About the book: year / Northern Rus', 963. Uleb, half-brother of Prince Svyatoslav, was found murdered on the banks of the Volkhov, and no one knows what happened. That same night, seven of Svyatoslav’s close associates, his gridi, who grew up with him, disappeared. Ber, Uleb's cousin, takes upon himself the duty of revenge and sets out in search of the alleged murderers. He is accompanied by the young widow of Uleb, Pravena, the only one in these parts who knows them by sight. At first, Ber thinks that he will have to seek revenge only against the will of Svyatoslav, for whom the brotherhood of the squad is more valuable than blood kinship. It gradually becomes clear that Odin himself is on the side of the killers, and fighting him is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person. But, as you can see, it was no coincidence that Valgest, the mysterious “man of Odin,” an experienced warrior who knows how to find an invisible trace and resist even the will of the All-Father and his Valkyrie envoys, joined the Avengers..