Hanna Halfblood: Spirit Warrior

by Robyn Wideman

  HANNA HALFBLOOD

  SPIRIT WARRIOR

  HALFBLOOD BOOK TWO

  HANNA HALFBLOOD © copyright 2017 Robyn Wideman

  Published: February 2017

  Publisher: Magicblood Media Corp

  HALFBLOOD BOOK TWO

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  Authors Notes

  1

  Yanga

  Hanna and Katla walked back into Yanga. Hanna still felt weird about working together with the woman who’d killed her grandfather, yet she trusted her. There had been multiple times during the attack on the witch cave where Katla could’ve killed Hanna if she had chosen to do so. But Hanna believed Katla was an honorable woman and she had found herself trapped into killing Thorodd as the price for her sister’s freedom. It was an uneasy alliance in Hanna’s mind. One she would be glad to be free of once she left Yanga.

  As they returned to Sharla Pryga’s house, Katla noticed a disturbance on the street. “Something is wrong,” said Katla. “There are too many men there.”

  Hanna could see what Katla was talking about. There were over a dozen men huddled together. As they drew closer Hanna spotted Koyo. He was in the group of men and it seemed he wasn’t there willingly. “What the hell?” swore Hanna.

  “Don’t say anything,” said Katla. “Those are Blackpool men. They are militant but they don’t work directly for the king. We must not let them take them.”

  Hanna noticed that Koyo wasn’t alone. His son Muro and another younger man were also shackled and surrounded.

  “Greetings gentleman, what are you doing with my friends?” asked Katla.

  “Back off Katla.” said the leader of the group. “You are no longer King’s Guard. You can’t tell us what to do,” said one of the men. “This man is a spy and these are his contacts. We are taking them to extract information.”

  “He is no spy, and those are his sons,” said Katla. “And you are not the king’s representatives. You have no authority to take him.”

  Hanna glanced at the boy standing beside Koyo. Koyo had another son? That was an interesting development. One she would have to ask about, but first they needed to get them free.

  “He is a spy and it doesn’t matter if they are his sons. We caught them with the spy and we will be questioning all three. Lord Blackpool commands it.”

  “Lord Blackpool is a fool. Don’t say I didn’t give you an opportunity to hand over the men peacefully,” said Katla.

  “You are tough Katla, but not invincible. My men can take you,” said the leader. “You should walk away before you get hurt.”

  Katla smirked at the leader. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not the one you have to deal with, it’s her that you need to convince not to kill you all.”

  The leader frowned and turned to look at Hanna. His eyes went from head to toe and back again. His eyes lingered longer on her curves than it did her axe or the deadly eagle’s claw daggers on her hips. “Who are you?”

  “I am Hanna Halfblood. Who are you? And why have you shackled my man and his sons?”

  “I am Ralphus Rango, representative of Lord Blackpool.” He sneered at Katla and then Hanna. “You say this man is one of yours? Then you are a spy as well.” Ralphus turned to his men. Seize them both. If they resist kill them.”

  Katla laughed and shrugged. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Hanna wasted no time talking. Katla had already said this Ralphus and his men weren’t official representatives of the king of Mykoznia. Whoever this Lord Blackpool was, he had his own reasons for detaining Koyo and his sons, and Hanna was aware how men like Ralphus extracted information. Hanna wouldn’t let Koyo suffer like that.

  Despite Katla’s warnings to Ralphus and his men, the larger number of them attacked Katla first. Her reputation as a former King’s Guard scared the men more than the unknown Hanna. It was a mistake.

  Relaxing and letting Thorodd and Anso into her body, Hanna moved into a defensive stance and waited as three of the men approached her. She kept her hands empty and at her side. From the corner of her eye she could see Katla had taken a different approach and was taking the fight to the Blackpool men. One was already on the ground his throat slashed, while another was on his knees cupping his wounded crotch. The other three were doing their bests to avoid being the next victim of her deadly dirks.

  A sword sliced through the air, Hanna spun and let the sword go past her, she grabbed the arm of the man and pulled him forward. Her grasp, strengthened by the spirits of Thorodd and Anso, sent the man tumbling forward. Hanna’s knee came up and smashed into his face. The man crumpled down to the ground.

  The next man came with a wicked overhead blow. Hanna stepped forward raising her left hand to block the attack while her right pulled one of her daggers out and sent it into the man’s side. She then kicked out with her right leg, slamming it into the knee of the third attacker. The crunching sound of his knee buckling at an impossible angle, was followed by a scream of agony. Hanna ignored it and stepped past the second man as he too fell to the ground. Hanna felt like she was fighting in slow motion, her reactions, assisted by her warrior spirits were far faster than normal. Hanna moved towards Ralphus and the remaining warriors guarding Koyo and his sons. She threw her dagger at the closest guard and then drew her ax and went at Ralphus.

  Ralphus snarled and stepped forward, drawing a second sword, and starting an intricate attack pattern. His form was excellent and he yielded his weapons with skill and precision. Against a normal opponent his attacks would have been impressive, deadly even. Against Hanna they were ineffective. Blocking the attacks with her axe, Hanna held her ground and waited until Ralphus made a critical error. She was sure she could feel Thorodd pulling harder on her hand, she let the control slide seamlessly to his spirit and the axe slid down, chopping the exposed hand of Ralphus clean off.

  Ralphus looked at his severed hand and then back at Hanna. His wide-eyed expression showed his shock at losing to a girl. Thorodd, still in control of her body, spun and his attack severed the head of Ralphus. The wide-eyed expression was still on the head as it rolled, bouncing occasionally, down the street.

  The two remaining warriors looked at the men laying at Katla’s feet and then those at Hanna’s. They turned together and ran up the street as fast as they could.

  Katla stepped over one of the bodies and reached down to pull a set of keys out of his pocket. She then removed the shackles from Koyo’s hands and then his sons.

  “What happened Koyo?” asked Hanna.

  “They were tipped off. Someone at the docks recognized the Lady of the Evening and informed Lord Blackpool,” said Koyo. “We were surrounded, we had no choice but to surrender. Your timing is impeccable. Lord Blackpool is not a kind man to his prisoners.”

  Muro snorted. “That is putting it kindly. We would’ve been tortured and fed to the sharks.”

  Hanna frowned. “Why are you so important to them Koyo? It makes no sense.”

  “Politics in Mykoznia hardly ever makes sense,” said Koyo. “There are layers of deception and confusion to peel away before you ever get to the truth. However, I suspect they weren’t after me as much as using me as an excuse to detain Muro and Tayo.”

  Muro nodded. “I believe father is correct. The Blackpools have become a major player in the political background of Mykoznia. They fear the influence our family has and would gladly see me discredited or de
ad. They saw the arrival of Koyo as the perfect opportunity to make a move against us. Thankfully Katla is involved. Her reputation and former position with the King’s Guard gives her version of what happened here today credibility. Lord Blackpool won’t be able to sweep this under the rug, or claim that Koyo was responsible for what happened.”

  Hanna frowned. “Will this give you troubles? Is there anything we can do to help?”

  Muro shot Koyo a quick glance. “Well there is one thing. You could take Tayo with you.”

  “What? Why would I leave? I’ll fight the Blackpools, I’m not afraid.”

  Muro smiled. “I know you are not afraid, little brother. But this isn’t going to be a street fight. This is going to be political now. You are too volatile for what is too come.”

  “It might not be any safer with us,” warned Hanna. “We are going looking for a demon warrior, and possibly fighting more witches.”

  “Tayo is a warrior. He has no fear of demons or any other opponent, it isn’t his safety that I am worried about. It is Mother’s. If they taunt Tayo into a fight, they will use it against her.”

  “I would never intentionally put Mother in harm’s way,” protested Tayo.

  “I know,” said Muro softly. “But you also don’t know how to say no to a fight. The Blackpools will use that against us. Go with father. Help Hanna find the demon warrior and see some of the world beyond Yanga.”

  Tayo looked like he wanted to protest further, but Muro’s mention of their mother, Sharla, made Tayo pause. “Fine, I will go with Father if they will have me.”

  Hanna looked at Koyo, his face was neutral, but she suspected that he wanted her to say yes. It sounded strange, inviting a Mykoznian to join a crew made mostly of Creytan men, but Hanna knew no one on the crew would have a problem with Koyo’s son joining them. Koyo was family, and that meant Tayo would be too. “You’ll be starting as a deckhand. There are no special privileges. You’ll have to earn your position.”

  Tayo stood taller. “I’m not afraid of hard work. I will work as hard as anyone.”

  Hanna smiled. Tayo was a proud young man. She wondered if this was what a young Koyo had been like. “Okay. You will join the crew of the Lady of the Evening.”

  “I’m afraid you should leave soon. The sooner Koyo and Tayo are gone the better,” said Muro. “Lord Blackpool won’t take the loss of his men today lightly.”

  “Don’t worry about Lord Blackpool. I will be speaking to the King’s Guard about what happened today. They have a lot of influence with the city constables,” said Katla.

  Hanna turned to Katla. “Thank you for all your help.”

  Katla nodded. “I can’t take back what happened between us. The death of your grandfather was regrettable, and now that we are free of Loma Fangris and her coven, I will do what I can to help discover what happened to the rest of the missing spirit stones and what they had planned for them.”

  Hanna recalled the dying threats of the witch, something about a Quivna. Whatever or whoever that was. Hanna knew she would be fighting more witches, and there was still at least one demon warrior out there. “Be careful. Those witches were nasty.”

  “I think they might’ve said the same about you.”

  2

  Grimsfell

  The mage scanned the city as his ship pulled into port. It wasn’t his first visit to Solotine, but it didn’t mean he was happy to be there either.

  A land of barbarians, he thought.

  At one time, it had not been that way, magic had once been a prominent part of this world. But when people started to hunt the magical races and pushed them away the land slowly started to change. Now even the mention of magic was likely to get you stabbed in a dark alley or hung from the nearest tree. When discussing matters of magic in public it was best to proceed with caution. It was why he’d been sent. Taller and thicker than most of the others, he was the easiest to blend in. A change in clothing, giving up his warm robes for leather and cotton pants and tunic, letting his hair grow out to match his beard, he could pass for a northerner. His skin wasn’t quite as pale as the normal Solotinian but close enough that he could blend in. It was only when he talked that he truly exposed himself as something other than from Solotine. Luckily, Grimsfell was a port city and used to sailors from other lands.

  That he even had to make this trip was exasperating. A trader had shown up one day showing off spirit stones as if they were some common gem to haggle and bargain over. The fool had no idea what he was holding. They had made arrangements for a shipment of the gems, but the trader hadn’t been able to deliver. All he had known was that he couldn’t get the gems anymore. Spirit stones for sale on the open market! The mage shook his head at the thought. Only in a backwards land like Solotine would such precious and rare commodities be mistaken for something so bland and trivial as common jewelry gems.

  The ship pulled into port and the captain made his way ashore. The mage waited patiently on board. An hour later the captain returned. The man you seek is in the Iron Horse Inn waiting for you.”

  The mage nodded and followed the captain into the town and into the Inn. The man was sitting at a corner booth and the nearby tables were unoccupied. Good, at least the man wasn’t totally stupid. He walked up and sat down across from the man.

  The man at the table spoke first. “I’m Thomas Renkle, Captain Ciottone says you are—”

  “A disgruntled customer,” said the mage, interrupting Renkle. “One of your traders made an agreement regarding certain gemstones and then informed me that you wouldn’t be able to fill the order.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid we’ve had some setbacks. That particular item is no longer available to us.”

  “What would it cost to make it available? The price I previously offered was quite fair.”

  “It isn’t a matter of price. I would gladly make a deal with you, but I can’t run a trading company with no ships. The last trade dispute over those damn gems almost cost me my entire fleet. If you want those gems you should go to Irontide and deal with the Stoneblood Trading Company, although rumor has it they aren’t selling any of the gems either.”

  “Dealing with the Stonebloods would be problematic for me, I need an alternative solution,” said the mage.

  “Well in that case you are going to need someone who is willing to take on the Stonebloods. Irontide is strong but it isn’t undefeatable.”

  “You have someone in mind?” asked the mage.

  “There are clans to the west that are always looking for an excuse for war. Throw enough coin at them and they will deal with the Stonebloods.”

  The mage threw a sack of coins into Thomas’s lap. “There will be plenty more when I have the gemstones.”

  Thomas Renkle lifted the sack, it was heavy with coin. But was it worth starting another war with the Stonebloods? What if the attacks didn’t work? “I will make arrangements with the clan, but that will be the end of my involvement. I cannot risk the Stonebloods finding out I’m involved.”

  “Just get me those gems. I don’t care how you do it. No one need know of your involvement. Just get those clans to attack the Stonebloods.”

  Thomas nodded. The Stoneblood Trading Company, even without old Thorodd at the helm, was his biggest competition. If he destroyed their company through a war with one of the western clans he could get those gems and all the Stoneblood’s trade. It was a risk worth taking. “I will make the arrangements.”

  3

  Return to Irontide

  “Seven hells beckon me! Koyo Tomar has a son! I don’t believe it,” said Azad as Koyo introduced Tayo to the crew. “Are you sure he’s yours? He’s a pretty decent looking fellow, not as ugly as you.”

  “Have you been hitting the rum while we were ashore?” asked Koyo. “Look at those eyes, that strong jawline and those dimples. It is like looking in a mirror. Granted a mirror that shaves off a few centuries, but there is no doubting he gets his good looks from his father. Let’s hope he got his brains from his mot
her.”

  Tayo eyed Azad and the crew nervously, but when they all laughed at Koyo’s reply to Azad, he visibly relaxed.

  Hanna, so used to Koyo’s stories of his younger days where he claimed to have been a real lady’s man, noted that Koyo was correct about the facial features he shared with his son. Perhaps his boasts weren’t as outlandish as they had first seemed. Tayo was an attractive young man. Hanna might go as far as calling him beautiful. Of course, that was something she would never admit to Koyo or Tayo. If he was anything like his father he already had an ego the size of the moon.

  “I might’ve inherited his devastating good looks and charm, but I didn’t inherit his love of the seas. This is my first voyage,” said Tayo, grinning and sounding a lot like his father.

  “When he’s not looking in mirrors or telling stories of his youth, Koyo is as good a sailor as to be found on this ship or any for that matter. You are in good hands, Tayo,” said Captain Rozad.

  Hanna and Captain Rozad pulled Koyo into the captain’s chambers while the rest of the crew introduced themselves to Tayo and gave him the nickel tour of the ship. Many were eager to have a new crew member to talk to.

  “I thought I’d heard all your stories Koyo, but I don’t recall the one about having two sons,” said Captain Rozad.

  Koyo scratched his head. “I didn’t know I had two sons. Sharla never told me. It was safer for them to not have me around and she worried that if I found out I had two sons in Yanga I would break my promise and return to see them.”

  “Well it seems that it is fortunate we visited Yanga. Did you find out everything you needed to know?”

  Hanna gave an exasperated sigh. “Not even close. I have more questions than I did before we got here. I’m afraid things aren’t going to stop just because we killed these witches.” Hanna then filled in Captain Rozad as to what happened in Yanga, from discovering that Koyo’s wife was related to Thorodd’s killer, to the fact that it was that same killer who took Hanna to clean out the witches’ lair. She finished with the fight to recover Koyo.