Together, the mechanic and the aristocrat leaped through the back window, hurtling into the smog-filled abyss of the city. Two vastly different birds, finally forced to flock together.

"You have the drive?" Kaelen whispered, leaning in. His eyes darted toward the door, where a pair of Enforcers were hassling a street vendor.

A crash at the door ended the philosophy lesson. The Enforcers had spotted them.

The neon hum of the "Aether & Ore" tavern was the only thing louder than Jax’s nerves. In the dive bars of the Lower Rings, people didn't just hang out; they coalesced like oil on water.