Not my favorite chapter, but here it is. Hope you like it, and please let me know what you think. Even a one word review will make me smile all day!
Zorro slowly rode Toronado toward the plaza later that afternoon. Toronado didn't like going slow, but Diego was careful to make the journey gently. Outside the gate, he stopped and eyed the ground which looked very far away. Holding his right arm tightly against his side, he was able to dismount with only a little pain. The tingling numbness in his fingers worried him more, so he almost welcomed the pain. Pain meant healing and no permanent damage.
He peeked around the corner and looked down the main street into the plaza. It was empty, but that was the plan. The meeting today had gone surprisingly well. All of the caballeros Zorro had invited had shown up, and the hacienda had been full. By the time Zorro had arrived, they had already been discussing their anger over the horse tax. DeSoto obviously didn't learn anything yesterday, as he had confiscated two horses just this morning for failure to pay this new tax. He would have to thank the alcalde for doing that, because those two men had turned just grumbling about a problem in to actually planning to do something about it. It had been surprisingly easy to gather support.
Alejandro had proved him wrong when he gave nothing away. Diego felt terrible for the way he had been thinking as he spoke in front of other caballeros. He'd been a little hurt that Alejandro wasn't showing a little more concern for his safety as he outlined a plan which was rather dangerous considering the injury no one else knew about. A few caballeros had been hesitant and afraid to stand with him, and Alejandro had subtly gathered the support Zorro needed. It wasn't until everyone had left that Alejandro pulled him aside to yell some more about his stupid son. This time Diego was able to see it was fear for his son's safety which concerned Alejandro, not disbelief in his abilities. They had talked it out like equals—Diego listening to Alejandro's greater military advice and Alejandro acknowledging that Diego was a man used to fighting his own battles confident in his own abilities.
What hadn't been easy was making Victoria stay at the hacienda. She had yelled and ranted, but just a little and she hadn't hit him again. And she had kissed him again before he left.
Zorro smiled and held on to that as he started walking down the middle of the empty street. He looked at the church as he walked past. He wondered if Victoria wanted a big wedding. They had never talked about it. He had slept a little while after talking with his father. He'd known she hadn't left. He fell asleep holding her hand and listening to her voice. He really liked that. Maybe she'd marry him tomorrow? He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep again without her. She probably wanted her brothers to attend... Victoria was going to find out how persuasive he can be because he didn't plan on waiting.
"Mendoza!" The shout brought Zorro out of his thoughts as he entered the plaza. The alcalde came out of his office, yelling again for the sergeant. The sergeant was the wild card in all this. He knew the soldiers respected Mendoza more than the alcalde did. Mendoza had also received a note last night. Asking Sergeant Mendoza to have the garrison soldiers out of the pueblo this afternoon had been risky. He wouldn't hold it against the man if he and all his soldiers were lying in wait for him.
The alcalde looked around the empty plaza, wondering where everyone was. When he saw Zorro approaching the plaza, DeSoto stopped dead in his tracks. He'd seen the blood in his office. He knew Zorro had been seriously wounded yesterday. Yet here he was, walking down main street as if he owned this pueblo. "Zorro! What are you doing here?" He shouted again for soldiers, but no one appeared. Zorro relaxed a little, happy he only had to deal with the alcalde if Mendoza wasn't coming out. "Have you come back for more? I almost killed you yesterday and now I will finish the job." He said menacingly as Zorro kept approaching.
"You're mistaken. I almost killed you yesterday. I think you have things twisted around too much in your head, Ignacio." Zorro said darkly. "Maybe I'm here to finish the job."
The alcalde stopped walking towards Zorro as fear danced up his spine. He looked over at the cuartel gates which were open, but no one was coming out. "Mendoza! Lancers! Get out here!" He looked back helplessly at Zorro, who kept calmly closing the distance. "Where are they? What did you do?"
"Me? Why is everything my fault?" Zorro asked, genuinely interested. "I was coming to visit a prisoner. But I see you have escaped." DeSoto drew his sword. "You really must be careful climbing up on roofs, alcalde. And you should have left your sword where I put it. Didn't I warn you someone might be hurt?" Zorro stopped in the middle of the plaza, the water fountain still between them.
DeSoto laughed and advanced again, no longer afraid. "Someone's already hurt. You might as well give up, I know you can't possibly fight after yesterday."
"After yesterday? Why not be clear. You stabbed me in the back like the dishonorable coward you are." DeSoto paused, afraid at the menace in those words.
The alcalde smiled triumphantly as he heard horses approaching behind him. Zorro's reservations came back full force as he saw more soldiers than there should be, Mendoza in the lead. He stretched his shoulders, but the pain that shot down his right arm was not reassuring now. He shook his head to clear the slight wave of dizziness that followed the movement. Had he really thought he could end this himself with the alcalde? Yesterday had shown him that was foolish.
DeSoto did not turn around as the horses stopped behind him. "Soldiers! Arrest him!" he ordered as he confidently put his sword away. However, nothing happened behind him. All the movement was in front of him. It seemed every single door opened in the pueblo. Men filled the plaza behind Zorro, every single one of them armed with a sword and at least one gun. Every single one of them glaring at DeSoto, without a hint of fear at facing down a garrison of soldiers.
The impact of the empty pueblo finally dawned on DeSoto as he watched the plaza fill with men, not a woman or child in sight. DeSoto turned, wondering why his soldiers were ignoring his order to capture the outlaw not twenty feet away. His soldiers were dismounting and leading their horses back to the cuartel gates quietly. Mendoza and another man were the only ones who seemed concerned about the scene in the plaza. Behind them, men in Mexican uniforms remained on their horses.
"Mendoza, what is the meaning of this?" DeSoto asked angrily. He started to storm up to the sergeant who dared ignore him, when the man beside him spoke loudly to everyone.
"I am CapitánJordán Sebastián of the Mexican Army. California is now a part of the Mexican Empire. The war is over." He looked directly at DeSoto. "All Spanish-born officials are encouraged to leave Mexico at once."
Alejandro came away from the crowd of armed men and stood beside his son as they both approached the alcalde and Sebastián. "I've seen you," he addressed the stranger. "You've been in the pueblo all week."
Mendoza answered. "Si, Don Alejandro. He was sent to get a feel for the pueblo. He didn't tell me who he was until yesterday in the tavern. He wanted to know if he would be facing resistance."
"And you didn't talk to me?" DeSoto interjected.
Mendoza ignored DeSoto. "I told him how things were here. Zorro, I told him about you." He finally turned to the alcalde. "I also told him about you."
Sebastian glared coolly at the alcalde. "When I arrived, I heard tales of corruption and tyranny. The people are tired of this from the Spanish Empire. Mexico will no longer tolerate it. There is a ship leaving for Spain tonight. I suggest you be on it."
DeSoto looked behind Sebastian to the still-mounted Mexican soldiers. "I'm supposed to just pack my bags and leave?"
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Zorro said from behind him.
"We have not changed The Devil's Fortress much." Sebastian supplied. "You can always choose to go there, instead," but DeSoto barely heard.
He turned and glared at Zorro. "This is all your fault."
"My fault again? Now I'm responsible for losing the war between Mexico and Spain? Alcalde, you flatter me." Zorro said, smiling as the other man turned red. DeSoto shrugged off Alejandro's arm when he tried to hold him back. Diego walked casually away from the crowd back into an open area.
"Fine, I'll leave. You're right. I do want to go back home to Madrid. But I'll see you in the pauper's cemetery first," DeSoto promised as he drew his sword again and followed after Zorro.
Sebastian spoke to the retreating outlaw. "Mexico has no quarrel with you, Zorro. I've heard tales of your adventures. You are a free man. If anyone attacks you, they are the guilty ones and will be arrested!"
Zorro glanced at Sebastian. "Thank you for that. But I'm happy to finish this. I owe him one." He addressed DeSoto. "Why would I go to the pauper's cemetery? You know nothing about me. Maybe I'm rich. In two years you haven't learned anything." He shook his head condescendingly at DeSoto as they circled each other, Diego still empty handed.
"No one knows you. You're a ghost. The plaza is full of men, but no one is coming to your aid when I know you cannot possibly draw your sword. No one will mourn you."
"Is everyone here? I didn't look to see." He surveyed the men in the plaza, pleased they'd finally taken up arms to protect the people. "Surely not everyone is here. Someone must be missing." He heard the sound of approaching horses and got a bad feeling in his chest. He turned around to see Felipe chasing behind Victoria, riding full gallop into the plaza.
"Felipe," Zorro called out, incredulous. "Victoria, you promised to stay at the house. Felipe was supposed to stay with you." He glared at the blushing teenager, and Victoria glared right back at Diego. Alejandro went to help Victoria off the horse, and Diego knew his father would keep her safe by his side. With one final glare at Felipe, he turned back to DeSoto, who was earnestly looking around the plaza and carefully scanning the crowd of men.
"Sorry for the interruption, Ignacio. You were saying?" Zorro asked amiably. "Are you looking for someone, Ignacio?"
"No…" DeSoto whispered, looking from Felipe to Victoria to Zorro, then desperately searching the plaza again.
"What? I didn't quite hear that. Are you sure no one is missing?" Zorro smiled at DeSoto.
"That's impossible." DeSoto whispered angrily.
"Ignacio, you really must speak up." Zorro looked around, as if trying to see what DeSoto was missing. Then he tossed his hat back towards Felipe. "Oh, I almost forgot. I meant to return something to you." Zorro held up the dagger he'd been stabbed with. It glinted innocently in the sun. Diego thought it looked very small for the amount of pain it had inflicted. Diego quickly removed his mask. He threw the dagger, pinning the mask to the ground inches from DeSoto's feet. "I'm still not sure how you're still alive after yesterday. You probably have Victoria to thank."
"It can't be…" DeSoto was still in shock. Diego was laughing inside at the exclamations coming from the people in the plaza. Finally he would be respected for who he really was. DeSoto picked up the dagger and stared at the mask.
"You see? I am rich. I can afford a rather large funeral," Diego added, grinning.
"Diego…" Alejandro scolded from the sidelines.
Diego looked apologetically at his father and turned back to DeSoto. "Ignacio, you are rather slow, aren't you? Have you ever seen Diego and Zorro at the same time? And weren't we in theatre together in college?"
DeSoto's eyes narrowed again. "It doesn't matter." He threw the dagger aside and pointed his sword at Diego, "If you are Zorro, you were stabbed not twenty-four hours ago. I will win today."
"Ignacio, I promised next time I drew my sword someone was going to get hurt," Diego said ominously. He used all the acting skills he possessed to ignore the pain and reach across his body and draw his sword. He held it pointed straight at DeSoto. "This time I'm keeping my promise. Drop your sword now, and you can go free."
DeSoto stared at the point of Diego's sword, and the unflinching sinister glare in the man's eyes. He looked around the plaza for help, but everyone seemed to be giving him the same look, even Mendoza. He turned back to Diego, who slowly advanced on him. Zorro didn't look injured at all, and there was no trace of the timid Diego in the man standing in front of him now. The trickle of fear that clawed down his spine angered him.
Despite everything, Diego was still surprised when DeSoto lunged in fury and he took a step back to parry the unexpected strike. His arm curled defensively back to his chest as pain shot up his arm to his head and down to his toes. Then everything stopped. Victoria's gasp was loudest to Diego's ears and he knew every eye in the plaza was trained on his sword, which was laying on the ground.
DeSoto grinned evilly. "Ha! I knew you were bluffing." Alejandro called out his son's name in alarm as DeSoto advanced on the unarmed Diego.
"Well played. You finally disarmed me." DeSoto, however, was getting nowhere as Diego dodged and kicked DeSoto hard in the stomach, pushing him to the ground. "Once. How many times have we fought?" Diego carefully used his foot to pick up his sword, this time with his left hand. The pain had faded quickly, however his fingers still tingled in his right hand and he knew he wouldn't be fencing properly today. He turned back to DeSoto to find Mendoza standing between them.
"You are wrong, alcalde. The people love Zorro. You will not hurt him." Mendoza said, shocking everyone by standing up to DeSoto and drawing his own sword. "No one will mourn you." DeSoto laughed at Mendoza.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Mendoza swallowed nervously, but didn't back down.
"You will not hurt him." The sergeant repeated. He relaxed a little as another caballero joined him and drew his own sword to face the alcalde. One by one, guns were dropped and swords drawn, until most of the caballeros stood between DeSoto and Zorro. Sergeant Mendoza smiled as DeSoto took a step back and lowered his sword slightly.
Diego smiled. It was a little late, but it was good to see the caballeros standing together instead of staying focused on their own interests. He glanced back towards his father, not surprised to see Alejandro holding a struggling Victoria. Victoria would be right there fighting the alcalde if Alejandro let her go, and he was glad things had worked out so perfectly. He knew he'd been right to keep his secret, but the time for secrets was over. Life would never be dull with Victoria, that was for sure.
He pressed through the crowd to put a hand on Mendoza's back. "Gracias, amigo. But this is between the two of us." He pushed in front of the crowd and they backed up to give him space as he once again faced DeSoto. "I owe him."
DeSoto smiled as he saw Diego lift his sword with his left hand, his right arm useless by his side. This time Diego attacked, and DeSoto was able to hold his own as Diego adjusted to fighting left-handed. DeSoto soon learned, however, that Diego was a fast learner. In no time at all, DeSoto was just concentrating on keeping hold of his sword, and trying to review everything he'd read over the last year trying to improve his fencing to defeat this one man. No time to plan an offence, DeSoto retreated under Diego's onslaught.
The fight stopped suddenly as DeSoto felt a sharp pain. Everyone watched as blood soaked through a sloppy Z carved on DeSoto's jacket. "Oh…I tried to make it neat. I'm not as good with the left hand it would seem. I'll have to try again." DeSoto felt real fear for the first time as Diego didn't look a bit sorry about the blood before attacking again. He ignored the stinging from the mark on his chest and now concentrated on just staying alive.
DeSoto cried out as Diego seized an opening, Diego's superior sword easily slicing through DeSoto's glove (and skin) to disarm him. DeSoto clenched his hand over the wound in disbelief. He held his hands to his chest but lowered them as Diego's sword threatened him again. He froze as Diego instructed "Now hold still." He didn't step back fast enough to avoid the second Z, much more neatly and painfully carved into the other side of his jacket, once again deep enough to draw blood. "A little something to remember me by. I'm afraid that one might scar, Ignacio."
"Now, maybe you will listen to me. Are you listening?" DeSoto nodded hastily. "Do you believe I could kill you right now without a second thought?" DeSoto hesitated, looking over to Victoria who stood not too far away near Alejandro. Diego placed his sword on DeSoto's cheek till he faced Diego again. DeSoto felt blood running down his cheek, but was too numb to tell if it was fresh or just from the touch of Diego's sword. He'd never seen Zorro's sword with blood on it, and he concentrated on it now, for the first time seeing it as the deadly weapon it was. "DeSoto, you and I are talking. No one else here matters."
"Yes," DeSoto answered, quivering a little at the dark look in Diego's eyes.
"And do you believe I will find you if you or any of your friends attempts to harm me or my family?" Diego asked quietly.
"Yes," DeSoto replied quickly.
"And do you understand what will happen if anyone attempts to harm me or my family?"
DeSoto clutched his wounded hand closer to his body, looked at his blood dripping in the dirt. "Yes. I'll go back to Spain. You'll never hear from me again."
"I've marked you three times." Diego said as he pointed to the wounds. "I still believe anyone can change. Some people believe three marks of existence define us. You're not going to live forever. Everything isn't always about you. And through suffering you can be enlightened. Go back to Madrid a different person, DeSoto." Diego encouraged, finally lowering his sword.
DeSoto said nothing as he examined his wounded sword hand. Mendoza and a Mexican soldier appeared behind him and he walked desolately back towards the jail.
