Alejandro grunted in frustration as the group of men stopped their horses and looked westward. The sun was beginning to set behind the line of trees. The shacks had been empty, mere shells of broken boards and rotting furniture. No one had been in the shacks for some time and it was doubtful that anyone would be in them in the near future. They had chosen wrong. The thought angered Alejandro and he slapped his hand on the pommel of his saddle. The delay might very well cost the life of the Commandante, and if the blood and torn cloth was any indication, his son as well.

Alejandro cursed the growing darkness in the east and turned his mount west. The hacienda lay in that direction and the men were tired. They all needed a few hours of rest and some time to think. "We shall ride to my hacienda. A decent meal and an hour or two of rest and then we will start our search over. They are out here, we must find them."

The men nodded and the group headed toward the de la Vega ranch. The sun was nearly gone by the time they reached the gates and every man was glad to step out of the saddle, even if it was only for an hour or so. Alejandro was met at the door by Bernardo. The man's face was hard to read, but Alejandro was certain he saw fear in his eyes. Bernardo barely let Alejandro into the hacienda before he grabbed his leave and pulled him toward the library.

"Wait, Bernardo. I must have the cooks prepare a quick meal. We do not have much time." Alejandro said as he shook his head and continued toward the kitchen. "Maria. Maria."

A dark haired woman appeared and Alejandro gave her quick instructions. She nodded her head before she turned and went back through the oaken door she had just emerged from. Within moments, Alejandro could hear the sound of clattering bowls and spoons and smiled at the sound. He knew within a short time period there would be food and drink for his guests.

Another desperate tug on his jacket forced Alejandro to turn his head. Bernardo grabbed his other sleeve and nearly dragged the bewildered Don into the library. "Bernardo, what is the matter with you. I don't have time for…" Alejandro did not finish. Something in Bernardo's face told Alejandro to follow him. Without another word, both men slipped through the opening in the bookcase into the cool damp air of the cave.

Alejandro was not prepared to see Tornado in the cave and the sudden image of the black stallion left the aging Don shaken. Slowly, he moved toward the horse and ran his hand along the wound. Although he knew the answer Alejandro could not stop himself from asking, "Was he with Tornado?"

Bernardo's wide-eyed expression and vigorous head shake told Alejandro that his son was somewhere without Tornado, possibly injured and no doubt searching for the missing Capitan and the bandits. Alejandro knew it was selfish, and that his son was no less important than Monastario, but as he left the cool darkness of the cave he decided that they had little time to plot and plan. By sunrise, or perhaps sooner, Alejandro knew, Monastario and his son could be dead. No, he decided, they did not have a couple of hours to rest. He would give the men one hour to eat and rest, and then they would search to the west. Somewhere in the hills he would find his son and the Commandante. He just prayed they would be alive when he found them.

ZZZ

Sweat stung his eyes as Zorro continued to work on his bonds. The rope was beginning to fray and Zorro increased his efforts even though he had long ago lost the feeling in his hands. The pain that had burned before was only a dull ache now and his arms felt heavy. His shoulder was stiff and painful and his mind felt muddled.

Monastario was still beside him - his breathes shallow and his face flushed. A moan escaped the Capitan's dry lips and Zorro paused in his efforts only long enough to see that Joaquin was still sitting with his back to them. Not once had the man glanced in their direction, instead he kept his eyes focused on something beyond the campfires circle of light. Zorro was certain this was the man who had argued with Felipe earlier. Perhaps he could be reasoned with - he did not seem too keen on the current situation. But neither did he seem willing to help. The man would not come close to the pair, nor would he even look at them. Shrugging his stiff shoulders, Zorro started back on his work. He swung his arms back and forth, allowing the rope to slide across the bark of the tree. The tree was smoother than Zorro liked, but it was slowly getting the job done. They would be switching guards soon, Zorro was certain, and hedid not doubt that the next man would be more watchful.

The sun had set hours ago and the sky was dark and cloudless. The previous storms had passed and the air felt cool and crisp. Stars dotted the sky and Zorro found himself looking up, his eyes searching out the different constellations. The moon was just rising when Joaquin suddenly stood and turned. The movement startled Zorro and he stopped, his body stilled as Joaquin moved to his side.

The man drew his knife and Zorro felt fear rise in his throat. He could not stop this man if he decided to take advantage of their tied up position. He held his breath as Joaquin knelt beside him. Zorro could not stop the small groan that slipped past his throat as his arms fell to his side. It took a moment for him to comprehend what just happened, but when his mind grasped the implications of what Joaquin had just done, he scrambled quickly to his feet. Joaquin was all ready moving to cut the ropes on Monastario's wrists when Zorro bent and gently touched the Commandante's face. His cheeks were flushed and he was sweating. Bruises and scrapes peeked from beneath his torn uniform and Zorro knew he would be of little help. Zorro's own arms were burning as sensation worked its way back into his limbs. He rolled his shoulders a few times to loosen the kinks.

Joaquin moved off a few paces and scooped up a water skin and a small satchel that had been lying in a pile along with the extra supplies the bandits had with them.. He handed both items to Zorro, "There isn't much but it should get you through the night. You must hurry. Raul will wake up soon…".

Zorro nodded as he slung the satchel and water skin over his head. His left arm was tense as he slipped it through the opening of the strap. "Why?" Zorro asked as he squatted in front of Monastario.

Joaquin chewed his lower lip for a moment and cast a furtive glance at the sleeping men. "This was wrong from the beginning. I never should have let it go this far. Felipe will kill you both in the morning…I cannot have your blood on my hands. What we did was wrong and we were caught and punished. I do not blame you or the Commandante. Felipe, well, Felipe sees it differently. I don't think Manual agrees with him either, but he is his brother and he will not go against him. As for the others, they felt cheated and wronged as well. They will do whatever Felipe tells them."

Zorro remembered these men. He had brought them in and had handed them over to Monastario. They had robbed the monastery. Monastario had issued his judgment and the men were sent to the prison cells. But an overzealous guard had taken matters into his own hands and the youngest of the group was beaten badly. Much to his credit, Monastario had punished and released the soldier from duty that night. Zorro could find no reason for Felipe's obvious and extreme hate for the two men.

"Go now. I can only stall them so much when they discover you are gone. You must tie me to the tree and gag me. It is the only way. We are close to the de la Vega hacienda. It is only five or six miles east. The pueblo is further, but the road is only a mile south. Whatever way you choose, you must go quickly," Joaquin hissed as he sank to the ground and reached his arms behind his back, so they rested against the tree trunk. Zorro tied his hands securely and tore a strip from his cape to use as a gag.

"Thank you," Zorro said as he stooped and with a great deal of effort forced Monastario to his feet. The Commandante groaned and Zorro slapped a hand across his mouth to muffle the noise. "Shh…" he hissed in the soldier's ear. Once Monastario was settled on Zorro's shoulders, the burden was easier to bear. Shuffling awkwardly with his bundle, Zorro crept across the edge of the campfire and into the darkness of the trees.

The moon was bright and he sighed in relief at the shadowy outlines of the trees and rocks. His task was all ready difficult and lack of light would have made it nearly impossible. Zorro stumbled often as he walked, but he kept his body working, almost mechanically as he willed his left leg to move forward and then his right. He strained to hear any sounds from the campfire, but thirty minutes into his escape all remained quiet. Soon, he knew, he would be too far to hear anything. He would have no way to know that his pursuers had discovered their escape.

Zorro felt a stab of worry as he stumbled and it took all of his will power to stay upright. The Commandante groaned at the jerking motion but remained unconscious. Sweat rolled off of Zorro's face and down his back and his lungs burned with every breath. His legs felt tired and far too heavy as he continued his shuffling walk through the woods. Joaquin had said the hacienda was close, but strangely, the area seemed unfamiliar to Zorro. He did not doubt Joaquin though. Monastario and Zorro were close to the hacienda when Felipe and his men recaptured them.

Another twenty minutes of walking forced Zorro to pause and lean against a tree. His entire body ached and he was not certain he could walk any further. He gently set the Capitán onto the grass and sank down beside him. Five minutes, he thought to himself, and then I will start again.

A/N: I have made one small change to this chapter. Joaquin had originally told Zorro that "your hacienda" was close. That was an error on my part - Joaquin does not know Zorro's identity...so I have changed the line to reflect that. Again thanks for the reviews.