During the course of a single day in 1569, Patik's and Meno's lives transformed from a routine of poverty and convention to lives filled with promise and adventure. On that day, a datu's grandson killed their family and stole their land, and also on that day, Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi arrived in Panay.

In the years that followed, Patik signed onto a Chinese junk where he forged a hardened work ethic that took him all the way to becoming the region's most powerful mariner and trader.

Meno established himself in the newly formed Spanish government. He soon met a charming and beautiful female aristocrat with whom he learned the intricacies of dealing with its cutthroat bureaucracy. Together, they manipulated the powerful Augustinian friars into supporting their plans.

Patik and Meno forged alliances while accumulating the necessary wealth and influence to regain title to the lands they'd lost, and much, much more. This is their story of hardship, moral strength, love, risk, and reward.

Terry Mallon