Felicity’s head swiveled from left to right as she made her way through Goldfinders Lane.

  Expecting it to be a street, she was amazed to find it was its own little section of the city, much like a Little Italy or Chinatown. She passed stalls offering discounted rates “wink, wink” on everything from knives, poisons, and sleeping powder, as well as a starter kit one would need to become a thief. Felicity hovered around a few stalls, deciding whether to make a purchase or not, but she decided against it as she didn’t know what she would need and if she was getting a good price or not.

  She walked past posters of thieves offering their services with rates based on the level of difficulty of the job.

  Felicity found it weird to see criminal activity so openly displayed, but if she was honest with herself, it wasn’t the most egregious thing she had seen since arriving. She saw people getting robbed with no one coming to their aid, more than one brutal beating of a man she was sure wouldn’t make it through the night, and people inhaling green vials that produced a green wispy smoke that surrounded their head.

  Since the existence of the portal and other worlds became public knowledge on Earth, decades followed where Earth tore itself apart.

  With everything from religion to science coming into question, many felt like Armageddon was coming true, and they acted like it. Mass killings. War. Economic collapse. A billion lost their lives in the wars that followed, but that was only the beginning.

  Not till The Ascendant made his presence known did things look like the end of days.

  He spoke in everyone’s minds and laid down his commandments.

  Only one child could be born per couple.

  Technology and innovation would remain stagnant.

  Half the population in the universe would cease to exist.

  The laws he placed across countless worlds were the same, with only one caveat. If anyone wanted to change it, undo it, make it not so, then they would have to defeat the one who called himself The Ascendant, King of Kings, The Architect.

  That was decades ago, and now she found herself at the very starting point, like so many before her.

  Continuing on her journey and following the directions, she finally came to Cutthroat Paradise. She expected the building to be hidden, with a false name attached to it, but like everything else in this part of the city, it stood tall and proud for all to see.

  Built of light gray stone, it towered six floors above her and reminded her of a bank. Stone figures masked and cloaked, in the act of sneaking on an unsuspecting target with a fat coin pouch, were dotted around the edges of the roof.

  A banner with a figure climbing through a window billowed in the wind.

  Felicity walked up to a grand staircase made of stone and stopped.

  What was she doing?

  She wasn’t a thief. She had never stolen anything in her life. Quite the opposite, she remembered when she chased a jogger down four streets just to hand them back a credit card that had fallen from their back pocket, and here she was planning on a career in crime.

  Absurd.

  What had she done?

  She shouldn’t be here. Correction. She had no business being here. Unlike the millions who came to The Other Side to seek fame and fortune, and to provide for their families back home, they all had something she didn’t have.

  Guts.

  Guts and an acceptance of death.

  She had neither.

  She knew what Jason was like, yet she went along with what he wanted because he was the most popular guy in college. She didn’t mind the attention if she was honest, but it became too much. When she hinted at slowing things down, he got aggressive. She was scared.

  Scared of what he would do. Scared of his family.

  Yet, because she didn’t do the hard thing when it needed to be done, it only got worse. She chose the easy route, and look where it got her.

  Making a rash decision and coming to a place where there was no turning back.

  Once you passed through the portal, you couldn’t go back.

  She was stuck here.

  In a city that smelled like cat sick on its best day and diarrhea on its worst.

  Panic closed around her chest, cutting off her breathing. What was she going to do? What was she going to do? What was—

  Her vision closed in around her, causing darkness to encroach on its edges.

  “How did that job go for the Baldwin Estate?”

  Her focus snapped to attention.

  “Not bad. They’re a bunch of cunts, don’t get me wrong, but they pay higher than anyone around.”

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  She scanned around her and saw who she was looking for. Two men dressed like Assassin’s Creed rip-offs walked past her, hoods pulled over their heads, making it impossible to see their faces.

  They walked into Cutthroat’s Paradise, and she followed.

  #

  Sitting in a corner nursing a glass of lemonade, Felicity kept her head down as she tried to eavesdrop on the conversation behind her.

  It was a hard thing to do, in a bar that had more floors serving drinks than any she visited back home.

  Each floor of Cutthroat’s Paradise catered to a certain class or skill set. The first floor dealt with the general thieves and low-level scum. Low-level scum, she may add, that were all wealthier and better equipped than her.

  The second and third floors had mainly tricksters, swindlers, and hustlers, people dressed in their finest outfits, with one too many gold trinkets and rings. But the closer you looked, the more you saw the threadbare shiny elbows, the darting eyes, and on more than one face the glazed expression of someone on something stronger than alcohol.

  The fourth and fifth floors were occupied by people dressed in dark, shadowy clothes, with hoods over their heads and daggers strapped to their legs. The conversation level on those floors was subdued, with everyone speaking just above a whisper.

  She tried to ascend to the sixth floor, but an orc stepped in her way on the bottom of the staircase leading up to it. He crossed his muscular arms and glared at her. She took the hint, gave him a nod, and turned back around.

  Luckily for her, the Assassin’s Creed–looking assholes took up residence on the fourth floor.

  Although Felicity stood out amongst the dark hoods and leather, there were a few other drinkers around her who dressed in a plainer fashion.

  “So what they got you doing, then?” asked one, with a tattoo of two daggers crossing on the flesh of his hand between his index finger and thumb.

  The other with the same tattoo, but with his fingernails painted black, showed off a golden ring with a ruby set in its center.

  “What we love doing best, John. Stealing from poor fuckers who can’t defend themselves.”

  John gave a throaty laugh. “Ain’t that the truth, Sam. Ain’t that the truth.”

  They knocked their glass together and downed their drinks and ordered more.

  “In all honesty, though, how much work we talking about? Do you think there’s enough to go around?”

  Sam snorted. “I thought you were all sorted. Last time I saw you, you were busier than a horny rabbit on Viagra.”

  “I was on easy street for a while, working for the Archduke of the Green Emerald domain. But that shit all dried up after he was killed and his domain claimed.”

  John gave an apologetic shrug. “Sorry about that. That was the Baldwin Estate’s doing. They are looking for something, and the Green Emerald domain was rumored to be where it was kept.”

  “Looking for what?”

  Sam shuffled in his seat and scratched the back of his neck.

  “Look,” said John, “if you ain’t comfortable in saying that’s—”

  “It’s not that. Just…I’m not even meant to know. I only overheard one of the Dukes talking about it by accident.”

  “Like I said—”

  Sam leaned forward, and John leaned into him. Felicity tried her best to hear the conversation, but she only picked up snippets.

  “Something big. Forbidden Trees…more powerful…three…would shake up The Other Side in a big way.”

  “What do they do?”

  “Shadow…”

  Whatever else was said, Felicity failed to hear it as a loud commotion broke out on the floor before her. Someone screamed, and the sound of breaking glass filled the air.

  “Anyway,” said Sam, leaning back, “that’s all I know.”

  “You thinking of getting involved?”

  Sam’s head jerked back. “In that shit? Fuck no. If you think they’re the only ones looking for those items, then you were dropped on your head as a baby. Every Archduke, King, and Emperor will be looking for those Trees. That game is too big for us Earls. I rather stick to getting rich off poor suckers,” he said, admiring the ruby ring once more.

  “But still, think of what we can get—”

  “Leave it.”

  John threw his hands in the air in frustration and leaned back in his chair.

  “If you’re that hard up for cash, tag along with me for the next few weeks. In fact, I’m going to a job now.”

  “Details?”

  “Stealing everything some poor merchant has, so he’s forced to sell to the Baldwins.”

  John gave a disgruntled sigh but nodded his head.

  They both got up and placed some coins on the table and left.

  Felicity bit her bottom lip while she watched their backs disappearing down the stairs. One name pinged around the inside of her head, causing her nails to dig into the wood of the table.

  Baldwin.

  It overruled all sense and logic and caused her legs to move.

  It couldn’t be the same family.

  It couldn’t be the family who threatened to take everything from her. She had left them behind. Had travelled through a dimensional portal to escape their influence. Yet…something in her gut told her differently.

  Legs moving on their own accord, she followed them to find out more.

  #

  She expected following them to be difficult, but she kept pace with them through backstreets and alleys, always making sure not to be seen.

  Her heart felt like it wanted to come out of her mouth, and her hands wouldn’t stop sweating, but she forced herself to go through with her actions. She couldn’t turn back now. She needed more information. She needed to know everything she could about the Baldwin Estate.

  Another left down some alley with more shit on the ground than stones and her two targets finally stopped. They both stood down a dead end some thirty feet away from her.

  Body pressed against a corner, Felicity tried to get as good a look as she could without being seen.

  There wasn’t anything in the alley. No doorway or entrance.

  Heart racing, she pulled back from the opening of the alleyway and took a deep breath.

  There must be something there, but she obviously couldn’t see what it was. Why else would they be here? She steeled her nerves and looked again.

  A body stood in front of her.

  She let out a yelp and threw herself back, tripping up on her own feet and falling to the ground.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here, then?” said John.

  Felicity tried to shuffle back, but his foot stomped on hers, causing her to cry out in pain.

  “Didn’t I tell you she was eavesdropping on our conversation?” said Sam, casually walking up to them.

  John shook his head. “To think a non-Aura having the guts to sneak up on two Earls. Two Earls! What’s the world coming to? Don’t you know the shit you’re in?”

  “I’ve—I’ve—I’ve not done anything wrong. I was just out for a walk when—”

  “In this area?”

  “This is my walking route, and this is a fine area.”

  John looked at her askew. “Out to get some shit air, are you?”

  Sam chuckled.

  “When did you arrive?” John asked.

  “Years—ahhh!”

  She screamed in pain as John twisted his heel on her leg.

  “Stop lying. You’re fresh. So fresh you don’t even know the rules. You don’t even know that if you see anyone above you in terms of Aura level, you walk the other way, and if—if you get in their way, then you fall to the ground with your head bowed and beg for their forgiveness, or better yet hope that them killing you is so insignificant to them they ignore you.”

  Sam nodded. “Plus, with the current level of strength you have, there is no way you’d be able to keep up with us if we were moving at speed.”

  “Fine! I’m new to The Other Side, okay? I admit it. I don’t know all the rules. I didn’t mean any offense.”

  Sam looked at John. “Let her go. I’m feeling in a merciful mood.”

  John snorted and lifted his foot.

  Felicity scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off. Turning to walk away hurriedly, she stopped in her tracks. If she didn’t get the information now, she would kick herself later.

  “Actually,” she said, causing John and Sam to look at her in surprise, “what can you tell me about the Baldwin Estate?”

  Sam looked at John and sighed. “Why, oh why, did you mention that name? Now, we really do have to kill you.”