Note: Wolfdaughter caught a mistake in the timeline in the previous chapter. I've gone back and corrected it. So that chapter is slightly different than the one previously posted.
Chapter 4
Diego struggled against the waves for a long time before he was able to grasp her arm. She was semi-conscious but she still had enough strength to wrap her arms around his neck. The waves worked against him as he tried to push and kick toward the rocky ledge they had just vacated.
Suddenly, he noticed the cavern that Victoria had been so desperately trying to reach and decided that he would swim towards it. Better that than let the waves pummel their bodies until they could no longer struggle against them.
Explaining to Victoria that she needed to hold her breath momentarily, he pulled them both under water and searched visually for the entrance. He found it easily, as the water had not completely covered the entrance yet, and they emerged seconds later into the mouth of the cavern.
Pulling her up to where the water could not reach even at its highest depth, he held her, muttering words of love and affection in her ear.
She coughed and spluttered, shivering as he held her tightly against his chest. "I'm sorry," she coughed before relaxing against him and closing her eyes, exhaustion grasping her in a relentless hold.
Diego held her tightly and let the frightened tension flow from his body as her breathing steadied and she fell into a deep, exhausted slumber.
Alejandro slammed the door and called for his son. When Diego didn't answer, he called for Victoria. Felipe came around the corner and signed that they had gone to mesa verde to search for the cavern Diego had discovered when he had slid down the cliff.
The boy had a wide smile on his face, and added that since they'd been gone for so long, they probably decided to take a picnic meal with them.
"It's almost dinner time. What are they doing out so late?" Alejandro muttered, annoyed that his son would be out when he was needed the most. Then the older man laughed, shaking his head. "All the years I've wanted him to be out courting a lady, the one time I find that is exactly what he is doing, I'm upset with him."
Alejandro sighed and told Felipe about the alcalde's plans. As much as he didn't want to interrupt whatever plans Diego and Victoria had made, they needed to come back to the hacienda. Someone needed to stop the alcalde.
"Yes, Felipe. All taxes are due at noon and those who do not pay will be rounded up and arrested – or worse."
Alejandro slumped into a plush chair. "Now is not the time for Diego to be out with Victoria. Zorro is needed and –" Alejandro regarded Felipe with a hard stare. "And what about Diego's injuries? He shouldn't be out there. It's too soon." If the situation weren't so dire, Alejandro would have simply left his hard-headed son to his own foolish decisions and simply tell the man when he returned it was his own fault for exerting himself too much before he was fully healed.
Alejandro instantly stopped his tirade. No, perhaps it wasn't Zorro who needed to put a stop to the alcalde's plans. Perhaps it was the people themselves who needed to do something. "Ride out to mesa verde, Felipe. Tell Diego what's going on. I'm going back to the plaza to see if I can stop this somehow."
Untold hours later, Victoria awoke and clung tightly to Diego's bare chest. He had removed his shirt so that he wouldn't catch a chill in the damp, cold cavern. She closed her eyes and delighted in the feel of the firm chest beneath her cheek.
He tightened his arms around her and whispered, "Do you hurt? Tell me if you feel any pain."
"Only to my pride," she murmured.
"Victoria, this was a foolish thing to do."
She lifted her eyes and stared at him. "Being right is an annoying trait you seem to have. Please don't be right too often."
Diego chuckled, in spite of himself.
"Well, I did make it into this cave whether it was the way I intended or not." She lifted her head from his chest and squinted, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Diego had to admit to himself that he admired her courage and determination. Not many women would have willingly put themselves into such a situation.
"There it is!" Victoria pointed at the chest and crawled over to where Diego had moved it further out of the path of the water. Diego followed as Victoria opened the lid and began searching through the contents. She shoved musty priests robes to the side and glanced at the relatively sparse contents. Finally finding what she was looking for, she took one of the small gold coins out of the smaller chest and turned it over in her hand. The dim light in the cavern made it hard to make out the image but she could see what Diego had described etched onto the surface of the coin. "It's beautiful."
"But not worth dying for, Victoria," Diego said softly and she turned around to face him, her eyes suddenly soft.
"No," she reached up to cup his cheek, "It's not."
He embraced her tightly, "I could have lost the one and only thing in this world worth living for, today, Querida. Nothing is worth the risk to your life. Nothing is worth losing you."
Her eyes misted at his heartfelt admission and she lifted her head to gaze into his eyes. The tenderness and love she found there overwhelmed her.
He pressed his lips to hers as if to remind himself that she was still very much alive and not lost to him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, delighting in the feel of his mouth on hers. He leaned back against the chest, pulling her slim body with him. His gentle touch, the slow circles his hands absently made against her back, caused a rush of heat to flood her body
He felt the same desire spread through his blood and he reluctantly pulled his mouth away, breathing heavily. He glanced down at their bodies, the clothes clinging to them like a second skin, and then glanced away sharply.
"We may be stuck here until the tide lowers."
She caught her breath and asked, "How long will that be."
Diego got to his feet and went over to examine the entrance to the cavern. The water had risen considerably since they arrived. "Maybe morning. Or at the very latest, sunset."
Victoria sighed and opened her arms. "Then come back here and keep me warm."
Diego groaned and glanced down at his already very tight trousers. "I'm not sure that would be a good idea, Victoria."
"Why?"
Diego turned slowly and couldn't stop his gaze as it swept over her blouse, clinging wetly to her chest. Her desire was quite evident and Victoria glanced down, her eyes widening at his frank appraisal. She covered her chest with her arms and shivered. "You'll let me freeze rather than give in to a little desire?"
Diego choked back a laugh and returned to her side, unable to see her trembling right in front of him if he had some means to stop it. "A – little desire?" He gathered her into his arms and kissed her temple. "When it comes to you, I have considerably more than a little desire."
Felipe looked around the area nervously. The sun was setting behind the vast ocean and it was getting much harder to see. Victoria and Diego's horses were calmly munching on some green leaves but their riders were nowhere to be seen.
He leaned over the side of the cliff, looking down the steep incline for any sign of his friends. He noticed the rope they had used to climb down the slope but there was no sign of them anywhere. He decided to climb down the side of the cliff himself, hoping that the closer he got to the water, the better chance he would have to see them, or at least this underwater cavern.
Felipe hoped that Diego and Victoria were inside the cavern and simply waiting for the tide to lower. Felipe didn't want to think about any other possibilities.
"We need to get out of here," Diego said, staring at the pool of water at their feet. "I don't want to wait and see how much further the water will rise. And we need to get you home to a soft mattress and a warm bed."
Victoria was too cold to protest. She shivered beside Diego and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Take a deep breath and hold on. Don't let go of me, understand?" At Victoria's nod, he continued. "Let me get us to the surface. Just hold on to me."
"You will come back later and get the coins?"
Diego nodded, took a deep breath and dove into the water, a trembling Victoria's arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
Felipe exhaled a relieved breath when he noticed two heads pop out from the water to his right. He gathered the remainder of the rope at his feet and threw it to Diego, who immediately wrapped it around himself. The waves pushed their bodies toward the rocks but the rope held fast, preventing a painful collision.
"Felipe?" Diego helped Victoria out of the water and quickly moved out of the path of the crashing waves. "What are you doing here?"
Diego looked at himself, Victoria and the darkening sky and chuckled, "I guess you got worried when we didn't come back hours ago, hmm?"
Felipe nodded and began to sign rapidly. He explained everything and Diego translated for Victoria.
"Looks like its time for Zorro to make his miraculous reappearance."
Still clinging to her beloved, Victoria closed her eyes as Diego climbed back up the cliff. Without a hesitant step, he lifted Victoria over Esperanza's saddle and swung in behind her, cradling her against his chest for warmth.
As they galloped across the mesa toward home, Victoria hugged Diego tightly. If the alcalde could have only behaved himself they could be rid of Zorro forever and start their own lives – together.
When they arrived at the hacienda, Alejandro was pacing nervously. His eyes widened when Diego came through the front door carrying a very wet and very cold Victoria.
"What happened?"
"She's deathly chilled. We need to get her warm," Diego answered and carried her down the hallway to the guest room she had been using.
A housemaid followed, chittering animatedly at Diego for Victoria's distressed state. When he lay her on the bed, the housemaid pushed him forcefully out of the room as another maid arrived to divest Victoria of her wet clothes and dress her in something warm.
Alejandro grabbed his son's arm and pulled him into his own bedroom, muttering, "You're just as wet and cold as Victoria. Get out of those clothes." Alejandro turned and pulled a nightshirt and trousers out of Diego's drawers as the younger man quickly deposited his wet clothing on the floor at his feet.
He shivered as he put on the warm clothes and then wrapped his dressing gown tightly around his body.
"Into bed. Now." Alejandro demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We can talk while you warm up."
A maid came in and immediately placed some warm bricks at the foot of the bed, which would heat the bed much quicker.
Diego muttered and grumbled, questioning the maids that hurried in and out of the room about Victoria but none of them answered her. The last one who brought him a bowl of warm soup, he questioned with such a stern tone that she was frozen in place unable to answer him.
Alejandro dismissed the girl with a pat on the back and then promised Diego he would go check on Victoria after the maid's had finished with her.
In the meantime, Alejandro filled Diego in on the alcalde's plans, which only agitated the younger man more.
"You will rest here and hope you don't come down with a cold! I will go check on Victoria."
"Sergeant, why have you not arrested those who have not paid their taxes?" De Soto demanded, the next morning.
"Mí alcalde, the people have no money to pay their taxes," Mendoza answered truthfully. "This years harvest has been poor and –"
"Then they need to find other ways to pay their taxes." De Soto scowled and added, "I want you to arrest the people on this list and I want them brought here immediately!"
"What would you have them do, alcalde" Alejandro demanded, "resort to illegal means to pay your unfair taxes?"
De Soto glared at Alejandro. That man was too much of a nuisance and he needed to find a way to rid himself of de la Vega's constant outspoken attempts to undermine his authority.
"If you incite these people to riot, I will string you up for treason."
"I will not incite these people to do anything. They are capable of making their own decisions." Alejandro drew himself to his full height and hoped that he could gather enough support from the caballeros so Zorro's help would not be needed. It had been hard enough to convince Diego to remain in bed, and he only did so with Alejandro's promise to send word if Zorro was needed.
Felipe nodded to Alejandro and disappeared into the crowd, hoping that he was not seen and could get out of the pueblo quickly.
"Alejandro, get out of the way!" De Soto ordered as he unsheathed his saber and ordered his lancers to do the same.
"We can't let you do this, alcalde," Alejandro unsheathed his own weapon and stood in a defensive position. He would not be the first to move against the alcalde, but he would be ready should the alcalde order his lancers to attempt to subdue the uprising.
"You will be placed under arrest for obstruction of justice and sent back to Spain for treason," De Soto seethed, "how dare you interfere."
"The caballeros should have interfered long ago. This pueblo belongs to the people who have bled and died for this land. You have no right to take it from them." Alejandro took a breath and continued. It was clear the caballeros would not be willing to provide the resistance necessary to keep de Soto from arresting the poor farmers. He hoped he was buying enough time for Zorro to get here. As much as he hated to admit it, his son's ruse had been effective. Zorro had given the people hope where they had none.
"The people of Spain are not taxed nearly as much as this small colonial outpost. You cannot fund the entire Spanish army with one small pueblo. However, I wonder, how much of these taxes actually make it back to Spain and how much make it into your very deep pockets!"
De Soto's nostrils flared. He was not going to let this insufferable caballero speak to him in this way. Prominent member of the community or not, de la Vega must be silenced.
"Lancers, place Don Alejandro, and anyone else who interferes with these proceedings, under arrest," De Soto ordered and lancers began to slowly file toward the well- respected caballero.
Alejandro backed away and exchanged looks with his fellow caballeros. A few nodded in support, and, in one fluid motion, drew their blades and stood in defense, ready to stop the procession of lancers from arresting their friend.
De Soto's eyes widened. "You are all under arrest for treason!" He turned to his lancers and ordered, "use force if necessary but I want all who resist in my jail now!"
The lancers hesitated as de Soto continued to issue orders. Some raised their rifles, others hesitated, loathe to harm the wealthy caballeros.
Before much more could be done, the familiar sound of a cracking whip drew their attention.
The people murmured Zorro's name and looked around the crowded plaza. They didn't understand how he could be alive after the alcalde had provided a torn cape and hat, as well as multiple witnesses, as proof of his death.
"Hello good people!" Zorro called from where he stood a few feet away from the startled lancers. With arms outstretched, he shouted. "The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated!"
"Kill him!" De Soto shouted.
Alejandro's heart lurched. He could very well have just sent for his son to come to his death.
Small smoking containers were thrown at the lancers feet and as they landed, they exploded with a spark and eruption of thick, white smoke, which sent the lancers into fits of coughing and sneezing. The lancers quickly scattered, leaving the alcalde to carry out his orders alone.
De Soto advanced on the masked man and lunged. A good, well executed lunge but a little slow when one's opponent was the best swordsman in the colonies. The masked man dodged it with ease.
The duel took an astonishingly long time to complete, with Zorro simply parrying every move the alcalde threw at him. Time and time again, Zorro knocked the alcalde's blade out of line, opening his torso to very painful repost should the masked man choose to take such advantage.
"If I wanted to kill you, alcalde, " Zorro parried a high swing and parried low, causing the alcalde to loose his balance in an effort to retreat quickly, "you would already be dead."
"What is stopping you?" An exasperated alcalde cut low and to the side, trying to catch the masked man in a vulnerable position. His attempt failed, and resulted in Zorro parrying the blade to the side and quickly reposting with such force that de Soto's blade went flying from his hands.
"Because I am not fond of killing. I believe there is good in every man, no matter how deeply hidden." Zorro held his blade to the alcalde's throat. "Now trouble these poor farmers again and I may just be tempted to carve a few holes into your flesh to see if I can find that good buried inside of you."
De Soto chuckled as Zorro deftly sliced through the ropes holding the alcalde's prisoners. "Go, my friends."
The crowd cheered and the peasants hurried out of the alcalde's sight.
"I will have your head," de Soto gained his feet and retrieved his sword.
Zorro cocked his head and smirked. "To have my head, you'll need to catch the rest of me. And we all know what a challenge that has been for you over the years."
"I will find a way." De Soto growled as Zorro whistled for Toronado.
"One last warning, alcalde." Zorro raised his voice as he mounted his faithful horse. "Mend your ways or the next time you trouble the residents of this pueblo with unfair taxation, you may find yourself sailing back to Spain in a pine box!" With a quick flick of his wrist, he carved a Z in the alcalde's pristine uniform and struck him with a backhand that left him unconscious on the ground.
Alejandro heaved a very visible, to anyone who thought to look, sigh of relief. He smiled proudly at his son as the crowd cheered again. Zorro pressed a gloved hand to his lips in salute before racing out of the pueblo.
The lancers struggled to help the alcalde rather than chase the masked man and his angry voice could be heard throughout the plaza as Zorro and Toronado raced away to the safety and comfort of the de la Vega hacienda – and its adjoining cave.
END