The Wrath of Cerberus Chapter 4
Quentin leaned out of the door, candle in hand, and looked for the route leading from the "lobby". Peering into the darkness, lit by frequent lightning flashes, he saw a narrow stone pathway sloping downward. He started onto it, bracing the door with his elbow so that Beth could follow.
They started around the path, and the door slammed behind them with sharp finality. Just off the path were ominous shapes, writhing in primordial ooze. The wind howled, sounding like agonized cries. The flame of Quentin's candle wavered in the wind as he held it before him, trying to see the route more clearly.
"Wait, Beth," he warned before he stopped. It would be stupid to risk her bumping into him and have this be over before they even had a chance. She stopped immediately.
"We're coming to a fork. I want to check both paths before we choose one." He headed forward again, with her following him.
"I want you to stay here. I'll come back after I check."
"And what makes you think I'm any safer here than I would be with you?"
He opened his mouth to reply, looked at the forking paths up ahead, looked at the weirdly illuminated shapes just off the path they were on, and shook his head ruefully. "Absolutely nothing, I guess. We'll try the right side first."
He held the candle higher as they reached the branch off of the two paths. A sign arched across the two pathways: "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Quentin snorted. "We need a sign like that at Collinwood.
"No other way, though, so these are our choices." Holding the candle before him as if it were a sword he continued down the path, peering suspiciously into the half lit gloom for threats or traps. Beth followed shortly behind, holding her candle high.
"The path seems clear - but it seems to loop around, in a circle. ". He turned slightly so that the candle illuminated the sides of the path.. "The circle surrounds an abyss." his voice trailed off as he tried to catch a fragment of memory, then continued as he recited as if by rote: | | |"Let us go on, for the long way impels us. | |Thus he went in, and thus he made me enter | |The foremost circle that surrounds the abyss" |
Quentin started laughing, a not very humorous laugh.
"Quentin I don't see anything funny about this!"
He turned to look at Beth, the candle casting odd shadows across his face. "You certainly can't accuse Best of not having a sense of humor." Beth looked confused and he continued. "Here we are, reenacting Orpheus and Euridice - and we have to make our escape through Dante's Inferno!"
"I've HEARD of Dante's Inferno," Beth replied hesitantly.
"My schoolmaster made me read it; and translate it back and forth between Latin, Italian and English -- with a thorough whipping for every mistake. It was supposed to frighten me into behaving for fear of hellfire." He gave her a rueful, self-mocking grin. "Didn't work too well, did it?"
"Will knowing this help us?"
"I wish I knew. I think Best expected me to recognize it. He wasn't surprised when I remembered the Orpheus Euridice legend. Maybe the test is my being able to reason these things out; or maybe that's the trap. Or maybe the test will be knowing which is truly the trap when the moment comes."
"What can I do?"
Quentin paused and looked thoughtfully at Beth. He knew that as an upper level servant, a ladies maid, she had far more education and knowledge than the normal run of servants. Her father had been a schoolteacher, he suddenly recalled, and she'd had no choice but to go into service after he died. "Did you learn about any of this in school - myths, legends? "
"Basic things. Not like boys are taught."
He nodded, for he remembered that Judith, too, had been taught differently from her brothers. No Latin, Greek or Mathematics for her; she had been drawing watercolors, doing needlework and reading improving tracts.
"We each may remember something the other doesn't. I'm relying on you as much as you're relying on me." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and headed forward once more.
The path continued downward growing darker and darker as it went. Quentin's steps slowed as the candlelight barely penetrated a foot ahead of him.
"Quentin, I can barely see you. We'd better stop."
"We can't go back, Beth."
"I'm not saying we should!" she shot back. "But we can't keep going not knowing where the other one is. We need something to hold." She looked down at her clothing, "I don't have a sash or an apron.."
Quentin looked as his clothes as well. "Hold my candle." They transferred the candle, careful not to let their hands brush each other. He started removing his jacket, considered whether it would work for what they needed, then smiled as he had an even more practical idea. He draped the jacket over one arm, undid and removed his vest, and reached inside the waistband of his trousers to undo the suspender buttons. Once he undid the button loops, he threw the free ends of the suspenders back over his shoulders.
"Can you reach the ends without touching me?" Quentin asked as he redressed.
"I think so, if you take the candle back." He did so and turned his back to her.
Beth put her candle down on the pathway and crouched to pick up the loose ends of the suspenders, dangling near Quentin's knees.
"The ends are too close - I'm afraid I'll touch you."
"Wait a second." He put his free hand behind his back and squirmed, groping for one of the suspender straps. When he caught it he held it as far from his body as he could manage. Beth waited for the loose ends to stop swinging, then hooked her finger in the buttonloops.
"Got it!"
"That's my girl!"
She picked up the candle again and stood slowly as Quentin stood motionless, back to her.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Not quite. I have to get the ends untangled."
"It'll work best one in each hand - like the reins of a horse."
"I know," she replied shortly, annoyed that he felt he had to tell her something so obvious. "That's what I'm working on.ah, there it goes," she concluded as she moved the candlestick and finished slipping the loop over the fingers of her other hand. She jerked the suspenders as if slapping the reins on a stubborn horse. "Giddyap!"
Quentin's eyebrows rose and he chuckled appreciatively. "Yes Ma'am!" he replied, holding his candle high as he lead them down into the stygian darkness before them.
Quentin leaned out of the door, candle in hand, and looked for the route leading from the "lobby". Peering into the darkness, lit by frequent lightning flashes, he saw a narrow stone pathway sloping downward. He started onto it, bracing the door with his elbow so that Beth could follow.
They started around the path, and the door slammed behind them with sharp finality. Just off the path were ominous shapes, writhing in primordial ooze. The wind howled, sounding like agonized cries. The flame of Quentin's candle wavered in the wind as he held it before him, trying to see the route more clearly.
"Wait, Beth," he warned before he stopped. It would be stupid to risk her bumping into him and have this be over before they even had a chance. She stopped immediately.
"We're coming to a fork. I want to check both paths before we choose one." He headed forward again, with her following him.
"I want you to stay here. I'll come back after I check."
"And what makes you think I'm any safer here than I would be with you?"
He opened his mouth to reply, looked at the forking paths up ahead, looked at the weirdly illuminated shapes just off the path they were on, and shook his head ruefully. "Absolutely nothing, I guess. We'll try the right side first."
He held the candle higher as they reached the branch off of the two paths. A sign arched across the two pathways: "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here." Quentin snorted. "We need a sign like that at Collinwood.
"No other way, though, so these are our choices." Holding the candle before him as if it were a sword he continued down the path, peering suspiciously into the half lit gloom for threats or traps. Beth followed shortly behind, holding her candle high.
"The path seems clear - but it seems to loop around, in a circle. ". He turned slightly so that the candle illuminated the sides of the path.. "The circle surrounds an abyss." his voice trailed off as he tried to catch a fragment of memory, then continued as he recited as if by rote: | | |"Let us go on, for the long way impels us. | |Thus he went in, and thus he made me enter | |The foremost circle that surrounds the abyss" |
Quentin started laughing, a not very humorous laugh.
"Quentin I don't see anything funny about this!"
He turned to look at Beth, the candle casting odd shadows across his face. "You certainly can't accuse Best of not having a sense of humor." Beth looked confused and he continued. "Here we are, reenacting Orpheus and Euridice - and we have to make our escape through Dante's Inferno!"
"I've HEARD of Dante's Inferno," Beth replied hesitantly.
"My schoolmaster made me read it; and translate it back and forth between Latin, Italian and English -- with a thorough whipping for every mistake. It was supposed to frighten me into behaving for fear of hellfire." He gave her a rueful, self-mocking grin. "Didn't work too well, did it?"
"Will knowing this help us?"
"I wish I knew. I think Best expected me to recognize it. He wasn't surprised when I remembered the Orpheus Euridice legend. Maybe the test is my being able to reason these things out; or maybe that's the trap. Or maybe the test will be knowing which is truly the trap when the moment comes."
"What can I do?"
Quentin paused and looked thoughtfully at Beth. He knew that as an upper level servant, a ladies maid, she had far more education and knowledge than the normal run of servants. Her father had been a schoolteacher, he suddenly recalled, and she'd had no choice but to go into service after he died. "Did you learn about any of this in school - myths, legends? "
"Basic things. Not like boys are taught."
He nodded, for he remembered that Judith, too, had been taught differently from her brothers. No Latin, Greek or Mathematics for her; she had been drawing watercolors, doing needlework and reading improving tracts.
"We each may remember something the other doesn't. I'm relying on you as much as you're relying on me." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and headed forward once more.
The path continued downward growing darker and darker as it went. Quentin's steps slowed as the candlelight barely penetrated a foot ahead of him.
"Quentin, I can barely see you. We'd better stop."
"We can't go back, Beth."
"I'm not saying we should!" she shot back. "But we can't keep going not knowing where the other one is. We need something to hold." She looked down at her clothing, "I don't have a sash or an apron.."
Quentin looked as his clothes as well. "Hold my candle." They transferred the candle, careful not to let their hands brush each other. He started removing his jacket, considered whether it would work for what they needed, then smiled as he had an even more practical idea. He draped the jacket over one arm, undid and removed his vest, and reached inside the waistband of his trousers to undo the suspender buttons. Once he undid the button loops, he threw the free ends of the suspenders back over his shoulders.
"Can you reach the ends without touching me?" Quentin asked as he redressed.
"I think so, if you take the candle back." He did so and turned his back to her.
Beth put her candle down on the pathway and crouched to pick up the loose ends of the suspenders, dangling near Quentin's knees.
"The ends are too close - I'm afraid I'll touch you."
"Wait a second." He put his free hand behind his back and squirmed, groping for one of the suspender straps. When he caught it he held it as far from his body as he could manage. Beth waited for the loose ends to stop swinging, then hooked her finger in the buttonloops.
"Got it!"
"That's my girl!"
She picked up the candle again and stood slowly as Quentin stood motionless, back to her.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Not quite. I have to get the ends untangled."
"It'll work best one in each hand - like the reins of a horse."
"I know," she replied shortly, annoyed that he felt he had to tell her something so obvious. "That's what I'm working on.ah, there it goes," she concluded as she moved the candlestick and finished slipping the loop over the fingers of her other hand. She jerked the suspenders as if slapping the reins on a stubborn horse. "Giddyap!"
Quentin's eyebrows rose and he chuckled appreciatively. "Yes Ma'am!" he replied, holding his candle high as he lead them down into the stygian darkness before them.
