Chapter 7

Zorro rode slowly back to the hacienda. He had taken the long way because of the early hour of the evening. His heart was heavy and he was lost in deep thought when he heard the woman's scream.

Tornado reared at his touch and turned swiftly back down the road he had come toward the sound.

The woman and her husband were being dragged from their home by several men. Already the man was being beaten. Zorro's whip caught one man's fist on the upswing and yanked him off his feet and onto his back in the dirt. Another had the sense to make a run for it at the sight of the masked rider. The third found his courage in his sword.

Zorro heaved a sigh as he dismounted, quickly drawing his own sword on the way to the ground. He had only to engage the man's steel blade a few times before he understood every move the man knew. He had hoped for more of a challenge. Allowing his anger to come to the fore, he landed a hard left hook to the man's jaw and sent him sprawling, unconscious, to the ground.

"Are you injured?" Zorro helped the lady to her feet and was relieved to see her husband also rising.

"Señor Zorro! I never thought I'd see the day when you would come to my aid. Mil gracias, Señor!"

"Sí, Señor, those men! They -" The woman's voice rose dangerously high toward hysterics.

Her husband took her in his arms and began a rocking motion. "It's all right now. You're safe. Safe with the one who loves you." He looked over her head to Zorro and winked at the masked man. "Women! They need a lot of protecting, no? And a lot of loving, isn't that right, mi preciosa?" He continued the rocking and patted her shoulders.

Zorro watched the man successfully calming his wife and wondered briefly if he should be asking the man for lessons in that area. But all he said aloud was, "Señor, why were those men attacking you?"

"I'm not sure. But I think they thought there was some money in the house tonight. I had taken some supplies to the mission today and the good padre gave me some money as payment. I took the money to the bank for Señor Herrera. But I remember those men standing around. Perhaps they thought I kept some of the money."

"Well, I don't think that one that ran off will be back. And these two will be headed for Mendoza's jail. But lock up tight tonight." He looked at the Señora with her arms wrapped lovingly about her husband and he felt a pang of jealousy. "I'm sure you and the Señora can go back to your bed."

He finished tying up the two men, made sure each had a pretty "Z" carved into the backsides of their pants and loaded them across the saddles of their own horses. Soon, the two horses were being led to the quartel.

Zorro dropped from the saddle and walked right up to the sleeping guard on duty outside the quartel gate. Smiling ruefully, he carefully removed the rifle from the lancer's hands and replaced it with the reins of the two horses.

He then mounted Tornado, guided him forward quietly a short distance, and discharged the rifle. At the sound of the shot, the lancer jumped to his feet, confused to find only the horses reins in his hands, and looked up to see Zorro with his rifle.

But before he could shout the alarm, Zorro threw the spent gun to him. "Here, Corporal, I think this is yours!" And with a wave, Zorro let Tornado run at full gallop toward the gates. The shouts of lancers could be heard behind him and a volley of useless gunfire followed. For Zorro was already gone like the wind.

Felipe was waiting for his arrival back at the cave. While Zorro transformed himself back into Diego, Felipe saw to Tornado's needs.

Straitening his collar, Diego, now fully dressed in clothes more suited to his wealthy landowner's son persona, bent to look through the peephole into the library. As he stepped back, he heard and felt something crunch beneath his boot. He knelt to pick up the crushed piece of hard wax. Puzzled, he looked around in an arc and saw at once the silver candlestick a few paces away.

"Felipe! It is unlike you to leave such a mess —"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew his assumption was wrong. "Felipe! You didn't drop this candle, did you?"

He spoke the question sharply enough that Felipe dropped the brushes and darted over to where he stood. He shook his head from side to side slowly as he gazed at the pieces of wax.

"And neither did I." Diego let out a long sigh as Felipe quickly began signing his jumble of thoughts.

"No, Felipe, I think I know exactly who our intruder was. Victoria. It would explain her behavior tonight. She knows." He shook his head. "I have imagined telling her in a thousand different ways, but I have never once thought how I would handle her finding out on her own."

Felipe quickly signed a question.

"No, I have no idea what I am going to do. I shall have to give this some thought. She was not exactly pleased with me today. Either one of me!"

Felipe put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak, questioning smile.

"Yes, I am fine. I just wish I could cope with Victoria as well as I did with those bandits tonight."