From his vantage point, the black-clad man could see a large group of people sleeping on the ground. Six others were awake, patrolling the area and guarding the others. About twenty minutes later, as they started to wake up, one-by-one, a true feast was being prepared.
"Eat up, my friends! You've earned it." One of them stood up to tell his companions. They cheered and did as he commanded. "After you'll have finished, Nicolas, you will take two men and go to Los Angeles to find out how effective our trap has been and if the Alcalde and his men have already left to attack the Indians. Once the pueblo is left undefended, we dress as savages and attack again. We take the pueblo before nightfall."
"But what if Zorro intervenes again?" One of the men wondered.
"You saw him fall the other night when Nando hit him. He must be badly injured, or he would have been there to defend the pueblo yesterday. Even if he does show up, there's almost forty of us and only one of him. Besides, he is rumored to be in love with the owner of the local tavern. Once she's in our hands, we'll give him no choice but to give himself up if he wants her to live.
"And, after Zorro surrenders, we burn him and the remaining lancers - so that everyone believes we are truly Indians - then do what we want with the pueblo and the people there! Think, my friends! All the money in the bank and the Alcalde's office, the riches kept in the haciendas, the beautiful women… Until reinforcements come, if they come, they're all ours for the taking."
Zorro had heard enough. The situation was soon to worsen, and everyone in Los Angeles was in grave danger.
"Grey Wing!" He called in a low voice.
The man turned towards him in surprise.
"We need to go before they see us," Zorro told him.
The Indian nodded and headed towards him, both descending at a fast pace, reaching their horses at the same time.
"What were you doing here?" Zorro wondered as soon as they had put enough distance between them and the men they had been watching.
"A dream guided me back home. When I arrived, my tribe had been destroyed, so I followed its attackers here." He answered. "Why are you here?"
"It's a rather long story. I did my best to help your tribe, but I know some died. The others, I saw fleeing east. I was searching for them last night, trying to find the pueblo's doctor, who I suspect might be with them. Instead of their tracks, I found those which led me here." The black-clad man answered. "We need to warn the lancers and you need to let your people know what is truly happening, before everyone falls into these men's trap. Should they take Los Angeles and make everyone believe they are Indians, the reinforcements will destroy your people." Zorro pointed out.
The Indian tracker nodded his agreement.
ZZZ
The Sergeant woke up that morning earlier than usual. Remembering he had not heard the Alcalde and the lancers he had taken with him return during the night, he put on his uniform, checked on his men, wondering what was keeping De Soto, then, yawning, made his way towards the tavern, hoping Señorita Escalante was already awake and ready to cook him a nice breakfast. With two of his men dead, due to be buried later that day, and several others injured, he felt that a long, hard day was before him and Victoria's food would, at least, offer him some comfort.
ZZZ
De Soto watched in horror as the Indians lit their torches, preparing to throw them on the piles of wood below his and his men's feet. One by one, the flames were to engulf the wood branches, the thin ones at first, yet, soon enough, the larger ones. Then, they would roast alive, little by little, dying in agony.
"No, God, this can't be how it ends! Where is Zorro when we need him?" He thought as, just like his men, he was trying in vain to get himself freed.
"No!" A woman's voice resounded and Ignacio raised his head to see his wife running through the gathered crowd towards him.
"Jessie!" He sighed somewhat relieved despite his own circumstances.
At reaching him, she turned around and addressed the Indians there, despair in her voice. "Why are you doing this?" She asked. "I helped you, and that's how you repay me? By killing my husband and his men?"
"This man… is your man?" Long Feather asked.
"Yes. And he did nothing to deserve this! Nor did his lancers!" She answered. "Help me put out the fire!"
"They attacked this tribe. Killed 8 of our people and injured ten more!" One of the braves told her.
"We are all witnesses to their crimes!" Another man uttered.
"My men and I did not attack you! You attacked Los Angeles, which nullifies the treaties existing between you and the Spanish Crown!" De Soto stated. Only as the words came out of his mouth realizing he should have kept his mouth shut. After all, even if they would be freed, it didn't change the fact that Alta California now belonged to Mexico. "And you abducted my wife!" He added, anyway.
"I am here because they needed me, Ignacio." Jessie told him. "And nobody here attacked Los Angeles last evening." She added, turning towards the Indians. "I know each and every one of the lancers my husband commands. They are good people. And I know him! He might have committed his share of mistakes, but he has changed. He had nothing to do with this. Whoever it was, these men are not the ones responsible." Jessie stated. "Please, listen to me!"
The Indians started doubting themselves at that point, the men holding the torches turning towards their Chief awaiting his command to light the fires.
"She speaks the truth!" Grey Wing's voice was heard as he hurriedly dismounted and made his way towards Jessie at seeing the lancers' predicament. "These are not the men who attacked the village." He continued in their language. "I followed the ones who did. They are the same who attacked Los Angeles last evening, dressed as Indians. But they are not lancers. Nor are they Chumash people. They are enemies to us all."
"Are you certain, Grey Wing?" Long Feather asked him in his language.
"I saw them with my own eyes; heard them with my own ears." The man answered.
"Can you, please, tell them to let them go?" Jessie asked the new arrival, hoping whatever he had told the others was meant to save her husband and his men.
The Indian tracker did not answer, but Long Feather signaled for his men to untie the Alcalde and the lancers.
ZZZ
Meanwhile, Zorro first headed for the cave, then towards the pueblo, taking a bow, arrows whose tip he had replaced with gunpowder, a horn, several time-delay explosive devices, and firecrackers. Leaving Tornado behind the tavern, he made his way inside Victoria's establishment through the upper passage to the kitchen. Hidden there, he waited the arrival of the men sent to investigate how well their trap had worked.
After he saw them coming through the door and sitting at one of the tables, he climbed down and waited for Victoria to return to the kitchen.
"Zorro?" She whispered as she saw him. "What are you doing here?"
"The three men who just entered, they are part of the group who attacked last evening."
"But those were Indians. I saw them!" The taverness contradicted him.
"They were dressed as Indians last night, and as lancers when they attacked the Chumash tribe north of Los Angeles, a night before. It's a trap to take the pueblo while the two sides fight each other." He explained. "And I need your help. I need you to get Sergeant Mendoza here without letting those men suspect anything."
She nodded and headed towards the taproom where she informed Mendoza that she needed his expert opinion on a new sauce. The lancer smiled widely as he followed her back.
"Not a word, Sergeant!" Zorro uttered as he entered, a finger to his lips "I just want to talk, but we need to do so without being overheard by the people in the taproom. However… first things first. Can you tell me if there's any news of De Soto and the men he had taken with him last night?"
"They did not yet return, Zorro. I don't know where they are." Mendoza answered sincerely his voice merely a whisper.
"I feared as much. Let's hope Grey Wing will make it to them in time, for we need every available man here." The masked outlaw said, pensively.
After explaining his plan, Zorro slightly opened the curtains to see Mendoza and Victoria return to the taproom.
"Thank you for the help, Sergeant!" Victoria uttered with a smile.
"Anytime, Señorita. And I also have a delicious recipe of my own, if you ever want to try it." The Sergeant replied, then headed for his table. "Are you finished, men? The Alcalde and the reinforcements are due to return soon, and we need to prepare the quarters for when they get here!" He said, just loud enough for the nearby tables to hear.
"But, Sergeant, hasn't the Alcalde gone in search of the Doctor?" One of his men asked.
"Of course, not! Why would he have taken so many men with him to search for her? The Alcalde and two others headed for Santa Paula to get reinforcements for when those men who tried to make us believe they were Indians attack again. The rest of them are positioned on the way to San Pedro. This morning… Private Sanchez came to inform me that they had already identified the thugs in a valley, some 15 miles from here. Some 40 men. But they have no idea what's awaiting them in Los Angeles. And since we're on that subject, I believe we should also start building the gallows and digging a common grave."
His little monologue had the desired effect as, just moments later, the three strangers hurriedly left the tavern.
"Well done, Sergeant!" Zorro said as he made his way inside the taproom to watch them leaving the pueblo through one of the windows.
The other lancers just stared in disbelief as Mendoza thanked him for the compliment.
"Now, as we discussed, I need you to position most of your men on the roof of the church and the tavern so that they could keep an eye on the road here. Two lancers you should send to warn the haciendados near Los Angeles, starting with those living west of the pueblo. They should be ready in case those men decide to attack their haciendas." Zorro instructed, and Mendoza hurriedly obeyed, sending Gomez and Arenas to warn about the potential attack and another of his lancers with instructions for the remaining men.
" Victoria," Zorro uttered, turning towards the woman he loved, "I count on you to get as many volunteers as possible to help defend Los Angeles, should need be, then make sure you find a safe place if they attack. They plan to take you prisoner should they make it here. Sergeant, you are to protect her, no matter what."
The man nodded assuredly, and the man behind the mask was certain he'd do everything in his power to keep the young woman safe.
"And I will also need two of the lancers with me." Zorro concluded his round of instructions.
Mendoza again nodded and, heading towards the cuartel, he returned with Martinez and Valdez, whom he knew admired Zorro and would never try anything against him. After ordering them to obey the masked man, he assured him again that he'd protect Victoria, and the strange companions left, following the bandits.
ZZZ
They found the large group just five miles from the pueblo, as the men were changing their clothes for the Indian ones while waiting for their cohorts to return.
"Our plan has failed, Jefe!" Zorro and the two lancers heard the bandit called Nicolas say as soon as they arrived at the new campsite. "The garrison knows our plan and is preparing a trap. The entire territory is full of lancers spying on us."
"What? How can that be?" The leader asked.
"I don't know!" The man answered.
"We need a new plan, then!" The leader shouted.
"What if we don't attack the pueblo, but some of the haciendas, instead?" One of the men suggested. "They say there are fortunes hidden in every one of them."
Zorro liked their new plan even less than the other one since haciendas were far easier to take even than a badly-guarded pueblo.
"We can't let them carry out any attack. Here's what I need you to do…" He, said, turning towards the lancers and started to explain his plan.
ZZZ
De Soto and his men, as well as ten Indian braves and Grey Wing were heading to Los Angeles when they started hearing the explosions.
"What now?" He asked, as he signaled for everyone to stop.
A horn sounded next and what seemed like gunfire followed.
"Must be Zorro. He said he would try to prevent the attack." Grey Wing uttered. "We must help him."
Exchanging a glance with his lancers, the Alcalde made sure his gun was loaded and led everyone in the direction of the battle.
Some ten minutes later, they arrived on a hill from where they could see larger and smaller groups of men in various stages of undress, some wearing normal, European clothes, and some dressed as Indians, running across the field in every direction, while shooting their bullets towards unknown enemies.
To De Soto's right, Private Martinez was using his musket to shoot at the men below, while Valdez was lighting up firecrackers, their combined actions causing anyone to believe they were being attacked by far more marksmen.
An explosion resounded through the meadow and the new arrivals looked to their right to see Zorro shooting explosive arrows at the men, causing even more panic.
"Prepare to fire!" De Soto ordered his men, and they took aim.
The Indians also prepared their bows and, seconds later, a rain of arrows and bullets fell, instantly killing ten of the bandits and injuring several more.
"Reload!" De Soto ordered.
ZZZ
The battle was rather one-sided as half of the bandits lost their lives without even having the chance to fire at their attackers. Seven were injured, five surrendered, and five, their leader included, managed to escape.
When it was all over, De Soto tried to find Zorro, only to realize that the masked outlaw had already left.
ZZZ
The Alcalde and his men returned triumphantly to Los Angeles just after midday, exhausted, but content, and Mendoza hurried to make his report.
"Sergeant, there's no more need to worry!" De Soto assured him condescendingly as people were gathering in the plaza. "The threat is over." He then told everyone. "Those bandits will trouble us no more since they are, for the most part, dead. Tomorrow we'll go in search of those who had managed to escape, but, for now, the pueblo is secure."
People smiled and cheered, relieved at his words.
"You managed to find them?" Diego wondered, realizing there were no prisoners brought in, nor any of the Indian braves accompanying the lancers. "You killed them all?"
"Most of them." De Soto answered him.
"And the injured? How about prisoners?" Diego queried as his old schoolmate was dismounting.
"Since you have your hands full with the men injured yesterday, and my wife is taking care of those wounded in the attack on the Chumash tribe, I thought it best for the prisoners to be taken by the Indians. After all, it's their right to punish them as they see fit." De Soto replied.
"Punish? Ignacio, they are going to burn them!" Diego stated in a tone that made the Alcalde cringe at his words. The way he had uttered them reminded him of another and, while he was certain the two were not one and the same, it still made the hair on his body stand on end.
"They almost burned my men and me, because of what those thugs did! Besides, they were planning on burning all the lancers here – and that black-clad outlaw – just to make everyone believe they were Indians!" The Alcalde stated, resentfully. "However, this is none of your business, De la Vega. The injured are, and I expect you to put all your efforts into helping them."
As he said that, De Soto stomped into his office, leaving Mendoza to care for his horse.
Diego watched him leave, then staggered a little as he returned to the medical office, where Felipe was already preparing a sleeping potion to give to the injured men.
For two days already, he was ignoring the worsening pain in his head, and the rest he needed. Besides short periods of times when he couldn't remember things, even events which had happened recently, his balance and eyesight were also becoming more and more affected All that, however, he was keeping to himself in order to avoid worrying his adopted son.
ZZZ
Jessie was utterly torn. Her instincts told her to help all those in need. Now, however, she was in a situation with which she had never dealt with before. She could stop Ignacio from doing anything she considered wrong, but how was she to stop the tribe from burning those who they had decided, without a fair trial, to hold responsible for their dead and wounded in the attack?
"Burn those people, and I will leave. I will stop helping the injured!" She threatened, fully aware she would not be able to put that threat into practice.
"You are medicine woman. You will care for them!" Long Feather contradicted her. "These men are not your concern."
"Please! I was just cooking for them. I never attacked anyone!" One of the prisoners begged at seeing the poles towards which they were being dragged.
"Nor was I!" Another said, although Jessie's instincts told her he was not to be trusted.
"They are entitled to justice. You cannot know for certain that they are responsible for what happened to you. At least, give them a chance to defend themselves!" She asked, pitying the younger of them most of all. A couple of those caught were teenagers, and the frightened look in their eyes made her resent the Indians as well as her own husband who had agreed to give them to the tribesmen.
"Give them a fair trial, or I will leave right now!" She uttered, her ire quite convincing.
The Chief looked impassive, but one of his men approached at seeing her determination and whispered something to him.
"Very well." Long Feather said. "We will give them a choice. They can choose the stake or going through the river of pain. Whoever survives, will be freed."
Several of the other men there addressed him at hearing his decision, and an angered conversation soon followed, one which ended with a few gestures and orders by the chief, which Jessie didn't understand.
"What is 'the river of pain'?" She asked one of the women of the tribe who had been helping her, and knew Spanish.
"It's a series of tests. All my people practice them to determine a person's guilt, although different villages have different tests." She said. "Only those pure of heart can pass them."
"What kind of tests?" She asked, afraid of the answer.
"The first will be the sticks – the warriors form two rows and the man going through the trial will have to endure being beaten with sticks, and get safely to the other side. It symbolizes the way sins harm one's soul. Should that person have few sins, his body will endure. Then he must fight one of the warriors using spears. That symbolizes the ultimate battle, against the most powerful of one's enemies: selfishness. Should he prevail, he'll finally face the most difficult of the tests. It may take various forms, depending on the tribe and where the tribe is located, but it must always be a climb – symbol of rebirth. It is the hardest part of the trial for, even if one prevails over the other tests, the evil in one's soul always ends up dragging him down, to his death.
"But some of these men are wounded. They stand no chance! That's not justice!" Jessie said as she saw the people of the tribe starting the preparations.
"Few ever pass the tests, even if they are in good health." The Indian woman told her. "Yet, it is the way of our people."
A moan was heard from inside a nearby tent, where the wounded were being attended to by the women of the tribe, and Jessie headed inside.
While she had already done about all she could for the injured people, complications could always arise, which was why, with the tribe's medicine man and his apprentice both dead in the attack, she was still needed there. After all, from what Ignacio had told her, Los Angeles had suffered far less casualties, and Diego and Felipe were both there to take care of the wounded.
Realizing the groans were made by a child, Jessie hurried to his side and checked his forehead. He had already developed a fever before she had even gotten there the previous morning, but it was getting far worse, despite her efforts. The problem was that, since she had been kidnaped rather than courteously asked to accompany the Indians, she didn't have the chance to take her medical bag. All she had with her were some of the remedies those who had come for her hurriedly put I their own bags, and which did not include the remedies she used in order to help those who developed bad infections and high fevers.
She thought about getting the wounded back to the pueblo, but there was nowhere to keep that many people in any decent accommodations, and some, the feverish child included, were too weak to be moved.
"I need a horse!" Jessie told the Spanish-speaking woman as soon as she made up her mind. "I must go to Los Angeles."
"But you said you would stay to help." She replied, dumbfounded.
"It's why I need to go. This child and several of the others need some medicines I have there. They won't make it, otherwise." The American answered. "I will be back as soon as I can! I promise."
Shouts started to be heard from outside, and Jessie exited the tent to see one of the prisoners succumb to the first test, as the braves hitting him with sticks took no pity on the man.
She said a silent prayer for him and the others, then left, heading for the horses.
ZZZ
It was about the time she closed for siesta when, taking out the water she had used to wash the dishes, Victoria saw Diego riding Esperanza out of the pueblo.
Wiping her hands clean, she made her way to the medical office, where a very tired Felipe was keeping vigil over the injured men.
"Felipe, go home and get some sleep! You and Diego kept vigil over them the entire night." She told him, a kind look on her face.
He replied by signing that Diego had already left, so he was needed there.
"Pilar, Mendoza, and I will stay with them. If they need anything, we'll take care of it. And if anyone develops a fever, we'll let you and Diego know." She promised. "Do you have a horse?"
He signed that Pinto had been brought to the pueblo that morning by one of the De la Vega servants, together with Esperanza.
"Then, go home! None of them has a fever, and they are already healing. There's no reason to exhaust yourself!" She told him.
The young man nodded somewhat doubtfully, then did as she asked, arriving at the hacienda just as Zorro was leaving, heading for the Indian village.