Hanna chuckled. “Your father certainly is full of charisma. Although most times I would call it hot air or something with a certain stench to it. But he is a good friend.”
“He thinks highly of you as well. Calls you sassy, impertinent, cheeky, stubborn as a three-legged mule, and the finest warrior he’s ever seen.”
“Guilty as charged. Although the finest warrior bit might be a bit much. I was a good warrior before. I had the best trainers, Koyo included, but I was never the best. It wasn’t until I gained the spirit magic that I became anything special,” said Hanna.
Tayo shrugged. “Spirit magic runs in your family’s bloodlines, that is nothing to be ashamed of. I would love to have magic. I know your people in Solotine are leery of magic, but they are fools. Magic isn’t bad or good. Magic is like a sword. Good people can use it just as easily as bad people. It is good that someone like you can use spirit magic. If the only ones who could make use of the spirit stones were witches and evil mages, then we’d be living in a world full of demon warriors and no one would be safe.”
“Ugh,” said Hanna. “I don’t even want to think about witches and demon warriors right now. Can we just sit here and enjoy the rest of the sunset quietly? I have a feeling the next fight isn’t that far off. I want to enjoy a little calm and peaceful.”
Tayo gave her a small smile and nod before turning and staring into the sunset. Hanna watched him carefully, admiring how the setting sun struck his cheeks before she too turned and stared into the color-filled horizon.
4
Katla investigates
Evetal Urid poured Katla a glass of wine. They were standing in an anti-chamber of the castle. Evetal was the leader of the King’s Guard and Katla’s former mentor and leader. “Why don’t you tell me what happened the other day? Lord Blackpool has petitioned to have you declared a spy and have you decapitated at high noon in the city square.” Evetal’s eyes sparkled with mild amusement.
Katla rolled her eyes as she accepted the wine. “Lord Blackpool is a fool. His men captured innocent men and threatened to torture them.”
Evetal raised an eyebrow. “You are suggesting Koyo Tomar is an innocent man?”
She chuckled. “Well, maybe not innocent. But a spy? certainly not, and certainly not a risk to the crown. Koyo was here on behalf of Hanna Halfblood. The Fangris witches found out about a source of spirit stones in Solotine.”
“Fangris is the reason you left us. Was it you the witches sent to Solotine?”
Katla nodded and took a sip of the wine. “That was the price of my sister’s freedom. Kill Thorodd Stoneblood and secure the spirit stones he possessed.”
Evetal sighed. “A heavy price to pay, but one does for family what they must. How did you end up working with the granddaughter of the man you assassinated?”
“Thorodd knew what the gems truly were. After I attacked him he covered one of the gems in his own blood and asked me to deliver it to his granddaughter. I did it and never expected to see her again. But Hanna was attacked by a demon warrior and came to Mykoznia looking for answers.”
“And Sharla led them to you,” said Evetal. He gave a small chuckle. “Funny how things work out. So, what happened with the Fangris witches?”
“We killed them, and the demon warriors they had with them. But not all the stones were there, and one of the first demon warriors is missing, he is likely in Solotine.”
“Looking for more spirit stones?’ asked Evetal.
“Yes, I believe so,” said Hanna.
“Loma Fangris was dangerous. Her coven has long presented a problem for the King, but she had allies, strong allies that insisted we leave her alone. But Loma was not the most powerful of the Fangris witches. If her sisters got any of those stones it would be very bad.”
“Loma’s dying words were of the return of Quivna. Does that mean anything to you?” As leader of the King’s Guard, Evetal’s job was to know all threats to the king. If anyone outside of the witches knew what Quivna was, it would be him.
Evetal’s brow furrowed. He lifted his hand to his chin and stroked his short salt and pepper beard. He lifted a finger. “Come with me.”
Katla followed as Evetal lead her through the castle into a small library. A bald man wearing thick brown robes was sitting at a desk writing on parchment.
“Mundari, we need to look at some of the archives.”
Mundari glanced up from his writing. “What section of the archives were you needing to look in. What in particular are you looking for?”
“Katla has discovered the Fangris coven is using spirit magic to create demon warriors. Loma Fangris mentioned Quivna. We are looking for references to that.”
“Quivna? Hmm, let us see what we can find.” Mundari stood up and led them to another door. He took a key that he kept hidden under his robe and opened the door. Inside was another library. “The Fangris coven is part of a much older coven, the Juogran coven. At one time, they were one of the most powerful factions in Mykoznia, and were feared everywhere, their influence and power was far reaching.”
“What happened?” asked Katla.
“They grew too powerful for their own good. Other witches and mages in the kingdom were fearful for their lives so they banded together with the king’s men and hunted them down. It was a time of brutal attacks and terror. In the end. The witch queen, and leader of the Juogran coven was killed and the witches scattered all over Mykoznia and beyond. The Fangris witches were one of the stronger supporters of the Juogran Queen. They stayed hidden but never left the isle.” Mundari stopped at a section of books with red covers. “The last few years I’ve had an excess number of apprentices, and to keep them busy I had them go through all the old texts and scrolls. Anything of note was to be cataloged and cross referenced.” Mundari scrolled through one book. “Nothing here on Quivna, but that isn’t surprising. But there is a section on the Juogran’s use of spirit stones.” Mundari put the reference book back and led them to another section of the second library. He scanned the books and then pulled one out. “This should have what we are looking for.” He then took the book to a small table and started flipping through the pages.
While she waited for the books master to find the reference he was searching for, Katla looked around the library, reading the titles: Creytan weapons and historic battle plans, Solotinian bloodlines and kingdoms, known poisons and cures made quite a collection. Mykoznian thoroughbred breeding strategies. The assortment of strange titles made Katla wonder just how much information was stored in the vast libraries of the king, and who was using it?
“Here we go,” said Mundari. “The Juogran coven was adept at using spirit stones to channel powerful demons. Most of the time they channeled low level demons, powerful enough to enhance but not so strong that they overpowered the host being. Other demons were more powerful, but not controllable, once those demons joined with a human they took over the host body and would never give back control. In rare cases, they channeled high level demon spirits who could use magic beyond the additional strength and speed that a demon added to the warrior. Quivna was one of those high-level demons.”
“A demon warrior with magical powers. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all,” said Katla, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Evetal ignored Katla. “How is Quivna defeated?” he asked the book master.
“The same as any other demon warrior, or spirit warrior for that matter. The host body is always the weakness. Kill the body and the spirit is sent back to its own realm.”
“Why Quivna. Why that one demon?” asked Katla.
Mundari looked down and kept reading. “It says here, that it is believed Quivna was a witch banished to the seven hells. That is why she can use magic. She was a powerful witch who angered the gods. Her punishment was to spend eternity as a hideous demon. I don’t think the gods considered the fact she might be channeled into a human’s body.”
“If she’s so dangerous, why didn’t they channel her right away?” as
ked Katla.
Mundari shrugged. “Spirit magic isn’t common; the gems are rare and the spells needed powerful. I suspect they would practice first. And from what I know of the Fangris clan Loma and her coven might not have been strong enough to channel a high-level demon like Quivna.”
“But there are those among the Fangris who are strong enough?” asked Evetal.
Mundari nodded. “I suspect so.”
“Thank you for your help Mundari. Katla, I have a job for you.”
Katla frowned. “I’m not a King’s Guard anymore, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t still serve your king or your people. The remaining Fangris witches: we need to find out if they have summoned this Quivna. And we need to find out how to destroy her.” Evetal handed Katla an emblem. It signified she had standing with the King’s Guard and could speak on their behalf. It was rare for one outside of the Guard to receive such an honour.
“If she is that powerful, I can only think of one person who might defeat her: Hanna Halfblood,” said Katla as she studied the trinket.
“Put the emblem away. You don’t need to question me on this. In the eyes of the King’s Guard you are still worthy of wearing it. Now focus on the problem at hand. Who do you think is powerful enough to stop Quivna? The northern girl you spoke of?” asked Evetal.
Katla slid the emblem into her pocket. “Yes. Her spirit magic is powerful. I don’t think she even realizes how powerful it could be yet. She is still learning, but she does have the same magic that the witches are trying to use.”
“We must keep that in mind. In the meantime, I want you to go see Hester Porel.”
“Who?” asked Katla.
“An apprentice mage, studying at the towers of Gorro. Tell Master Wolden that I requested the boy.”
“You want me to team up with an apprentice mage? Don’t you think a master mage would be more appropriate considering the gravity of the situation?” asked Katla.
“Katla, by now I thought you would understand that experience isn’t everything. Some types of magic aren’t learned, they are inherited.”
Katla thought about that. It was true that Hanna was that way with spirit magic. But why did Evetal want this apprentice? What made him special? “And what am I to do with the apprentice?”
“Find the other covens. Discover how many gemstones they have, and if they’ve channeled Quivna. Report back to me with your findings, and have Hester Porel report back to Master Wolden.”
“What about the gemstones in Solotine? The witches will surely try to get more.”
“For now, we should trust your northern friend. If she is as dangerous as you say, then she might have a chance to prevent them from getting more of the gems.”
Katla nodded. “If you need proof of how dangerous she can be, ask Lord Blackpool.”
Evetal chuckled. “I inspected the battle scene myself. Lord Blackpool’s man was very quick to lodge a complaint against you. In fact, I wonder if he hadn’t planned it to happen that way. I don’t think he expected you two would decimate his gang of thugs the way you did, but I do believe he wanted an altercation. Regardless, for two against so many warriors it seems you two more than held your own.”
Katla smiled. “I had a good trainer.”
Evetal nodded. “And the northern girl?”
“She has the spirits of two great warriors fighting with her. They train her every time she uses the magic. When we first met, I could’ve easily killed her. Now, it would be vastly different. It is frightening how strong she is with the spirits. Same with the demon warriors, they are dangerous. Average fighters turned into frenzied beasts. Thankfully, the witches didn’t have real warriors at their disposal. The first two warriors they enhanced were the most dangerous. The rest didn’t have the skill, just the raw power and speed from the demons.”
“Go to Gorro,” said Evetal. “And be careful!”
5
Hanna
Hanna grinned as they sailed into Irontide. The village, for all its issues, was home, and she looked forward to seeing her mother again. Leaving the ship, Hanna headed to her mother’s house, but half way there a young boy came and found her with a message that her mother was at the company office. Hanna turned and headed back to the docks and the company warehouse.
“Hanna, it is good to have you home,” said Rowena as Hanna entered the office. Sitting with Rowena was Norman Warrer, a company man responsible for the warehouse.
“Hello Mother, Norman,” said Hanna.
“How was your training with Anso? Captain Rozad informed me of your stay there the last time the Lady of the Evening came in.”
Hanna sighed as a tinge of sadness hit her. “Anso is dead. We were attacked by a demon warrior.”
“That’s terrible! Anso was a great man,” said Rowena. “How are you doing?”
Hanna knew her mother was talking about the fact she’d lost two of the most important men in her life recently and the third had been missing for some time. “It was hard losing Anso, but I did get to say goodbye and really he isn’t completely gone. I am now connected to his spirit the same way I am connected to grandfather’s.”
“Oh? I see. Or rather I think I see. Captain Rozad tried to explain but it was confusing. You now are able to talk to Thorodd?”
Hanna had only talked to Thorodd once since his death. Several dreams he’d tried to talk to her, but it only came through as muffled sounds and not his voice. As her magic grew she could speak her dead grandfather in her dreams. The same had happened with Anso. But usually she didn’t communicate with the spirits as much as she drew on them during conflict. Hanna explained to her mother all she’d learned about spirit stones and her new magical connection to them. She explained the witches of Mykoznia and how they sent demon warriors to hunt her. She told them of her journey to Mykoznia and the revelations about Koyo’s family and the uneasy alliance she now seemed to have with her grandfather’s killer, Katla, who was another victim of the witches.
“The demon warrior that is still hunting you, you expect that it will come here?” asked Norman.
“Yes. Here or it will go to the Ayrith valley looking for more spirit stones. I have to go back to the Ayrith valley and make sure the Nordviks are safe. We can’t let the witches have more spirit stones.”
“I agree. Unfortunately, we have other problems that need to be addressed as well,” said Rowena.
Hanna frowned. “What other problems?”
“The Skagge clan has been attacking outposts that trade with us. They are trying to take over our territories.”
“The Skagge clan? They live far west of here. We haven’t had issues with them for years. What has brought this on? Grandfather’s death?”
“No. I don’t think that is it. The Skagge clan have always been very war-like. They raid and fight with the far western clans, but something else has them pointed towards us now. Tord Skagge is leading a force of two hundred clansmen towards us now.”
Two hundred warriors, it was a significant number and the Skagge clan were always at war. Their clansmen would all be battle hardened veterans. “How have you prepared for them?” asked Hanna.
“We have called in all the fighting men from the villages, and there are easily over a hundred warriors in Irontide alone.”
Hanna nodded, the numbers were close, yet the Skagges were formidable fighting men, any confrontation with them would be costly. “How many scouts are out right now?”
“A dozen,” said Rowena.
“Double it,” said Hanna. “We need to make sure the Skagges don’t sneak a second force in behind us.”
“You aren’t thinking of going out to meet him?” asked Norman Warrer. “Irontide is a defensible position.”
“The outer villages are not so easily defended. The families and traders that support our business need to be protected. I will take the crew of the Lady of the Evening.”
“You will be vastly outnumbered,” said Norman.
“I’
m not finished,” said Hanna. “A hundred of the company warriors will be divided into two troops who will flank the Skagge forces. Where are the Skagge men now?”
“The scouts have them a week away. They are headed towards the village of Cath right now,” said Rowena.
Hanna looked at the map. If she left now she could reach Cath before Skagge. “Norman, go inform Captain Rozad that we’ll be leaving for Cath within the hour. We’ll be traveling on foot. We’ll make better time going over the mountain and that will leave more horses for the rest of the men.”
Norman nodded and headed down to the docks to find Captain Rozad.
Hanna studied the map. What was Tord Skagge up too? Why was he invading their lands now? It could be that he knew of Thorodd’s death and thought they were weak, but why now and not when Thorodd had first died? Or was something else on the Skagge clan’s agenda. The Ayrith valley was only a day’s march from the village of Cath. Were the Skagge clan after the spirit stones? How would they have known about them? It made sense that witches might not be the only ones interested in the spirit stones. But it didn’t matter what brought the Skagges, only that she needed to deal with them.
“Go change your armor, have a bite to eat and I’ll make sure everything is organized,” said Rowena.
“Change my armor?” asked Hanna.
“Have you already forgotten your request for your armor to come in all colors?”
“Oh yeah. I did say that didn’t I. Do you think it is silly or vain?” Hanna was now comfortable wearing her troll skin armor, but it was a little on the scandalous side.
“Your father wouldn’t have thought so,” said Rowena, reminding Hanna that it was her father’s love of bright and outrageous outfits that made her choose her armor’s provocative style.
“I know, I just wonder if it is a wise thing to do. Warriors look at men differently than they do women,” said Hanna.
Hanna Halfblood: Spirit Warrior Page 3