Conan joins a group of Aesir and goes hunting with Njal, their chieftan. Upon return, the tribe goes after a group of scouts sent to a nearby fortress to see what happened to them. The scouts are being tortured to death by the Witchmen of the fortress. Njal returns to camp to decide what to do next, but Conan sneaks away and steals inside the fortress to find Njal's kidnapped daughter. He breaks her out and returns to the tribe, pausing only to light the fortress on fire. The Hyperboreans follow the tribe as it retreats and the Aesir discover to their horror their pursuers are the zombies of their comrades and charred remains of Hyperboreans. The undead slaughter the living, but Conan manages to unseat Vammatar and steal her horse, taking Rann with him, but the zombies pull him to the grou