Author's Notes: And here's the conclusion of "The Arrival".
A Question of Loyalty
(The Arrival)
Part 2
From the Coded Journal of Gilberto Risendo
So that was Don Alejandro Sebastian de la Vega. Somehow I thought he'd be taller. Or at least show his evil character in his face or bearing. He was not what I expected at all. Oh, he is a clever deceiver. All that talk of loyalty for a man who knows none. And for the son he chose above me, and above... No, I will see him brought low for his crimes and exposed to the world for the villain he truly is. He will lose everything.
Tomorrow I will see that my power over the pueblo is not questioned by the execution of their corrupt and incompetent alcalde. While I suppose with his ambitions the man might have been useful to me, I think he will better serve as an example of what might happen if my orders are crossed. I cannot have anyone coming to the defense of the de la Vegas when it is time to crush them.
~Z~Z~Z~
At the hacienda, the group gathered in the library as despite both Victoria and his father having seen and been in the cave, to his relief it was still thought of primarily as Zorro's domain and mostly left to him and Felipe. Much as he loved them both, he still wanted to keep a separation between the mask and them. Though he had over time become more comfortable with Victoria's presence there on occasion, he still had difficulty seeing his father there. It was best that they met here. The servants were out of the house, so they were unlikely to be disturbed.
At the moment Felipe was signing about the alcalde being in jail.
"You're right," Diego said. "It is rather ironic that the Alcalde sits helpless inside his own jail."
Don Alejandro said, "He deserves a bit of time there, but we can't allow him to be unjustly executed."
"No," Victoria agreed. "We can't let the emissary do something like this."
Felipe signed, asking about the emissary's guards.
"Yes. Risendo's guards are hardened warriors. That's why whatever happens tomorrow... we must be prepared for the worst."
"What have you got planned, Diego?" Victoria asked.
"Not knowing exactly what Risendo has planned for tomorrow will make it difficult but one thing I do know is that Zorro is going to have to get close."
"And how is he going to manage that?"
"I've been thinking about that." A sly smile crept over Diego's face. "What's called for here is a little divine help."
~Z~Z~Z~
Victoria climbed under the covers of their bed where Diego was already laying still, his mind clearly on his plans for the next day. There was an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. She did not like her part of the plan which was really nothing at all. She was to stay out of the way, more watching and observing, and only if necessary (and they had covered all the contingencies of what would be necessary) act to create a distraction. She supposed it was better than the idea that she remain at home ostensibly with Diego. He'd been absent enough over the years that no one would think it too odd, and on the off chance the Emissary noticed they had the usual excuses ready.
She hated that she had been a liability earlier, though she took some comfort from the fact that once the emissary's attention had turned to Diego and Don Alejandro that she had apparently been dismissed as unimportant and beneath his notice. Just an emotional female. Not an attitude that she was unfamiliar with. Sometimes as now it proved useful, though it still raised her ire.
Curling over on to her side to look at her husband, Victoria sighed a little. She had faith in him. She always had, though it was harder with the knowledge that Zorro really was a man under that mask, vulnerable to injury and mistakes. She'd tended to too many of them to believe that Zorro was invincible. And tomorrow he would not be facing the pueblo's lancers who never tried too hard to catch him, but soldiers used to battle. And there was very little she could do to help him.
"Victoria," Diego's deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
She looked up to see her husband staring at her. His hand reached out to caress her face.
"Thank you," he said, turning towards her.
"For what?" she asked. "Causing trouble or agreeing to stay out of the way." She didn't particularly like the bitterness in her words.
"Victoria," he said, "your instinct is always to defend against injustice; it's part of who you are. I wouldn't change you, and today was a shock for everyone. I'm sorry that your being married to me means that at times you have to step back."
"Don't be. It's a lesson I've needed to learn," she said. "Not everything can be dealt with by confrontation." And I know that; I've known it for so long.
"And not everything can be done by a man in a mask," he said. "Sometimes there has to be someone who speaks up when no one else will."
Victoria leaned into him. She was feeling more concerned about tomorrow. "What do you really think the Emissary's goal is?"
He closed his eyes. "I don't know. It's a power play. But why? Why Los Angeles and why now?"
"Do you think it's about Zorro?" she asked. "Like Palomarez."
"I suppose it is possible," Diego said. "It can't simply be about the war tax or even De Soto. After all, if he was being removed for incompetence, arrest rather than execution would be the normal approach. This—this is something else."
"You will be careful tomorrow?" Victoria asked.
"Of course, and Felipe will be there too. Ready to act if necessary."
"Then you both need to be careful," she said. "I couldn't stand it if anything happened to either of you."
"We will," Diego said, leaning over to kiss her. "I have no intention of being careless at this time."
Victoria felt the passion of his kiss, and though she knew he was trying to distract her from her worries, she did not particularly care. If anything, they could find comfort and strength in their love for one another.
~Z~Z~Z~
Victoria stood outside the cuartel, watching the door of the alcalde's office, a sick feeling of nervousness in the pit of her stomach. Don Alejandro had gone inside in what was probably a vain effort to get the emissary to change his mind about the execution. There was a large crowd around the edges of the square, waiting to see what happened, while the Emissary's royal guardsmen kept things in order.
Señor Calvillo came up beside her. "This is not the safest place to stand," he said quietly. "Not if things go wrong."
"Do you mean beyond the execution?" Victoria asked, clenching her fists to keep in control. Surely he was speaking of that and not what Diego— Zorro— was planning. Nothing was looking good this morning, though she had faith in Zorro's ability to get out of any trouble he got into.
"In a sense," he said. "But I also mean the execution itself. There's no gallows set up, and I don't think they're planning on a firing squad."
He nodded his head in the direction where some of the soldiers were wrangling two wagons about for reasons Victoria could not determine but which suddenly seemed to take on a more sinister cast.
"I have the feeling this Emissary has something more... dramatic in mind," he said, as he continued looking around the plaza. "That's why you would be better standing on the other side of the plaza. You might want to be ready to escape back through the tavern with Alicia and Pilar if things get ugly."
"Ugly?" Victoria asked.
"Can't be sure. Mobs can be started by anything, and with troops about . . ." He shrugged. "I have two loaded pistols hidden under the bar, as well as two more stout sticks like the one I've got hidden up my sleeve. Hard enough to turn a blade," he said before adding, "well for the first few strikes, and you can hope that you can flee before you have to deal with more."
"Do you really expect that kind of trouble?" she asked.
"Better to be prepared for it," he said, with his grim look. "There's bad omens today."
She nodded. Señor Calvillo glanced around once more then started moving casually toward the thickest part of the crowd. Despite his advice, Victoria only moved in the direction of the outside edge of the alcalde's office. If she had to make a diversion, it would be better in the vicinity of the Emissary, but in this position she could more easily retreat through the chapel and hope that no one would defile the sanctity of the church. As she reached her new spot, Victoria saw the door to the alcalde's office open and De Soto being pushed outside by royal guardsmen followed by the Emissary and Don Alejandro.
She could hear her father in law's demanding questions as they emerged. "No gallows? Where's the firing squad?"
Risendo had his back to her but she could still hear his responses clearly enough. "Hangings and gun fire are so quick and clean, that they have very little lasting effect upon the rabble."
"Rabble?" Don Alejandro interjected. "The good people of this pueblo are hardly rabble."
The Emissary scoffed. "Then these good people are about to get a lesson in loyalty to the Crown." He pointed at De Soto as he was being pushed forward. "You see, this form of execution has become quite the vogue in Spain. Once they've seen a man ripped apart..." he paused to take in the sounds of shock around him before continuing, "everyone seems to forget their petty criticisms of the government. Tie him!"
"You can't be serious," Don Alejandro exclaimed.
"Watch," the Emissary said. "You'll see just how serious I am."
"This is barbaric!"
"True," Don Gilberto said casually. "Then war itself is barbaric."
De Soto was being tied to the wagons. Victoria didn't like the man, but no one deserved a fate like that.
The Emissary now spoke loudly for the crowd. "And as I have tried to impress upon you all, Spain is at war!"
Victoria nervously watched as Mendoza approached to put a blindfold over De Soto's eyes. He jerked away from the blindfold, telling Mendoza no.
"Alcalde, it will be easier this way," Mendoza said pleadingly.
"No blindfolds," De Soto said. "The De Sotos have always faced death with dignity. I'm not going to break my family's tradition."
Victoria was impressed with this unexpected bit of bravery on De Soto's part. It made it more sickening to hear the Emissary's almost cheerful dismissal of both men.
"I put de Soto's inept sergeant in charge of the execution on pain of death. The irony is perfect, don't you think? The incompetent in the hands of the incompetent," he said before calling over to Mendoza. "Is everything in order, Sergeant?"
"Sí, Señor Emissary," Mendoza said reluctantly.
"Then you may proceed with the execution," the Emissary said.
Victoria pulled back a little, arms wrapped around herself. She didn't want to watch, but she had faith in Zorro— in her husband— to arrive in time, and she needed to be aware in case she needed to act.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall figure in priest's robes moving around the edge of the crowd. One quick glance and she knew who it was and turned her attention toward the scene going on in front of her.
Mendoza stood nervously in front of De Soto as the Emissary started harshly berating him.
"Well, what are you waiting for, you ignorant buffoon?" he demanded, stalking towards him. "Get on with it."
Mendoza stiffened before turning his head to look at the Emissary and saying, "No."
"What did you say?" Don Gilberto asked incredulously.
Oddly enough, it was De Soto who responded, with an air of wonder, "He said no."
Don Gilberto, obviously more angered than impressed, brought up a pistol and pointed it at Mendoza. "Proceed with the execution. Now!"
With a shaking voice, but clear determination despite the possible consequences, Mendoza said, "No! It's not right."
Before Don Gilberto could say anything, the disguised Zorro grabbed a musket from one of Risendo's guardsmen and punched him in the face. He then shot the pistol from the Emissary's hand before tossing the now empty musket aside, only then stripping off his disguise.
Now in the open, he ran towards the wagons, kicking away a lancer who tried to stop him.
"Drivers! Start your wagons!" Don Gilberto shouted.
As the wagons started moving apart, Zorro leaped in slashing the ropes, releasing De Soto from his bonds. The alcalde fell to the ground next to Mendoza, who leaned down to check on him.
The crowd was now running for cover, leaving the plaza nearly empty except for the soldiers and a few brave souls like Don Alejandro and Señor Calvillo who stood around the edges. Half hidden by the wall, Victoria continued to hold her position near the alcalde's office. She saw Zorro standing waving his sword in the Emissary's direction, surrounded by men with muskets. Desperately, Victoria looked around for something to use, but then Don Gilberto called to his men.
"Leave him alone, Guardsmen."
Victoria relaxed slightly though not entirely. Overconfidence in his enemies almost always worked in Zorro's favor, but there was a first time for everything. However, she was surprised that Don Gilberto ordered his lieutenant to attack Zorro rather than doing it himself.
Lt. Hidalgo drew his own sword and brandished it theatrically.
"Very impressive," Zorro said with heavy sarcasm. "Can he fight as well?"
"Can he fight?" the Emissary said with a laugh as he clapped a hand on the man's shoulder. "Lieutenant Hidalgo has killed over a hundred Frenchmen in battle."
"Too bad for him I'm not French," Zorro said as he casually turned his back on the two men, bringing his saber up to rest on his shoulder.
At that mark of contempt, Hidalgo quickly lunged towards Zorro, who had been anticipating such a move and turned to parry the man's thrust, easily driving Hidalgo backwards. Victoria almost shouted as one of the Royal Guardsmen took aim at Zorro, but before she could there was a gun shot from above which hit the man's helmet, knocking him off balance.
More people ran for hiding at the sound of the shot, while Zorro continued pushing Hidalgo backward before he suddenly kicked him in the chin. The man fell back against Risendo who caught him.
"Consider that a warning!" Zorro said pointing to the soldier who had been hit by Felipe's bullet. "The next man to interfere will not be so fortunate."
Hidalgo got back on his feet and lunged at Zorro, who parried before punching the man hard enough to knock him to the ground. Behind Zorro, Victoria could see another guardsman taking aim at Zorro. He too was hit with a shot which bounced off his helmet.
At the sight of his lieutenant down, the Emissary whipped off his sword belt before pulling his sword from its scabbard.
"Stay away from him! He's mine!" he yelled.
"Señor, I'm flattered," Zorro said with a mocking bow.
Risendo lunged at Zorro in an aggressive attack. Zorro let him drive forward as he almost casually countered his attacks. Finally, Zorro stepped to the side, allowing the Emissary's momentum to carry him forward where he managed to stick his sword into a wooden crate instead of his intended target.
Once Risendo pulled his sword out, he and Zorro circled one another briefly before Risendo attacked again. Victoria watched the fight nervously. Zorro was clearly the better fighter, but she was still not sure what would happen if the Royal Guardsmen attacked. She knew the local lancers were not an appreciable threat, but these unknown men...
In her distraction looking around at the soldiers, Victoria had missed some of the fight. The Emissary's sword was on the ground. Zorro held it down with the tip of his own for a moment before moving his sword away and allowing him to pick it up. How much longer was Zorro going to toy with the man? Victoria thought nervously. What exactly was this going to do? She doubted that it would do anything other than enrage the man.
Almost as if answering her unspoken question, Victoria saw Zorro punch the Emissary in the face, he then grabbed him and slammed his head against a post. He seized his face in a tight grip. Victoria almost unconsciously moved closer to try to hear what he said.
His voice wasn't very loud, but it was clear enough for her to follow his speech.
"A representative of the King should govern with compassion, Señor," he said, then tightened his grip. "And justice. These people came to Los Angeles and settled the wilderness. They've earned their right to be treated fairly and with dignity. Never forget that. Should it slip your mind, I'll return to finish this encounter. Now collect your taxes quickly and begone. Adiós."
He turned away. The Emissary looking punch drunk snatched up a pitchfork and threw it at Zorro, who managed to see it and knock it aside.
Finally the Emissary called out for his men. "Guards! Guards!"
Zorro hopped onto Toronado's back. Another guardsman aimed at Zorro only to be hit by another of Felipe's shots. Victoria could only be relieved that despite the shots, the guardsmen were still focused on Zorro rather than finding the sniper who was knocking them out of action.
Riding up to the Emissary, Zorro said, "Our fight is not yet over, Señor." Then he turned and started riding away, as the Emissary called for his men to kill him.
In the confusion, Victoria saw Señor Calvillo run up and apparently trip over knocking several of the Los Angeles lancers down. He started apologizing profusely, as yet another shot hit the helmet of another guardsman.
Victoria forced herself not to look up to where she knew Felipe was. Now was the time for him to escape. Zorro was rapidly getting out of range of the soldiers' weapons, and some of the men's guns were pointing up and around. Felipe needed to make his way out into the crowd, preferably to the other side of the plaza. She knew that he and Zorro had already had something set up to hide the muskets and ammunition from a superficial search. With a sudden burst of relief she saw Felipe over by Señor Calvillo, looking nothing like he'd been doing anything but hiding in the crowd.
She saw Don Alejandro cross to where De Soto and Mendoza were and decided that it would be for the best for her to join them.
"Alcalde, are you all right?" Don Alejandro asked.
Before De Soto had a chance to say anything, the Emissary stalked up to them.
"Make no mistake," he said, pointing at the alcalde. "You are still under sentence of death. And so is your sergeant for refusing my orders. However, capture Zorro and I'll repeal the sentence. You have three days. Or I will take great pleasure in shooting you both myself."
He then turned and walked away, leaving Mendoza and De Soto looking at each other in shock. Victoria stood there in silence as well, all the words of comfort she could think of seeming to be hollow.
Finally, the silence was broken by Don Alejandro, who in a tone of rather forced heartiness said, "I think you two gentleman could use a drink. I'm buying today."
"Thank you, Don Alejandro," Mendoza said. "I could use one or two."
"Maybe more," De Soto said with a grim smile.
"Then let's get you started," Don Alejandro said. He turned toward Victoria. "Will you join us?" he asked.
"I don't think so," Victoria said. "But go ahead. I'll be over to the tavern soon. I just want to check on a few things first."
"Of course, Victoria," Don Alejandro said, with a knowing glance. "Take your time."
She watched as the three men walked towards the tavern. The alcalde seemed the most unsteady on his feet, understandable considering how close he'd been to death and was yet still threatened by it. Victoria skirted the edges of the crowd of people who had emerged from hiding once the shooting was over. She met Felipe as he was walking back in the direction of the tavern. More for show than anything, she made a point to ask if he'd been hurt or if he'd taken cover during the excitement. He grinned at her and mimed hiding behind a barrel until the dust settled. Victoria felt relieved that the soldiers that were milling about now paid little attention to either of them as they went together back towards the tavern. They were just part of the crowd, and Victoria was grateful for that. Despite it all, everyone was still focused on Zorro's daring rescue, and not really questioning the mysterious assistance he'd received during it.
She asked Felipe if he wanted to return to the hacienda, but he indicated that he wanted to stay for a bit adding in a sign hidden from any observers that he wanted to keep his ears open for any news. She just nodded as they entered the tavern. Don Alejandro and Mendoza were standing together at the bar, talking with Señor Calvillo, while the alcalde was sitting alone at a table with a bottle of wine in front of him. He was staring into his half full cup.
"Father," Victoria said, when she reached the bar, "I'm going to return home and let Diego know what's happened today. Felipe's staying for now."
"He can ride back with me," Don Alejandro said with a casual wave of his hands, though Victoria knew it was a deliberate act on his part. "Too much excitement for him to want to leave, I'd wager."
"You'd be right, but I've had all I want and would rather be at home for the moment, since I see Señor Calvillo has things well in hand here," Victoria said.
"Sí, Señora," her manager replied. "We've got everything handled."
"Give my regards to Don Diego," Mendoza said, as he tossed back the contents of his cup.
"I will, Sergeant," Victoria said, before turning and leaving.
It took some time to make her way out of the pueblo between the now buzzing crowds and the wait at the stables, but she finally made her way home, to find Diego sitting at the desk in the library apparently innocently going over the record books. When he saw her, he pushed back the chair from the desk and pulled her down onto his lap for a kiss.
Victoria leaned into his embrace.
"So tell me what happened," he said.
"Well, once Zorro saved De Soto from execution and escaped from town, there was a half-hearted looking around for who could have shot at the guardsmen, but it was soon given up," she began quietly not bothering with any pretense since they were alone. "And the Emissary was still angry and told De Soto that he was still under sentence of death, and..." she paused a moment, "Mendoza was as well for his refusal to follow orders. They've been given three days to capture Zorro or the sentence will be carried out."
"So all Zorro did was grant a reprieve, and now Mendoza's in danger as well."
"Yes," Victoria said, "but Mendoza's in danger because of his own actions, not Zorro's. He was standing up for what he believed to be right."
"He is a brave man," Diego said. "This isn't the first time he's put himself in danger for others."
"He's learned by example," Victoria said.
"I'm not sure about that, but he has certainly changed over the years," Diego said. "A long way from the man who would simply follow orders without asking questions." He kissed the top of Victoria's head. "However, that still doesn't change the fact that we'll need to figure out how to thwart the Emissary without letting Zorro be trapped."
"I don't understand what he's after," Victoria said. "This can't be because of the war tax. And if the government hadn't done anything about De Soto when he was behaving worse than he has been lately, why decide to execute him now?"
"Very good questions," Diego said. "I wish we had the answers. And while I know there have been those who have wanted to get Zorro and make a name for themselves, our Alcalde among them, I don't think he'd be doing all this just to capture a masked bandit."
"No," Victoria said. "Though I suppose it could have been part of his reasoning. But Los Angeles isn't very important otherwise. Is it?"
Diego shook his head. "Not really. But that's also been why men have thought they could do with it what they will, and why Zorro needed to defend it. The very fact that it is unimportant does make it exploitable to a certain way of thinking."
Victoria sighed. "So it means we're no nearer to understanding why the man is doing the things he's doing. It could be ambition or greed or some personal vendetta that we know nothing about."
"True. And no matter what he's after, we have only three days to figure it out."
"And to save Mendoza and the alcalde."
~Z~Z~Z~
Letter from Ynez Risendo to Gilberto Risendo
Monterey 18–
My dear son. You should have arrived by now and be well on your way to achieving your real purpose in visiting Los Angeles: the destruction of the de la Vegas. You must never forget the humiliation I suffered at the hands of Don Alejandro de la Vega. Never forget you were rejected by your natural mother. But I took you in, loved you, and cared for you.
The de la Vega inheritance will be yours, dearest Gilberto. Be my arm of vengeance and grind them into the dust.
The End
Next Up: "Death and Taxes"
End Notes:
I was a little bothered by the letter being from Madrid, when Ynez was clearly in California at the time. Maybe it was meant as misdirection or a commentary on the slowness of the mails. I don't know, but that's why I changed that bit.
We get our first extract from Gilberto Risendo's journal in this part, and the reason I say that it is encoded is that while he's not exactly subtle in his scheming, I would hope he would have sense enough not to write it out in such a way as would be simple for others to read, so I have him writing in an easy for him to remember substitution code that would keep someone just glancing at his writing from knowing what it's about.
And this is the beginning of the end, and I'm feeling a bit desperate for feedback, to know how this is going. So all reviews, favorites and follows are appreciated.