Pirates 1. The Voyage of Blandine Veyre

By Luc Dragoni

Spring of the year 1720...Young girl of the bourgeoisie, Blandine Veyre lives with her family in the majestic Phocaean city located in the South of the French Kingdom. On her sixteenth birthday, she receives a wonderful gift, a leisure voyage in the company of her brother, a naval Officer, onboard an impressive three-masted ship called 'Lacydon'. However, very soon the first journey will turn into a series of unexpected and sometimes painful as well as solitary adventures. Finally, she will experience anxiety and fear when the 'Brigantine' appears...

'Tonight I go back very early to my cabin. The previous night I didn't get much sleep and despite the raging sea, I think that the fatigue of staying awake for such a long time will eventually take its toll on me. And I got so sick, I think I won't be sick at all anymore! However, my anxiety is great about the worrying events that are coming up and in order to reassure me, I keep on my wrist my precious gold bracelet, which I used to take off every night. Perhaps this splendid and charming jewel will succeed in protecting me from the storm and its malevolent effects.'

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luc Dragoni
• Release date: Feb 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9780463972281

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

First part

The Voyage of Blandine Veyre

Luc DRAGONI

PIRATES

First part

The Voyage of Blandine Veyre

ISBN: 978-0463972281

All rights reserved

CopyrightDepot.com N°: 00062930-1

Copyright © 2024 by Luc Dragoni

Independently published

No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, without the prior written permission of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Dear readers,

Thank you for your kind attention.

Your comments, your reviews, either laudatory or unfavorable, are always welcome!

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Prologue - ‘To my beloved’

Chapter I - A day like any other

In the early morning

The preceptor

Father’s refusal

My birthday present

The Eye of Satan

Chapter II - The Travel

The arrival of the « Lacydon »

Samson

Goodbye my Phocaean city

My life on board

The shipwreck

Chapter III – Alone

Adrift

Pantelleria

The poor people

A Schooner called ‘Baguenaude’

The ‘Bear’ and the Barbary Pirate

The ‘Brigantine’

Prologue - ‘To my beloved’

In your eyes, I first saw hate, violence and cruelty, but then later I only saw love...

On this deserted island, on this island with a smell of smuggled rum, behind our log house, there is a little grave.

I do not know if the dead persons can read our letters but I write to you anyway. You know, my memories are strong, I am still thinking with emotion about our first encounter and the common existence that followed. Nor have I forgotten that before I met you and also before I became such a different person, a bold and seasoned adventurer, long before I became this insensitive woman that nothing can bother, I once was a sweet and sensitive young girl and my family was considering me as an angel...

Do you remember?

At the dawn of my sixteen years old and dressed up as a boy, I had found myself, somewhat by accident, on board a commercial schooner. Back then, I had no choice but to embark on this ship, for it was putting an end to my unfortunate experience as a castaway and my sad exiled situation. But nonetheless, I regretted almost immediately this decision because I did not like the Captain and his crew, and also the job assigned to me in the galley and the hold disgusted me.

Then, I was just thinking about the journey back, hoping I would be as soon as possible with my parents again, but right in the middle of our crossing, your ship ‘the Brigantine’ started hunting us down and boarded our vessel in no time.

Then, the events came one after another so quickly that I could only catch glimpse of your flag, which seemed to terrorize our crew: on a dark blue background, almost black, the figure of a spider was embroidered with red and gold threads. I would very soon understand what all this meant...

I will always remember this moment of fright, not the one that is invented, but the one that can petrify and paralyze you. Just like our sailors, I had tried to defend myself but I had been immediately knocked unconscious. I was lying on the planks, my face covered in blood, when a bucket of fresh water suddenly emptied on my head made me regain consciousness.

And in that precise moment... I saw you approaching at a supple and slow pace. The sound of your boots was resonating on the ship’s deck but it was a muffled crack. Despite this, you kept moving forward just like wild animals do. And in order to take a good look at me, you put your face very close to mine, much too close, as if you had wanted to get into my being. In your deep green eyes, as green as ferocity itself, there was only contempt and rage. I could not hold your stare and had to shut my eyelids.

That was the end. From that moment on, I thought my short existence was over...

This is when I heard your laughter, but it was not sudden and raspy like it is common among seafarers. No, your laughter was clear, almost childlike. Thus, I regained confidence and finally opened my eyes. But my fear increased even more, for if some pirate ship’s captains usually wear a parrot or a little monkey on their shoulder, there was on yours a kind of hairy mass, which was appearing very slowly to my eyes as it was climbing up from your back. And it was a spider, bigger than a hand and red as hell. I had just figured out the terrifying meaning of your flag!

All of a sudden, you stopped laughing.

Gather all the valuable goods and sink this ship. Then, head to the West, hurry up! You ordered with a tone of authority to your crew.

Then, you invited me to follow you in your vessel’s cabin. The men were all rushing to obey your orders, like we do with a princess. I was struck when I realized that I was the only one who survived the slaughter. Thus, I kept my distance from you as I tracked your footsteps, utterly afraid. My eyes were still staring at your shoulder and at the horrible monster holding there.

Your agility was remarkable. In the turmoil that prevailed at this moment, you crossed effortlessly the plank connecting the two ships together. You did this with such a swiftness that for a minute, I thought that I had lost sight of you, because for my part, my head was hurting so much that I was staggering. Then, you stepped into your cabin, right under the stern castle. The door was left open and it was only a bit later that, in my turn, I fearfully walked inside.

You were already sitting in an ancient red rocking chair entirely made of wood. Your long legs, still wearing these stunning black knee-boots, were stretched out on your deck. And this look of a wild beast always focused on me, this primitive look, tough and unforgettable.

This is when it all began. You were asking me abrupt and disagreeable questions and I barely dared lift my eyes to look at you, as I was answering awkwardly.

There was a total misunderstanding between us. This way, we began to measure our differences, which at this time were bountiful!

At the beginning, you made me stay with you. We sailed far, far away beyond the horizon. I was feeling lost, abandoned. The animosity and disagreements between the two of us were deep and happened frequently.

And then time passed, I slowly became familiar with your personality, your way of life. You yourself started to cast a less hostile gaze upon me, and you finally decided to grow fond of me. You taught me your mysteries and your secrets and I tried to pass on my serenity to you, as well as my ability to forgive. ‘The alliance’, this is how sometimes you nicknamed me! We ended up understanding each other and thus we became friends and accomplices.

Besides, remember... Much later, you told me many times, with a mocking tone:

We will have to wait another few hundred years before women as self-sufficient and independent as us may finally feel free without being constantly watched, judged and banned!

My existence with you progressively became brighter and I have kept these wonderful memories for my whole life!

But now, I am alone, terribly alone on this island at the edge of the world, which served as a final refuge for us and as a final withdrawal when we chose to bring our pirate’s life to an end.

So, my dear partner, receive this letter, it is for you.

And before long, I will write your story, our story. Rest in peace, for in your eyes there was only tenderness and love...

Chapter I - A day like any other

In the early morning

The sun rises in the pale and foggy sky. The light barely scatters its orangey color through the wooden louvers of my bedroom, which is located on the second floor of our family home. It directly looks out onto the commercial harbor of our good old Phocaean  city.

I have no idea what time it is. For the moment, everything is quiet and the docks are still asleep but very soon a feverish agitation will appear, and this thrust of life that comes each morning again will go on throughout the day and only end late at night...

In a little while, like she does every day, I will hear Mother’s stealthy gait climbing the stairs, and to make sure that I am awake, she will knock a few times at my door and whisper:

Blandine? Blandine, it’s time, get up! Come down and have your breakfast!

While I wait for this moment to come, I lie on the side and rest my cheek on the pillow, as I let my fingers play with my brown hair, making small curls with them. I vaguely think about this new day, and also about myself and my future, which is probably already written...

‘Blandine’, ‘Mademoiselle Blandine Veyre’, it is me, the sailmaker’s daughter, a respected and well off man!

We are part of the small local bourgeoisie, we are known and recognized. When we are out for a walk on the Sundays, the poor people honor and salute us. The nobles stare at us attentively and intriguingly, for within our modest means, we strive for the well-being and the prosperity of the realm, and also for its commercial exchanges.

Sails are important, they make move forward all those beautiful ships. They know how to tame breezes and winds, they manage to channel the forces of the elements so that these powerful vessels can sail and seek out all the wonderful and mysterious resources the Orient abounds.

But the Orient... I hardly know that it is located far away to the East, towards the rising sun...

Our white sails are luckier than me because they know the Orient really well and visit it often. As for me, all I do is educating myself and learning my future job by helping my parents!

Blandine? My mother calls.

Yes Mother, I’m getting dressed and I come down, I say.

I sit on the edge of the bed. Wearing nothing but my cotton nightgown, I feel a little cold.

The ewer still contains some water that I carefully pour into my small silver basin. I like this scented water, Mother knows well how to make this preparation! I slowly soak my hands and rub softly my face, although the water is quite cool. I look in the black and gold lacquered wooden mirror leaning against the wall. I try to smile, then I lazily brush the tips of my hair. My comb is precious, it is made of tortoise-shell and has