Read They Who Fell for Free Online Page B

“I do know they’ll hurt you if you don’t go. So stop being a baby, grow up, and do the things you have to do.”
    Jana frowned, forgetting her panic. She was hardly a baby. Her fears were real, and more than justified. She kept walking, and spent a few minutes thinking of all of the things she’d say to the woman if only she could. It was all hypothetical. Any chance of a real outburst had been drummed out of her long ago, the product of a lifetime of constant reminders that any careless remark could undo her. Before she’d settled on the most biting potential response in her fantasies, they’d arrived. They stood in front of an imposing, heavy pair of wooden double doors. Their golden handles were fancy metalwork that curled into the shape of some fantastical creature, all teeth and horns and angry eyes. The woman pulled them open and ushered Jana inside.
    They entered a large, open lounge. A number of other hallways led off into other places, but this looked like the hub of their social activities. Several angels lazed around on soft velvet couches surrounded by pillows, being waited on by well-dressed attendants as they chatted with each other, drank, or simply stared off into space. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, sculpted from precious stones that had been hauled to the tower and worked to the angels’ specifications by the craftsmen below. The angels were partial to them, as diamond had been a favorite construction material where they came from. Brightly colored paper lanterns were spread around the room, on tables and on walls, and sections of the room glowed blue or green or red from the candles inside. Their colors and symbols belonged to various angelic factions, which had only multiplied since the Fall. Clubs have always been formed mostly for the aura of exclusivity they bestow on their members, and there was nothing the angels loved better than to organize themselves in ways that created envy among outsiders.
    The woman led Jana forward, quietly, steering her towards one of the hallways. They were interrupted by a voice as they passed.
    “Girl.”
    Jana froze, paralyzed with indecision. She looked to the woman for guidance, but found none. The woman had stopped, too, but was just standing there passively. Probably she was hoping the same thing as Jana: that she wasn’t the one being called to.
    “Girl. I remember you. But I didn’t catch your name.”
    There wasn’t much to do now but to try to respond somehow. Jana turned to the voice—it was Rhamiel, relaxing with a friend at a nearby table. They were cordoned off from the others in one of the more exclusive areas, enjoying luxuries that befitted their place at the top of the pecking order. He was staring at her again with those eyes, and it still made Jana uncomfortable. She looked down at the floor. Peter could have been right. Maybe Rhamiel was interested. Some of them seemed as asexual as in the old legends from before the Fall, but others clearly had appetites. Rhamiel’s intentions could be anything, and Jana wasn’t sure she could fend him off even if she wanted to. And she wasn’t entirely sure if she did. There were worse ones who could have taken a liking to her. Certainly worse looking ones.
    “I’m Jana,” she said, still keeping her eyes locked on the ground in front of her.
    “Jana,” said Rhamiel. “It’s a passable name. Inoffensive, and won’t get you killed at least. I couldn’t count the number of ‘Michaels’ who’ve been put down thanks to their uncreative parents.”
    Jana stood silently, trying to think through her choices. The conversation didn’t call for a response, explicitly, but he could be expecting one. Silence was safest.
    “Welcome to high society, Jana,” Rhamiel continued. “You don’t look like you belong down there, anyhow. Wallowing around in the muck, cleaning grime from plates and rooting around in the leftovers for missing fingers. Come. Sit with us. We’ll show you the