The Pirate Slave

The Slave Trader And The Savior

From the ground Nadine tried to look up and see who was talking, but the sun shone blindingly. She shielded her eyes as the figure started to form in vision. He was a big bulky man whose appearance matched the voice. His skin was brown all over, Nadine was unsure whether it was his natural color or caused by sunburn.

He climbed down from his horse and towered over her. She crept backwards in attempt to set some distance from him. The man looked down at her. His loud voice rang as he waved his big hand to the clutter around the horse that hit her earlier.

"See what you've done? You spooked my horse and scared my servant. And my new china set is now in pieces. You. Must pay for that!"

Nadine winced. She wanted to protest that it was not her fault the horse spooked. But she only froze on spot.

"Who's your owner?" The giant barked again. "Speak up, boy! I will make him pay for what you owe me. And you'll be sure hard punishment awaits you." His smirk looked so evil Nadine could not help flinching. But still no sound came out of her mouth.

"What, no tongue?" His face reddened under the brown color of his skin. Then suddenly he grinned and spoke with a completely different tone. "Or have you no master, little boy?"

The word 'master' reminded Nadine of Jay, and all the wanton ways he had taught her. She blushed at the thought, but quickly shook it away. The brown man mistook it as an answer to his question and laughed out loud.

"Then you're mine from now on. A pretty young boy like you will fetch a lot of money. But before, I will break your spirit first and make you a very obediant slave."

Nadine's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She scrambled onto her feet and tried to run away. But the huge man took one wide step towards her and grabbed her arm. She cried out as his fingers dug into her flesh.

"Well, well, it turned out you do have a voice. And a nice feminine shriek you just uttered, pretty boy." Nadine shuddered at the slimy sound of his voice. She resisted as much as she could when the slave hunter began to drag him to his horse. She kicked and hit him with her clenched fist but he did not seem to feel anything against her strikes.

"And since when you have the right to steal my servant, Daaka?"

Nadine and the big man both stopped in their tracks and looked at the direction of the new comer. The slave hunter immediately let go of Nadine's arm, which made her lose balance and once again fell on the ground.

"Marla," the man called Daaka greeted affectionately. "I did not know he's yours. Had he said one word about it, I would've let him go on his way."

Daaka came to Marla, took her hand and kissed it, which gave Nadine opportuniy to observe her savior. This Marla was a plump woman in her forties whose face still had the traces of beauty she must have had when she was much younger. She dressed a little too much for a small island town, in satin and laces and flowery parasol to protect her skin from the sun. The only flaw she could find on her was her greying black hair which she seemed to unsuccesfully try to hide, perhaps due to limited access to good hair dye products.

Nadine watched the two old acquaintances exchange intimate words in low voice. Then finally Daaka kissed Marla's cheeks, climbed back onto his horse and led his entourage away without another glance at Nadine. Marla poked at Nadine's leg with her closed parasol. "Get up now, lad. You're coming with me!"

Nadine had no other choice but to follow. She just hoped this woman was not another slave trader whose sole intention was to sell her to the highest bidder. She followed the lady's graceful steps, aware that she herself was limping quite painfully for her naked feet was starting to bleed a little. Thankfully it was only a short distance before the arrived at a two-story house painted in white and soft pink.

They all walked pass by the beautiful front double door and entered the house from a side door leading to a bright and airy kitchen. She instantly felt homesick. Marla's kitchen reminded her so much of the well-kept and well-stocked kitchen in her father's big house. Although the smell was different. This one smelled of exotic food and the people working in it were more diverse in terms of skin color and language spoken. But as far as she could see, everyone looked content and happy. Nadine's heart lifted a little. Perhaps Marla was a good sort and could be persuaded to help her later.

Marla sat herself on a chair in the servant's dining quarter and motioned Nadine to take a seat in front of her. "Look, lad. I don't know who you are, but I can sense that you're in trouble. I've never seen you around here, so I hope I'm safe to assume that you don't belong to anyone. Yet. Is this correct?"

Nadine nodded. She refused to think about Jay and how he claimed to own her by force.

"Not much a talker, eh?" Marla observed her critically from head to toe. "Actually you'd make a good slave. With the right training to tame your spirit. And that cute face of yours. I bet people are willing to pay much more than what they can afford." She sighed. "Men's tastes are shifting more to the other way, unfortunately for me."

Nadine paled at her words and stood abruptly. Marla chuckled and waved her hand. "Sit down. Don't worry. I don't sell slaves. Eventhough I do have some myself, but I got them mostly as gifts. And I treat them more like regular servants. You know, like with 'please' and 'thank you'. It keeps them happy, and I get more and better service that way." Nadine sat back down slowly.

Marla smiled approvingly. "Listen, if you're afraid someone might catch and sell you, you can stay and work here. I can't promise any salary, but you'll always have a roof over your head and food in your belly. And if you do whatever I say and stay out of trouble, I'll protect you from those hunters. Until you decide you want to leave. How's that?"

Nadine nodded uncertainly. She was half glad and half scared of what might happen to her, but there was no other way. She had to submit to this woman for her safety. At least for now.

"Now we'll have to do something with those bloody feet and get you some sort of footwear."