As Freya sails for Skaland with Geir and the draug army she freed from Helheim, she questions what Harald is likely to do next. Freya explains that Harald hid his larger ambition from her and argues that he prefers manipulation to open war. Because Harald relies on deception and on the loyalty of Unfated followers such as Skade and Tora, Freya decides that killing everyone in his path would be needless slaughter and begins considering how to expose him instead.

Freya proposes using Steinunn’s song to reveal Harald’s transformation from Saga’s form and his confession on Ylva’s island. Geir challenges that plan, warning that Harald’s followers benefit from serving him and may not care that he deceived Freya and Bjorn. Geir urges a direct attack, arguing that the undead cannot be harmed by ordinary weapons, but Freya resists because she does not want Harald’s false prophecy of death in her wake to become true through her own choices.

The siblings then speak more personally. Freya asks after Ingrid, and Geir says she is safe in Selvegr and believes she carries a son, underscoring that Geir can never return to his family. Geir admits that Ragnar’s threat against Ingrid in Grindill was a trick meant to keep Freya fighting for Snorri, and he apologizes for using Freya for his own advancement. Freya apologizes for killing him, and the two share a brief moment of reconciliation before refocusing on the coming conflict.

When Kaja, Guthrum’s merlin, appears and tries to draw attention to driftwood in the sea, Freya realizes Guthrum is stranded there. She dives into the freezing water, saves him from drowning, and brings him aboard. Guthrum is barely alive, but Freya warms him, gives him water, and learns from Geir that Guthrum could become a crucial test of whether Harald’s loyal Unfated can be turned once they hear the truth. Freya refuses Geir’s suggestion that Guthrum may need to be killed if he stays loyal, because she is determined to stop Harald without more unnecessary deaths.

After landing on the Skaland coast, Freya addresses the draug as defenders of their homeland and orders them to gather information while she continues trying to revive Guthrum. She hopes Guthrum can help her learn Harald’s plans and Bjorn’s whereabouts, since she fears Ylva may already have traded Bjorn for Leif. Guthrum briefly wakes enough to drink, then collapses again, deepening Freya’s frustration and fear. Moments later, when Freya turns back toward the fire, Guthrum has vanished, ending the chapter on a sudden new threat and mystery.