The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew Read Free Book Online Page A

Oh no, he has to muscle his way into the Royal Society.’ The fire died in his eyes. ‘Anyway they’re just the bones of a demon, that’s all.’
    ‘Righto,’ Edgy murmured.
    ‘There was a time when demons ruled the earth . . .’ Janus’s voice became distant and he looked far beyond Edgy. ‘The great arch-demons waged war, multiplied, built huge cities. Do you want to hear a story? A story from the dawn of time, passed down from the mouths of demons themselves?’
    Edgy listened, spellbound by Janus’s sonorous voice.

The fields were green, as green as could be,
    When we from His glory fell;
    And we His children then were brought
    To death and near to hell.
    ‘The Moon Shines Bright’, traditional folk carol

Chapter Seven
    The Legend of Satan and Moloch
    ‘Many ages ago, before Man was turned away from the Garden of Eden, the earth was fresh and blue-green, spark­ling in dew so fresh that God wasted many a foolish hour smiling down on His creation.
    ‘But beneath all this, in Stygian depths, Satan ruled supreme in the kingdom of hell. He sat on his throne of obsidian in his palace of beaten gold, basking in the searing heat of the lava flows, enjoying the spit and hiss as molten rock poured over ash flows and pooled around him. His queens and consorts huddled, adoring, at his feet.
    ‘Demons sang his praises in beautiful, haunting voices. Have you ever heard a demon song, Edgy Taylor? Its beauty would break your heart and drive you mad. They fought each other to be in his presence, plunging one another beneath the seething, flowing earth, to Satan’s delight.
    ‘Men and demons are like fires in the dark – bright and hot. Every now and then a spark of anger or hatred would flare up, then flicker into the blackness and die. But one demon, Moloch, caught hold of his spark, a smouldering ember that he clutched to his heart. He blew on it with a bitter breath, whispered his grievances to it and it grew into a furnace cupped in his gnarled palms. The fire of hatred burnt into his veins and consumed his heart.
    ‘When God had thrown Satan and his rebellious angels down into the pits of hell, it was Moloch who had wanted to continue the battle, to rise up once more and crash like a fiery tide upon the walls of heaven. But Satan had counselled deviousness and trickery, knowing that they could never beat the Almighty.
    ‘“Better to confuse and corrupt man, the Almighty’s pride and joy,” Satan had said and set off to tempt and torment humankind.
    ‘“Better the field of battle than to skulk in the shadows, whispering obscenities into the ears of village idiots,” Moloch hissed to himself.
    ‘Day after day, Moloch crouched in his dark cave of ash and stared out.
    ‘Week after week, Moloch wondered, why should Satan sit upon that throne?
    ‘Month after month. What gave him the right to be worshipped by the other demons?
    ‘Year after year. He is no better than the one God, demanding our tribute and adulation!
    ‘Century upon century added heat to Moloch’s anger, until one day he burst forth and threw himself at the startled Satan.
    ‘Demons howled in despair as Moloch plunged the great Satan into the molten lava. Satan had never been challenged. He never expected to be. He was unprepared. Moloch cast Satan into his dark cave of ash and sealed him in.
    ‘Satan hurled himself at the dark cave walls. Mountains threw themselves up into the sky. Satan pounded his prison confines. Hills rolled across the earth’s crust like waves. Finally, Satan threw himself to the floor and despaired, weeping bitter tears that flooded from his cavernous gaol, leaving salt seas between the mountains.
    ‘In his grief, Satan tore at himself and gouged at his flesh. In his madness, Satan shaped the skin, blood and nail he ripped from himself. He fashioned limbs and eyes, horns and teeth. He laughed and tormented the creatures in the darkness and they grew to hate and fear him, even though he had fashioned them from