Freya continues south along the coast with Geir and her draug army, searching for Harald while trying to avoid frightening villages. She reflects that Guthrum likely escaped to Harald and will warn him that she is free and no longer alone. The army’s bodies are steadily rotting, which reminds Freya that her borrowed force and the warriors’ sanity cannot last forever. As their ship passes Selvegr, Geir confirms that Ingrid is safe but admits he could not bear to let her see him undead.

The journey turns suddenly urgent when Freya spots Skade pursuing a rider along the beach. When the hunted man is identified as Ragnar, Freya realizes Ylva’s exchange plan must have failed and orders the ship to shore. Freya’s archers cannot reach Skade in time, and Skade shoots Ragnar through the back before escaping on horseback. Geir sends some draug after Skade so they can track Harald, while Freya runs to the wounded Ragnar.

Ragnar is still alive long enough to answer Freya’s questions. He says Bjorn is alive but injured in Grindill, and that the public believes Snorri has allied with Harald against Freya after she supposedly tried to curse Nordeland’s fleet. Freya immediately understands that Harald is using Snorri’s face while forcing Ylva to support the lie. Ragnar warns that Steinunn will soon sing the tale publicly and that Bjorn is to be executed with a blood eagle, then reveals that Ylva and Leif also still live before dying of his wound.

After Ragnar’s death, Freya and Geir consider what Harald has accomplished. By controlling Ylva and posing as Snorri, Harald has made Freya the common enemy of both Skaland and Nordeland, which means an open assault on Grindill would force her to fight her own people. Geir suggests that their best chance is to expose Harald’s true nature, but Freya doubts anyone will believe the word of a Hel-child leading draug against the rulers everyone trusts.

Then Skoll and Hati return without Skade, and Freya realizes the wolves are also bound by Harald’s control. She removes their collars and cuts away the rune-stained fur marking that bond, setting them free. The act gives Freya an idea: if Steinunn sings in Grindill, the performance itself could reveal the truth to the crowd. Because Harald will be watching the gates, Freya and Geir conclude that the only viable way inside is a covert night infiltration through Grindill’s drains and into the river Torne.