wanted from my father. Curiosity won out. I lowered the flute.
“Tell me.”
“What we seek from the Dread Magician Prospero is the secret of unbinding our more unfortunate brethren.”
“Unbinding who?”
“Our fellows whom Prospero bound. We cannot free them, and he will not tell us how to accomplish it.”
“What brethren of yours has Father bound? You mean someone in there?” I gestured toward the Elemental Chamber.
“How innocent you are.” The incubus wet his black lips with a scarlet tongue. I raised the flute again. “Ah, yes. Well… perhaps, I should start at the beginning… .
“During King Solomon’s reign, he lost his throne to the great devil Asmodeus for a space of three years, during which Asmodeus impersonated the wise king and performed many blasphemies in his name.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that,” I replied. “Asmodeus stole his ring, and Solomon had to get it back before he could reclaim his kingdom. Meanwhile, Asmodeus built temples to devils and false gods in Solomon’s name.”
“Exactly so.” Seir smiled. “You are so wise, my Incomparable. What is known only to a few is this: After King Solomon regained his ring, he did not return immediately to his throne. Instead, he descended into Hell, claiming to be Asmodeus. Since it was known that Asmodeus was impersonating Solomon, this subterfuge succeeded, for we demons did not expect a mortal to walk willingly into the maw of the Inferno.
“Posing as the Great King Asmodeus, one of the Seven Rulers of Hell, Solomon called up all manner of wicked spirits and used his unaccursed ring to compel them to swear allegiance to him and to cease acting in accordance with their wicked nature. Once this was done, Solomon moved among the demons themselves, tricking nine of the greatest lords, those known for doing the most harm to mortal men, into his service.
“Solomon then smuggled these nine great demons out of Hell and bound them into nine scrolls. He put these scrolls into the keeping of a secret society created to watch and guard them, a living ward that he called his Circle.”
“The
Orbis Suleimani,
” I murmured. “The Circle of Solomon.”
“We Infernal Ones eventually discovered the whereabouts of the missing lords. With our help, they nearly escaped, but the Circle of Solomon, the
Orbis Suleimani,
as you call them, discovered our attempt and bound the demon lords anew into great tomes.
“Solomon’s heirs were vigilant, but where mortals are concerned, time is always on our side. We never grow bored or tire of our efforts to corrupt—just as I will never grow bored or tire of you, once you yield to my enticements. The very foundations of the Earth will shake from the fervor of our passion. Stars will collide and a new constellation will be born to celebrate the pleasure of our union.”
“Shall I blow him to Kingdom Come? Not a pleasant place for demons, I hear,” asked Caurus, holding his hornpipe just before his lips. Apparently,he felt there was something he could do down here, despite Seir’s claims otherwise.
“If he doesn’t get back to the point, be my guest,” I replied grimly.
“We worked our influence upon Solomon’s heirs,” Seir continued, smiling graciously. “The
Orbis Suleimani
grew vain and corrupt. They began listening to the whispering of the tomes, to accept gifts the trapped demons offered, thus loosening the bonds binding the great lords of Hell.
“After centuries of waiting, our patience was rewarded. Two brothers came along who were ideal for our purposes. One was petty and power-hungry, the other obsessed with the pursuit of dangerous knowledge. The trapped Lords of Hell offered them gifts. Great King Paimon offered power over the minds of men, while King Vinae offered wisdom and secrets no mortal knew. When the brothers accepted, the demon lords began to describe the greater gifts that they could grant to the brothers, if the binding trapping the demons were released.
“All was
“Tell me.”
“What we seek from the Dread Magician Prospero is the secret of unbinding our more unfortunate brethren.”
“Unbinding who?”
“Our fellows whom Prospero bound. We cannot free them, and he will not tell us how to accomplish it.”
“What brethren of yours has Father bound? You mean someone in there?” I gestured toward the Elemental Chamber.
“How innocent you are.” The incubus wet his black lips with a scarlet tongue. I raised the flute again. “Ah, yes. Well… perhaps, I should start at the beginning… .
“During King Solomon’s reign, he lost his throne to the great devil Asmodeus for a space of three years, during which Asmodeus impersonated the wise king and performed many blasphemies in his name.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that,” I replied. “Asmodeus stole his ring, and Solomon had to get it back before he could reclaim his kingdom. Meanwhile, Asmodeus built temples to devils and false gods in Solomon’s name.”
“Exactly so.” Seir smiled. “You are so wise, my Incomparable. What is known only to a few is this: After King Solomon regained his ring, he did not return immediately to his throne. Instead, he descended into Hell, claiming to be Asmodeus. Since it was known that Asmodeus was impersonating Solomon, this subterfuge succeeded, for we demons did not expect a mortal to walk willingly into the maw of the Inferno.
“Posing as the Great King Asmodeus, one of the Seven Rulers of Hell, Solomon called up all manner of wicked spirits and used his unaccursed ring to compel them to swear allegiance to him and to cease acting in accordance with their wicked nature. Once this was done, Solomon moved among the demons themselves, tricking nine of the greatest lords, those known for doing the most harm to mortal men, into his service.
“Solomon then smuggled these nine great demons out of Hell and bound them into nine scrolls. He put these scrolls into the keeping of a secret society created to watch and guard them, a living ward that he called his Circle.”
“The
Orbis Suleimani,
” I murmured. “The Circle of Solomon.”
“We Infernal Ones eventually discovered the whereabouts of the missing lords. With our help, they nearly escaped, but the Circle of Solomon, the
Orbis Suleimani,
as you call them, discovered our attempt and bound the demon lords anew into great tomes.
“Solomon’s heirs were vigilant, but where mortals are concerned, time is always on our side. We never grow bored or tire of our efforts to corrupt—just as I will never grow bored or tire of you, once you yield to my enticements. The very foundations of the Earth will shake from the fervor of our passion. Stars will collide and a new constellation will be born to celebrate the pleasure of our union.”
“Shall I blow him to Kingdom Come? Not a pleasant place for demons, I hear,” asked Caurus, holding his hornpipe just before his lips. Apparently,he felt there was something he could do down here, despite Seir’s claims otherwise.
“If he doesn’t get back to the point, be my guest,” I replied grimly.
“We worked our influence upon Solomon’s heirs,” Seir continued, smiling graciously. “The
Orbis Suleimani
grew vain and corrupt. They began listening to the whispering of the tomes, to accept gifts the trapped demons offered, thus loosening the bonds binding the great lords of Hell.
“After centuries of waiting, our patience was rewarded. Two brothers came along who were ideal for our purposes. One was petty and power-hungry, the other obsessed with the pursuit of dangerous knowledge. The trapped Lords of Hell offered them gifts. Great King Paimon offered power over the minds of men, while King Vinae offered wisdom and secrets no mortal knew. When the brothers accepted, the demon lords began to describe the greater gifts that they could grant to the brothers, if the binding trapping the demons were released.
“All was
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