Asbjørn travels with Haraldr Sigurdsson from Kiev, to join the Varangian Guard. Yet he has a secret that not even his friend Haraldr knows: his connection to a casket that has enveloped his family with its secrets for two generations. He has been trained in the art of fighting by his father’s companion Þorgil, in reading and writing by the priest Rastislav, and in the art of runes and mastering the berserkergangr by his sister Sigga, an influential seiðkona. However none of this is enough to prepare him for coming up against the powerful brotherhood of Lampros once they realize who he is. Secrets are stock and trade in Constantinople… and knowing them can make or break you.