The Phoenix Fallacy Book I: Janus Read Online Free PDF Page A

brilliantly in the sun.
    Clara quickly hurried over to him and pulled him off the lift, chiding him, “Pay attention, you can’t afford to lose your head here!”  Norm was already gone.
    Janus let his eyes wander the station and suddenly felt extremely self-conscious.  Staring down at the ill-fitting rags he wore, he could feel the eyes of the hundreds of elite that surrounded him and hear murmurs of ‘—can’t even dress servants properly.’
    “Don’t worry.  People always stare, but it’s nothing we can’t handle,” whispered Clara encouragingly.
    She made a beeline out of the station and onto the main thoroughfare, Janus right behind.  He was amazed by the bustling chaos around him.  There were never so many people out and about in the slums; a crowd would be a magnet to the Rats.  Out of the shade of the station Janus was forced to narrow his eyes to slits to see around him.  Aside from the many stares, no one seemed bothered by their presence.
    People avoid each other up here as well… Janus thought wryly. 
    Outside the station, Janus was surprised to discover it was enameled in a deep emerald green.  It still possessed its odd angular walls, but the menace was gone – replaced by a thought of thriving flora, and abundant life.  Gold Cerberus statues flanked the entrances, and the only S.T. within sight carried no rifle, but helpfully directed passers-by as they approached.
    “Come on,” Clara was motioning for Janus to follow her, “we’ve got to get moving or we’ll be late!”
    Janus was chilled in the early morning air, his breath rising in puffs as his skin searched for warmth against the thin rags.  A gaggle of children momentarily stopped their play within a cloud to eye them uncertainly as they hurried by.
    T hey were going to see Miss Middleton, but he knew almost nothing about her.  Middleton was an Overlord, and a powerful one, only a step below the supreme masters of Cerberus, the Executors.  Her home was the crown of one of the gigantic superscrapers that made up the multi-level metropolis.
    And Clara was one of her maids.  Janus knew she was thankful for it.  Real, non-hazardous work was rare nowadays, and even then, most things were performed by Daeduluses – when they didn’t break, anyway. 
    Machines rumored to have been left over from before the Corporations were founded, Daeduluses were strange devices.  They ran the factories.  They made the food.  Some moved like animals, and Janus had heard of a rare few that seemed to possess a spark of intelligence.  But despite their skill at scrubbing floors, they lacked the understanding to value the subtle, yet messy, brushstrokes of a work of art.  One too many paintings had been “cleaned” for Middleton’s taste.  And so – Clara was a maid.  At least, that was how Clara told him the story.
    An iron-wrought fence of elaborate spirals enclosed Middleton’s private hideaway, forcing passerby to steal tempting looks at sprinkling fountains and lush gardens of red, blue, and yellow.  Deep jade green and sapphire blue walls shimmered in the sun, while gilded frames held sparkling crystalline windows overlooking the lawns.
    Clara avoided the ornate gate that stood closed to all but the greatest of dignitaries, and instead made her way to a recessed door in the back. She knocked twice and a stately butler soon answered it, “Ah Miss Clara. Miss Middleton is expecting you and the young man…” he paused.
    “Janus,” Clara chimed in with a bow.
    “Very good,” Albert said, looking her over.  “I’m afraid there isn’t enough time for a proper cleaning, but may I suggest you consider a change of clothes?”
    Clara nodded her understanding and the butler stood aside to admit her and Janus into a set of servants’ quarters.  A changing station for most of Middleton’s staff, the quarters bustled mostly with maids and cooks who urgently sought to prepare themselves for another demanding day at the behest of