Jan's hysterical laughter still echoed across the blood-stained courtyard as he wiped tears from his eyes.
"King Ragnar," he said, voice ringing with mad delight, "I will reach Valhalla one day… but I am not dying here today."
The words hung in the air like a final signal.
From the far side of the keep, near the stables, a bright spark flared. Signy, already mounted on his horse, dropped the lit torch into the pool of flammable liquid that stretched far and wide across the ground. Oil barrels placed strategically throughout the kingdom — prepared long ago by Birger without Signy's full knowledge — ignited instantly.
Flames roared to life with terrifying speed.
Ragnar's head snapped toward the growing inferno. For the first time since entering Vingulmark, a flicker of something colder than indifference crossed his face.
"Signy…" he growled.
