A.N – I posted this last night, but the Fanfiction site is playing up again and nobody can read the new chapter, sorry.

Anyway, this is not too bad because I forgot to put a warning for foul language at the end of it. That's what happens when you let Baron Samedi come out to play. Rather than washing his filthy mouth with soap, I bet Azrael wants to use pure bleach!

I hope that torrent of swearing and F-words don't put people off, but make them laugh instead, as I intend.

Enjoy, whenever the glitch is over and you can read this. Thanks!

Chapter 9

"Only your cool, sweet lips will quench my burning desire…"

How could Sepúlveda know about that line, unless Diego told him today? Victoria thought, now back on the chair by the bed, constantly mulling over those words since she had regained consciousness. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was Sepúlveda was saying the truth. But how could that be, if Diego wasn't dead yet? She had no explanation for that, but first it was Toronado acting strange, and now those words Diego used that night at the windmill, when he acted so polite, and proper, and… as detached and dull as ever. But for a brief moment, she could swear there was something else he longed for. Something he wanted to say, but he couldn't. Something like: "Victoria, I'm Zorro".

She looked at him, still unresponsive on that bed.

Why, Diego? Why didn't you tell me? Everything would have been so different…

However, maybe he did leave a clue for her, after all, because the next day Zorro said: "your smile almost quenches my burning desire". At the time, she thought it was an odd thing to say, but she chose to ignore the nagging feeling that something was amiss behind those words. What an idiot! And she could only blame herself for living in denial.

"Diego, if your soul is really here, wandering among the living, please give me a sign!" she whispered while stroking his hand. "Please!"

She waited, but nothing happened. Diego didn't move. Nothing moved. She heard nothing. Until someone knocked on the door, startling her.

"Can I come in?"

It was Don Alejandro, now more careful not to hurt anybody else with the door if he stormed inside again.

"Yes, of course," she said, composing herself out of the fright.

"Sepúlveda is all right," the old don announced, taking the seat at the other side of the bed. "Gosh, I'm so sorry I hit him with the door. Poor man. As if he didn't have enough with what happened yesterday…"

"Don Alejandro, do you think he is crazy?"

"He certainly acted insane this morning… But I hope the first blow he received yesterday was the cause for his delusions, and that they would be temporary. And above all, I hope I didn't damage anything else with the second hit," he said, mortified.

"What if he was saying the truth?"

"You mean, that he can see Diego as a ghost, for real? Victoria, did you bang your head as well when you fainted?"

"You're right, it's ridiculous…"

"But…?"

Victoria looked at the floor, embarrassed. Of course there was a "but", an absurd one.

"What's on your mind, Victoria? You can tell me."

"That poetry line Sepúlveda said… Diego knew that line."

"So did I. That doesn't mean anything."

"No, it was special for us. I shared a moment with Diego once, and he said that line."

"When?"

"A while ago."

"As Diego, or as Zorro?"

"It's quite embarrassing, actually, but both. I should have been more aware of that coincidence, but I didn't. I'm mortified. Nothing makes sense anymore!"

"I'm so sorry, my child. I can only try to understand what you must be feeling right now, but I'm sure I'd fall short."

"I must talk to Corporal Sepúlveda," she said, standing up. "Excuse me."

Don Alejandro watched her go, shaking his head, feeling deeply sorry for her. The mere idea of it…

Diego walking around as a ghost, when he is still alive... Preposterous!

ZZZ

"Good afternoon, Corporal. How are you feeling?" Victoria said, taking a seat by his bed at one of the guest rooms.

"I'm… fine, thank you, Señorita," Sepúlveda said, still ashamed. "And you?"

"I'm alright, I just fainted. It was what you said. That poetry line. It hit me harder than any door," Victoria said, smiling while wriggling her hands, unsure how to deal with the issue, until she decided to go for the direct approach. "Please, tell me, how did you know about that?"

"Please, Señorita, I'm too embarrassed as it is. Let's not talk about it. I know you think I'm crazy."

"No, I don't. But I think I may be losing my mind myself."

"Really? Don't, please."

"Look, the truth is, Don Diego used that line a while ago. We were alone, and I never told anybody about it. Did he ever tell you anything about that encounter before? How did you know about it?"

"Señorita, please…"

"Tell me, Corporal. Por favor. I need to know."

"I can't."

"Maybe he told Mendoza, the biggest gossip in town, and he told you?"

"No, Sergeant Mendoza wasn't involved, I swear. And Don Diego never told me anything about… anything, actually. Only… today." Sepúlveda's face couldn't turn redder then.

"Is it true then? Can you see him?" she said, looking around. "Is he here now?"

"I haven't seen him, or hear him, since I woke up."

"What did he say?"

"He was adamant I should help him to talk to you. I was very reluctant at first because I didn't want to look like a lunatic. I didn't want to have anybody looking at me as Don Alejandro did today when I said I can see dead people. I would prefer to keep this… "ability" to myself."

"Why did you help Diego then?"

"Because he kept me awake all night singing "Qué Linda."

Victoria laughed then.

"No way! That would be worse than torture!"

Sepúlveda laughed with her, relaxing at last.

"Absolutely!"

"No wonder you agreed! So, what did he want to tell me?"

"I don't know for sure… He was talking to me while I talked to you, like in a three-way conversation. And the alcalde was also there."

"The alcalde? Which one?"

"Right, I know what you mean, because they are both death… Alcalde De Soto. He did something creepy: he took over my body, as if I was a puppet, and started talking through me. It was the weirdest thing, feeling my lips moving and hearing myself talking, when I wasn't."

"Oh, is that's why you called me sweet grapefruit?"

"Yes, that was him, not me."

"He called me that once, yes! It was him! And he also called me mi preciosa… Yuck!"

"Yes. I would never disrespect you in that…"

"Enough about the alcalde!" she interrupted. "Back to Don Diego, please."

"He said they are both trapped between worlds, apparently. In Limbo."

"But Don Diego is not dead."

"I don't know how it works, sorry. But he is out there, somewhere. He's not inside his body anymore."

"That's why he is so irresponsive then… So, what did he say? That he loves me?" she said with a hopeful smile.

"I'm sure he loves you very much, Señorita. And he is so worried about you. And embarrassed because he didn't get to tell you he is Zorro."

"I figured that much…"

"I'm sorry I can't see him now to ask him. I started seeing the dead only yesterday, after that soldier hit my head. I hope this new blow hasn't interfered with that. If I see him again, I'll let you know and you can talk to him."

"Yes, please!"

"I'm so glad you believe me now, Señorita. Don Diego insisted you would believe us, but I wasn't that sure."

"I try to keep an open mind with such matters."

"It's such a relief, thank you. You'll never know how much it means to me you don't believe I'm crazy!"

"It's all right, Corporal. If anything, I should thank you for trying to help us."

"There is someone else you could try to talk to: a gipsy at the market. She can also see dead people."

"What gipsy?"

"I don't know her name. She sells flowers at the market."

"Thank you, Corporal. You've been really helpful. I hope you feel better soon."

ZZZ

Diego sat alone at the ghost table, lost in thought.

"You're back," he said when Azrael materialized at the tavern.

"I had things to do, sorry."

"Why don't you let her know your feelings and end this struggle?"

"Diego… You, better than anyone else, should know that I can't. And I don't want to talk about it, specially not with you, so shut up."

The Archangel turned to look at the De Soto, who was at the bar, back to them, absorbed with an object: an empty glass in front of him.

"Trying to move that glass, ah? That's a classic..."

"Is it possible for us to move objects? Like a naughty poltergeist?"

"It is, but I doubt he'll manage it."

"Why not?"

"Because that man is incapable of such degree of mental concentration."

De Soto tried to move the glass by slowly pushing with his index finger, but before he could reach it, Pilar took it to the sink. His reaction put a smile on Diego's face.

"Oi! I need that! Give it back!"

Oblivious to his demand, Pilar carried on serving another client, so De Soto also moved on to try on an empty bottle instead. When he placed his finger on the cork, it wobbled.

"Blimey," Azrael said. "Who would have thought…"

"Diego! Did you see that? I did it! It moved!"

Excited, De Soto left the counter. Sergeant Romero was drinking a glass of wine with another Royal lancer at a table, waiting for his meal. Like a naughty child, De Soto reached for the glass. He tried to push it twice, failing, but on the third attempt, he toppled the glass, spilling the wine.

"Yes!" he cried, triumphant, while Romero cursed, his uniform covered in wine. "Look at that!"

"Please, try not to do that again," Azrael said.

"Why?"

"For obvious reasons: it annoys people, and that doesn't help your case."

"But… it's fun! Look!" De Soto said, toppling over the tray Pilar was carrying. Most of the wine glasses and plates with tamales landed of the floor, shattering in a gooey mess, but the bowl of albondigas soup landed on Sergeant Romero's head. "Ha! Karma!"

Azrael rolled his eyes, looking at the ceiling while Diego laughed.

"God, give me patience…" Azrael pled.

ZZZ

Victoria looked into the library. She couldn't see Pérez around, so she quickly actioned the secret mechanism at the mantelpiece and scurried into Zorro's cave.

Toronado greeted her with a soft neigh, bobbing his head, happy to see her again.

"Hello, boy. How are you?" she said, patting his neck. "Bored to death, I presume."

She stroked the horse for a while, giving him some welcomed love, until she asked in a whisper:

"Can you see Zorro? Is he here?"

The horse looked at her, with a hint of understanding in his dark eyes, but he didn't show the same signs as the day before.

"He's not here now, is he?"

Amazingly, the horse moved in the stall from side to side, moving his head, as if strongly saying "no".

"Do you understand me?"

A head bobbing.

"This is unreal…" she said to herself. "All right. In that case, can you go and find Diego, please? Bring him here to me. Could you do that?"

Toronado looked at her again, tilting his head. Then, he neighed in agreement and using his strong teeth, he lifted the bar to step out of his stall.

I can believe this! Victoria thought when Toronado trotted to the far end of the cave into the dark corridor that lead to the back exit. He behaves like a person. How could Diego train him so well?

After the horse left, she wandered around the place, looking at Zorro's stuff, as Don Alejandro had done. She had a look at the small bottles full of chemicals he had at the lab, paying attention to one bottle in particular, labelled "Arsenic". She grabbed that bottle to look at it more closely, with a dark thought entering her mind, but then she put it back, shaking her head.

Victoria carried on her little tour until she stopped at the clothing rack. She caressed the cape, and then took the black shirt to inhale the fabric deeply. Yes, that was the scent of the man she loved, that delicious mix of male sweat, horses, and that hint of expensive, aromatic salts and perfume. She should have realized that perfume scent could only belong to a wealthy man like Diego. It was Diego's perfume, without a doubt. And she was an idiot for not adding two and two. A complete fool.

She started crying again in another bout of deep sadness, hugging that black shirt. In her desperation, that arsenic bottle looked like a good enough option to put an end to all that pain.

ZZZ

"No, Diego. Push with your core, not with your finger. Push with… the strength within you," De Soto said, dead serious, teaching like a spiritual, Zen master.

Diego tried to push the glass again, but failed one more time.

"I can't believe you can do this! Azrael is also impressed."

"I don't know why, because it's so easy," De Soto said, moving the glass without much apparent effort.

A loud gasp rose at the tavern. They were surrounded by clients, that looked at that solitary glass on that table, waiting for it to move. When it did, pushed by an invisible hand, they all panicked, leaving the place screaming.

"Brujería! Brujería!"

A strange looking man entered the tavern then. He had black skin, but his face was painted in white. He wore black trousers, a top hat, and a black tailed tuxedo with no shirt to cover his naked, muscular torso. He completed his odd, party outfit with dark glasses and pristine white gloves, and on top of that, he smoked a huge cigar and carried his own bottle of rum.

"No. Not him, please. I can't believe it…" Azrael said when he took a seat at his table. "Why now?"

Diego and De Soto left the glass alone to approach their table, curious.

"What the fuck do you care?" the strange man said with a burlesque, nasal tone, dragging his words.

"I do care. And you shouldn't swear so much."

"Shut the fuck up! I can do as I please. Want to stop me from smoking too?" the man said, puffing at his cigar, exhaling the strong smoke all over Azrael's face. "Or drinking?"

The black man took long swigs from the bottle of rum he was carrying, drinking more than a quarter in one go. Azrael shook his head, sad.

"I tried. I really tried," the man carried on, upset, "but you don't care, so… I gave up. And you know what? This particular impersonation of me is so much fun!"

He burped, laughing, let out a few obscenities when Pilar walked by, trying to grab her arse, and carried on drinking and smoking.

"Pathetic," Azrael said, shaking his head.

"No, you are pathetic! At least, looking like this, fucking Lucifer will leave me alone. He was… a little bit too keen, the motherfucker. If only you could show and ounce of… Never mind. ¡Joder! ¡Me cago en la puta madre que os parió a todos! ¡Coño ya!"

Diego looked at that strange man, shocked by his foul language and attitude. Azrael looked… appalled. And sad. Very sad.

"Are you… Death?" De Soto asked.

"Yes, my man. This is Barón Samedi, a loa of the voodoo cult. The best cabrón in town," he said, laughing, tapping his naked chest proudly.

"Where is La Catrina?" Diego asked.

"She's no more. What's the fucking point? No matter how lovely she looked and acted, it made no difference. From now on, I'm having fuuuuunnnn…" the baron said, dragging the word, taking another long puff from his cigar.

"I thought you were a female entity," Diego said, confused.

"It doesn't matter. Az can explain that to you."

"Gender is a construction of the mind. As unsubstantial as time," he said with a monotonous tone, as if trying to bore his listeners on purpose. "There is no male and female duality in other realms, only here. Male and female are parts of the same unity."

"But you said angels are… well endowed," Diego said to Death.

"I say many things. Like declaring that all angels, fallen or not, are pompous motherfuckers who don't deserve a second thought!"

Right then, Diego heard a familiar sound outside the tavern: Toronado's neigh.

"Excuse me," he said, rushing to the entrance.

Yes, there he was, his black stallion, calling him to action.

"That's Toronado!" someone at the plaza cried, pointing at the horse.

"What is he doing here?" another man said. "Is Zorro here?"

Hearing the commotion, everybody got outside.

"What are you going to do?" De Soto said.

"Ride him, of course," Diego said, grabbing the horse's mane to jump graciously on his back. "He wants to take me somewhere, I know that."

The horse neighed loudly again, turning around. People at the plaza split like the Red Sea to create a passage the crazy horse followed, galloping off while carrying Diego. But they didn't know that, as they could only see the horse, not the ghost rider.

"That's the weirdest thing…" someone said.

"You only say that because you can't see this guy," De Soto said, looking at the baron, who was obnoxiously puffing his cigar smoke all around Azrael, who remained imperturbable, while afflicted by a great, deep sadness.

ZZZ

When she calmed down, Victoria left everything as it was, and looked at the spyhole before she opened the door at the library. She thought the room was empty, but as she crossed the secret door, Pérez popped out from behind an armchair.

"Gotcha!"

ZZZZZ