Pirates 3.The Meeting

By Luc Dragoni

The schooner on whom Blandine Veyre had embarked from the small island of Pantelleria was attacked by the Brigantine and her men.
The young girl had no choice but to stay on board this Pirate ship, especially since she could not return to live in her hometown of Marseilles, which became devastated by a terrible plague epidemic.
Blandine is wounded and her encounter with the Pirate Captain and her crew is full of sufferings and misunderstandings.
The young lady from a good family discovers there an atrocious world which was totally unknown to her....
Will she try to escape, to leave this nightmare, or will she attempt to get used to this new life?

"When the pirates notice my absence, they will surely start looking for me but I don't think they will be able to reach me, and then, first of all, they won't even know which direction to follow! If I continue at this pace without making any stop, I'll always be ahead of them, perhaps one league, and as soon as I get close to the village, I'll finally be safe. They'll never dare to pursue me up to there and they'll have to turn around!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luc Dragoni
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9780463011638

Luc Dragoni

Passionate about naval subjects, I wrote this novel about piracy, whose action takes place first in the Canary Islands and then in the West Indies. The story is mainly composed of two heroines, who sometimes will be opposed to each other and will eventually become friends and accomplices. Enjoy reading ^^

Book preview

Pirates 3.The Meeting

Luc Dragoni

Published by Luc Dragoni, 2024.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

PIRATES 3.THE MEETING

First edition. March 1, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 Luc Dragoni.

ISBN: 978-0463011638

Written by Luc Dragoni.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Pirates 3.The Meeting

Pain

On the quarterdeck

Black plague

Tom the Irishman

At the top of the foremast

Chapter II – Initiation

Golden hands

Gunpowder!

Put to the vote

Temptation

With no regrets

Chapter III – Farewell

An English Frigate

The Powder magazine

Red-hot cannonballs––––––––

Pirate Code

Santa Cruz

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Further Reading: Pirates 4.The Blood Sisters

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PIRATES

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Third part

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ISBN: 978-0463011638

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Copyright © 2024 by Luc Dragoni

Independently published

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Chapter I – Captive

Pain

On the quarterdeck

Black plague

Tom the Irishman

At the top of the foremast

Chapter II – Initiation

Golden hands

Gunpowder!

Put to the vote

Temptation

With no regrets

Chapter III – Farewell

An English Frigate

The Powder magazine

Red-hot cannonballs

Pirate Code

Santa Cruz

Chapter I – Captive

Pain

The water is cold and it makes me feel good. Its taste is salty. My wound is stinging my head. I’m suffering. But where am I? I can barely open my eyes. I can only see a wooden floor and I’m lying on this wet and damaged surface. It has a reddish color. Is it blood red? Is my own blood oozing through my hair? Oh yes, I remember now... my boarding on the Schooner. What is her name again? 'La Bougonne'? Why am I lying on my belly and all bloody? Oh my God, my head, it hurts me so much! Maybe death looks like this... but no, I’m not dead! I can hear voices and also a sound of footsteps slowly approaching. I have to get up or at least get on my knees. No, I’ll never make it. I’m suffering too much, as I’m having this terrible shooting pain. It’s like something were tapping, tapping endlessly inside my head. Footsteps are getting louder. I need to see who is coming.

This is that woman, all dressed in black. She’s tall, very tall. Her long red hair is fluttering on her shoulders.

The pirates! That’s it, I do remember. They attacked us. But what about her? What name did the sailors say? The Bri... the Brilliant? No, the Brigand. Oh, I can't remember...

The one who attacked me was small, and before he knocked me out, he breathed fire. Yes, that’s right. He sent me a spray of flames. And I had to step back. He took my bludgeon. But where is he now? The woman keeps coming. A dagger stained with blood hangs from her belt.

She’s bending down. Her wide eyes of such a pure green... It seems two emeralds are staring at me. She puts her face very close to mine, so close to mine, and she keeps examining me. Her look is contemptuous and full of hate. This woman is fierce and cruel. Our unfortunate sailors said so! I can’t hold her gaze... I close my eyes. She’s going to grab her dagger and finish me off. My short life will end like this. My throat will get slit...

But suddenly I hear her laugh and it is a clear, harmonious, almost a childish laugh, the pure laugh of a still young person.

Usually, seafarers have a hoarse and raspy voice. The fault of sea spray, bad weather, alcohol and tobacco... Her laugh reassures me and makes me feel confident. With a laugh like that, she can’t be that bad!

I open my eyes again. The woman has moved back slightly and she begins to stand up. But now I can see something appearing from her back and climbing on her shoulder. Her red hair merges into this strange shape, almost the same color as her long mane of hair. I also seem to distinguish hairy legs that move slowly...

Oh no! That’s impossible! I must be dreaming. It’s not a parrot or a monkey, it’s a monster. This woman carries a monster on her shoulder. A spider, a huge spider, bigger than a hand and almost entirely red. A filthy beast coming from hell, a creature of the devil. And this woman, this Pirate Captain, is exhibiting it on her shoulder! To better terrify and definitively subdue us.

Now I remember this flag, when their ship was approaching ours just before the boarding. This horrible golden colored silhouette on a navy blue background. The words of the old topmen come back to me, I listened to them shortly before the attack: ‘certainly she is just as mean as a snake and her cruelty is boundless’.

Her flag, she also carries it on her shoulder and it signifies: I will be the most terrible of your fears, I will come to haunt you, to surprise you and then I will slaughter you...

Stand up and follow me. Let’s go to my ship and in my cabin!

At the same time she gives me a brief sign with her hand. The tone of her voice is rough and powerful. It is not as harmonious as her laugh. I’d better obey her without keeping her waiting. She spared my life, but for how long? I have to get on my knees and then I will try to raise my body up and go to the ship’s rail. It will be my support point.

The Pirate woman already moves away, while, barely up, I stumble and almost fall at every step before finally reaching this partially broken wooden parapet.

My poor head is hurting me, even more than when I was still lying on the deck. But I can’t let myself go. I must follow her. Otherwise, she will execute me, because she is merciless. With a look as wild as hers and such a beast on her shoulder, this woman can only be evil, cruel and without any compassion.

Get all the valuable goods and sink that ship, then set course to the West, let’s not linger! And then, you ‘Midget’, come and join me!

The sound of her voice is suddenly becoming louder. The red haired Pirate has spoken to her crew and all these men hurry and start running. They obey her as if she were a princess.

The schooner doesn’t move anymore. That’s good for me! Today the sea is calm, otherwise I would never be able to stand up, even if I could grab this rail. And my head is still hurting so much! I am soaked with this mixture of sea water and blood, and I know that on the side of my wound, my hair came to stick against my cheek.

With great agility, the woman crosses the board that connects the two ships. She has just given her orders and then she leaves, without any hesitation and without turning around. And that hideous monster that stays there, still hanging on her shoulder...

But what name did the sailors say? Ah, I definitely can’t remember. The Brigand... The Brilliant...

I, in turn, have to cross this damn board and I must not fall into the water. I feel dizziness, nausea and now I even need to vomit. I’m never going to make it... I have to put my hands on this piece of wood and move forward like a monkey, those that can be seen at funfairs and animal shows. I walk on this improvised bridge that connects the two ships, while avoiding looking left and right. I’m just watching my hands, which progress little by little on this rough and flaky piece of wood. Nevertheless, to follow this woman, this kind of fury, I’d have to move much faster!

Finally, I can reach the main deck of the pirate ship and once there I manage to stand up, holding myself to the rail. However, this time, I can’t see the Pirate woman anymore. I was walking with my head down, so I lost sight of her. What is she about to think? She’ll probably believe I don’t want to come and just make fun of her... But no, I feel confident again, I spot her on my left! She is quickly going into a cabin located under the quarterdeck of their vessel, so I must also get to that place.

My head is hurting me even more than when I was regaining consciousness. Standing up, bending down and getting up again caused me an even sharper and haunting pain. I have the feeling that my blood has started to boil and is only trying to escape from my skull by banging interminably against its sides.

Before I began to follow her, the Pirate Captain spoke to her crew. Yes, I remember... her last words were: ‘and sink that ship, then set course to the West, let’s not linger!’ I have to tell her that two men are still in the hold. I must rescue them. I mustn’t forget.  The Bear and the Barbary prisoner, they almost became my friends, they did not betray me. Then I’ll talk about them to that woman. 

A new bucket of fresh water would do my poor head a world of good! I stumble toward the entrance of this cabin and discover a small wooden staircase. As best as I can, I manage to get down these few steps, placing my hands on each side of the woodwork.

At last I can reach the entrance of this large room. I remain at the corner of this open door, fearing to lose balance at any moment. I lean my body against one of its frame.

The woman is already inside the room. Behind a large desk, she is sitting on an antique rocking chair and has stretched out her long legs, wearing black boots, on the edge of