Viking Ragnvald Eysteinsson is now master of Sogn, but fighting battles for King Harald keeps him far away from home, in this sequel to The Half-Drowned King. Ragnvald hopes for the return of his sister Svanhild, who has found the freedom and adventure she craves at the side of the rebel explorer Solvi Hunthiofsson. As a growing rebellion unites King Harald's enemies, Ragnvald suspects that some Norse nobles are not loyal to the king's dream of a unified Norway. He sets a plan in motion to defeat all of his enemies, and bring his sister back to his side, while Svanhild finds herself with no choices that will leave her truly free and able to protect her son.
"Through her multifaceted characters, Hartsuyker adeptly evokes female alliances, the complications of love and passion, and vengeance both terrible and triumphant as she effectively juggles many subplots and settings, from Norway's harsh, picturesque coast to sulfurous Iceland and Dublin's muddy harbor."—Booklist