Carcolf, courier and operative, is transporting a package through the underbelly of Sipani, a city in Styria, where the novel Best Served Cold is set when Carcolf is quickly set upon by a street bandit who takes the package without any concept of its value.

For the dedicated Abercrombie fans there are easter eggs aplenty in “Tough Times All Over", a short novella that explores a few side characters from the world of the First Law.