Chapter 7

Later that evening, Don Alejandro sat in the hacienda library rereading Don Quixote. The last time I did this I inadvertently discovered Zorro's lair. My son is nowhere to be found. Perhaps, I should do a bit of investigating. I vaguely remember standing right about here before I hit my head. The old don placed his fingers gingerly under the fireplace mantle. The door to the fireplace opened and Don Alejandro walked down the steps. The old don remembered this place. His father had built this escape route to protect the family from Indian attacks. He had played in it as a boy but had long since forgotten about it. The old man spotted a lab table among the many items in the cave. Don Alejandro leaned down, put his hands on the table as he looked at the various experiments, weapons and other items displayed in the cave. All this has been right under my nose…My son is certainly clever like a fox but so am I…It finally makes sense…my son's sudden appearances and disappearances...even the seeming disgust for swordplay. Diego, I have a surprise for you later on tonight.

ZZZ

Diego walled quietly through the library. He was surprised to see the library empty. Usually his father would be there reading a book and enjoying a glass of wine to cap off the evening.

"Good evening, Senor Zorro," Don Alejandro said as his son rounded the corner.

The young don stilled at his father's comments. His father could not have discovered his secret. His father was a smart man and the young don hoped that he could convince his father that he was mistaken... "Father, you're not serous! Why would you think that I am Zorro of all people?"

"I must admit that you're a good actor, son. You almost had me convinced but I have proof."

Diego lifted his eyebrow in surprise at his father's statement. He had suspected that his father was up to something and once his father had an idea he would see it through to the bitter end."Suppose I am Zorro and I am not saying that I am, what proof do you have?"

He's not going to make this easy but I wanted my son to be more like me…"One, physically, you are Zorro are the same…uncommonly tall, blue eyes and a slender build. I cannot think of any other men who are as tall as you other than Zorro himself.."

"Alright, I will concede that point but surely that is not enough evidence."

"Two, you are never around when Zorro is present. He just happened to show up when you left to go to The Guardian," Don Alejandro walked toward the fireplace mantle, He was dangerously close to the hidden mechanism which would open the secret panel."Three, Zorro's secret cave happens to be in my old home."

The young don was rendered speechless by his father's comment. His father's keen intelligence had solved a mystery that had existed for years. Diego smiled at his father's cunning. "I should have known that you would figure it out, Father. Since you have already seen the cave, then I guess it is time for the truth."

"Yes, my son, I would be glad to hear it."

"After you, Father," he stated as his father depressed the lever and preceded him down the stairway into the cave hidden below.

"Quite a laboratory you have here, Diego," Don Alejandro walked around the cave admiring the vast array of swords and experiments,"All this has been under my nose the entire time."

"It was difficult keeping this from you, Father. I never meant to be Zorro for so long."

"I know, son but I have had time to think about why you would keep something like this from me. At first, I was angry…I felt deceived and saddened by the distance between us…."

"My secret has kept you safe but it also set up a wall between us…I could never be myself around you…I was only half existing…I wanted you to be proud of me but I would rather lose a little of your respect if it meant that you would be alive and well."

"I believe you, Diego…I respect you for standing up for what you believe in and know I can see that I was wrong about you…You are more like me than I could have ever imagined."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

The older don laughed at Diego's comment. "It depends on who you are talking to and at what particular moment...The sword you carry…"

"It belongs to your old friend, Edmund Kendall. I won it when I defeated him at the university!"

"You defeated Edmund? Sir Edmund is a master swordsman."

"I can fight with both hands," Diego said proudly, "You just assumed that I had not had time to complete my lessons."

"I assumed incorrectly, son. There is definitely more to you than meets the eye!" he boasted as he motioned toward Toronado's stall, "and what about this beautiful animal?"

"The last piece of the puzzle… I think this could be Furiouso's son," he stated and began to recount the story of when he and Felipe found the horse.

Diego and Felipe urged their horses to follow after the black stallion running along the hillside. "Split up! We'll run him down on the other side of the rise."

"Easy. Whoa. Look at that, Felipe. He has a foal. Something is very wrong here. Look at that foal. Stay here with the horses. It's very dangerous. Stay out of reach."

The stallion pawed the ground as the taller man approached and flinched as Diego puts his hands out in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to help you. I know you're protecting your family. Easy."

Diego reached out and touched the foal on its nose. "He's sick. We've got to get him on his feet or he'll die. His lungs will fail. There. Easy. Shh. Come on, come on."

Felipe watched as Diego placed his hand under the foal's belly and applied gentle pressure.

"Come on now. Breathe. Breathe... That's a good boy. I know it's all right now. Your family is here...The foal is safe. He's safe. Let's be friends," Diego asked as he approached the stallion cautiously, "Whoa, easy. He's big, Felipe."

The black horse nervously paws the ground as Diego drew nearer. Felipe smiled as Diego ran his hand down the stallion's side.

Later on in the cave, Felipe looked appraisingly at the animal. He was a beautiful horse and perfect for a man of Diego's height and stature...

"What do you think we should call him? He does run like the wind."

Felipe repeated the spiraling motion as he blew air out of his mouth.

"And he appears out of nowhere like a sudden storm...Toronado."

Felipe nodded as Diego correctly interpreted his motions, an excited expression on his face.

"Toronado. We should call him Toronado. Very good. What do you think of your new name, boy?"

Toronado bobbed his head and snorted. Diego laughs as he glanced over at Felipe. "I think he likes it."

"If he is indeed Furioso's son then we would have the finest horses in all California. He is truly a magnificent animal, Diego." It was all a bit much to take in. Don Alejandro felt pride along with a sense of concern about Diego's safety. "Son, you will be careful. Won't you? I could not bear to lose you."

"Si, Father. I will do my best. I did not want to cause you any worry…"

"I cannot promise to not worry about you when you ride but you can trust me to keep your secret…You have my full support, my son," Alejandro drew his son into a hug. I love you, Diego. You are a son a father can be proud of. Keep him safe, Lord.