Chapter 3
Alejandro's breath stopped - not because of the pain reverberating across his back – but at the unusual display of his son's temper, seemingly snapping before their very eyes. It had been a long time since Alejandro had been at the receiving end of that vehement glare and the father swallowed nervously as he waited for the announcement he suddenly knew would come from his son's lips. It wouldn't be a surprise. He had known his son's secret somehow, since the day Gilberto had died.
"Now, isn't that better?" Thackery took a step toward Diego as the caballero's eyes shifted toward de Soto.
De Soto nodded as he caught Diego's small gesture for what it was and raised his arm to crack the whip across Thackery's sword arm.
But the master swordsman anticipated the move and deftly sliced the whip as it sailed through the air. His blade caught and ripped into de Soto's chest, drawing a line of blood across the man's coat. A swift fist to the jaw aided in the alcalde's unconscious descent to the floor.
"Alcalde!" Mendoza cried as the man fell, the handle of the now much shorter whip rolling out of his motionless hands.
Thackery stared down at de Soto's body and sneered. "That was foolish." He walked slowly toward Diego, "The name. Now. And do not lie to me or the lovely señorita is next."
Diego closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. When he opened them again, a different Diego de la Vega sat before Thackery. The real Diego. The passionate fire for justice burned in his eyes, and Diego could hear Victoria gasp as she stared at him.
She recognized that look. It was one Zorro often employed when forced to deal with a particularly troublesome bandit. The transformation that had come over Diego was instantaneous and Victoria wondered at it even as she stared, unblinking, at him.
Diego forced himself not to look at the woman he loved. Disgust at the situation now presented to him rose like bile in the back of his throat. He remained silent until Thackery took another step closer and demanded the name.
"I am Zorro." Diego said simply, his voice steady.
Thackery laughed. "Do you take me for a fool?"
"If the boot fits -"
Even Victoria inhaled sharply as the quick, uncustomary retort came from Diego's lips.
Thackery's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps I was remiss in not ending your life earlier."
"Untie me."
There was nothing left of the meek, weak-willed Diego. Zorro sat before them now and Thackery, slowly, unbelievably, began to realize it.
Thackery raised his blade and pointed it at Diego's heart. "I could run you through right now."
"What little sense of honor you possess won't permit you." Diego allowed a small smile to turn the corner of his mouth.
When Thackery didn't answer, Diego continued, hoping to bait his opponent into freeing him and giving in to his anger. "Zorro bested you, Señor. You returned to challenge him, did you not?"
Thackery stared down at Diego waiting for the caballero to continue.
"Then untie me and let's finish this!" Diego hissed, holding up his bound hands.
"Yes," Thackery said slowly, raising his blade to slice through the ropes binding Diego to the post. "I think we shall finish this."
Diego got slowly to his feet and allowed himself one look at Victoria before directing his full attention on his opponent. He didn't need to say a word. The apology for the years of secrecy was in his eyes, as was his love.
Victoria swallowed hard. She didn't believe it. Zorro just hadn't heard about what had happened yet; he would come and free them. And yet - some part of her accepted Diego's admission without question. The part of her that had known all along, had suspected on certain occasions, but simply pushed the thought aside as too truly unbelievable to be true. Her friend couldn't have hidden such a secret from her for so long!
Yes, he could. If his life, her life, and the lives of everyone he loved depended on it.
Her emotions ran wildly from shock to denial to fear and back again, but as she gazed at the undisguised love in Diego's eyes, she was filled with the undeniable knowledge that this was the man she loved - that she had always loved. She couldn't lose him today. Not before she had the chance to tell him that she did love the man behind the mask!
Diego could see Victoria's lips move but could hear nothing but the sound of his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Diego regarded Thackery with a twisted grin, a customary sight on Zorro's lips but startling to be seen on Diego's.
Then their moment was over and the battle for his very life had begun.
Thackery tossed de Soto's sheathed blade to Diego, who expertly and deftly unsheathed and saluted the man in the blink of an eye.
Mendoza's eyes were wide and his voice small as he muttered, "Madre de Dios" so low no one could hear.
Conflicted emotions rushed through Alejandro as he watched the scene unfold before his very eyes. His son was Zorro! A thought he had resisted until today. He had suspected at times but then Diego would do or say something completely opposite of the masked man. Of course, now he knew that was part of the ruse. Fear flickered in the proud father's eyes for a brief moment before he truly realized that his son could handle this Englishman with ease. What the boy may not be able to handle were the consequences of this very public revelation of his secret.
The two circled one another, two predators looking for the first sign of weakness in their prey. Thackery impatiently advanced first, and Diego easily sidestepped and parried the attack.
Victoria's eyes were drawn to the scene unfolding before her. She watched as the man she loved defended himself with precise, calculated movements. Not once did he go on the offensive and Victoria had to remind herself that this was Zorro; he knew what he was doing.
But it wasn't just Zorro standing before her. It was her dear but incompetent friend Diego, holding a blade no one in the pueblo would have ever thought him capable of wielding. Victoria couldn't help but fear for him. Zorro and Diego had not melted into one man as yet, and some part of her expected to see the masked man swing down from the ceiling any moment to rescue them.
The clang of steel on steel echoed through the room, and soon, there was a pounding on the door as customers waiting outside for the tavern to reopen heard the familiar sounds of swordplay.
"You prevailed last time simply because I was in the midst of toying with that inept alcalde. Had I realized I faced an opponent worthy of my skill, you can be certain that match would have ended very differently." Thackery executed an accurate and precise move that would have instantly disarmed a less talented man. But Diego twisted his blade into the correct direction and stepped away, keeping his blade and his life intact.
"No. I humiliated you," Diego stated matter-of-factly. "And your pride will not allow you to admit it."
After another perfectly blocked parry, Diego added, "I did so enjoy it." His eyes brightened with each step, each parry. He could sense Thackery's annoyance with himself and his inability to bring about a swift and satisfying end to this duel.
"When I run my blade through your heart, I will whip your father until he begs me for mercy and then take that pretty little barmaid over one of these dusty, dirty tables. A fitting place for one such as she!"
Diego's eyes flashed and his arm shook with barely his barely restrained temper. He had never come so close to giving into to anger. Then Victoria's voice penetrated the rage clouding his mind. She begged him to not listen to Thackery's words.
"He knows he's losing, Diego!" Victoria cried, remembering the lesson on angering one's opponent that Zorro had taught alcalde Ramon when Thackery was last driven out of the pueblo. "Don't listen to him!"
Diego knew she was right, but that didn't stop him from wanting to carve the man's disgusting tongue out with the dullest knife he could find. Beads of sweat trickled down his face and he winced as it reached the cut, open and bleeding anew, along his cheek.
Thackery was the most talented adversary Diego had ever faced, and if he were not careful, he was going to lose this duel - and his life. But he had one thing on his side that Thackery could not begin to understand. He had the love of his family giving him support with their simple presence. Diego knew that his father was watching, seeing a new side of his son that he was certain the older man never knew existed.
He knew that Victoria and Mendoza were watching with wide, frightened eyes. And while Felipe had no knowledge of the momentous events taking place, the thought of all of the help the boy had given him over the years strengthened his resolve. He had to win this battle for his life - for his father, for Victoria, for Felipe, and for all those who depended on Zorro. He had played the indolent fool long enough and circumstance had brought them to this point in their lives. It was time to set Zorro aside and let Diego come to the rescue.
Thackery raised his blade and lunged, faster than the eye could follow, but Diego corrected his stance and at the last moment, stepped aside, Thackery's blade catching his arm, rather than imbedding itself his chest.
Thackery laughed shakily, masking his surprise that Diego had just narrowly avoided ending their duel. The smile faded from the Englishman's face as Diego pressed forward. A quick flick of his wrist drew the borrowed blade across Thackery's forearm, clearly intended to disarm the man.
"That is for my father," Diego said sharply and before Thackery could see the next move to parry, Diego's blade caught his shirtfront and ripped into the material, causing Thackery to stumble backwards in pain. "That is for the alcalde." Diego pressed forward, driving Thackery back. With a swift twist of his wrist, Diego disarmed Thackery, sending his blade into the wall. "And that, is for me."
The last thing an astonished Thackery saw was the angry caballero's fist flying into his face.
Diego stpped backward, quickly sliding his sword toward Mendoza, as the door burst open and lancers rushed into the tavern. He turned and knelt immediately at his father's side and glanced up at the closest lancer. "Go get the doctor, quickly!"
The lancer took one look around the room, stared at the blood covering Diego's face, at the alcalde lying motionless on the floor, and Alejandro's bloodstained back. The wide-eyed lancer stumbled into people in his haste to get out of the tavern.
Mendoza was untied first and pushed himself to his feet, struggling with the knowledge that had been revealed to him today. He stumbled over to Victoria's side and cut her ropes with the blade Diego had so kindly tossed to him. Victoria thanked the Sergeant with a kind look and hurried to Diego's side.
Mendoza turned to issue orders to the lancers, who all stood looking dumbly around the room, unsure of what to do next.
Victoria rested her hand gently on Diego's shoulder, asking, without words, what he needed her to do.
The lancers pushed the peasants outside and closed the tavern doors as Mendoza turned to Corporal Sepulveda and issued an order that caused both Diego and Victoria to glance up at him and smile gratefully.
Mendoza pointed to the unconscious Thackery. "I want that man bound and taken to jail. Keep two lancers on him at all times. And - gag him."
Victoria hurried into the kitchen to prepare something to clean the injured men's wounds while Diego spoke with his father.
"Diego . . ." Alejandro said with eyes filled with mingled pride and pain.
"Not now, Father," Diego replied softly, but firmly. "We need to treat your injuries. Can you stand?"
"I'm - fine, Diego." With his son's help, the older man gained his feet. "I can walk." But Alejandro stumbled, his strength giving out and his eyes closing in pain.
"Yes, of course you can," Diego said, the sarcastic edge to his voice masking his emotion. "Lean on me. I will support you."
Alejandro said nothing more, simply concentrated on his breathing and making it upstairs before his strength gave out completely. There was so much he wanted to say to Diego. His chest swelled with so much pride for his son but the pain was scrambling his thoughts. Perhaps once he was lying down, he could remember everything he wanted to say, all of the apologies he wanted to make.
When Victoria returned with a bowl of water and clean rags, she stared sadly at Diego's back as he whispered soothingly to his father.
Diego was kneeling beside the bed, Alejandro lying on his stomach, as Diego carefully removed the torn material from his father's back.
Victoria could hear Alejandro's breath hiss between his teeth and as she drew closer, could see the pain etched onto his face as well. She deposited the basin of water and the rags on the bedside table and asked Diego what she could do.
To her great surprise, he asked her to go check on de Soto. His injuries were probably far more severe than Alejandro's. Victoria did as Diego asked, wondering briefly at his motive before remembering that he was Zorro, he cared for every living being equally - and as such, would be more concerned for the man who had been injured worse, even if that man was a sworn enemy. Victoria rested a comforting hand on Diego's shoulder and he smiled gratefully up at her, even covered her hand briefly with his own, before she left.
De Soto was moaning quite loudly when Victoria arrived and Mendoza was doing his best to calm the man, but it was clear he was in great pain.
"When he's more awake, give him some wine, in slow sips," Victoria instructed a very nervous Mendoza. She helped Mendoza remove the alcalde's torn jacket and shirt, wincing as the man groaned with each touch of the injury that spanned his entire chest. It was still bleeding and Victoria was worried that he would die from blood loss. She took over, pushing aside her anger for this man unreasonably bent on ending the life of the man she loved. De Soto's refusal to harm Alejandro had softened her dislike of him somewhat and she worked carefully, cleaning and pressing rags against the wound to stop the blood flow. When she poured alcohol over it, de Soto screamed, arching off the bed and putting additional strain on Mendoza as he struggled to hold the alcalde's arms away from his chest.
Victoria gave Mendoza and the soldier who waited inside more instructions and left, eager to return to Diego's side.
When Victoria returned to Alejandro's room, her heart broke for the pain and anguish she could see in Diego's eyes. He gently dabbed at the deep cuts made by the lash across his father's back. While the wounds had begun to close, Diego's ministrations had opened them again so that they bled anew.
"I want them to bleed, father," Diego explained. "It will help push out any infection."
"I - understand," Alejandro said weakly, his eyes fluttering open and closed with each dab of the wet rag on his skin. "And - I want you to know -"
"Father, save your strength," Diego said softly.
"Not until I've - said my piece," Alejandro insisted, his breath hissing between his teeth as Diego cleaned his wounds.
TBC
Smithcrafter – oh, they eventually believe him :)
Trollie – you know I always have to hurt someone in my stories! This time its just physical and not emotional . . .
Classic Cowboy – he gets his chance in this chapter :)
WolfDaughter – Oh yes, he's in the mood for a fight. His pride won't let him kill Diego while he's tied up.
Aurelia30 – well 'everyone' won't know – yet. A certain someone is unconscious.
Jkl88 – That was my beta's suggestion entirely. It worked really well!
MadaMag – De Soto is currently unconscious. But that won't keep him from discovering Diego's little secret . . .
Beverly – well, not all of the chapters are real big cliffhangers. I don't think this one is. There are 8 chapters to this story, so – the fun will continue for a while longer.
Katherine – glad you liked the last chapter. Hope you like this one as well.
Vanessa – Ohh, someone new! Thanks for the review. Glad you're liking it so far.