear Towers.”
A few devils standing nearby started to murmur amongst themselves, and exchange glances.
“And you…” Minos croaked, turning his gaze upon the accomplice to the lie. Again, he stretched out his arm and placed his hand upon the sinner’s head. Once more, his tail circled himself nine times, before uncoiling – but this time it wrapped itself around him four more times, rather than two.
“For your treachery,” the King judged, “you find yourself again in the lake, but in deepest Judecca.”
The nearby demons suddenly looked nervous. There was an audible cry of, “Who’s volunteering to bury him, then?” and another exclaimed, “I’m not going near the big one; you do it!”
“Silence!” roared the King, ironically. “None of you will have to do it, for sure; that’s the job of the guards at the lake.”
But here the former president interrupted. “Now hold on, you can’t do this to me! I’ve never done a bad thing in my life, I’m a holy man. Judge me again; I’m no sinner.”
At this the King let out another terrible roar, and growled, “Fool! All men are sinners. The only difference between the pit and the mountain is repentance, and clearly you know no regret. That’s why you are here!”
The challenger spluttered. “B-but… I should have gone to Heaven! I’m President! Everyone loves me!”
“You are a liar or a fool,” Minos said, “and I believe you to be both. There is no straight passage to Heaven – you have to take the road to the mountain, and you’ve clearly missed the shining boat… and the cave is closed to you and to him.”
The King pointed at the accomplice, who had been forgotten again.
“The only road left to you is the road to eternal punishment,” the King bellowed, “so get you away from my realm, and down into the pit – it’s a long road to Cocytus Ninth, and we don’t accept delay any more.”
The King, after these words, sat back in his throne and waved his arm imperiously. The liar looked as though he might argue once more, but devils moved forward and seized him and the accomplice, and dragged them down the slope.
“Don’t worry,” one said, “we’ll release you in the Second Circle; but we’re bound to the King, you see, and what he says goes.”
The devils, true to their word, took the two men to the bottom of the slope, and released them. As they turned back to return to their King, the accomplice noticed again the symbol of the nine circles on their uniforms, and in place of a number in the centre was a small crown. Again attempting to rebel against his chosen path, the liar made as though to travel up the slope, but suddenly found himself tired as he attempted to climb up the steep and rocky ground, and eventually, regretfully, turned to face the sandy wastes of the Lustful Circle.
“Minos!” cried the guide. “Halt us not, turn us not back. These two are on a fated journey to see what punishments their sins will beget, and not you shall bar us from reaching the light again!”
At this the King shifted in his seat, and eyed the guide with a humoured expression.
“I’ll hinder them not, save for a second or two, and yet I’ll hinder you, fool. There is no fated journey here for them; they came to the gates the natural way. No heart beats beneath their dead skin – they are just as you are, and yet greater liars. It’ll be down in Fraud that I’ll send them, and no further – the mountain is barred to them.”
At this, the guide leaped into the air, astonished, and turned to face his companions. “Is what the King says true?” he cried. “Have you deceived me, travellers?”
“It was his idea…” pleaded the shabby man.
“I didn’t know that you had to be alive to leave,” said the other, quickly.
The guide turned red, but restrained his rage, and instead hissed at them, “You thought that you could exploit me, and see once again the light above? There can be no tricks down here, for here alone can there be truth. Never again shall the light strike your eyes, any more than it shall strike mine. Down to the depths with you, liars!”
And with this the Shade turned swiftly on his heel and strode away. The messenger-Shade could be seen shaking his head, and glaring at the two, disgust in his eyes.
“Well,” said the King, with a gloating smile, “now that you two have learnt the difference between truth and lies, let’s see where your Earthly sins have placed you.”
And in saying this, he reached out a clawed arm and placed his hand upon the head of the liar. The King’s eyes closed for a moment, but then he opened them again, and wrapped his tail about himself nine times, and then unwrapped it, and then circled himself twice more.
“Your place is in the dread lake Cocytus,” he proclaimed, “in Antenora’s Gear Towers.”
A few devils standing nearby started to murmur amongst themselves, and exchange glances.
“And you…” Minos croaked, turning his gaze upon the accomplice to the lie. Again, he stretched out his arm and placed his hand upon the sinner’s head. Once more, his tail circled himself nine times, before uncoiling – but this time it wrapped itself around him four more times, rather than two.
“For your treachery,” the King judged, “you find yourself again in the lake, but in deepest Judecca.”
The nearby demons suddenly looked nervous. There was an audible cry of, “Who’s volunteering to bury him, then?” and another exclaimed, “I’m not going near the big one; you do it!”
“Silence!” roared the King, ironically. “None of you will have to do it, for sure; that’s the job of the guards at the lake.”
But here the former president interrupted. “Now hold on, you can’t do this to me! I’ve never done a bad thing in my life, I’m a holy man. Judge me again; I’m no sinner.”
At this the King let out another terrible roar, and growled, “Fool! All men are sinners. The only difference between the pit and the mountain is repentance, and clearly you know no regret. That’s why you are here!”
The challenger spluttered. “B-but… I should have gone to Heaven! I’m President! Everyone loves me!”
“You are a liar or a fool,” Minos said, “and I believe you to be both. There is no straight passage to Heaven – you have to take the road to the mountain, and you’ve clearly missed the shining boat… and the cave is closed to you and to him.”
The King pointed at the accomplice, who had been forgotten again.
“The only road left to you is the road to eternal punishment,” the King bellowed, “so get you away from my realm, and down into the pit – it’s a long road to Cocytus Ninth, and we don’t accept delay any more.”
The King, after these words, sat back in his throne and waved his arm imperiously. The liar looked as though he might argue once more, but devils moved forward and seized him and the accomplice, and dragged them down the slope.
“Don’t worry,” one said, “we’ll release you in the Second Circle; but we’re bound to the King, you see, and what he says goes.”
The devils, true to their word, took the two men to the bottom of the slope, and released them. As they turned back to return to their King, the accomplice noticed again the symbol of the nine circles on their uniforms, and in place of a number in the centre was a small crown. Again attempting to rebel against his chosen path, the liar made as though to travel up the slope, but suddenly found himself tired as he attempted to climb up the steep and rocky ground, and eventually, regretfully, turned to face the sandy wastes of the Lustful Circle.