Slave Of Destiny by Derek Easterbrook Page A

I’m still standing here.” Michael replied truthfully.
“Why did you spare me, Vijendra ?”
    “Because
you fight like a warrior, and, I admire warriors.” He said simply.
    “I have
an offer for you; care to join us young warrior?” he asked.
    “You…You
want me to become a pirate?” Michael asked, very surprised.
    “Yes!
You really don’t have much choice in the matter” he said.
    “Leave
me alone you mongrels” a woman shouted.
    “What
about this woman? She’s really feisty” someone asked, laughing.
    “Bring
her along as well. The crew will be very happy to play with her” he suggested.
    “I’ll
die first before I become your concubine” she spat.
    “Well
that can be arranged” he suggested smugly.
    “Constance
is a great cook” Michael butted in.
    “A
great cook! That’s something we don’t have” he said. “Bring them both with us.
I want the rest of you to ransack this vessel and burn it to the waterline” he ordered,
walking away.

Chapter 7
     
    Michael watched
with horror as the Teresa burnt to the waterline, before sinking.
Constance had already been taken below, while most of the men drank some of
their allocated bounty of rum before the schooner sailed away. Captain Vijendra had been given all the bounty of
gold and jewels which was, by now, locked safely away in his treasure chest.
The crew was allowed to keep any other valuables for themselves. Michael
was delegated to his usual chore of swabbing the decks so, during his work he
listened to their idle chatter and merriment. The captain’s last words to him
had sunk deep to his sole as he remembered them “ Try and escape and I will
kill you. ” There was no way he would try and escape; where would he go?
     
    The anchor was
lowered, just on sunset, in a bay not far from where everybody died. Constance
was bone-tired from cooking for sixty hungry men and fending off their playful
bum slaps and touches. The two of them were each given a bowl of gruel and some
stale bread and they were asked to eat in a storeroom.
    “What’s going to
become of us, Michael?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.
     
    After dinner the men
drank more rum while some others sucked on long pipes on the deck, while the
two of us had to clean up the galley. “ Talk about out of the frying pan and
into the fire ” he thought sadly.  Later that night the two of them were
locked up in the storeroom to sleep, so Michael began thinking about Sally and
how lucky she was to have escaped this living hell.
    * * *
     
    Vijendra loved the chase, but it was the kill that gave him
the most satisfaction. He had been in the British Secret Service and had
quickly developed a reputation for being fearless, ruthless and most of all,
intelligent. His mild mannered ways made people trust him, but he could kill
someone as quick as a flash. He set his mind at becoming close friends with the
lovely Constance, but she was from a different world to him and it would take
time for her to change. Up to now all of his women had been whores, who
followed his band of pirates. Some of the women were extremely pretty and,
attracted by his strength and looks, had genuinely fallen in love with him. His
actual name was Francis James Scott; no wonder he changed his name – who would
like the name Francis?  Vijendra sounded exotic and gave him the feeling of
strength, but everyone called him the White Ghost.
     
    * * *
     
    The schooner sailed
all the next day and a night until finally the Mabuhay lowered its
anchor in a very secluded bay in the early hours of the morning.
    “Welcome to Avilla”
he said to the two of them when they were up on deck. “It’s time to go ashore.
Please remember – you cannot escape, but if you try you will be killed. You,
Michael, will stay with Dayang until I find you somewhere to work. Meanwhile
Constance will accompany me to the monastery on the hill, because that’s where
you’ll stay.”
    The two of them
went ashore with the rest of the