Floki has dug in, depending on the fortifications of Jomsborg to protect his grandson Baldr from the rebels. But, without and within, the tide turns against the aging master of manipulation. Enraged by the assassination of rebel leader Vagn, the battle-mad Thorkell--Floki's erstwhile ally--has taken the field against Baldr, and the boy himself has been taken hostage by Sigurd, who has opened the gate and offered the boy up to the invaders. Now Gudrid is caught between her desire to keep adventuring with Thorfinn and the guilt she feels for her part in Sigurd's fate. Meanwhile, the vicious, dizzying duel between Thorfinn and Garm rages on the rooftops...