Magnus and Sam meet up with Blitz and Hearth at the barrow. A few weeks before, Hearth cast runes to see Blitz’s future, and the runes showed a death prophecy, which is why Blitz and Hearth left town without telling Magnus. Since nothing’s happened, Blitz thinks he’ll be fine, but Hearth insists Blitz go back into hiding. After an intense staring contest, Hearth relents, and Blitz gets their mission started by announcing, “It’s been months since I unearthed a malicious undead power” (107).

Blitz finds the trigger to the barrow, and the group falls into an enormous tomb with mummified warriors in niches around the space and a giant coffin in the center that’s surrounded by runes reading “Blood River.” Despite the ancient sense of dark magic permeating the room, Hearth breaks the rune seal on the coffin, which opens to reveal a “mummified king in a silver crown and silver armor, with a sheathed sword clasped in his hands” (115).

Instead of killing them as Magnus expects, the corpse introduces himself as Gellir, prince of the Danes and wielder of the Skofnung Sword.