Norway 785 AD: it began with the betrayal of a lord by a king . . . King Gorm puts Jarl Harald's family to the sword, but makes one fatal mistake--he fails to kill Harald's youngest son, Sigurd. His kin slain, his village seized and its people taken as slaves, Sigurd wonders if the gods have forsaken him. Hunted by powerful men, he is unsure who to trust and yet he has a small band of loyal followers at his side. With them--and with the help of the All-Father, Odin--he determines to make a king pay in blood for his treachery. Using cunning and war-craft, Sigurd gathers together a fellowship of warriors--including his father's right-hand man Olaf, Bram (who men call Bear), Black Floki who wields death with a blade, and the shield maiden Valgerd, who fears no man--and convinces them to follow him. For, whether