Chapter 2
"Zorro!" Victoria cried as she moved toward the masked man's motionless body. "No!"
Shots still echoed in the plaza and people knocked on the tavern door, crying out for admittance. But no one heard them. All eyes were on the masked man lying unconscious on the tavern floor.
Even de Soto's eyes were wide with shock at how easily his nemesis had been taken down. In the past, his face would have lit with excited glee. But the events of the past month had changed the alcalde. Zorro had saved his life from what would have been a very excruciatingly painful death. And it had not been the first time. De Soto felt humbled and even saddened by today's turn of events.
Juan reached Victoria first and pulled her into his arms, smirking down at the black-clad body lying at his feet. He shot an amused look at de Soto, who was still gaping wide-mouthed at the sight. "And it's taken you how many years to do this?" He gave the black-clad body a prod with his boot. It didn't move.
Juan laughed as he was joined by two other bandits as they stuffed valuables and stolen money anywhere they could find room. He barked orders to grab the alcalde while he roughly tied Victoria's hands together and looped the tie around a nearby beam. "We're going to collect that reward on Zorro's head."
The alcalde was pulled roughly to his feet and dragged to the door, bandits holding him between them in case anyone in the plaza tried to play the hero.
"Oh," Juan glanced down at the unmoving man at his feet. "But I'm going to take a piece of him with me!" He cocked his head at Victoria with a smirk. "To remember him by!" Without pausing a moment, he knelt and pulled the mask from Zorro's face and strode to the door. "Lets go now. And do make sure you tell your lancers to hold their fire…or you will be the next to die."
De Soto was dragged through the door as his eyes widened in shock at the revelation of the masked man's identity.
Zorro was lying on his side, his body facing the tavern front entrance. The only person tied in front of him, who had a perfect line of sight at the man's face, was Mendoza.
The Sergeant's eyes widened and his mouth gaped as he glanced at Alejandro and then back at Zorro. "Madre de dios!"
"What is it, Sergeant?" Alejandro struggled against the bonds that held him.
They could hear the commotion outside and a few armed caballeros rushed in, along with the doctor. Two bandits were still unconscious, thanks to Zorro and young Manchito was strutting down the stairs, a satisfied smirk to his rugged features. One caballero aimed his pistol at the boy and he stopped in his tracks.
The doctor immediately knelt beside Zorro, glancing slowly from the unconscious man to Alejandro. The two other caballeros began to untie everyone in the tavern as the doctor rolled Zorro onto his back in search of the wound.
A collective breathless gasp echoed through the crowd as Diego's face became visible to everyone in the room.
"What - " Alejandro whispered as he was untied. He pushed himself to his feet and rushed to the doctor's side. "This can't be. How . . ."
The doctor paid no attention to the incredulous looks that passed between Victoria, Mendoza, Alejandro and everyone else. He was too concerned with finding the source of the injury. He ripped the front of the black silk shirt and pulled the ends from his trousers. The doctor winced when he noticed the shot had hit Diego in the left side just below the heart.
Victoria dropped to her knees on Diego's uninjured side and stared speechless at the unconscious man. "No."
"Victoria . . ." The doctor began, trying to shake her from her cathartic state. "I need some water and some rags." He felt the weak pulse beating in Diego's neck. "He's still alive, but I need to stop this bleeding."
Victoria shook her head, staring at her best friend. "It can't . . . He can't be . . ."
"Victoria!" The doctor's voice shocked her out of her stupor. "Please get me some towels and some water."
The distraught woman nodded wordlessly and scrambled to her feet. It took only moments for her to return with the requested items.
Felipe had replaced Victoria at Diego's uninjured side and the mute held his friend's hand tightly, tears welling in his wide eyes.
Victoria knelt at Diego's head and slowly, reverently dropped her hand to his hair. It fell over his forehead now, causing him to look so very young. She lifted his head and pushed her fingers into his hair, absently pulling at the soft, dark locks. She'd wanted to do that to Zorro for so long and it felt just as she'd always dreamed. Her heart was pounding so hard it echoed in her ears and a stifled sob escaped her lips as she risked a glance at the distraught and bewildered Alejandro, to the frantically upset Felipe.
The doctor had pulled off the black gloves and Victoria glanced down at the motionless long-fingered hand. It was so familiar to her. Victoria bent to press her lips to Diego's forehead. She brushed her cheek against his soft hair and closed her eyes, all of a sudden recognizing the faint sandalwood scent that lingered on his skin and in his hair. "Oh Dios, this can't be happening." Her voice was a mere whisper but it could be heard throughout the tavern as everyone stared in astonishment at not only the revelation of the masked man's identity, but that he'd even been injured in the first place.
It took some time, but the doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound, grateful that the pistol ball had gone right through Diego's side. But the caballero had lost a lot of blood and his skin was pale and clammy.
"I need to move him someplace more comfortable." Hernandez looked pointedly at Victoria, who was valiantly fighting back tears. "I don't want to risk the long ride to the hacienda." He glanced at Alejandro, who looked as if he had aged ten years in the last ten minutes.
"No, no." Alejandro said quietly. "Whatever you think is best."
The alcalde strode in then, head held high. "They've been driven out of the pueblo." He glanced down at Diego, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "Those who have been captured, will hang at sunset."
Alejandro glanced sharply at the alcalde but he simply motioned toward Diego. "Get him off this floor so the doctor can better tend him."
"Upstairs." Victoria stood and the doctor could see her trembling. "Bring him upstairs." She vanished to quickly prepare her best room.
Hernandez nodded to a few caballeros that stood a few steps away, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. "Help me with him."
Alejandro and Felipe followed silently as the caballeros carried Diego up the stairs.
Days went by with no change in Diego's condition. He had stabilized enough so that he could be moved to the hacienda but there had been no other change.
Word spread quickly through the pueblo of the masked man's identity and as a consequence, well-wishers came day and night to the de la Vega hacienda bringing gifts, lighting candles and offering prayer's for his quick recovery.
Alejandro didn't have the heart or strength to turn them away. Simply thanked them for coming and allowed them to keep vigil on his property.
The doctor had been understandably busy after the attack. Many had been injured and more had been killed. But, Alejandro had given him the use of a room at the hacienda as well as offered to put up the injured so that the doctor would not have to travel to reach each of his patients.
After the third day, there were still three injured people fighting for their lives. The rest had either passed away or were given leave to return to their homes.
Victoria had slept as little as Alejandro and the dark circles under her eyes were further proof that she had gotten little rest since the attacks.
The only bed left in the hacienda was Alejandro's and he offered that to the distraught señorita, muttering that he would sleep in his son's room. Victoria had used the bed very little. Only when the doctor had forced her to drink a sleeping draught, did she take any rest, and even that was tumultuous at best.
Nightmare's plagued her dreams and as a result, she'd slept little, even though induced.
Most of her waking time was spent sitting at Diego's side, talking to him, whispering to him, holding his hand.
The revelation that he had all along been the masked man who had swept her off her feet with his love hadn't quite hit her as much as seeing her best friend lying unconscious in his own bed. Some part of her expected Zorro to arrive with a magical healing potion that would bring her friend around. She hasn't quite reconciled the identity of the two men in her mind yet.
She sat with a book in her lap, reading once again through teary eyes. It was a book of poems. One whose quotes she had heard spill from Zorro's lips so many times. Now she was able to look at her passive, mild-mannered friend and make the connection. She leaned toward him and grasped his hand tightly. "God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." A sob escaped her lips as she quoted from one particular painful passage. "Why, Diego?"
"Perhaps we will never know the answer, child." Padre Benitez stood in the open doorway, his eyes sad. He held a rosary in his hands and Victoria's heart sank, realizing that one of the other injured men being treated at the hacienda must have passed away.
"Or perhaps you know the answer, deep down in your heart, and you simply refuse to see it."
Victoria carefully considered the kind friar's words. "You knew, didn't you?"
The padre smiled slowly. "It is not for me to judge my parishioners. Nor reveal what is said to me in confidence."
Victoria sobbed, tears falling onto where her hand was wrapped tightly around Diego's.
"Child," the padre approached and knelt beside her chair. "If you know nothing else. You must understand that Diego loves you with all of his heart. What he's done, he's done to protect you."
"Protect me from his love?" Victoria whispered, risking a glance at Diego's calm face.
The padre smiled and took her hand. "Everyone wants to be loved for who they are, inside." He pressed her hand to her chest. "Very few know what truly lies in his heart."
"You know."
"As do you." The friar stood and patted her shoulder with a small smile. "You've been blinded by the mystical hero that is Zorro for so long, you could not see the true man behind the mask."
"He took that shot for me." She finally said, after a few moments of silence.
"As you took one for him."
Victoria nodded, silent tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Have faith, Victoria." The padre held up the rosary and twined it around her hand and his. "Pray with me."
She nodded wordlessly as he began the prayer.
TBC