For the next one they needed to be careful, a surprise attack would be the only thing that worked with don Alejandro De La Vega. They needed to be sure he couldn't fight back.
Don Alejandro had just tend to the De La Vega's personal horses and was leaving the stables when he felt a smack on his back.
This way of attacking was the only way to succeed.
" Why?" was the only thing that left his mouth before his world turned black.
" Hmm, this is too easy, we need to get out of here. Quick throw him on a horse and bring him away. Before he wakes up or someone sees us. I will make sure his beloved sun finds our demands."
He waited until the others left when he took a knife and threw the letter at the inside of a stable pole. A letter with Diego's name written in big letters.
Z
Mendoza and Victoria looked shocked when they saw other bandits. They were even more shocked when they saw who they were bringing with them.
It was don Alejandro De La Vega.
The old don was still unconssious when they threw him in to the water.
This was it, this was the final drawn Victoria could handle. She couldn't control her temper anymore.
" Why are you doing this to us? What have we done so bad that we deserve such a treatment?"
The bandit let out a laugh.
" All in good time my love. For now you better shut your mouth if you know what is good for you."
They waited until they were back alone to show there hands again, by working together they had managed to untie each other. Mendoza even tried to climb, but the wall of the hole they were in was to slippery and to steep. It was no use.
Mendoza was the closest to the place where they had thrown the old don.
" Don Alejandro? Don Alejandro?" the old don stirred and let out a groan in whisper.
By talking to him, Mendoza had managed to wake him up.
" Where am I? What happened?"
This time Victoria answered.
" First of all Mendoza Pull him as carefully as possible as high as you can. To answer your questions don Alejandro. We are in a deep whole in a cave, with steep, slippery walls we can go a little higher but not high enough to escape. If someone doesn't find us quick, we will die by the slow rise of the cold water beneath us. The only thing I know is that we are captured by a large gang. Mendoza was brought in by different bandits than I and even yours are different. I don't know why they do this to us but, it must be a mutual connection. But who do they want to hurt trough us?"
It took a few moments for the old De La Vega to clear his head, but he knew there were not much connections between them.
" The only thing I can think of is that they want to hurt Zorro or Diego?"
Mendoza couldn't believe one of those choices.
" No offense but, Why am I here? Yes is support Zorro, but I support him secretly. Don Diego is my friend but who want to hurt him? He doesn't hurt a fly."
" Someone who knows the same thing I do." She thought in panic.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Alejandro answer.
" Non offense taking sergeant, because you are right! We can only hope that someone finds us before we leave this earth in a horrible way."
The night was already falling on the pueblo the Los Angeles.
Unfortunatly, it made there assignment only harder.
Sixteen bandits, hidden, waiting in the outskirts of the pueblo, waiting for there last task.
They were waiting for the musketeers, again they were counting on the surprise.
They didn't need to wait very long.
The world went black, even before they could think about defending themselves.
Unfortunatley, they didn't leave unseen. Someone had noticed it all, The one who was standing behind the wall was Simone. Little did they know that she would be the beginning of the end.
One thing was for sure, she was happy she left her little son in the hands of Maria. Maria had offered to look after him.
She accepted it only because Maria was a well respected as a servant by the De La Vega's. She only trusted her son to her.
" There is something really wrong here, they don't only took my friends and my husband, I start to think that Victoria disappeared too. I need to warn the lancers, yes, that is what I need to do."
With a heavy heart, she waited until the bandits left. She hated it to let them take away, but what could she do? She coulsn't possibly handle those bandits on her own. She was only a woman against so many bandits.
The moment the coast was clear, she run as fast as her legs could carry her to the quartel and started banging on the gate.
" Open up! Open up !"
She kept screaming and banging until the gate opened a few minutes later.
" Senora? Why the noise? What is wrong?"
" Bandits took my friends and my husband. I think they took Victoria too!"
The lancer knew now there was something really wrong here. They were looking for Mendoza all day after the patrol horses came back with empty saddles. They had been looking everywhere all day long. The fact that more people disappeared was even worse.
The lancer sounded the alarm and few minutes later all lancers were ready, ready to save the day for once. The alcalde wasn't in his office anyway so there was no need to pretend.
" Take us to the place, you saw them last."
Z
In the meantime the water in the cave was rising slowley. By working together they had managed to crawl as high as they possibley could. Not high enough to be sure of surviving, but high enough to delay the swimming.
It would buy them a few hours maybe, but a few hours was better than nothing.
They knew it was a stay of execution, with the water border high above there heads. When the water would be on its highest, they would drown eventually.
" We still don't know what we are doing here? Our only connection is Diego or Zorro! So our mutual connection must be Diego because everybody in the pueblo has some connection with Zorro." D'artagnan was trying to understand why they were brought there, why them.
Mendoza was having a clear moment himself now.
" That would make Diego our prior, mutual connection? We are his closest friends, pointing to him Victoria and his France guests, and don Alejandro is his father. Diego wouldn't hurt a fly?"
Victoria wanted badly to respond but closed her mouth when footsteps were heard and a shadow appeared above them.
Z
All lancers where present for there search.
Mendoza was well-loved between the lancers. The thought of eating in the garrison made there minds even more alert.
It was common knowledge that the food Victoria served was far better than the things the garrison cook made.
Last but not least the De La Vega's were the most respected family in the whole region.
Since there was no need for pretending, finding the hide out was no problem, with smoke betraying them.
The bandits knew they where outnumbered. It would be suicide to try and run.
The wisest thing to do was to not anger the lancers more than they already were, seeing there cold eyes was reason enough.
Nobody wanted to die, a few years in jail was better than leave this earth here and now.
Getting captured is one thing, make them speak was quiet another.
They did everything in there power to loosen those tongues but the fear of Jussac was even bigger than there fear for the lancers.
The only reason none of the bandit spoke.
Z
The shadow disappeared again without knowing who they were seeing. As the night went on the water rose higher. With the morningsun risen in the sky, the water came up their chest. Every minute that passed, Every slice of hope disappearing like the moon had disappeared when the sun rose.
Everybody was thinking on the things they would miss, the persons they loved. Victoria was no exception to that.
Thinking about the fact that she would never sleep in his arms, never feel those gentile lips on hers when he kissed her.
Never would she feel safe again in his arms.
An evil laugh snapped her out of those thoughts, back to the reality she was in.
The laugh came from the shadow above them, a shadow that was became a person for there sight.
TBC...
I couldn't help myself to leave you with a little tension.
Who is the man? Will Zorro come in time to safe them and how is going to get them out of there? Read it next time …
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