The Demon Collector Read Online Free PDF Page B

have you hidden them?’
    ‘Spinorix!’ Janus yelled. ‘What’s the meaning of this?’
    ‘Ask the little worm!’ Spinorix spat. ‘He can tell . . . Owwwwww!’
    The demon suddenly loosened his grip on Edgy’s neck and turned. With a snarl, Henry had sunk his teeth into the demon’s tail. Edgy, feeling the creature’s balance shift, pushed forward, sending him sprawling on to the polished floor.
    A small demon with large, floppy ears lay before Edgy. He was red from head to foot – red skin, red suit and tie, red hair greased back and plaited in a ponytail. His eyes were wide and he panted heavily as he tried to stand up. Sweat trickled down his furrowed brow and round his short horns. Spinorix tumbled sideways, his tail still firmly gripped by Henry’s teeth. He writhed and wriggled, swatting at Henry ineffectually.
    ‘By the sweetbreads of Cerberus! Call him off, call off this hound of hell!’
    ‘Don’t see why I should,’ Edgy snapped.
    ‘Please, I beg you. Professor Janus, tell him to release me!’ Spinorix whined.
    ‘That’s up to Edgy. What were you thinking of, attacking him like that?’ Janus said, putting his hands on his hips.
    ‘Ow, oh, owww,’ Spinorix moaned.
    Edgy shook his head and clicked his fingers. Henry dropped the tail immediately. Spinorix jumped up, tears coursing down his red cheeks.
    ‘Well?’ Edgy demanded, copying Janus’s pose.
    ‘I’m sorry, I thought you were the other boy,’ Spinorix began.
    ‘Other boy?’ Edgy said, frowning. ‘What other boy?’
    Janus gave an embarrassed cough. ‘We had an errand boy –’
    ‘A thief!’ Spinorix hissed, massaging his tail. ‘He’s been taking things from the exhibition hall.’
    ‘Now you can’t be sure of that, Spinorix,’ Janus said, pursing his lips. ‘Perhaps you’ve just mislaid . . .’
    Spinorix went a deeper shade of crimson. ‘With respect, sir, I do not “mislay” valuable artefacts.’ He trembled and gripped his tail tightly. ‘Things have gone missing and where’s the boy now?’
    ‘You’ll have to forgive Spinorix, Edgy, he’s an imp and as such is prone to melodrama. As for the boy, he’ll turn up, I’ve no doubt,’ Janus murmured, frowning at Spinorix. ‘Anyway, who’s watching the collection now?’
    The imp’s colour drained. With a squawk, he turned on his heel and clattered down the corridor. Janus gave a chuckle and watched him vanish.
    ‘A dedicated imp but a little excitable, I think. Spends far too much time in the exhibition hall,’ Janus said. ‘I’ll take you to your room now.’
    Edgy thought of the boy he’d seen die only hours before. He had a smart suit. Black. Woollen. Perfect stitching. Just like his new one.
    ‘Ah, good evening, Madame Lillith,’ Janus smiled, looking beyond Edgy.
    Edgy turned. A round lady, her hair pulled up in a tight bun, swept the tiled floor behind him. She looked up from her work with narrowed eyes. Her brush scraped the tiles with short, vicious strokes, her green silk dress swishing in time to them. She watched them pass.
    Henry’s head flicked back and forth with the brush; his tail wagged to the same rhythm. He gave a playful yelp and snapped at the brush. Madame Lillith stopped and glared at him.
    ‘Sorry.’ Edgy smiled as her eyes bored into him. ‘C’mon, Henry. Leave it.’
    Edgy heaved a sigh of relief as they turned a corner and left her behind. For a moment he forgot the boy in the street. As they walked, Edgy felt the floor slope downwards. The lower they went, the plainer the decor became. The walls in this part of the Society were plain plaster rather than wooden panelling. Servants’ quarters .
    ‘She’s a demon of envy,’ Janus explained as they walked on. ‘Anything you have, she wants it.’
    ‘Didn’t you say that demons are meant to make us sin?’ Edgy wondered aloud.
    ‘You’re absolutely right, Edgy, but, like Slouch, most demons fall prey to their own weaknesses first. Madame Lillith is so eaten