They Who Fell by Kevin Kneupper

poor choice in targets and his fate was out of his hands.
    Inside, the families were huddled near the door. A few of the men stood guarding the entrance, along with several of the older boys. They had their war faces on, but a serious fighter like Holt could see right through it. Only Marv had the steel for this sort of thing, which was why he was the one holding the Colony together.
    “We gotta kill him,” said Marv, once he’d gotten Holt aside. “I know you don’t like it, but it’s what has to be. We gotta just go out there, put a gun to his head, and keep this place safe.”
    Holt started to speak, but Marv didn’t even let him begin. He pulled a pistol from his waistband, offering it to Holt. “Either you do it, or I will.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    “P eter, you fool!” shouted Jana, before lowering her voice to a whisper after a few of the other servants turned to stare. “How could you do something like this to yourself? You know what he’s like. He’ll kill you!”
    “It’s not like that,” said Peter. He leaned in, trying to soothe Jana and keep the others from hearing. “I worked something out. We’ve got a deal, a good deal. He knows he’s hard to work for. But I offered him something he can’t get from anyone else: loyalty. His other servants dragged their feet and shirked their duties. He needs someone who can do their job and do it well, without him having to resort to fear or threats. And in exchange he’s going to let me live up here. We’ll be near each other. You’ll still have a friend, and maybe we can be something more in time.”
    Jana’s heart sank. Peter was talking madness, and had let himself be drawn into a warped delusion. She didn’t think there was any reason to trust Ecanus, let alone to rashly pledge to him just to climb a few stories higher. The angels took these things very seriously. It was one thing to serve one of them. Any of them could demand that a servant work for them, as Nefta had Jana. But a pledge was something different. It bound the servant, totally and completely, and it was permanent. Jana could still escape, if Nefta let her. But Peter was behaving like a puppy—blinded by unrequited love or ambition, and groping around for anything he thought might satisfy them.
    “You didn’t even talk to me, Peter,” said Jana. “I don’t feel that way for you. I don’t think I ever would. We grew up together. You’re like a brother. We’re friends, we really are, but that’s it.” His face sank, and he looked like he’d been struck. She felt a pang of guilt for hurting him. He could be a bit much, but he meant well. Still, the heart feels what it feels, and Jana just didn’t feel it.
    “I’m really sorry. You just can’t force something like that,” said Jana. “You have to find a way to get free. Maybe he’ll let you go. You haven’t been there for long. Or maybe I could talk to the woman I’m working for. She’s close to Nefta. They might be able to do something.” She wasn’t sure how plausible that was, but Cassie seemed to be protective of her, and she had to try something. She hadn’t asked Peter to do this, and never would have let him if she’d known. But that didn’t stop her from feeling for his plight, or from wanting to do a little protecting of her own if she could.
    Peter shook his head, still looking like he’d been staggered from the blow. “Jana, it’s a pledge. He’ll expect me to honor it. And I wasn’t just doing this for you. I need this. I need to be up here. You know what it’s like at the bottom. Things’ll be better this way. I know this is a shock. I don’t want to rush you. But maybe—”
    “Peter,” Jana said, stopping him. He was hurt, and clinging to his dream. They’re hard to let go of sometimes, and he must have been imagining his world as he thought it could be for a long time. The servants tended to do that. Jana herself had dozens of favored fantasies, and she’d grown up learning to sink into