Storm Raven Read online

  Also by K Hanson:

  The Azrael Initiative

  Storm Raven

  By K Hanson

  K Hanson

  2017

  Copyright © 2017 by K Hanson

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  1st Edition, 2017

  www.KHansonBooks.com

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to Bobbi. I can’t imagine a better partner to sail the seas of life and discover whatever adventures await.

  Acknowledgements

  I want to thank Bobbi, my family, and my friends for all of their encouragement as I’ve worked on this book. I especially want to thank the people who have read it and provided the hard feedback that I needed.

  Thank you to Kale Lawrence for a fantastic cover. You’ve brought Nereyda to life in the perfect way.

  Finally, thank you, reader, for reading my book. I hope you enjoy your journey with Nereyda.

  Map of the World of Storm Raven

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  CHAPTER FORTY

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER ONE

  The scent of treasure floated in the ocean air as it breezed through Nereyda’s black hair. She gazed across the water at the largest cruise ship she had ever seen, which would be carrying some of the wealthiest lords and merchants from the Empire. She didn’t see any armed passengers aside from the personal bodyguards that were along for the ride. Just as importantly, no cannons were visible. The ship didn’t even have any gun ports. Easy prey.

  Pirates never dared strike so close to the mainland. The high level of naval activity, along with a large number of ports from which reinforcements could sail, made it dangerous. However, Nereyda felt confident that they could slip in and hit one ship before escaping into the open ocean.

  “Send them a warning,” she said to Brynja, her first mate.

  “Aye, aye,” Brynja said as she relayed the order.

  It wasn’t even really necessary since the huge ship couldn’t possibly flee or outmaneuver the Storm Raven. Still, they should at least give their target a chance to surrender.

  The shot splashed just aft of the cruise ship. A minute later, the cruise ship’s crew had furled their sails and run up a white flag. As they drifted, the Storm Raven pulled alongside them. Nereyda’s crew tossed hooks to link the two vessels. Due to the height of the cruise ship, they extended ladders across the gap.

  Nereyda mounted one of the ladders and climbed to the deck of the Luxura, followed by the rest of the boarding party. As she vaulted the railing at the top of the ladder, she looked around the deck. The passengers remained seated at tables strewn about the area, apparently enjoying their afternoon tea. All of them wore terrified expressions. All except for one bodyguard who walked toward her, drawing his sword.

  “How dare you interrupt our journey!” he asked, pointing his blade at Nereyda. “Get back on your ship and leave at once.”

  Nereyda smirked at him. “Or what?”

  “I’ll run you through myself,” he threatened.

  Nereyda smiled, her amethyst eyes twinkling. “Go ahead,” she said as she drew her own cutlass.

  The bodyguard stepped forward with a thrust toward her stomach.

  With a swipe of her blade, she knocked his sword to the side. Nereyda stepped forward and struck him in the gut with the pommel of her weapon.

  As the guard bent over to clutch his belly, Nereyda knocked the sword out of his hand and kicked it up to her free hand. She pointed both blades at him and said, “Are you finished? Go back to your seat and shake it off.”

  “You’re not going to kill me?”

  “Is there a reason I should? Sit down like I said, and you’ll get through this just fine.” Nereyda handed the guard’s sword to one of her crew members and patted the guard’s back before she turned back to the travelers. “Anybody else feel like fighting?” She opened her arms in a welcoming gesture.

  Nobody stood up. “Now that we’re done with that, surrender any gold, jewelry, or other valuables you have, and we’ll let you keep going on your nice little journey. My friends here have some convenient bags. Just toss your things into them as they come around.”

  Her crew scattered about the deck, holding up their canvas sacks as the wealthy passengers surrendered their possessions. As the crew worked on collecting these treasures, Nereyda spotted a table with an open seat where some fluffy-looking merchant or lord or whatever sat with his wife and a young man who appeared to be their son.

  “Is this seat taken?” she asked. They just stared at her as she plopped down into the available chair.

  “Is now, I guess.” Nereyda reached across the table for the teapot and an empty cup. After she had poured herself some tea, she pushed aside the teapot, leaned back in her chair, then lifted her legs to rest her boots on the table.

  “Having a nice trip so far?” she asked in a bright voice, looking around the table.

  They gave her no answer other than looking away from her, avoiding eye contact.

  “Come now, what happened to all of those manners you rich people spend a fortune to teach your kids? I asked you a question.”

  Still no answer from the couple, but the young man leaned forward. “Why should we treat you with any sort of manners?”

  “I’m a guest at your table, aren’t I?” Nereyda flashed a smile. “We don’t have to let this be unpleasant.”

  The boy’s eyes narrowed as he scowled at her. “You call robbing our ship pleasant?”

  “That depends on how you look at it,” she said. “I may be taking some of your things, but you should look on the bright side. You get to leave with your clothes on. I’m not taking your food. And, best of all, you get to sail away from here, alive.” She leaned in. “I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.”

  “You talk as if letting us live is some kind of favor.” He jabbed a finger toward her. “I’ve seen what your kind of people do, falling on ships and villages alike, taking what you please and killing whoever gets in your way.”

  “You actually missed the part about how we snatch children away in the night to eat them.” She winked at the young man. “Wouldn’t want our reputation to suffer. But really, we’re just making a living like everyone els
e. May I ask how you earn your place on a ship like this?”

  “Lesser people pay us nobles for the privilege of working our land, and we provide them with protection.”

  “And what if they stop paying?” Nereyda asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “Then we run them off our land and take what they owe us, of course.”

  Neryeda tilted her head. “So they’re paying you for protection from…you? At least we’re honest about being criminals.”

  “You mock us, wench!” The young man jumped to his feet, knocking aside his chair and sending it clattering to the deck. He drew a sword from his hip and pointed it at Nereyda. “I will not let you leave this ship.”

  The pirate captain chuckled. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You brought a sword to tea? That’s not very gentlemanly. It’s a pity those etiquette lessons didn’t stick.”

  “Who are you to talk about etiquette? You sit at our table with your weapons, drink our tea, and laugh at us. Do you even know who my father is?” He glanced over at the older noble at the table. “He’s High Judge Aydin of the Imperial Court.”

  Nereyda shrugged. “I’m a pirate. I do what I want. And I don’t particularly care who your dad is.”

  “Stand and face me, coward.”

  She sighed and rolled her eyes as she lazily eased her feet from the top of the table. With the young man’s blade following her, she pushed herself to her feet and looked into his eyes with her purple gaze, but did not draw her own weapon. “Do you know how to use that thing?”

  He drew himself up straight and puffed out his chest. “I’ve had lessons since I was a child. I know what I’m doing.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you know how to swing it around with all the right moves. Maybe you even know where to stick it. But have you had to use it for real?” She took a step toward him and held his gaze with her own. “Have you ever had to kill a man?” she asked. “Have you ever been one wrong move from losing your own life or one right one from taking someone else’s?”

  His eyes flicked away for a moment. He swallowed but did not respond.

  Another step. “Have you ever looked into a man’s eyes as the life flickered out from them, just after you spilled his blood and guts from his belly?”

  The blood drained from his face, leaving him pale, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, as if he wanted to retreat but held his ground out of pride. His grip loosened slightly, and the sword dipped lower.

  A third step, and the tip of his blade pressed against the leather armor over her sternum, resting between her breasts. “Now is your chance. You can get your first taste of blood right here, right now. I’d be honored to be your first,” she said as she stroked the length of his sword with her fingertips. “All it takes is one little thrust or a big one depending on the sword, and you can bring me to my knees. What do you say, boy? I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

  The young man dropped his sword arm to his side and slouched his shoulders.

  “Don’t worry. Even the best sometimes have trouble keeping it up.”

  He looked down at the deck, refusing to make eye contact. “Just take what you want and get out of here.”

  “I think my crew is just about done anyway. You’ve been a great date. Thanks for the tea!” Nereyda strutted past him and slid her hand over his shoulder. She looked around and saw that her crew had indeed almost finished collecting the passengers’ valuables.

  Nereyda ordered her crew to set about hauling their seized goods from the cruise ship to the hold of the Storm Raven. When all of it had been loaded, the crew of the Raven hauled in the boarding lines and cast off from the cruise ship.

  Nereyda joined her crew as they celebrated on deck. “We’ve had a fine take today. You’ve all earned some rest. Eat, drink, make merry, sleep, or sleep with someone. We’ll let the Storm Raven drift tonight, then set off once again in the morning. Cheers to you!” she raised a bottle of rum.

  “Cheers to the captain!” sang Brynja.

  “To the captain!” echoed the crew, as they all drank.

  Nereyda sat down with Brynja, along with two other members of the crew, Kyla and Jim.

  Kyla passed Nereyda a drink. “Where are we off to next, Captain?”

  “Not sure yet. We’ll probably find a nice fat merchant ship and see what we can take.”

  “Hope we have more of a fight next time,” said Kyla. “Nothing too tough, just something to get the blood pumping.”

  “I can think of something else to get your blood pumping,” said Jim.

  Kyla brushed a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

  Nereyda finished her drink and stood up. “You two enjoy yourselves.”

  “The best order you’ve given all day,” said Kyla with a smile.

  Nereyda then turned away and walked aft. As she ascended the aftercastle, she sensed some of the crew gazing after her. She knew that her slender, fit physique drew attention from most of the men, and even some of the women, in her crew. However, she would never complicate things by having a relationship with anyone serving on her ship.

  As she reached the aft railing, she rested her elbows on the wood and leaned out to gaze across the sea. To her left, the fiery sun crawled toward the horizon, the clouds touched with a purple hue. A flash in the sky in the distance to her right caught her eye. The wind blew toward the storm, so Nereyda didn’t worry about it taking them by surprise.

  Nereyda smiled to herself as she reflected on the raid on the cruise ship. The day’s risk had been worth it. All of the goods they had seized would be worth a fortune when they returned to Freyport after a few more weeks of finding ships to plunder to fill the hold of the Storm Raven. Stealing a sip of tea with that pompous noble had been the most entertainment she had gotten on any raid that she could remember.

  Looking back at the setting sun, she noticed a shadow that she hadn’t seen before. Blinking and raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, she saw the unmistakable silhouettes of two ships. As they came further into focus, a chill went over her. Against the sun, Nereyda could not make out the flags of the vessels, but the shapes were unmistakable.

  Frigates from the Cambisian Empire.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The Storm Raven stood no chance against two of those warships. Nereyda’s ship had ten guns on either side, which was pretty respectable as pirate ships went. However, the average frigate had twenty cannons on each side, along with a few deck guns. These ships were heading for them at full sail, with the wind. It wouldn’t take long for them to catch up to the Raven.

  “To quarters!” she called across the deck as she dashed to the helm.

  Nereyda heard confused murmurs as the crew stopped their celebrations at the shout.

  “To quarters, I said! Cambisian warships are on our tail, closing with all speed!”

  Bottles and cups clattered to the deck, abandoned by their owners as they ran to their stations across the ship. Brynja sprinted up the steps to the aftercastle two at a time to join Nereyda beside the helm.

  “Where did they come from, Captain?” asked the first mate.

  “I don’t know. I just saw them coming out of the sun. Who knows when they spotted us?” Nereyda saw that all of the crew had reached their stations. “Full sail!” she ordered.

  The canvas of the sails snapped as they fell from the yardarms. Nereyda brought the ship around to head east with the wind and away from the pursuing vessels. Her gut lurched with the change in momentum as the sails filled with wind, and the Storm Raven picked up speed.

  Even at top speed, she knew that they wouldn’t be able to outrun the frigates. In the shallower water near the coast or among islands, Nereyda and the Raven could outmaneuver almost any other ship. Out in the open ocean, her ship simply couldn’t match the power of ships built for speed, as Cambisian frigates were. As she looked over her shoulder, she could see the ships behind them gaining by the minute. Off the port bow, to the northeast, flashes of lightning grew ever closer.r />
  Nereyda willed her ship to go faster and pull away, but it refused to listen to her demands. “Bosun, can you get us any more speed?” she called.

  “I’ll see if we can coax a bit more wind from these sails,” he answered from his position down on the main deck.

  The man barked orders to the crew working the sails. They adjusted the lines and tweaked the angle of the sails. The deck shifted under her feet as the ship pushed a little faster, but with a glance behind her, she saw that the Raven hadn’t gained nearly enough speed. Their pursuer had closed to under two miles, inching ever closer. A flash and a boom preceded a splash a few hundred yards aft of the Storm Raven.

  The first warning shot.

  Soon, the Raven would be within the range of the pursuing ships’ deck guns. Even those might be enough to sink the smaller pirate ship. If either of them got close enough to turn and deliver a broadside, the Storm Raven would be shredded in the volley. The only chance Nereyda and her crew had was to outrun or outmaneuver the larger ships. This would normally be impossible in the open ocean, but Nereyda had a crazy idea. If those Cambisian bastards wanted a chase, she’d give them one.

  She shouted to the crew, “All right, boys and girls, I hope you’re ready to get a little wet.” Wild cheers went around the deck.

  As Nereyda turned the wheel to the left, the ship creaked as it turned from its line and began to head toward the storm. The Storm Raven gained a bit of ground on the pursuing enemies, as the larger ships took more time to adjust course. This advantage proved fleeting. Another warning shot boomed across the water. Nereyda didn’t look, but she could hear that the splash had landed closer than the last shot.

  As her ship tore over the ocean toward the storm, the low rumble of thunder grew in a slow crescendo to match the cannons. The wind grew stronger and wilder. Waves rolled into small hills on the dark waters.