Circle Seven: Round Three, The Violent Against Art

The beast that was before my eyes impressed me more than anything I had seen in Hell up to this point. His tail was sharp and Virgil described him as the creature that makes the whole world stink. My guide was able to summon the beast to the ground, right near him and I. The wind from his wings pushed against my chest but Virgil didn't falter. He landed much like a resting dog would. His chest and head hit the edge of the cliff and he was calm. His face was even innocent. He did not seem like someone or something capable of being underhanded. The body of the beast was mostly reptilian, but his arms were spiked with fur. My guide led me toward the monster, then changed his mind. He suggested that I look down toward the edge of a small cliff and take in my surroundings.

The people on the ledge were burning. Their very skin was smoking. Like those being showered with fire, these men were jerking around madly. I didn't observe anyone I knew in the group, but I did notice that each man had a purse hanging from his neck. On the purse was their family crest. None of them looked at me, them stared at their possessions instead as if the strings that held them on might break any minute.

I went back to my guide, as he had told me not to stay long with these men, who had already mounted the great beast. He wanted me to get on the beast. Needless to say, I was terrified, especially after discovering that the tail was poisonous. I trembled at Virgil's every word. However, Virgil had reprimanded me before for being a coward in the past. I needed to trust him. I needed to mount the beast and continue my journey. I remembered the mountain and how much I wanted to make my way to the top. That moment seemed like ages ago. I wanted to be brave.

I climbed onto the beast and before I could ask to be tethered, Virgil held onto me. He told this monster, the Geryon, that we were ready or flight. I don't think that anyone has ever been as terrified as I was when the Geryon slipped its feet from the cliff and we began our descent. I wondered if its wings would be able to catch the air. If I fell, I didn't know where I would fall to. All I could see around me was blackness. We were flying downward in a spiral and the lower we descended into Hell the more cries I heard and the more fire I began to see.

I was entirely surprised when we made it to the bottom of the abyss. I had assumed the worst and now it was time to prepare myself for the rest of the journey.