Žmij abandoned Chors and the cover of the night, and in the light of day, his appearance was truly horrific! His legs were like stone pillars, his body like solid rock, and his mouth like a bottomless cave. Whoever saw him fell dead at the very sight and parted with their soul, which was snatched by the Žmij’s jaws.

The Snake Prince went to Svarog, and the god trembled before him because he lacked the power to defeat him. He knew that Žmij no longer obeyed Veles, and no pacts could save him from Žmij’s gluttony because the relentless king, Chors, cared only for the beasts of night that kneeled before him.

But Žmij himself offered a pact. Svarog soon realized there had to be something the Prince feared or needed and could either not expect aid from Chors or did not wish to confide his fears to him.

Even if Svarog suspected the trap, he would not see through Veles’s and Žmij’s cunning.