Chapter 11

Ignacio De Soto awakened several minutes later to find Sepulveda and Mendoza beside him. "That infernal bandit has escaped! You idiot! We must find that bandit! Send out a scouting party at once! He must be found!"

"He cannot have gotten far. He is injured…I shot him."

'Are you certain, Corporal?"

"Si, alcalde but Zorro is very hard to track down, at night! What about Jose?"

"Zorro is our main concern! Go!"

A nearby cave...

Diego saw the concerned face of Ramon Escalante hovering over him. How did Ramon find me?

"Don't speak, Zorro or should I say, Diego." How could I have been so blind? Someone as bold and adventurous as Diego had been could not change overnight. Everyone believed that Diego was too studious and too lazy to be Zorro.

Of course, Ramon had put two and two together. "How did you find me?" he struggled to get the words out.

"I followed you."

"It is dangerous for you to stay... If the alcalde suspects that I am injured," he whispered, "I can…not… risk it….I feel so tired...so weak..."

"Victoria would never forgive me and I would never forgive myself. The bullet is still inside you. I need to get a doctor." Diego had lost a great deal of blood. His forehead was dotted with perspiration.

"Go to the hacienda…Felipe will know what to do…Find the entrance to the cave…remember…the escape…route…my grandfather discovered."

"He is just a boy…" Escape route. Think Ramon. Diego is counting on you... "I will return with help."

ZZZ

Felipe paced the floor of the cave anxiously awaiting Diego's return. 'What are you doing here, Ramon?' Where is Diego, he signed.

"He needs medical attention, I know who he is and I want to help him." The swords, tables and experiments and the famous black stallion, Toronado... all this hidden under everyone's nose...remarkable...

Felipe gathered medicines and placed them in a saddle bag. He gently stroked Toronado hoping that the horse would let him ride. The horse whinnied in response as Felipe headed out of the cave followed closely by Ramon. I pray that we are not too late.

ZZZ

A few hours later, Felipe and Ramon sat by Diego' beside. It had been slow going but they made it back to Zorro's lair undetected. It was better to have Diego in a place where he could get all the help he needed to recover. The journey had drained some of Diego's strength but Ramon knew that it was necessary.

"How is he?"

"The poultice seems to be working but the fever concerns me. He needs time to rebuild his strength."

"Without you, I shudder to think about what could have happened to him."

"I could not ask for a better friend." The deaf-mute's simple motions were easy for Ramon to understand...

"It is obvious that you have been in on this from day one."

"The cave was our secret. Don Alejandro was hours away from hanging. Diego could not stand by and let it happen. Who knows what the alcalde would have done if Zorro had not challenged him?"

"Our friend is a better actor than I ever gave him credit for. He has always been very adventurous, very spirited much like Don Alejandro himself."

"He has not changed that much." The younger man had seen a side of Diego that everyone thought no longer existed.

"I am surprised that Don Alejandro has not figured out that Diego and Zorro are the same person. It must be very difficult …being forced to let others see him as less than he is. I admire his courage. Diego appreciates your sacrifices. I am glad that he has someone to talk to."

"He is like a brother to me and now he has you as well."

"Diego needs us. Hopefully, there will be no complications from the removal of the bullet."

Several hours later...

Diego grimaced as he felt a sharp pain in his side. Despite the pain, he felt better than he had before...He had drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the night but seemed somewhat better.

"I see that you are finally awake, my friend. You look a little better than you did yesterday."

"My side hurts but that will pass, Ramon."

"The alcalde's patrols have scoured the countryside looking for Zorro. We felt you would be safer here..."

"He wants to rid the pueblo of Zorro. He will stop at nothing.."

"How will you explain your absence to Don Alejandro?"

"Father is accustomed to my absences. He will think that I have been up all night reading."

It amazed the former soldier that the old don could not see the physical similarities.. the fact that Zorro appeared shortly after his son returned from Spain...the fact that Zorro bore a striking resemblance to Diego... Don Alejandro saw a man who tried to avoid danger, never raised his voice and avoided anything that could draw attention towards himself.

"He only sees what I want him to see but I couldn't hide from you, Ramon."

"I consider sword fighting rather tedious," Ramon mimicked Diego's bland, uninterested tone of voice, "there are other things that are more stimulating…"

"I was Edmund Kendall's best student…even won his prized saber…I just adapted to the circumstances."

"It was all an elaborate ruse to fool those that you loved."

"Luis Ramone would destroy anyone who got in his way…DeSoto is no better… I had no choice."

"I did not approve of some mystery man sweeping my sister off her feet…"

"And how do you feel now?"

"It is time for you to live the life that you were meant to."

"Thank you, Ramon."

"Rest easy, Diego." Felipe would take care of Diego. I need to change clothes before anyone discovers that I have been out all night….