Chapter 9

After returning to the pueblo his father greeted him happily shaking his son's hand. Telling how glad he was to see Diego was alright. Slapping Felipe on his shoulders. Asking how the boy had managed to escape.
Felipe sighed that the pirates had not tied his ropes well, and it had been easy come loose.

"It was very brave what you did Felipe, but also very dangerous. You have no idea what men like that are capable of. What if one of those pirates shot at you. I am just so grateful everyone is fine."

Buying rounds for the entire tavern Alejandro was sitting near sergeant Mendoza, who was telling his part of the story. Grossly exaggerating the part he and the lancers had played.
Diego was quietly listening at the talk in the tavern from the far corner. He had been in the pueblo looking for Augusta, nervous to find out what she was up to. She knew his secret and by knowing had she become his new nemesis? Was she going to blackmail Zorro or tell Mendoza what she knew? Was she going to wait for Ignacio to return? Diego honestly did not know.

Victoria was making sure the story Mendoza told was closer to the truth than the sergeant liked, although she was also not able to completely tell what had happened, for she had been asleep most of the time as had the others. People having come to the tavern still wanted to know as many details as possible.
"Señora Augusta was there too. She saw Zorro." Mendoza had come to that part of the story again.
People in the tavern getting some hints of what really happened when Zorro had come to help.

Alejandro drunk some glasses of wine. Enjoying the company of his friends and also being the centre of attention, being the one who had leaded the lancers in the right direction. Bragging about how his son had left a trail to follow. His cheeks were slowly turning red.
Diego only drank lemonade. Pilar had told him Señora Augusta was in her room, so he was waiting for her to come down.
Ordering a new glass of lemonade and some stew, Victoria brought it to him herself.

"This one is on the house Diego. As thanks for what you did today and yesterday."
"What you mean?"
Victoria felt a little shy. She had said some terrible things about her friend. Why was it, she was not able to get Diego out of her head? And why, was she so strong reacting to that Augusta woman. She had hurt her friend this morning. She had seen it, and regretted it the moment she had been blurting out those harsh words.
Twisting her fingers around the towel she was holding.
"You know what I mean. You came after us and tried to help. Yes, I know you could not do much. But you did try to do something. And... I felt saver, you being with me...
The way those men looked at me...just gave me the shivers. And... I don't know. I just felt saver knowing you were close by."
Having said what she wanted to say, quickly Victoria turned around leaving Diego with a painful smile on her face.

Victoria had hurt him this morning telling everyone who was there, she did not believe he was able to make his way home on his own. And now she just had lifted his day complete, if only he had not been so worried about the things to come.

Thinking about what Victoria had said, he didn't see Augusta until she sat suddenly next to him. Having just come down the stairs to the main room.
"I think you have some questions for me." she came directly to the point.
Diego just nodded, not looking at her directly as Augusta went on.
"Better not do it in here I suppose."
"Si, come..."
Diego stood up from the table and Augusta followed him until she was stopped by his father.

" Senora Augusta, I heard you helped Zorro today capturing those buccaneers. Also saving my son, Felipe and Victoria. Please allow me, to buy you a drink."
"That is very kind don Alejandro. But you see, I really need some fresh air. If you excuse me, I think I will go for a ride to the seaside. Si, I think that will do me well."
"Shall I come with you?" his father offered
Augusta looked at Diego. Like she was asking him what he wanted her to do.
With his hand he gestured to follow him.
Augusta had not gone to sergeant Mendoza and had not declared she found out Zorro's identity. Actually she had barely spoken a word since she had come back to the pueblo. Letting the people on the wagon en Mendoza fill in the gaps for how she had helped Zorro.

Diego saw how Victoria standing behind the counter was staring at Augusta with her eyes squeezed. If looks could kill, all Diego's worries about Augusta telling about Zorro would be gone. As the woman was too fell dead on the floor.

Augusta pretended not to even see Victoria and putted a scarf around her shoulders smiling at his father "I like to be alone for now Alejandro. Why don't you come to Los Angeles tomorrow and take me to show me the vineyard, as you promised to do?"
Alejandro looked disappointed for having been rejected to accompany her. Not being able to say that for he was always a perfect gentleman.
"That is an excellent idea señora, I like to show it to you, shall we say tomorrow morning, at eleven o'clock?"
"I will be ready. See you tomorrow don Alejandro. Adiós."
"Adiós señora Augusta."

Augusta left the tavern, all eyes were following the woman as she went through the front doors.

Diego feeling the urge to follow Augusta so in order to go after her, he used the same lame excuse as he had done so many times. Diego being a weak sick person complaining about every little pain he felt. "I think I will be of to the hacienda father. My back hurts from sleeping on the ground all night. And I have a terrible headache. I hope I will not catch a cold having been outside all night. If you excuse me, I am going to take a early siesta."
"Really Diego, you are lucky to be alive and that is what you are thinking about." his father muttered not trying to stop his son.

Just behind the pueblo's gate he spotted Augusta on the horse she had been using for some days now. She was waiting for him. Coming closer to her as he was riding on Esperanza, she raised her hand to let him know she had been waiting for him.
"I see you have managed to get out. So, where you want to go to talk."
Diego had been thinking about that. It needed to be a place where there was no chance anyone saw them. She already knew his biggest secret, and so he only said.
"Just follow me please."
About 100 yards from the hidden entrance to the cave he stopped.
"I must ask you to wear this blindfold."
Augusta just took the blindfold from his hand and tied it around her head so it covered her eyes.
"I hope you know I only do this because I trust you will do me no harm." was the only thing she said.

Making some big circles, they were now in front of the entrance of the cave. He helped her down and opened the secret door. Leading her in and removed her blindfold. Toronado was out and so there was enough room in the stable for both horses.
"This is my secret hide out. That is why I asked you to wear a blindfold. In here we can talk. No one will hear or interrupted us."
Blinking her eyes,Augusta needed to get her eyes get used to the light. She looked around in the well lighted cave Diego had brought her to.

"Señora Quinones..."
"Please, call me Augusta I think we know each other well enough for addressing to each other by using our first names from now on."
Diego had over a thousand questions for the woman and here she was just calmly talking about how to call one and other.
Augusta glared around in the cave. Seeing the bookcase, his butterfly collection, Toronado's stable, his desk and the table he used working on his experiments. Augusta walked over to the wall behind his desk. Looking very impressed by what she saw.

"WOW!... is that what I think it is?

Is it a kite like Leonardo da Vinci has drawn? Did it work? Did you really were able to fly? And what is this?" Turning around and walk over to the table his latest experiment on sleeping potions was standing on.
"Just something I am working on. Before we go on about this, I first have some questions for you señora.
Starting with how did…?"

"I found out you are Zorro?" she finished what he was about to say.
"That was not difficult. Diego had the same expression in his eyes as Zorro had."
"I don't understand, you just looked at me and knew?"
Diego really was just lost for words, she saw it by the expression on his face, and so she tried to explain it to him.

"It really is as I just told you, it was in your eyes. Do you remember when I first saw Zorro, you came to help the stagecoach which was being robbed?" Diego nodded at her.

"I had my sword against your troth and I looked into your eyes...
Back then all I knew about Zorro where the stories I heard about this dangerous outlaw, people were telling about.
I looked at you and... I saw no evil in your eyes... that was what made me lower my sword.

Later that day I met Diego in the tavern, I saw a man who had Zorro's eyes and still, I saw not one trace of evil."
A weird explanation but believable he supposed. So he asked his next question.
"How have you find the costume?"
"Again it was simple. The floorboard in your office."
Diego raised his eyebrow
"Some made a different noise when you walk over it. Like a hallow space was under it. When the pirates came to the pueblo and started kidnap people I was at the Gonzalez hacienda. When I came back Pilar told me what happened. So I went to your house in the hope to find you.
Your father just arrived, and he told me what you were doing.
Following the pirates as Diego, leaving a trail for the lancers. Or that is what you told your father. I realized perhaps you needed your Zorro outfit, and so I went back to the pueblo to get my hands on the only one I knew where it might be hidden. Knowing in which direction the lancers had gone it was not hard to follow that trail."

"How is it you can handle the sword so well?" he was curious for that. For her fighting skills were outstanding. Not many men were able to fight like that, let alone a woman.

For the first time it was like Augusta did not want to answer his question. For she took some time to think about what to answer.
"My late husband did not allow me much... privileges. One of the few he did allow me was to walk in the garden of our hacienda.
One day a new gardener was hired. Joaquin Murrieta, perhaps you have heard of him? He used to be one of the best swords fighters in Europe. He lost his arm in the war. I did not know who he was, but as I walked in the garden every day we started to talk, he told me his history."
"Joaquin Murrieta? The greatest sword fighter of the late eighteenth century was a gardener at your house in Spain?" This was just too strange to believe ever happening.
"Si, he missed being able to sword fight. He refused to do it out in the open. Having being famous for his skills, now only having one arm. And so he started to teach me. He did everything he could to make my life a little better. He also was the one getting books from the library at the university, so I could read.
As said my husband did not allow me to go out much. Joaquin became my access to the world. And I became his only student"

Augusta walked over to the rack his swords were hanging on.
"May I?" as she pointed at the sword sir Edmund had given him and now being the sword Zorro used often.

Because Diego did not respond, still trying to understand what she had been saying Augusta lifted the sword from the rack and with the hand of an expert she weighed it.
"Toledo steel, isn't it? This is a masterpiece."
"It is the champion sword sir Edmund Kendall gave to me, being the only student ever to defeat him."
"I see, sir Kendall was your teacher at the University, was he not? Your father told me about it." Augusta giving him a wicked smile "That was when your father believed you were going to return to California as a brave caballero was it not?"

Carefully Augusta placed the sword back on the rack
"I am surprised you do not ask or you may try it señora."
again laughing Augusta answered. "Señor, I know my limits, this sword is too heavy for me to use. You should know sword fight has not much to do with strength. It has to do with skill, training, stamina and getting to know your opponent. Knowing what his next move will be."

"And what is your next move going to be señora?"
"You want an honest answer to that?" Diego wasn't sure any more, or he wanted to know what she was going to say next. Seeing the look on Diego's face Augusta said.
"You know, if you think you do not want to hear the answer, perhaps you should not ask the question. For I never lie."
"Señora..."
"I told you, call me Augusta. I have been thinking about it. And I think the best thing for the pueblo and for Ignacio to happen is for Zorro to die..."

.

.

.