It was nearly dark when he set off to meet Astra, Unity having long since returned to his own quarters. The blue sky was greying with age, fiery digits creeping across it from the horizon as if the sun were extending fingers to slow its descent.

The desaturated heavens drew a chilly blanket over Udrebam, leaving Crow shivering as he walked and announcing his every breath with a cloud of mist. He set a brisk pace, air leaving his flesh insensate as it dripped ice into his muscles. The less time spent in its grasp, the better.

Why do you always pick places so far away, Astra? He silently demanded. The quiet irritation gave his mind distraction while he walked, letting the twenty minutes of frost slip by quicker.

If only slightly.

Crow felt a smile take him when he finally laid eyes on his destination.

Wooden walls made the squat building’s flesh, a dozen yards wide and four tall. Glass filled the windows, an unmistakable sign of its owner’s affluence, and through them he saw light spilling out.

Warm and orange. Caught in the winter’s breath, he couldn’t imagine a more inviting sight.

Crow pushed through the doors to welcome the embrace of toasty air.

Breathing in the first lungful, he was shocked to find the scent of food carried with it. He looked around, surprised as a neat and sanitary place met his gaze. Filled with chattering people, smiling faces and steaming plates.

For a moment he simply stood, finding the exact emotional cocktail giving warmth to his veins impossible to process. Then his smile doubled in width and length both as he found a name for it.

Home. He realised. It’s like Selsis here. Cold outside, but so warm behind the walls.

He stepped deeper into the tavern, basking in its atmosphere as he moved between circular tables and dutiful staff.

The sound of his name turned him as he neared the back, bringing his eyes to meet Astra’s. It put Crow’s smile back on to see her, and he wasted no time in marching across the room to sit at the secluded corner she occupied.

“You’re late again.” She noted, seeming too affable to be truly bothered. Crow met her observation with a shrug.

“It was a long walk. And a cold one. Hard to keep my legs moving.”

“Pit, it was. Selsis was never this freezing, was it?”

He thought back. The winter three years back had been one with a bite to it, and he dimly remembered shivering even in his bed at the frost two years before that. Neither seemed as severe as the weather outside.

Perhaps they were just less immediate.

“I’m not sure.” He answered. “It was certainly uncommon, at least.”

A twist crept onto Astra’s smile, giving it a mischievous glint.

“Do you remember when we were thirteen, and you’d just managed to master the physical enhancement we’d been practicing?”

Crow eyed her, answering cautiously.

“Yes. Why?”

“It was cold that winter, too.” She mused. “So cold that you had the bright idea to keep yourself warm by stripping down and sitting in the fire with your magic protecting you.”

The memory came to him like a bucket of icy water, and Crow himself laughing as much as Astra.

“It worked for a while.” He noted. “And you were properly jealous that I’d thought of it first.”

“I was worried that you were too sure of an ability you’d only just mastered.” Astra corrected.

“Is that why you kept telling me to stop hogging the fireplace?”

Astra’s smile turned irritated.

“You were awfully smug saying no. Didn’t last, though.

A shiver ran down Crow’s spine at the memory.

He’d been in no pain. At first. That had been the day, however, he had learned that logfires grew hotter as the flames continued. His burns had itched for weeks.

Their mother’s scolding had been worse than the fire’s. Sustained longer than any other he’d seen, even while Galad dutifully tended to his injuries.

Thoughts souring, he brought his focus back to the present.

“It got mum to buy more firewood, at least.”

“True, though she didn’t let us forget it throughout the rest of winter. Not even me.”

“You didn’t stop me.” Crow shrugged. “It’s not my fault you were always the responsible one.”

“And it’s not my fault that trying to stop you from doing stupid things is like trying to stop a boulder from falling.”

He grinned as Astra’s face turned to a scowl. Then felt his own smile turn heavy as his mind drifted back some hours.

“I know that look, what’s wrong?” His sister asked, suddenly serious.

Crow answered slowly.

“You mentioned that this was to discuss our place in the rest of the Sieve, right?”

“I did.” She said, testily.

“Well this morning I got a knock on my door from one of our teammates, and I thought, since you wanted to discuss team matters anyway, I might… invite them along.”

“Who was it?” Astra demanded.

The words stuck in his throat for a moment.

“Unity Eden.” He mumbled.

Astra’s gaze was like the howling wind outside. Hearing the news lit a fire within her, starting the girl off on a tirade that Crow realised wasn’t entirely directed at him.

Certainly, he hoped it wasn’t.

“Do you know what that little cretin said to me right after we first met?” She demanded, finally giving him room to speak. Crow opened his mouth to do so, then fell silent as Astra continued. “He said I had the arse of a ten year-old boy. The bastard!”

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Crow blanched.

“Pit, Astra, I don’t need to hear that.”

“Neither did I.” She snapped. “But that didn’t stop you from inviting him.”

Crow sighed, trying to think of the best way to get through to his sister. It was a daunting challenge, Astra had always been near as stubborn as he was.

“But you realise you’ll need to speak with him eventually, yes?”

“Of course I do.” She muttered. “I just wasn’t prepared to tonight. Tonight I wanted to celebrate, as much as anything.”

It took Crow a few moments of painful silence to work up the nerve to speak again.

“I’m sorry.” He said. Astra smiled at him.

“Oh don’t be so solemn. It’s not the end of the world in any case, when did he say he’d arrive?”

“He didn’t.” Crow realised. “I told him when we’d be meeting, but he might get here later.”

“Then let’s make the most of his absence while it lasts.” Astra grinned.

A server came to their table minutes later to take their orders. While they waited to receive them, Astra and Crow fell back into the light-hearted atmosphere that had blessed them before Unity’s mention.

Crow hardly noticed when the man returned with wooden mugs, foam sloshing as he placed them down. Nor did it interrupt their talks when he experienced the drinks’ great sweetness drowning his tongue.

Before Crow knew it, near enough to a half hour had passed them by. It took Astra’s face falling and the sound of footsteps at his back to pierce the alcohol’s mist.

“Good evening.” Unity grinned. He sat down at one end of the table, looking between Crow and Astra.

“Hello Unity.” Crow answered, returning the boy’s smile. His expression came only with effort, made all the harder as he saw Astra’s hostility in the corner of his eye.

The boy noticed quickly, turning to her and intensifying his smirk.

“Hello, blondie.”

“My name is Astra.” She answered, voice like bladed ice. “Use it.”

“Of course, you just had to ask.”

Crow thought his sister might leap across the table, hurriedly speaking to keep her from doing so.

“What are your thoughts on the next stage, Unity?”

The artificial turned back to him, arching an eyebrow.

“That I’ll need to fight a lot of annoyingly powerful mystics, that’s about as much as I have enough information to say.”

Crow thought for a moment, recalled the dark skinned boy who’d so easily outmatched his magic and considered making mention of him. He decided against it. There would be time enough later, if he ever became relevant.

“I don’t think I know enough to have any useful thoughts at all.” Crow shrugged. “Astra was always the one who followed past Sieves.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen enough of this one, either.” She added. “Though I know enough to be certain we won’t be able to succeed with just power alone.”

“We need to work together?” Unity asked, smile turning crooked. “Put aside our differences, play to each other’s strengths, maybe form an unlikely friendship along the way?”

“Shut up.” She snapped. “I mean that we need to be clever in how we use our resources. Remember Karma Alabaster explaining how we’ll be using our points to purchase equipment, once the reliquary opens?”

Crow remained silent. It was Unity who spoke again, suddenly serious.

“You’re talking about using points for the reliquary.” He noted. Astra confirmed with a nod, and he continued. “We can’t hoard them, since going into every task slightly more injured than the last will make them harder to win and may cost more in the long term.”

“But if we use them recklessly, there’ll be none to fix any sudden, severe injuries we might get, or equip us for unexpected challenges.” Finished Astra.

Crow said nothing, sickened to realise just how difficult his goal would be to achieve.

“You have given this quite a bit of thought.” Eden noted.

“Don’t patronise me.” Astra cut in. “I’m in no mood for it.”

“Consider me warned, then.” Unity grinned, leaning across the table. “Tell me, have you been paying attention to some of the people around us?”

Astra stiffened, looking around with a sudden caution. Crow did likewise, seeing what Unity did in only moments.

“Pit.” He gasped.

“I was wondering whether the two of you were feigning ignorance or just oblivious.” Unity said, bemused.

Neither Crow or Astra paid heed to the barb, far too taken by the sight of scrying slates bound to several wrists across the room. All wearers older than either of them, yet undeniably in the midst of adolescence. Sieve contestants.

“How did we not notice?” Astra breathed.

“You weren’t looking for them.” Unity shrugged, doing an admirable job of keeping the smugness from his voice. “I was. This tavern is famous for hosting Sieve contestants while the event’s on, it has been for the past five years now. I assumed you’d chosen it to take a look at your competition, actually. It seems I gave you too much credit.”

“Fuck off.” Astra answered, sitting back from him and casting a watchful eye across the room. Unity’s smile quivered for a moment, then smoothed once more.

“By the way.” The artificial continued, trailing off before frowning as he turned to the sight of an approaching group.

Crow couldn’t blame him. His own body was seized tense by the sight of them.

They numbered four. Two men and two women, all peculiar only in their great height. Wearing unremarkable clothes, with no strange gait and seeming entirely at ease in their surroundings.

Somehow, though, the sight of their approach sent a chill running down his spine. As though he were watching a pack of wolves draw near. A single glance at their eyes redoubled the feeling.

There were no whites, nor even did Crow see irises. Merely deep, unbroken black. Markless as a void and deeper than the ocean. Light glittered as pin-pricks in the centres, reflected from below and grinning like the glint of a headsman’s axe.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, he turned to Astra. Found her wearing no less fear than he’d felt.

Only Unity seemed unaffected by the quartet, standing as they neared and raising his voice to a challenging strength.

“Good evening.” He boomed, volume not quite able to hide the nervous edge. “Mind telling me what the four of you want?”

The answer came from one of the women, spoken with an accent so rough and foreign that Crow barely understood what she was saying.

“There aren’t any seats left at other tables, so we were wondering if you’d mind sharing with us. Seeing as you’re only using half of yours.”

Crow wanted to cry out for them to go, but caught himself. Finding no reasonable cause for his fear.

What’s wrong with me?

Unity turned, eyeing Crow and Astra with a silent question. Both nodded.

“Of course!” He said, turning back to the group. “The more the merrier, take a seat.”

He gestured at the table, sitting back down next to Astra with too much normality plastered across his face.

Even without a glance his way, Crow found himself retreating from those that took their seats by him.

“Much obliged.” The first woman said, smiling. There was warmth in the expression, yet it was made as inviting as burning powder by the razor-like fangs that made up each and every one of the teeth it showed.

Calm down, Crow. She’s just a person. You’re being rude.

The one seated beside Crow, a girl perhaps his age, turned to him. He felt the hairs of his neck stand on end as she eyed his scrying slate, pin-prick of light moving disquietingly in its sea of black as a smile broke out across her face.

“You’re competing in the Sieve, aren’t you?” She asked.

“Yes?” Crow replied, realising he’d intoned it as a question. She didn’t seem to notice, smiling widely and holding up an arm.

He didn’t miss the small square of slate bound to it in a leather wrapping.

“So am I.” The girl beamed, her smile infectious enough to plaster one across his own face.

Somehow, he found the blackness of her eyes and sharpness of her teeth diminished by the grin.

“Really?” Crow asked, unsure of what else to say. “I don’t think I remember seeing you before the second stage.”

“I didn’t see you either.” The girl nodded. “But there were a lot of people there.”

Crow couldn’t disagree, recalling the confusing mass of faces circling him, rendered blurs by the pounding of his heart and narrowing of his vision. He could have seen a thousand fanged and black-eyed girls and without noticing.

“We have something in common then.” Unity announced, raising a mug Crow hadn’t seen him acquire. “Sieve contestants.”

He took his own drink, glancing at Astra and seeing a silent frustration making her face sharp.

He couldn’t fault her for it.

The night truly hadn’t gone as they’d planned.