One of the women got off her polar bear and came to the men: "No, no, no....not WE kill men with beards....the HWI do...the skuggar....draugar....how do you call them?....ghosts, yes, ghosts....GHOSTS kill men with beards...in day, ghosts in mountains, at night, ghosts on ice plains."
Since it had become too late to travel to the residence of the Snow Elves however the group decided to take the risk and spend the night in the plains.
MacDonald and Murat decided to sit with the leader of the group and get some more information of her on the ghosts. Freyja told them that the ghosts could feel if men had the aging disease. "If they feel you have the sickness they will kill you, if not they let you live."
In the mean time ghosts appeared on the plains and paid a visit to the Inconstant.
They went on board under a full moon.
But the drunk crew took their appearance for delusions and laughed at the beautiful sight of the ghosts, trying to lure them to come closer. But touching the ghosts was not without pain, and soon the crew turned their back on them. After the ghosts had done their job, they flew away in the dark.
In the plains the crew of the Inconstant had fallen asleep, and only noticed a deep cold going through their veins when the ghosts rushed through them.
When the first light of morning chased away the night the men of the Inconstant woke up, only to notice that MacDonald and Freyja, the leader of the Snow Elves, had disappeared.
Freyja had decided to bring MacDonald to the álfur norn, an Elf witch high up at the edge of a volcano, who lived a solitary life. She told MacDonald of the prophecy of a floating house with sails that would bring a man with fiery hair and beard. She said that the ghosts feared him. And maybe the álfur norn could help him with his search.