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Prologue
“Don’t pout. I’ll only be gone for a couple days.” Solenne hugged a sulky Mammon, “I’ll be back before you know it!”
“I never said I’d miss ya.” he muttered unconvincingly against her shoulder, “I just don’t like leavin’ my human alone with that shady sorcerer.”
“Aww. You’re so cute when you’re jealous.” she patted his head and pulled away, “Look after your brothers while I’m gone!”
“We’re much more likely to need to clean up after Mammon, so don’t be away too long.” Satan said, enfolding Solenne in a gentle hug, “Be safe out there.”
she returned his embrace, feeling a little warm glow in her heart. His lingering hug eloquently told her that his reluctance to let her go was as strong as Mammon’s, “I will. Don’t make Lucifer too mad while I’m gone.”
Satan released her, “Hmph. I won’t if he’ll stop being an insufferable ass.”
“Which we know he won’t.” Belphie said with a wry smile, “I found a cursed salt shaker that makes demons sing human world show tunes when they hear the word, ‘unfortunate.’ We should try it on Lucifer when you get back.”
Solenne laughed, impressed as ever by his perseverance, and gave Belphie a hug, “We’ll discuss it later.” she whispered conspiratorially.
Satan, Belphie and Mammon were the only brothers at home. Solenne was glad. She enjoyed their lively commotion, but the shops would be closed long before she could extricate herself from all of them.
Solenne hoisted her backpack on her shoulders and grabbed her suitcase. Solomon had booked them a room in London for the night. She was looking forward to spending time with him before they made their way to the Super Secret party venue.
It was such a big ‘secret’ Solomon wouldn’t even tell her where it was. Solenne was a little vexed, but she had known him long enough to realize he couldn’t help himself. She didn’t think he acted mysterious on purpose, but he had lived in his own head for too long. She was glad he shared as much as he did with her.
She rolled her suitcase towards the door and looked back at the trio. Despite their differences, each wore a remarkably similar expression. They reminded her so much of anxious puppies left at the gate that she couldn’t help but giggle.
“What’s so funny?” Mammon asked suspiciously.
“Nothing!” she gave them her best smile, “Bye bye! See you soon!”
…
London, Kensington Gardens
Solenne snugged her scarf tightly against her neck and wrapped her plush coat around herself against a gust of wind and cold rain. Despite it being nearly Christmas, there were few people in the park on such a soggy and unpleasant day. She wished her shopping trip with Solomon took her to a warmer destination, but she had grudgingly admitted that London would have most of the gifts they needed. English human world designer clothing was popular in the Devildom for the season, and Solenne planned to do much of her shopping for the brothers in Mayfair, while Solomon wanted to visit a few of the secret alchemy bookshops and cursed artifact boutiques. There were also plenty of tea shops, chocolatiers and bakeries to round out their Christmas shopping.
It had been several months since her last trip to the human world, when she accompanied Satan to a store in London that sold rare alchemy and magic books. The shop was cozy and well stocked with ancient and rare tomes, but Solenne thought the shop’s resident Birman cat, Tris, was the shop’s star attraction. He was fluffy, friendly and so endearing that they spent more of their time playing with him than shopping for books. The shop keeper chastised him for monopolizing her customers, but he just flicked his tail at her as if to tell her to mind her own business.
Solenne thought a visit to that shop would be a perfect way to surprise Solomon. She was sure he would love it, too.
She wondered what Solomon had been up to recently. He was as upbeat as ever on the phone, but she thought she could detect a hint of tiredness in his voice. She hoped he could relax while they were together.
“Solenne! Over here!”
Solenne looked in the direction of the familiar cheerful voice. Solomon waved to her, a bright smile on his windburned face.
She enthusiastically bounced on her toes to wave back, “Hey, Couldn’t we have met somewhere warm—“ a gust of wind grabbed the end of her scarf, “Woah!?”
Solomon laughed and ran to catch her runaway scarf before it flew off into long pond. He dried it quickly with magic and wrapped it snugly around her neck, looking quite pleased with himself.
Solenne laughed, “You’re such a gentleman when you want to be.”
“I am always a gentleman for you.” he said with a wink.
“The wink ruined it, you know?” she gave him a hug, “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Solomon said, dropping a light kiss on her forehead, “I already checked in to the hotel. Why don’t we go there to warm up and have a drink before shopping?”
“Yes please!”
Solenne followed Solomon through the dreary park into the busy city beyond. It was barely noon, but the heavy gray clouds and rain made it seem closer to nighttime. She was definitely looking forward to getting out of the weather for a while.
“I don’t suppose this Super Secret party venue of yours is somewhere tropical?” she asked hopefully.
Solomon just gave her one of his infuriatingly inscrutable smiles, “You’ll see!”
She knew no amount of wheedling or pleading would do any good when he had that smile. She sighed and hurried after him.
Solomon stopped in front of a chic little boutique hotel beneath a sign proclaiming it ‘The Robin’s Rest.” It was tucked away on a quiet street a few steps off the main road. There was a little pocket garden with plentiful rose bushes, all dormant for the winter, which would have been a romantic spot for tea in better weather. It looked like the kind of place Barbatos would enjoy.
Solomon held the door for Solenne, and she gave a sigh of relief to be inside. Her fluffy pink coat was treated with rain repelling magic, but that didn’t make it pleasant.
The hotel’s decor was as charming and romantic as the outside suggested. The small lobby was prettily furnished with fine antiques and pastoral art, all in shades of soft rose and chocolate. A Christmas tree stood tall in the center, lavishly decorated with creamy white ribbons and twinkling lights, alongside dozens of colorful and whimsical ornaments of birds of every description. There were wooden partridges, blown glass cardinals, plump ceramic robins, and little velvet bluebirds, among many others.
“Each guest can choose one ornament from the tree to commemorate their stay.” Solomon told her as she gazed raptly at the sparkling display.
“Oh really?” she searched the tree and found a little velvet crow wearing a yellow bow hiding among jewel bright peacocks with feathered tails and graceful silver white glass swans. It was not the fanciest bird on the tree, but Solenne knew it was the one for her.
Solomon laughed, “I knew you’d pick that one.” he gazed at the tree for a few moments, before reaching for a silvery glass owl. Its painted eyes had a mysterious charm about them that reminded Solenne strongly of Solomon, “This one’s for me.” he carefully plucked it off the tree and handed it to her, along with an old fashioned key, “Our suite is on the 5th floor, room 502. You can drop these off with your bags and meet me in the cafe in ten minutes or so. I’ll order you something warm.”
“Okay! See you in a few.” she said, carefully putting the ornaments in her bag, she made her way to the elegant mirrored elevator and up to the fourth floor. The hotel had a plush, hushed feel. She could also sense more than a little magic about it. She wondered if it might be owned by a sorcerer or a witch.
The elevator door opened at the fifth floor with a cheerful little chime. Room 502 was right across the hall from the elevator. Solenne pulled her suitcase to the door and unlocked it.
The room was as comfortable and pretty as the rest of the hotel. It had springlike pink and yellow striped wallpaper and fine art sketches of songbirds on the walls. There was a pretty pink overstuffed chair near the tall window overlooking the garden and street below. The silky white duvet on the king sized bed looked like a fluffy cloud waiting to be dove into.
Looking around, she found a still-undecorated tree surrounded by a pile of brightly wrapped packages. Tied to the tree was a sign read that read “No peeking!” in her master’s messy handwriting.
“Are these all for me?” she murmured to herself in surprise. She was sorely tempted to give one a shake, but she knew she could count on her teacher to have placed some kind of undoubtedly silly hex on them, since he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist.
She was quite proud of herself for turning away from the stack of gifts.
She left the ornaments on the desk, her bags on the luggage rack, washed up and hurried back down to the hotel lobby.
She found her master sitting at a table near the window, absently looking out at the bustling street. He was undoubtedly handsome. His fine, ageless features and wind tousled white hair gave him the look of a melancholy hero in some drama, but those beautiful eyes had seen far too much for him to be anything so mundane as that. His slender fingers were lightly curled around one of the two steaming pink mugs in front of him, and his thoughts seemed far away, perhaps on some unfathomable magic… Or maybe just some silly new spell to cause mischief. It was always hard to tell with Solomon.
He looked over and beckoned to her with a big smile.
“Sorry for making you wait.” Solenne said, seating herself across from him.
He waved it away, taking a good look at her, “You were able to resist the gifts. Good job!” he said brightly, though she thought he looked a little disappointed.
“We have too much shopping to do for me to end up with purple spots or singing show tunes.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you on a shopping trip.” Solomon said with mock offense, “Besides, I never cursed you to sing show tunes.”
The air of loneliness around him completely lifted and he eagerly scooted his chair closer, “What are you planning for today?”
Solenne sipped her tasty ginger black tea, thinking to ask if they sold it so she could bring some back for Barbatos, “I think we should start in Mayfair…”
Solenne showed Solomon the map where she had circled the shops she most wanted to visit, along with her shopping list.
Solomon nodded, “Okay. Let’s do that. There’s just one place I’d like to stop first, if you don’t mind?”
“Sure. Where is it?”
He pointed to a spot on the map near Highgate, “Satan told me you two went to a bookshop called the Splendor Solis that was in this area. I’d like to check it out.”
“Aww. You ruined the surprise.” Solenne pouted, “I was planning to take you there last.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m happy you planned something for me, though.”
Solenne finished her tea and reluctantly left the snug hotel to go out into the rainy city with Solomon. The shops were bustling with crowds of shoppers hoping for end of season bargains, or procrastinators anxious to find last minute gifts. She and Solomon were separated several times by the throng, and spent much too long trying to find each other again.
“Should we hold hands to keep from getting separated?” Solomon asked innocently.
“Uh… Have you been playing Levi’s cheesy romance games? People don’t do that in real life.”
“Aw. It’s just until we get to the shop. We’ll never find each other in this crowd.” he pouted.
“Ugh. Fine. But just until we get off this street!”
He clasped her hand in his with a little squeeze. She wouldn’t admit it, but his slender hand felt nice and comfortable in hers.
The shops were crowded and chaotic, but despite some empty shelves, she managed to find everything on her list, with some helpful input from Solomon. He had a surprisingly good sense of style for a sorcerer who spent most of his time with his nose in a book or holed up in his research lab.
“Why don’t we send these back to our rooms before heading to the bookstore?” Solenne suggested.
“Sure. Do you know the spell?” Solomon asked teasingly.
Solenne sniffed, “Just who do you think I am?”
They found a spot out of view to send away their bags. Feeling much freer, they headed off to the Splendor Solis.
The exceptionally musical bell rang merrily as they walked in the door of the narrow shop, hidden between an antique store and a vintage clothing boutique. The cozy scent of leather and old paper welcomed them as they walked in. Solenne saw Solomon’s eyes sparkle with glee as he took in the warmly lit space, full of rare tomes about magic, alchemy and countless other esoteric subjects. To ordinary people, it would be just a quirky shop selling old books about obsolete science and mythical tales, but to those who knew, it was a destination worth traveling across different worlds to visit.
“Miaow.” a pretty feline voice chirped in greeting. A big, beautiful blue point Birman cat hopped lightly on top of a bookcase.
“Hi Tris!” Solenne reached to give the fluffy cat a scritch on his chin, “Long time no see!”
He purred contentedly, butting his head on Solenne’s hand.
“So this is the famous shop cat of the Splendor Solis!” Solomon said, reaching pat his head.
Tris’s tail stiffened, “Hiss?!” Tris swatted at Solomon and jumped down in a huff.
“Strange. I’ve rarely see him act like that.” the pretty, much-pierced shopkeeper with violet hair said bewilderedly from behind her desk, “Don’t worry about it. He’s been a bit moody lately.”
Solomon’s smile was a hint bitter, but he waved it away.
They browsed the shop, picking up several spell books and putting them on the counter. Tris stalked along the top of a high bookshelf, watching over them as if he thought Solomon might try to steal something if not monitored constantly.
“Here kitty kitty…” Solomon said to the irritated Tris.
“Meowarrrrrr?!”
Solenne left Solomon to his vain attempts to win over the suspicious cat in order to search for a gift for him.
She wandered the shelves. Solomon loved books, but he also had a vast library of his own. It was always hard to find something he didn’t already have. He would never tell her, but she was getting better at knowing when he was lying.
She found an old book about unsolved mysteries of the ancient world, and one on feline magic rites for Satan, but a special gift for Solomon eluded her.
She was disappointed. She had gotten him a scarf and a new sweater, but she wanted something special to thank him for everything he’d done for her.
She was about to give up when she spotted a tall, vibrant blue leather bound book that stood out amidst the more common brown and red leather covers crowded together on the shelves.
She pulled it out. It had no title, but the cover was strikingly beautiful, with hand printed golden tracery of whimsically painted sparking trees, flowers and fanciful creatures. In the center was a boy with an expression full of delight as he gazed at the wonders around him.
Solenne opened the cover curiously. The title on the first page named it ‘From Stardust to Fireflies’ in exquisite hand-written calligraphy. Surprisingly, no author or illustrator was listed. It appeared to be a storybook for children, or perhaps a fable following the basic tenets of alchemy. It began with an illustration of a lonely boy gazing up at distant stars with a sad and forlorn expression on his face. He wandered the dark night alone until he met a mysterious stranger who offered him their hand. The robed man told him many tales of strange and wonderful places, fae cities with tall towers in warm sunlight, deep dark forests filled with ghosts and colorful, wise serpents that slithered amongst the tree branches, whispering secrets and snowy mountains with sharp glass-like peaks and ice giants gamboling up their sides. Solenne found herself enchanted by the heartwarming tale, which had been so obviously been created with love and care. She wondered if it had been written by a parent for their child.
She furtively made sure Solomon wasn’t nearby, and slipped it in her basket. It was not a grimoire full of rare magic, but the boy’s curiosity and charm reminded her strongly of her teacher, and he was unlikely to have a book anything like it.
She wandered the shop awhile longer, but knew the book was the treasure she sought.
She made her way to the front counter and found Solomon still attempting to befriend the recalcitrant Tris.
“Are you done shopping?” she asked him.
“Yep. I was just waiting for you. I thought it best to let you be since you seemed to have a goal in mind.” he smiled mischievously, “So what did you get me?” he looked over her shoulder.
Solenne swung her basket out of his view, “You won’t get anything if you peek!”
She shooed Solomon towards the door to pay for her purchases. She said goodbye to Tris and promised to bring Satan along next time.
Solenne finished up her shopping at a nearby chocolatier and tea shop that specialized in dessert inspired teas, “Is there anywhere else you want to go?” she asked Solomon.
“Nope. That’s it for me. I’m getting pretty hungry. I made reservations at a new bistro near the hotel, but we can go somewhere else if you like.”
“That sounds fine to me!”
The rain and wind had stopped and the sunset broke its way through the clouds to illuminate the wet city streets with a golden glow. Christmas lights were being switched on outside shops and somewhere a busker was performing an especially raucous rendition of Jingle Bells.
Solenne looked up at Solomon. He looked upon the festive city with a gentle gaze. She wondered how many such winter festivals he’d witnessed in his long life and if he ever tired of them.
“Hehe. You’ve been studying me so intently. Am I that handsome to you?”
“You sound like Asmo.” she chided, “I was just thinking about how many of these festivals you must’ve seen over the years.”
He smiled faintly, “Most of the time I was too busy with my research to even notice the seasons change, let alone what festival day it was. I remember a few as a child, watching the ritual dances and listening to the singing outside my window. There was a time festivals were even held in my honor, but I think I only started to enjoy them when I met you.”
she was surprised to hear him speak so candidly, “You don’t have to flatter me.”
he stopped on the sidewalk. Standing there in the golden sunset he looked radiant, even kingly, “Solenne, I know I like to tease you, but I mean it when I say that you are the one who has helped me remember the joy of being human. Even if neither of us are the same as the other people in this city, we share the same simple pleasures of celebrating seasons and marking the passage of time. It’s something unique to humans. Demons and angels don’t feel the need to do that. We still do, even if our time is different than other humans. Don’t ever forget that.”
Solenne gazed at him in surprise, “You’re in a rare mood today.”
he laughed, a little self consciously, “Well, let’s just say I had an encounter with someone who tried to teach me that lesson once.”
“An encounter? Who?”
Solomon grabbed Solenne’s hand and tugged her along, “We better get going. I don’t want to be late for our reservation.”
…
“Whew! I’m so full!” Solenne sighed, dropping herself on the pink chair in their hotel room, “That spicy veggie pizza was delicious!”
Solomon hung up his coat on the rack by the door, “It was, wasn’t it? I loved the sweet and sour beef stew.”
“I wish we could have packed a pot or two of it up for Beel.” Solenne said happily, “I’m glad they sold those macarons by the box. Hopefully we have enough for everyone.”
“I hope so. We bought every one they had.” Solomon dropped the overflowing shopping bag on the desk.
“Hey, why don’t we work off some of our meal with a gift wrapping session?” Solenne asked.
“I was going to suggest the same thing. I’ll help with wrapping your gifts. Most of mine are already done.”
“Sounds good!”
Solenne stacked up all her purchases, aside from the gifts she purchased for Solomon, on the desk and all the gift bags, boxes and paper on her bed. She set Solomon up to do the paper and cloth cutting and fastening, while she boxed, tissue papered and trimmed.
“The blue satin cloth is for Lucifer, the shiny gold glitter paper is for Mammon…. That piece of Ruri chan wrapping paper is limited edition… use magic for that one and don’t cut it or we’ll never hear the end of it from Levi, Satan’s is obviously the fluffy touch Bonjour Kitty paper, Beel’s is the one with cookies and candy canes… ugh, I hope he doesn’t eat the presents, wrapping and all…”
“We can only hope.” Solomon said, organizing the wrappings as ordered.
she pulled out another stack, “Belphie’s is this purple velvet sack with stars, Diavolo’s is this black satin with gold snowflakes, Barbatos’ is the green ombré silk bag with gold medallions, Luke’s is the cupcake paper and Simeon’s is the pearl satin pouch with gold roses…” she put the hand printed aurora paper aside, “This plum and gold silk is for Mephisto, and the cream and gold ivy is for Raphael…” she put aside Thirteen’s hot pink and green paper to wrap her gift herself, since she planned to put a little ‘something extra’ in, and Thirteen wouldn’t like having her gift wrapped by Solomon, anyway.
Solomon looked bemusedly at the carefully organized pile of wrappings, “I will do my best.”
“You’d better.” she said with her best Lucifer impersonation.
“Haha. Now I’m scared.” Solomon got diligently to work. After a while he started humming the melody to Silent Night.
“Silent night, holy night…” Solenne sang.
“All is calm, all is bright…” Solomon continued.
They sang together while they wrapped the gifts. Some with magic, others with old fashioned tape and scissors. Solenne loved listening to Solomon’s soft, clear voice, which he enfolded gently around her own.
“That’s the last one.” Solomon tossed her Mammon’s final gift.
“Good work!” Solenne added the last ribbon.
By tacit understanding, they cleared away the mess with magic and admired their handiwork beneath the still bare tree.
“Very nice. Solomon said with a content smile. It’s okay. I’ll leave you alone to wrap all my gifts. I have my own preparations to make, of course.”
He left the room before she could comment on his assumptions that she had lots of gifts for him.
Solenne took out the handprinted aurora colored paper and book. She hand wrapped it, but as a finishing touch added a tracery of magic to the paper to make its colors shimmer and flicker, along with a garland of stars that would need to be untied with his own magic.
Satisfied, she wrapped the rest in a more normal way, and also wrapped up Thirteen’s gift with plenty of ribbons and lots of little surprises Solenne was sure she’d appreciate, being the trap aficionado she was. Solenne giggled to herself imagining the sight of her opening them.
“Is it okay if I come back in?” Solomon called, peeking around the door.
“Yup. I’m done.” She added a few sparkling finishing touches and put her packages with the rest.
“Woah. Those are lovely!” Solomon said, looking impressed.
“Why, thank you. I’m glad you appreciate it, master.”
“I have an idea. Why don’t we open a special gift just between us and leave the rest for tomorrow’s party?”
“I like that idea!” Solenne agreed, picking the book without hesitation.
Solomon picked a small, brightly wrapped box with a burst of delicate ribbons from his pile of gifts and handed it to her, “You can go first.”
She examined the little package carefully, knowing her teacher’s mischievous side too well. There appeared to be no tricks, but she noticed that each ribbon would need to be pulled in the right order, and set about carefully untying each one. As she did, she saw small moments of their past. The day they met, their first lesson together, wrangling some magical beast together, collecting rare potion ingredients… a dozen every day moments. Finally when she reached the last one, the paper dissolved into a gentle waterfall of light in her hands, and the box opened.
“Always a show off.” she chided fondly.
Inside was a delicate gold necklace with a special symbol made from her name surrounded by symbols of each of her pacts. She could feel Solomon’s magic, along with the familiar magic of the brothers, infusing it with receptive power, as if it was up to her to complete the circle herself. She placed a spark of her power in its center and it flickered with light and warmth.
“It is just a small protective amulet.” Solomon explained, “I fashioned it, and each of the brothers added their power. If you are ever confused, sad, or feel scared, it should help remind you of how much I… and all of them, too, treasure, love and believe in you.”
“This is one of the sweetest gifts I have ever received!” she wiped her eyes, “Thank you s-so much.” she flung open her arms to hug him.
he wrapped his arms around her tightly, “Aw. It’s just a small thing, but I’m happy you like it this much.”
she held her hair out of the way, and he helped her clasp the chain. The charm was exquisitely beautiful, and felt warm and comforting against her skin.
It was so precious, she almost felt shy giving him her gift, “Here you go. It’s not as special as yours, but I hope you like it.”
Solomon looked at the packaging with a fond smile, “Ah. I see.” he had the ribbons untied more quickly than she might have liked, but he appeared to be enjoying himself.
The mini aurora show when he unwrapped his package seemed a little amateurish next to his display, but his eyes reflected honest delight. Despite his mysterious, at times suspicious behavior, he could also be incredibly childlike at heart.
his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the book’s cover, “This is…” he gasped.
“It’s not a book full of rare magic or arcane knowledge. It’s just a child’s fairytale, but somehow the boy reminded me of you.”
“Haha. Maybe that isn’t too surprising.” he smiled wryly, “The character in the book was based on me.”
Solenne was shocked, “Based on you!?”
he nodded, “Barbatos wrote and painted it for me when we first met. I moved around so much that I lost it somewhere along the way. I never imagined I’d see it again.”
Solenne had thought the artwork style looked familiar, but would never have imagined that it was Solomon’s book, or that Barbatos had written and illustrated it, “That is incredible! I wonder how it found its way to that bookstore.”
“I can’t imagine, but that bookshop is pretty special. I’m not surprised you can find lost things there.” Solomon sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him, “Come here. I will read it to you.”
She sat next to him on the bed. He opened the beautiful cover and began to read, “Once there was a boy, sad and shrouded in darkness—“
Solenne cuddled next to Solomon, listening to him tell the tale of the lost child, wandering through the world alone. His voice was soft and wistful. She could feel the loneliness of the boy in the beginning of the story. Later his innocent curiosity blossomed as he began to explore the fantastical world he found himself in. He became a bright and adventurous child, always wanting to know more as he spoke to the beasts and birds, navigated dangerous terrain, and solved riddles. She realized he hadn’t changed very much in the thousands of years since he was that child.
“—So the boy started a new adventure, certainly one of many, and his journey continued.” Solomon closed the cover gently with a nostalgic expression, “Barbatos doesn’t talk as much as he used to, and I can’t remember him writing another book like this, but he is a fantastically gifted storyteller. He can weave wonders with words when he wants to.”
Solenne was amazed. She had been transported by the magic of Solomon’s musical voice, the beautiful tale and magical illustrations, “That’s why Diavolo was entranced by him, too.”
“Yep. He’s just the kind of mysterious, yet kind guardian kids love.” Solomon flipped back to an illustration of a fantastical and sparkling tree, “I have an idea. Why don’t we recreate this picture with our Christmas tree?”
Solenne looked at the illustration. It was clearly no human world tree, with its strange lantern-like fruits and curly purple needled branches. She hadn’t seen one like it in the Devildom, either, “Is it extinct?” she asked.
he nodded, “A long time ago. It’s an eldritch bog yew.” he pointed to the red glowing bugs that danced around the tree, “Those are inferno fireflies. When I first came to the Devildom, inferno fireflies were beloved by children because were said to grant wishes. They’re gone, too, but we can honor them here now, then send the tree to the party venue tomorrow.”
“Sure thing!” Solenne said brightly.
“Hmm… this tree has a long way to go, but I bet we can do it. How do you want to start?”
Solenne looked critically at the common spruce. It was far from a Devildom tree, but at least it was an evergreen. Changing the color would be the best start, I think?”
“That’s right. It’s easier to start with color, because any other manipulation you do will change the structure and make it brittle.”
From then, Solenne took turns with Solomon transforming the ordinary human Christmas tree into an extinct Devildom bog yew.
“Hey! Isn’t that the wrong kind of curl for the needles? They look wavy.” Solenne criticized.
“The bog yews in my memory were more like this. The illustration is dramatized to make them look more fanciful.”
“Hmm…” Solenne wasn’t convinced.
“I’ll show you one in a text book when we go home— woah!?” Solomon stepped back off the stepladder he was using to shape the branches.
Solenne rushed to catch him, but they both ended up on the floor laughing, “Some all powerful mage you are!” she joked with her arms full of sorcerer.
“I don’t know. This seems pretty magical to me.” he said impudently.
“Asmo really is rubbing off on you.” Solenne said obliviously.
They disentangled themselves and paused to study their handiwork.
“It looks great, aside from the wavy branches.” she teased, “How should we decorate it?”
They added various Devildom winter flowers and berries, careful not to add too many to incite Beel.
“Hey, Solomon. What if we make each of the guests a firefly to grant a small wish?”
He thought about it a moment, “That shouldn’t be too hard. I’m sure it would be fun for them.”
“Now for the finishing touches.” Solomon picked up his glass owl,” Why don’t we send these up together?”
Solenne picked up her crow, “let’s let them fly!”
Solenne infused her little crow with magic, while watching Solomon do the same. The birds’ little glass and velvet bodies transformed and reshaped themselves in their hands.
“Fly to the top!” they said together.
The two birds soared joyfully, their wings shedding sparkling dust in their wake. They stopped near the top of the tree and fastened themselves to branches side by side just as the magic faded and they became simple ornaments once more.
“Lastly, it needs lots of sparkly stars!” Solenne raised both hands towards the tree and waterfall threads of tiny stars as fine as spider silk fell delicately on the branches.
Solenne knew it looked strange by human world standards, but she thought it was a beautiful tree to celebrate a Devildom Christmas, “Perfect!”
“I have to agree.” Solomon said, smiling at her.
“Do you think Barbatos will be surprised to see the tree?”
“I’m sure he would’ve assumed I’d forgotten all about it. He’d have been right, too. Still… I don’t think it’s bad to celebrate like this occasionally. I have a lot to thank the Devildom for.” he yawned, “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty beat.”
Solenne nodded, “We still need to set up for the party tomorrow’ morning, too. I’ll sure be happy to go somewhere warm.” she said innocently.
Solomon chuckled, “Well, it will definitely be warmer than London, I promise.”
“Thank goodness for that!”
…..
Epilogue
Solenne sighed contentedly as she lounged on a beach chair on the warm sand beneath a big striped umbrella, reading one of the many spell books Solomon bought for her. The sound of the waves and salty ocean breeze made her feel drowsy.
“Hey Solenne.” Satan said, settling on the beach chair next to her, “I heard you went back to the Splendor Solis. How is Tris?”
Solenne put her book down, “He definitely was disappointed not to see you.”
“Really? Well, of course he was.” Satan said, looking pleased. He opened the book about feline rituals, “Did you know that Birman cats are said to be vessels for the souls of holy men? When an old human priest was about to die, they made sure a Birman cat was with him to catch his soul.” he frowned, “A cat is sacred just by existing. They don’t need any human soul interference.”
Solenne thought about Tris. Was that why he had such a negative reaction to Solomon? Had they known each other before?
She made a mental note to ask him sometime, not that he was likely to tell her, anyway.
“Memory, all alone in the moonlight,
I can dream of the old days,
Life was beautiful then…”
Solenne looked over her shoulder bewilderedly to see where the strange, sudden performance came from and found Mephisto of all people belting out the mournful ballad from ‘CATS’.
“Dammit. Mephisto must have gotten hold of the cursed salt shaker instead of Lucifer.” Satan took out his DDD and quickly typed a message to Belphie, “Let me stay here. You can vouch for me.”
“Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life,
And I mustn't give in…”
“Mephisto has a good voice for opera.” Solenne giggled.
“I assume we have you to thank for this impromptu performance?”
Solenne and Satan both jumped guiltily. Barbatos stood at the edge of Solenne’s umbrella carrying a frosty glass of peach iced tea, “I believe Lucifer is looking for you. From his demeanor I shouldn’t want to keep him waiting.” he said to Satan.
“That bastard.” Satan muttered, “We’ll continue our talk later.”
“Good luck!” Solenne called to him, hoping she wouldn’t have to cut him down from a palm tree.
“This is for you.” Barbatos handed Solenne the frosty glass and gave her a gentle smile.
“Thank you. Um… would you mind sitting with me a minute? You’ve been working nonstop and you’re supposed to be enjoying the party, too.”
“Very well. Just for a few moments.” Barbatos gracefully lowered himself to the beach chair Satan just vacated.
“Solomon told me that you wrote the book I found. It was beautiful.”
Barbatos sighed, “He was such a sad child at that time. I simply hoped it would lift his spirits. I’m surprised the current version of him even remembers that book.”
“He thought you’d say that.” Solenne said, “I don’t know if he remembered it before, but he definitely did when he first saw it.” she leant forward excitedly, “So… what did you think of our tree?”
Barbatos smiled, “You did a splendid job decorating it. It is also quite realistic, aside from the needles not being quite curly enough.”
“I TOLD Solomon they were too wavy!” she cried.
he chuckled, “Perhaps you can be a good influence on Solomon to bring him back closer to who he used to be. That would be my hope.”
“I will do my best.” Solenne answered seriously, “I think he’s… different from how he was when I first met him.”
“We shall see.” Barbatos said enigmatically, “Also, the tea you gifted me was delicious. You are welcome to share some with me next time you visit the Demon Lord’s Castle.”
“I’m glad! I can’t wait to try it with you. Barbatos, would you mind—“
“The hills are aliiiiive with the sound of muuuusic…. Ugh. Will someone help me, here?!” Mephisto continued singing like a possessed jukebox.
“Hey Solenne? Can you give us some help?” Solomon called over Mephisto’s booming voice, “This curse on Mephistopheles is actually a little tricky.”
“Which means it’s more than just a ‘little’ tricky.” Solenne said under her breath, “Be right there!”
“Haha! Yeah, get over here, Solenne. You really need to see this!” Thirteen chortled.
Barbatos gave her a commiserating smile, “You may ask me your question when we meet for tea.”
“Okay.” Solenne put her book down and hopped off her chair.
“It is always something with them. You have my deepest sympathy.”
Solenne giggled, “It sure is. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Fin