deal with Mimir to drink water from Mimir's Well by one of the roots of Yggdrasil to gain knowledge about runes and in return has to work with him for several years. He becomes a companion and protector of Magnus from then on. Hearth is the first elf in a long time to focus on magic from runes, which he has studied extensively. He can cast various runes, though doing such consumes his energy. Eventually, he progresses to the rank of a full sorcerer. Hearth has a traumatic past, as he is effectively unwanted by his parents, who shun him for being deaf and not as great as his brother, Andiron, who died young; he is forced to face his past in the second book, when he has to collect the Skofnung Stone from his father, Alderman, who wants him to finish the blood tax imposed on him as repentance for Andiron's death. He is also reminded that sooner or later, he will have to take the othala rune from Andiron's place of death, which he planted as a reminder of his past, to complete his magic arts. In the third book, Hearth decides to take othala, using it to summon Andiron's spirit to distract his father long enough for Magnus to pierce his heart. His relationship with his friends helps him, though, and he even once calls Magnus "brother". At the end of the first book, Hearth is freed from servitude and begins learning runes from Odin. Samirah al-Abbas Samirah (Sam) al-Abbas Bint Loki is a Valkyrie and daughter of Loki who selects Magnus as an einherji under Odin's order. She is an Arab American who normally wears her Valkyrie armor and a green hijab, which doubles as camouflage. She leads a double life as both a Valkyrie and a normal high schooler. She does not worship the Norse gods as she is Muslim and believes in Allah. Her family is from Baghdad, but has been raised by her grandparents in Dorchester since the death of her mother. Sam's family already had a long history with the Vikings, even before her mother met Loki; Ahmad ibn Fadlan, a historian and envoy of the Abbasid Caliph to the Kievan Rus', is one of Sam's ancestors, and the Varangians have since intermarried with Sam's family. The Norse also distrust her for being Loki's daughter. Sam is married to her childhood crush,