Black Sun

Twenty days before the convergence, Balam takes Xiala to see the ship she will captain to Tova. She meets the crew; among them she recognizes several from her unfortunate last gig. Pech comes to the dock with the constable from the jail where Xiala was incarcerated; as he’s walking toward them, Balam tells Xiala to set sail. Xiala notices a bird watching her intently and sees a vision of a young man from Carrion Crow. The crew paddle the boat away from shore as Xiala counts off their strokes.

Twenty days before the convergence, an adult Serapio gets on the ship that Balam is sending under Xiala’s direction to Tova. It has been ten years since his mother blinded him; although his childhood was lonely, he feels inspired to serve a higher purpose. Serapio waits on board the ship as the crew arrives, the confrontation with Pech occurs, and the ship sets off. He ingests star pollen to project his mind and inhabit the body of a nearby crow. Through the crow’s eyes, he sees the ship below; Xiala turns to look at him and whistles. The sudden noise throws Serapio out of the crow’s body and makes his human body bleed from the ears; none of this has happened to him before and he is startled.