The Demon Collector Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lighting Company. Burns for a thousand years. Can’t see why they haven’t caught on . . . might be the smell, of course.’
    Edgy sniffed at the slightly eggy smell that hung about the corridor. Every now and then a door interrupted the dark oak panelling. Pipework coiled and swerved around the doorframes, the gentle hissing cutting through the silence. No one passed them or came out of the doors. Janus seemed unconcerned by it all and strode ahead with the same fixed smile.
    ‘Don’t like this place one bit, Henry,’ Edgy muttered as he hurried after Janus. ‘As soon as them demons have shifted, we’re off.’
    Henry gave a low whine, his ears alert as he scanned the walls.
    ‘A bit safer than outside, eh?’ Janus said, throwing a smile over his shoulder at Edgy. ‘And warmer. We’ll swap those rags you’re standing in for something a bit more presentable.’
    Edgy glanced down at his ragged torn trousers and coat, sniffing at the dog smell that emanated from them. His boot flapped where the sole had come off and holes gaped at his knees and elbows.
    ‘Here we are,’ Janus said and stopped, taking a sharp right into a small room lined with shelves. Clothes lay neatly folded in piles on each one. A little blue-skinned demon, half Edgy’s height, sat on a stool in the corner of the room darning a sock. He jumped up when Janus entered.
    ‘Ah, Professor Janus.’ The man bowed low, his long nose almost touching the floor. Pointed ears sprang out from the side of his large head. He wore striped trousers and a tailcoat that touched the ground at the back.
    ‘Evening, Trimdon. This is Edgy Taylor. He’s stopping for the night, maybe longer. I’d like to show him around.’ Janus beamed. ‘I want him scrubbed, fed and kitted out for me. Back in half an hour.’
    Janus disappeared out into the corridor. Trimdon slicked back his hair with his fingers and beamed at Edgy.
    ‘Pleased to meet you, Master Taylor.’ Trimdon bowed low again.
    ‘Yeah, charmed,’ Edgy said, eyeing the little man.
    ‘And this is?’ he said, smiling down at Henry. To Edgy’s surprise, the dog wagged his tail and licked the back of Trimdon’s hand.
    ‘Erm, Henry,’ Edgy said. If Henry trusted this strange little demon, he thought that maybe he should too.
    ‘Pleased to meet you, Henry.’ Trimdon nodded and then bowed to Henry. ‘If you go through that door behind you, you’ll find a tub of warm soapy water awaits.’ Trimdon bowed again, then narrowed his eyes as he looked Edgy up and down. ‘You get a wash and I’ll pull out some suitable clothing for you.’
    Edgy backed through the door and found himself in a tiny cupboard room. A tub of water filled the room and a three-legged stool stood beside it. He peered at the steaming tub and dipped a hand in the water, pulling it out quickly.
    ‘Blimey, Henry, ’ot water,’ he grinned. ‘I can’t remember the last time I ’ad a wash, let alone a full soak!’
    Henry jumped up, forepaws on the side of the bath, dipping his nose in the foam. For a second, Edgy thought about the vats at the tannery – a knee’s depth of urine and excrement. He sniffed at the fragrant bubbles that swayed on the surface of the water.
    A cough from behind startled him. Trimdon had his head round the door. ‘You get undressed and climb into the water. Use the soap and the scrubbing brush to get the dirt from your skin.’ He gave a brief smile. ‘Don’t worry, you aren’t the first young man to be frightened of a bath – and you won’t be the last, I’m sure!’
    The door clicked shut and Edgy undressed, piling his crusty clothes on to the stool. He pulled out the sliver of bone and the bag of salt Janus had given him and put them behind the bath out of sight.
    Henry watched with tilted head as Edgy lifted a cautious leg and dipped his toes into the water. Edgy’s skin prickled and tingled. He wasn’t sure if he liked it at first. He inched in, gasping at the warmth that engulfed