Justified Treason (Endless Horizon Pirate Stories, Book 1)

Justified Treason

Endless Horizon Pirate Stories

Book 1

CRISTI TAIJERON

Copyright © 2013 Cristi Taijeron

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN-13
:
9781490338477

ISBN-10
:
1490338470

Edited by Stacey Coverstone

Staceycoverstone.com

Cover Artwork by Megan Dinsdale and Cristi Taijeron

Megandinsdale.net

Interior design by Cristi Taijeron

Endlesshorizondesigns.com

To Shaun Taijeron

My Solid Rock

Thank you for listening to my ideas, inspiring adventurous twists,

and providing insight into the mind of a man.

Though you only speak your love as sweetly as a salty pirate,

your heart of gold is the greatest treasure

I
could ever dream to plunder.

Thank you for supporting my creative vacation to the Caribbean.

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

This story came along with the help of many creative and knowledgeable minds.

I want to thank you all for being the wonderful people you are and

for helping my biggest daydream come true.

My parents, Joe & Kim

For always supporting and inspiring the creative whirlwinds of my artistic mind.

Mom, your love for history has taught me to appreciate the story behind the scenery, and Dad, your adventurous spirit has inspired me to try

new things and “make things happen.”

Thanks for sharing your true life sea stories about the storms and the whales, and for raising me with the courage to stand up in life and pave my own path.

You are a true buccaneer at heart.

Also, I cannot thank both of you enough for taking me to visit the Caribbean

when I was fourteen. I will never forget the scenery or the history of that majestic wonderland and could not have written this story without

the inspiration of that experience.

Stacey, Rachel, Jackie, and Isabella

For the hard work and patience that it took to edit my work.

I am a creative dreamer but far from a proper writer, and you all have helped bring my poetry closer to the ground without taking it out of the clouds.

Olivia

For listening to the most intricate details and diving into the depths of the characters. My imaginary friends have been just as real to you as they are to me,

and you have been a blast to daydream with.

Tori

For always being willing to daydream and for sharing your

knowledge of novels in general.

My ‘mommy’ friends Kim and Tasha

For supporting my insanity on a daily basis. Kim, for the romantic persuasion.

Tasha, for always saying “When” instead of “If.'”

Mabry, Sarah, and Chelda

Mabry, your support in the very beginning inspired me to keep writing.

Sarah, your inspiration along the way has been as much of a joy as a help.

Chelda, you are my Anne Bonny, and our mutual love for adventure and imagination have always been one of my favored enjoyments in life.

Cheers to my desert buddies

I have always seen us as pirates of our sea of rock and sand.

Our wild nights in the dunes have inspired the pirates’ drunken behavior,

last minute wit, and outlandish humor.

Megan Dinsdale,

Author of Finding Eden

I could never thank you enough for bringing my artistic vision to life on the cover.

Capt. Nikko Lorenczi,

Commodore of the Left Coast Privateers

Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge of the seas, the ships, and the commands of a pirate captain.

Will Smithy King,

Owner and Master Blacksmith at Kings Forge and Muzzle Loading

Thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge on weaponry of the times.

The pictures and descriptions you have shared with me helped to

paint a vivid picture of this time long past.

George Roland Brown

I always look forward to your inspiring and humorous pirate expressions.

Your poetry takes my breath away, and your crude sea dog insults always make me laugh out loud. You have been a joy to dream with.

Sam Ryan Bellamy, Composer of Return

Your music so vividly expresses the true history of a tale so similar to my own, and the beautiful sound will play in the background of my mind during

many of my writings to come.

All my friends in the pirate community

Though the term piracy technically means an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea, those of us who have ventured to delve deeper into the era

understand there is much more to the soul of a pirate.

The audacious lifestyle represents an air of freedom

and expresses the courage it takes for one to claim life as their own.

Coming to find this community of likeminded rebels has been a great plunder for my inspiring soul. It seems we have all found our way in the world on our own terms, and through our various artistic expressions we have managed to keep this

vibrant part of history alive. Thank you for sailing my pirate journey with me.

CREDITS

In researching the history and information
for this project, I want to give credit to the following books, authors, and websites:

Books

How History’s Greatest Pirates Pillaged, Plundered, and Got Away with it.
By Benerson Little

Under the Black Flag
.
By David Cordingly

A General History of the Pirates.
Daniel DeFoe,

Caribbean
.
By James A. Michener

The Pirate Ships 1660-1730
. By Angus Konstam

Pirate (DK Eyewitness Books Series
)
. By Richard Platt

The History of Pirates: From Privateers to Outlaws
.
By Allison Lassieur

Pirate Gear: Cannons, Swords, and the Jolly Roger
.
By Liam O'Donnell.

THE HOLY BIBLE

Websites

http://whydah.com/

http://kingsforgeandmuzzleloading.com/

http://www.loyalistarms.freeservers.com/pirategoods.htm

https://www.facebook.com/iamafreeprince

http://www.cindyvallar.com/pirates.html

http://thepiratesrealm.com

http://privateerdragons.com

http://caribbean-pirates.com

http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com

http://thepirateking.com

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid

AUTHOR’S nOTE

Endless Horizon Pirate Stories
is a fictional series based during The Golden Age of Piracy. For almost a century, the beautiful Caribbean Sea was tormented by vicious and bloodthirsty pirates who dressed the part of kings and royalty. They took to the seas with the salty air whipping their harrowing black flag in the wind, plundering Spanish gold, and pillaging civilian ports with little regard for life beyond their own flashing desires. Yet, somehow these men have marked their place in history with an alluring label of power and freedom, enticing the minds of dreamers and romancing the hearts of lovers.

Since my visit to the
Caribbean as a teenager, the beautiful landscape of the islands and the freedom of the pirates at sea have set the backdrop for many of my artistic creations. The evening I began writing this story, I had a brief understanding of the pirates' way of life, but as the plot developed, I realized imagination alone would not be enough to portray the vivid details of this time long past. I began my research and found the history to be more alluring than I had ever imagined, and as an artist, I combined my poetic daydreams with the true history of the era to begin the series of Endless Horizon Pirate Stories.

Justified Treason
tells the tale of a forbidden love affair between a buccaneer and a nobleman’s daughter. Over the centuries, the law of man has divided people between social status, skin color, and religion, yet the power of love has struggled, suffered, and prevailed against these manmade divides in the most beautiful and unexpected ways. Walls collapse and worlds collide within love’s will to conquer, and with no way to tame the rebellion it sometimes inspires, it seems that perhaps, love is the greatest pirate of all.

There is no fear in love

True love casteth out all fear

1 JOHN 4:18

Port Royal, Jamaica

1667