A Curse Carved in Bone: Book Two of the Saga of the Unfated Chapter 35 Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Freya is dragged through a web of black roots beneath the earth, falling painfully onto a stone road. She finds herself on the road to Helheim, the space between realms. There she meets Saga, Bjorn’s mother and a powerful seer, who has been walking the paths between worlds since her death. Saga explains that Harald of Nordeland is a child of Loki—a trickster driven by a need to control and be adored, not by cruelty for its own sake. The fire that killed Saga was an accident; Harald intended to manipulate her loyalty. Saga reveals that to free everyone, Freya must cut Harald’s thread short—kill him. But she also warns that she has only seen visions of Freya failing. Refusing to take the easy climb back to the mortal world, Freya instead runs toward Helheim. She crosses a bridge guarded by the hound Garmr, using Hel’s magic to pass, and calls for the goddess of death. Hel appears and confirms she wants Harald’s soul but refuses to help directly, telling Freya to weave her own fate. As souls enter Helheim’s gates, Freya realizes she possesses Hel’s power over death—and also a power Hel does not: the ability to release souls. She dives through the gates just before they close, entering the realm of the dead.
Key Events
- Freya falls through Yggdrasil’s roots and lands on the road to Helheim.
- Saga appears and reveals the truth about Harald: he is a child of Loki, driven by manipulation and desire for adoration.
- Saga clarifies that her death was an accident, not a murder; Harald started a fire trying to turn her against Snorri.
- Freya learns that Hel’s magic does not touch Harald because he is Unfated, and Saga cannot see a path to victory.
- Instead of climbing back to the mortal world, Freya sprints toward Helheim to seek Hel’s aid.
- She crosses the river bridge after Garmr accepts her divine blood and Hel’s power.
- Hel appears but refuses to directly help kill Harald; she claims a soul of the Unfated is not easily claimed.
- Hel reminds Freya that she has already given her power over death.
- Watching souls enter Helheim, Freya realizes she can release those she sent there (the Skalander warriors).
- She dives through the closing gates, entering Helheim.
Character Development
- Freya: Shows growing courage and agency. Instead of running to save Bjorn immediately, she makes a strategic choice to confront Hel. She moves from fear to determination, and her willingness to enter Helheim demonstrates self-sacrifice and a desire to reclaim control over her own fate.
- Saga: Revealed to be complex and tragic. She warns Freya honestly about the odds, admits her own blindness to Harald’s true nature, and provides emotional motivation: Bjorn’s fate depends on Freya’s choices. Saga’s description of her death humanizes Harald while condemning his methods.
- Hel: The goddess is shown as half-alive, half-dead, whimsical yet territorial. She refuses to interfere directly, insisting Freya must act on her own. This cements Hel as a figure of impartial death, not an ally.
- Harald (off-screen): Through Saga, we learn his motivations: not cruelty but a desperate need to control and be loved. This makes him a more nuanced antagonist.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Weaving one’s own fate: Saga and Hel both tell Freya she must weave her own destiny. The motif of threads and cutting appears repeatedly, echoing the Norns.
- The trickster’s mask: Harald’s ability to wear Saga’s face symbolizes his talent for deception. Freya realizes that his imitation of Saga was too perfect, lacking human flaws—suggesting he never truly loved or knew her.
- Thresholds and crossings: The bridge, the river, and the gates of Helheim all represent boundaries between life and death, choice and fate. Freya’s dive through the gates is a deliberate crossing of the ultimate threshold.
- Divine blood and power: Hel’s power over death flows through Freya, but she must learn to use it beyond simple soul-taking. The blood of Hlin and Hel grants her access to realms the living cannot normally enter.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter functions as a major turning point. Freya gains essential backstory on Harald, acknowledging him not as a monster but as a dangerously skilled manipulator. More importantly, she receives two key pieces of information: that Harald is Loki’s child, and that Hel’s magic cannot harm him. Her decision to enter Helheim rather than rush to Bjorn’s rescue signals her growth from impulsive warrior to calculating leader. The cliffhanger of diving through the gates sets up the next chapter’s exploration of Helheim and the possibility of freeing the souls she condemned. This chapter also deepens the theme of free will: prophecy shows failure, but Freya rejects that outcome and chooses to act anyway.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Saga say she was “fooled” by Harald, and what does this reveal about Harald’s character?
Saga admits she saw many visions of Harald’s future but they were always contradictory. She sensed his desire to manipulate others but did not know he was a child of Loki. This reveals that Harald’s nature is not cruelty but an obsessive need to control and be loved; his manipulation is so subtle that even a seer could miss the truth.
2. What power does Hel claim to have given Freya, and how does Freya reinterpret that power at the end of the chapter?
Hel says she has given Freya “power over death”—specifically, the ability to make souls destined for Valhalla tremble. Freya later realizes that because Hel can release souls (as shown in the Baldur myth), and she wields Hel’s magic, she may be able to free the souls she sent to Helheim earlier. This is a power Hel does not possess (or chooses not to use), giving Freya a unique advantage.
3. Why does Freya choose to run toward Helheim instead of climbing back to save Bjorn?
Saga tells Freya that Ylva plans to trade Bjorn to Harald and that only Freya can save him. However, Saga also admits she has only seen Freya die. Rather than rushing headlong into a trap, Freya decides to confront Hel directly—the source of her power. She hopes to gain aid or insight that will let her defeat Harald. It is a calculated risk, prioritizing long-term victory over immediate rescue.