Chapter 8
As a former captain in the Royal Army, Alejandro de la Vega could not stand the idea, him getting forced to do something against his will so easily.
When one of the bandits had insisted the man and the woman got off the wagon, Alejandro tried to fight the man. He didn't have a weapon in reach, his age and being outnumbered one to three. The don had to surrender seconds later, having no other choice.
He had tried one more time. Victoria, standing proud beside him, her chin high in the air, not showing any fear. "A de la Vega does not bow to blackmail."
The men had laughed and knocked the don down. Victoria screaming kneeling beside the man to take care of him as best she could.
"Maybe not for blackmail, but I don't assume you want anything unfortunate to happen to the charming señorita accompanying you. It would be very tragic if she got robbed of her valuables and then even more tragically dies in the ravine a little further down the road. You just reduced your changes, old fool. Instead of twenty-four hours, you now had fifteen hours to get the money delivered."
Had Alejandro first thought he or Victoria would be sent to the pueblo to get the money, his hopes disappeared when he got handed a pencil and a piece of paper. After he had written down the demands the robbers had made, one of the three rode in the direction of the pueblo.
Alejandro and Victoria got tied to the wagon wheels, and all they could do was wait and hope. The two other robbers guarded their prisoners, so neither spoke much.
Victoria and Alejandro were tied in the shade of the wagon. Victoria was eager to cry, holding back her tears. She could not give up hope, Alejandro feeling devastated as it was. He felt guilty for not being able to defend her. The hope was Mendoza finding it strange if they hadn't returned after siesta time and would ask the alcalde to start a search party. The other possibility was the third robber delivering the letter in the pueblo. And somehow, the huge ransom money would get paid. Slowly the sun disappeared in the west behind the horizon. Even the chance that Zorro would find out they needed help was slim.
Diego was relieved when the hacienda came in sight again. This morning señorita Annabella had got the idea to go search for Zorro. He had tried to talk her out of it. His father insisted on the idea, and his son should accompany the señorita, taking her for the ride to search for caves. An interview with Zorro would be a good idea to let the surrounding pueblo's know what kind of outlaw Zorro was.
Annabella had been complaining all morning about the heat, the distance, the horse, the dirt, the wind, and Diego could not retell what else. She was getting on his nerves. Felipe, who had joined them, got tired of the señorita long before he had.
In time for lunch, the three arrived back in the hacienda.
Annabella had retracted herself to her bedroom for a siesta. Felipe and Diego using the opportunity to work in the cave after hearing his father was on his way to the mission post.
Felipe teasing Diego, his father saw the perfect next dona de la Vega in señorita Annabella.
"Well, my father will discover soon enough señorita Annabella is not the kind of woman he wishes for a daughter-in-law.
Laughing over the signs Felipe was making. "Yes, I agree señorita Annabella is beautiful on the outside."
It was five o'clock when the two men left the cave to change for dinner. Diego expected his father to be returned and did not know what to think when Manuel told him his father still wasn't back. Diego walked back to the hacienda, Felipe came to him running. "What is it, Felipe?'
The boy, handing him a piece of rock. A sheet of paper wrapped around it. Felipe signing he had found the stone in the hallway on the floor. The window shattered when he walked to his room.
Diego removed the string around the rock and unfolded the piece of paper. "It is from father. He writes he is held hostage together with Victoria. The criminals want five thousand pesos delivered to them before six in the morning, or both will die."
Felipe, making a Z in the air.
"Yes, Zorro will ride. Luckily it is a full moon tonight. Tell, señorita Annabella, some urgent matters forced me to go and help a friend. Yes, she will not like it. She also lives on a ranch, so she does know, sometimes urgent matters interfere with plans."
Felipe his facial expression making clear what he thought about it without making any signs.
"I am sorry, you stuck with her. I know you don't like her. Offer her to have dinner in her room. Maybe she is tired after the riding of this morning."
Diego entered the cave by the hidden door in the fireplace. Felipe, saddling Toronado as Diego changed in his costume. Daylight was fading. Zorro needed to hurry if he wants to see any track.
"Felipe, go to the pueblo and explain to the alcalde what happened. Tell him Diego bumped into Zorro, and both are on their way to search for father and Victoria. They went to the mission. The point the men want to meet is on the road to San Fernando. So my assumption is there somewhere down that road."
Felipe signed he had understood what Diego wanted him to do.
"Luckily, the darkness will make it believable don Diego to get lost again even he is accompanied by Zorro."
Zorro heads in the direction of the mission post by using the road to San Fernando, alert for any sign of robbers or the wagon. It was a cold night, so the men probably wanted to make a fire. The full moon made it hopefully possible to see smoke.
Zorro nearly passed it. Toronado must have smelled the wagon tracks because suddenly, the stallion slowed to deviate from the road.
After about a mile, the wagon came into view behind a few boulders.
Victoria was cold. Her shawl had given her in the morning some comfort. It was too thin to provide enough warmth while it was rapidly cooling down.
Don Alejandro had tried to pursue the men to let her go. The man had not given in, and when the don had tried a second time, both got gagged. Her mouth was dry, and she was hungry and about to give up hope. She could not see the don, Alejandro, now tied on the other side of the wagon. All to do was wait. Wait for someone to come and save them. Wait for the alcalde and lancers to arrive, wait for Zorro, wait for don Diego. Wait and hope someone would come before time had passed.
Zorro did not see his father. What he did see was the wagon, guarded by three men. Sitting, all beside it with rifles in reach. He makes his way in the dark around the boulders and climbs the largest one. Now, looking down, he sees his father and Victoria are tied to the wagon, both gagged. Zorro had the faint suspicion of why and smiles.
A flash of his whip and the first rifle flies in the air, Zorro shots in the air. "Señores, mind if I join you?" Zorro drops the rifle on top of the bandit's head. Who looks up to discover what is happening and where his weapon has gone so quickly.
He jumps from the boulder next to the second bandit and rifle, kicking the weapon out of reach. Zorro punches the bandit, falling to the ground. Spinning, to face the third bandit who points the last rifle at him. Zorro draws his sword, unarmed the man. The third bandit has grabbed his sword. Zorro is way too fast and powerful for the bandit to stand a chance.
The first man has recovered and now joins. Zorro is fighting two men at the same time. The grin on his face proves Zorro likes what he is doing, ending the fight a few minutes later.
"Sorry, don Alejandro, Victoria, I will untie you both shortly. Let me first take care of these three."
Whistling for Toronado, the steed appears almost invisible in the dark. The metal of the gear shinning in the moonlight. Zorro gets a rope off the saddle and ties the three bandits throwing them on the wagon.
Then he first unties Victoria and don Alejandro. "Are you both all right?"
"Si, thank you, Zorro." Don Alejandro says to the black-masked man. "We were overpowered by those men, demanding ransom. I suppose Diego has informed the alcalde, and they are on their way as we speak."
"I ran into don Diego and Felipe as they were on their way to the pueblo. Diego told me what happened." Zorro checked, or the robbers were tied up securely, making sure it was safe for his father and Victoria to bring them to the pueblo.
"Zorro, thank you for coming. You were marvellous." Victoria had a broad smile on her face looking for admiration at her secret lover. Zorro walks over to her to kiss her hand.
"Señorita Escalante, fearing for your safety gave me wings." He lowered his voice so the older man and robbers could not hear what he was about to say. "At moments like this our lips seemed further apart than ever." Zorro kissed her hand again, then turned to speak to don Alejandro.
"Don Alejandro, it is safe for you and señorita Victoria to ride back to the pueblo. I will ride behind you to make sure you get home safely. We can run into the alcalde and the lancers somewhere on the road. I hope you forgive me for staying out of sight."
Victoria, interrupting the men, for she wouldn't mind Zorro kissing her in plain sight of the don. "Zorro, I hope to thank you for a little more."
Zorro gave her his most charming grin. Had his father not been present, he surely would have loved to accept this offer time and time over again. "Victoria, of all the women on this earth, is just one who can take my breath away just by seeing her shadow. The closer you are, the more the distance feels like an eternity. I wish you a safe journey. Don Alejandro, señorita"
Zorro mounted Toronado and disappeared in the dark night.
Huh, how did Zorro come to these words? They seemed to be straight out of the mysterious writer's poem. But that was not possible. The poem was never published. How could Zorro say words from something that only two people knew existed?
"What was that all about?" The don asked the woman who was deep in thoughts.
"Huh," The voice of the man getting her back to the here and now. "I honestly don't know." Victoria, staring in the direction Zorro had disappeared.
About half an hour later, the lancers got the wagon in sight.
"Don Alejandro, señorita Escalante is that you? Felipe came to tell us the both of you got taken as hostages."
"Si, I have the robbers in the back of the wagon. Zorro beat you once again, sergeant."
"I can not say I dislike that," Mendoza instructed two other lancers to ride beside the wagon to keep an eye on the bandits.
"Luckily, we have found you. We will be back in the pueblo before midnight, and all can have a good night sleep. It is no use trying to go after Zorro. It is dark, and he is miles away by now anyway."
"Sergeant, did you just say it was Felipe who came and tell you?" Don Alejandro sounded concerned.
"Si, he had to write it all down before I understood."
"Zorro told us he had run into Diego and Felipe."
"Don Alejandro, you don't think don Diego is out searching for us on his own?" Mendoza hoped he didn't sound disrespectful Everyone in the pueblo knew the son of don Alejandro was not the kind of man to make a rash decision, nor the man to go out and search on his own at night.
"I sure hope my son is wiser than that. Diego can get lost in the backyard in broad daylight, let alone in the dark."
"Don Alejandro," Mendoza muttered. He was glad he had found the don and the señorita and didn't have to go out to try and capture the robbers. Already he had looked forward to going to his bed after a midnight snack. He sure hoped he did not have to spend the entire night in the saddle, searching for a man that got lost more often than he.
Don Alejandro sighing and tried to make up his mind about what to do. Victoria coughed to get the attention of the men made a proposal all men happily accepted. "I think we should go to the hacienda. Most likely, don Diego had given up. He doesn't like riding in the dark, and maybe he went back. When not, we organize a search party for him."
"Victoria, that is an excellent idea. Still, keep your eyes and ears open. We might spot him somewhere."
And so, six lancers, the don, the tavern keeper and the robbers went on their way back to the pueblo. Now and then, one of them yelled DIEGO! You never could tell maybe the young don was wandering somewhere along with the road within hearing range.
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