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E velyn dropped to her knees the moment she stepped through the door into her apartment. Three furry felines writhed and wiggled their sleek bodies against her, vying for her touch. She scooped them up one by one and told them how much she loved them and how sorry she was to leave them. Tears spilled down her cheeks when Nona stretched up on her tippy paws to lick the tip of Evelyn’s nose. It hurt to be separated from them no matter how little choice she had in the matter.

Eventually Evelyn got to her feet and gathered the things she’d need in the Dark City. She loaded a flashlight, a bag of carved rune stones, several ancient coins, and a book of witch’s riddles into her canvas bag. She also grabbed a sampling of dried herbs and the last of her black obsidian powder. Finally, she rifled through her seed collection and selected four small packets. Many residents of the Dark City never visited New Orleans, so certain above-ground items were in particular demand, including seeds for plants that could be grown in near darkness.

She bid the sisters goodbye and left before she could lose her composure again. She needed to focus on the path ahead. Survival was going to require every ounce of wit she could muster. She couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Valen stood next to their bikes, arms crossed over his broad chest. He nodded at her approach.

“The sisters send their regards,” she said.

“They’re very unusual cats.”

“All cats are unusual.”

“Yeah,” he said with a grunt, “but yours are extra unusual.”

“Sometimes I think they can read. Especially Decima.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them.”

They were stalling, and they both knew it.

Evelyn stood next to her bike and fiddled with her helmet. “Last chance, Valen. You’ve been a friend, and I’m grateful. I’d be in a lot worse shape right now without you. But that doesn’t mean you have to follow me into the darkness. I’ll be okay on my own.” She looked into his eyes, unsure whether she was trying to convince him or herself. “I know a few Dark dwellers. If I can connect with one of them, then I’ll have a guide through the catacombs. I’ll be able to avoid the worst sections.”

“And if you don’t find someone you know?”

“I’ll figure it out. I’ll have to.” She looked back down at the helmet in her hands. “I’m in this mess because of choices I’ve already made. You can still make a different choice.”

He uncrossed his arms to shove his hands in his pockets. “That book needs to be kept out of the wrong hands, no matter what. I want to help make sure that happens. If bad people get that kind of power, everyone suffers. You know that. That’s why you took it.”

“Okay,” Evelyn said, resigned to his decision. A taxi pulled up at the curb and honked. “That’s our ride.”

“We’re not taking the bikes?”

“No. There’s nowhere safe to park them long term, and we don’t know how long we’ll be gone.” They stowed their bikes in Evelyn’s shed, then climbed into the cab.

“Evening,” the cab driver said, nodding his greeting in the rearview mirror. “Where to?”

“The French Quarter, please,” Evelyn said. “Chartres street.”

Evelyn had the cabbie drop them off a couple of blocks from their true destination. They traveled the rest of the way on foot. The sky was overcast with thick clouds blocking out the moon and simultaneously reflecting the lights from nearby Bourbon Street. A warm breeze carried scents and sounds from the French Market, and Evelyn felt a tug of affection for this city she had called home for several years. She hoped this wouldn’t be the last time she walked these streets.

They walked along a stretch of ivory stone wall until they reached a set of gray double doors sealing off a paved drive. Evelyn tossed her canvas bag up and over the gate.

“Can you boost me over?”

Valen lifted her easily, and she scrambled over the top of the wooden doors. She recovered her bag and hit the lever on the inside wall to open the gates and let Valen through. Once the doors were closed behind them, she led the way through a narrow alley between a side structure and the main church building. Valen hesitated as they stepped out into the courtyard in front of the main door. Low hedges had been cut into six triangles arranged in a rectangular formation with six points almost meeting in the middle.

Evelyn walked down the narrow path in between two of the triangles and stopped at the small clearing in the center where the points converged.

“What is this place?” Valen’s voice, barely above a whisper, echoed in the courtyard.

“It used to be a convent.” Evelyn knelt in the clearing and began to draw the password on the ground. “It’s a museum now, I think, but I’m not sure. I’ve never been here during the day.” She stood and admired her work. Any language would work, but she’d chosen Latin because it was the version she felt the most confident about. Confidence was very important when knocking on a magical door. Doubt was never to be trusted. She held out her hand to Valen. “Last chance to stay behind.”

He responded by taking her hand.

“Knock knock.”

The moment the words left her mouth, the old Ursuline convent disappeared, and they found themselves standing in the antechamber. It was dimly lit by flickering torches in wall sconces every few feet. Quiet music floated on the air. It was neither hot nor cold but exquisitely neutral in temperature. A few others stood waiting, stuck in limbo until they were either kicked out or granted access to the catacombs. A shrouded figure approached them from across the room.

Evelyn released Valen’s hand and stepped in front of him. The stranger stopped a few feet away and dropped her hood to reveal hazel green eyes over high cheekbones. A spiked horseshoe septum ring highlighted her delicate aquiline nose, the gold glinting in the torchlight. She reached for Evelyn and pulled her into a hug.

“Evelyn! What are you doing back down here? I thought you said, ‘never again’ after the last time?”

“And I meant it. But there are… extenuating circumstances. Kirat, this is Valen. Valen, Kirat. She is one of the Gatekeepers.”

“Hey, nice to meet you. Gatekeepers?”

Kirat tilted her head to the side as she sized up Valen. The dark kohl around her eyes masked their expression, but Evelyn knew her well enough to tell she was more curious than suspicious. For now.

“Yes. We control access to the catacombs and tunnels that lead to the Dark City.”

“Controlled access, huh? I always thought it was more like the Wild West down here.”

Kirat smirked. “More like Westworld . Once you’re in, anything goes. But that doesn’t mean any one goes. It only takes one or two bad eggs to ruin this for everyone.”

Evelyn nodded at the others in the room. “Quiet night?”

“Yes. Most of these people don’t even want to enter. They’re just here to drink wine and make small talk so that they can go back to work tomorrow and tell their friends they visited the Dark City.” Kirat sneered. “Little do they know how short their time would be if I actually let them through. So what brings you down here? Extenuating circumstances, you said?”

Evelyn lowered her voice to not be overheard. “I obtained something I shouldn’t have, and I need an alternate way out of the city.”

Kirat raised one eyebrow in question. “I told you it was going to come back to bite you one of these nights. Why can’t you leave by normal means?”

“There’s some sort of magical barrier around the city. I tried to leave via the bridge, but it was like hitting a glass door. Only I stopped and my bike kept going.”

“Is she okay?”

“Scuffed to hell but intact,” Evelyn said.

“And you?”

“About the same. Valen has tested other ways out of the city, including through the woods away from any roads, and it’s all blocked off.”

“So just return whatever it is you acquired and move on.”

Evelyn shook her head. She didn’t have time for this. She knew why Kirat was asking these questions, and she was absolutely right to do so, but the clock was fucking ticking.

“Kirat, I can’t. And I can’t explain why, not right now. The less you know, the better. Please believe me, if there were any other way, I wouldn’t be here. This is life or death for me. I need to enter the Dark City so that I can leave New Orleans, and I was hoping you’d know which way I should go.”

Kirat put her hand on Evelyn’s arm. “Okay. No more questions for now. If you say this is your only option, I believe you. I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. The Dark City isn’t kind to strangers.”

“I understand.”

Kirat looked up at Valen, then back at Evelyn. “You’ll need a guide. My relief is due to arrive in five minutes, then I’m off duty. I’ll find you a map, and I can take you part of the way myself. No one goes all the way to the far edge of the Dark City. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“Okay.” Kirat raised her hood back into place. “I’ll be back in five. Don’t talk to anyone.”

Evelyn had met first met Kirat while running from a pack of sniffers soon after she’d moved to New Orleans. No one had thought to warn the new girl that there were shine-addicted shifters prowling the streets at night looking for their next hit, so she’d gotten herself trapped near the bank of the Mississippi River not far from the convent. Kirat happened by on her way to work and took pity on Evelyn. They’d become fast friends, though they operated in entirely separate social circles. As in, Kirat’s social life was thriving and expansive, and Evelyn didn’t have one at all. They’d eventually settled into the kind of friends who didn’t talk or see each other very often but who shared a genuine understanding and appreciation for each other. It allowed them to pick up where they left off whenever they did find time together. Evelyn loathed the idea of bringing Kirat into her mess, no matter how desperate the circumstances. She owed her so much already.

“Ready?” Kirat had returned, and she held a rolled-up map that she tucked into a small pack on her back.

Evelyn’s stomach was in knots. She’d never gone any deeper than the antechamber, and she’d never wanted to. Whatever nightmares lie beyond the chamber doors were mysteries she’d rather leave unsolved.

“Ready,” Valen said.

“Okay. Keep in mind that nothing works the way you expect it to down there. Your watch, your phone, a compass—nothing. Normal rules don’t apply, so stay close to me at all times. If I tell you to do something, do it. If I tell you to stop, you stop, If I tell you to shut the fuck, you shut the fuck up. We clear?”

“Clear.” Evelyn adjusted the strap of her new satchel, settling it across her chest more securely.

“You have it on you, don’t you. What you obtained but shouldn’t have?” It wasn’t really a question. Evelyn remained quiet. “Shit. Okay. Let’s go.”

Kirat led the way to the opposite side of the antechamber where a set of ornate gold doors awaited them. She held her hand up and whispered something Evelyn didn’t quite catch, and the doors swung open with a heavy creak. The scent of wet earth filled Evelyn’s nostrils as she followed Kirat out of the antechamber and into the first of the catacombs. She really hoped this journey was something she would live long enough to regret.