This is a little weird...but so is the whole story, so never mind...lol
Chapter 7
A Strange Encounter
The strange Indian woman knelt and lifted the baby and smiled at him. His clear blue eyes regarded her with mild interest, but he didn't cry.
"My name is Black Crow, little one," she murmured. "This baby is too important to drag all over the countryside Senorita," she said, glancing towards Victoria.
"We didn't know what to do," Victoria said with a sigh. "We went on rumours and gossip."
Black Crow handed the baby to Victoria, and the baby smiled, as he grabbed her hair and yanked it. She bit her lip, not wanting to appear stupid in front of the strange woman.
Victoria carefully removed the hair from the little fist, and shifted the baby into a different position.
Diego would owe her a lot for these couple of days, she thought.
"Come this way, ladies," Black Crow said with a touch of humour in her cultured voice. She led the way through the bushes and into a clearing they wouldn't have even known was there.
"Red Moon, there is a hungry baby in need of help," Black Crow murmured, and another woman came forward. Red Moon waited for Victoria to hand over the baby, but she hesitated.
"Red Moon is a wet nurse, that's what you would call her. The baby needs milk, and her milk is as good as any other," Black Crow said, a little dismissively. "Hand the baby over, Senorita."
Victoria glanced at the woman's face, and Red Moon smiled at her kindly. She gave her baby Diego, and watched as the Indian wet nurse wandered a little way away towards some other young children. They all looked to her with love in their eyes, and Victoria knew she had made a good choice.
"I don't like being told what to do," she said to Black Crow. "I am responsible for him."
"Are you now?" Black Crow said, with a touch of humour in her serious eyes. "I believe Spain is still ruled by men, as are the households in this area. His father is responsible for him – not you."
"We are here to ask for help, Black Crow," Maria said gently. "You said you would help us."
Black Crow sighed, and nodded. "I was not always as I am now," she murmured. "The fountain robbed me of my husband, and I became lost and alone in a wilderness very unfamiliar to me. I am not originally from Los Angeles. I was so young then."
"You still are," Victoria said abruptly.
"No, not really. You see, I am stuck at this age for the rest of my life. At least I think so," she said strangely. "A side effect of the spring. I washed my face in the spring many times. My husband drank from the spring and died almost immediately. It is poisonous to drink," she explained. "He was part of an exploration party. He found me miles away and carted me with him as they went."
"You were alone out here?"
"No, the local Indians were everywhere then. They saw my plight and rescued me. I have seen decades of harsh treatment of my people, and I developed a hatred of Spain."
"You are educated, Black Crow."
"Some of my Indian brothers found a chest of gold and clothes, and talked me into going to Spain, and disguised me so that no harm would come to me. I wore men's clothes and studied hard. The gold was exhausted eventually, and I returned here. I know a lot of things, and some things were not easy to learn."
"Such as?"
"Things your beloved Zorro would prefer you never to know, probably," Black Crow said. She turned away for a moment, and sighed.
"As for the child," she said. "Zorro needs to be given a formula, a tea of nutrients, once a day for a week. I will prepare it, and you can take it with you."
"What will it do to him?"
"Each day will help him grow a little faster, until he becomes the man he is meant to be once more," Black Crow said. "Each day will be different, of course, but at least the baby will grow up. No more diapers and concerns about fresh milk."
"Oh," Victoria said softly. She wasn't completely sure what she meant, but she was determined to go through with whatever plan was in place. "In a week, we will have Zorro back?"
"If you don't miss a dose," Black Crow said. "It tastes terrible, so a child may not obediently drink the formula."
Victoria smiled a little. She'd make him drink it if she had to hold him down, or tie him up. She remembered the bitterness of the cactus tea and thought about the joy of revenge.
"If we miss a dose?"
"Then you have a natural progression from where he missed it. Say if he is in the form of a 13 year old child when you miss the dose, you will wait 20 years to see him fully grown."
Victoria shuddered at the thought. She would not miss a dose.
Black Crow smiled at the look on Victoria's face, and moved towards her tepee. "Stay here, Senorita."
Victoria glanced at Maria. "What a strange woman," she breathed.
"Do you really think the fountain of youth is that strange stream?"
"After what it did to Diego, anything's possible," Victoria said. "Would she really be that old?"
"How old is she?" Maria asked softly. "Maybe we should ask?"
"I don't think she wants to say," Victoria said.
They felt a little lost in the middle of the Indian camp. Not many people were around, and the men were young and busy making arrows and spears and chatting to each other. The women were busy with a small vegetable garden. Everyone was ignoring them as best they could.
Victoria moved a little closer to Red Moon. She had fed baby Diego and he was satisfied and sleepy in her arms. Red Moon smiled, and moved over on a fallen log to let Victoria sit down beside her. Red Moon smiled and nodded. She was obviously a gentle woman with a lot of love for children. Many of the Indian children played at her feet, and she watched them like a hawk.
Victoria stared at the woman, taking in her clothes and the fact that she wore a dagger in her belt and an arrow pack over her shoulder. A bow was at her side, and Victoria could imagine that at a second's notice an arrow could and would be shot if at all necessary. The soft, gentle woman had a confidence in her stance that inspired courage in others.
Although Red Moon could understand Black Crow's words, it was obvious she couldn't speak the language. Victoria didn't attempt a conversation. Baby Diego squirmed a little in her arms. He seemed a little overtired to Victoria's limited experience.
Red Moon merely smiled and forestalled the screaming that would have otherwise erupted. She started to sing a gentle, soft lullaby, and rocked him as she sang. The baby was lulled but not asleep, preferring to listen to the gentle sound of her voice.
Victoria felt a little jealous, watching her. Diego had preferred her company over any of the others, but now this expert was winning his affections. She shook herself with a laugh, and Red Moon glanced at her, still singing.
"I get jealous sometimes," she murmured. Red Moon smiled and shrugged a little. There was a sound behind them as a handsome young warrior approached. Red Moon noticed him, and smiled. She passed baby Diego over to Victoria, and went to the man.
Victoria sighed. It was obvious that the woman was the man's wife. She held Diego close to her, and sang a song that she remembered, and the clear blue eyes went to her face with interest. She had forgotten the fact that babies of that age simply needed someone to care for them, someone to trust. The more the better sometimes. She smiled at him, just to get the answering smile. He chuckled a little, and Victoria relaxed.
It was all going to be fine; keeping up with the doses of medicine was surely going to be easy.
Zzz
Black Crow approached her carefully, carrying a jug with a firm stopper. "Put the baby in the basket, Senorita," she said firmly.
"Why?"
"This is a very heavy jug, and the contents will bring the hero back to us, that's why," the woman sighed. "I am sorry, Senorita. After all my years of seclusion, I have learnt to be cautious and abrupt with strangers."
"Can I ask something?" Victoria said, doing what she was told. The baby waved at her a little agitatedly, but she ignored him for the moment.
"What is it?"
"What year was it when you first came to California? You say you have been here for a long time."
"You are very curious, Senorita," Black Crow said gently. It was a turnaround in her character. "You are someone who is like me. It is not always a good thing to be."
Victoria paused, and the woman smiled a little before she looked away.
"My partner died in 1603. He was Spanish, I was an Indian maid from down near what the Spanish call San Diego. I hid from the Spanish because they frightened me, all those men. I knew the water was poisonous because he drank before me, but I wanted to be clean, so I washed my face. The rains were heavy and I assumed that the poison was leeched out. I washed my whole body in the pond water, with a cloth. I didn't turn into a baby, so whatever it is did not affect me the same way as Zorro. No one gave me any advice or help, and the effects were not reversed."
"Other people have come here for help over the years?" Victoria was shocked by the revelation. Black Crow was over 200 years old, but she looked younger than 20.
"Yes. I have been able to help a few of them. Some babies just had to grow up all over again, and there was no lasting damage. I think my own experience may have been a one in a million," Black Crow said. "You are a brave woman, even if a little stupid, Senorita. I believe you are worthy of Zorro's affections, and that he is worthy of yours."
"Will we see you again?"
"We are a nomadic village, Senorita. It depends," Black Crow said. "I will call your servant…"
"Maria is not my servant," Victoria said sharply. Black Crow smiled.
"But she is a servant, and quite happy to be one. Each person has their place in the world, and each person needs to be respected for that place."
Victoria was confused, but smiled back. She would have liked to spend more time with this strong, strange woman, but it was unlikely to be possible.
