Don Alejandro had remained in Monterey for a little over two weeks, waiting for news of Diego and Victoria and becoming more impatient with each passing day.
De Soto had remained there, as well, but the older caballero barely saw him after their conversation in the tavern. The only times he spotted him, the younger man was training with another lancer, who seemed quite an expert with the blade.
About ten days after their arrival, around the same time the other two garrisons got there and rumors started circulating about a possible battle, the Alcalde decided he had stayed for long enough, though. He, thus, forged a letter from Mendoza informing him of rebels in the Los Angeles territory. It was all he needed to justify his decision to head back south and hide his real reasons for doing so. In truth, he had no intention to get slaughtered in a fight against who-knows-how-many rebels, certainly when he could finally sense his much-desired promotion heading his way.
Don Alejandro breathed somewhat relieved at seeing him leave and was considering following him when he accidentally overheard some of the lancers discussing their plans over a glass of wine one evening and his plans changed.
ZZZ
After sending the dove, Diego supervised the remaining preparations, which took a little over an hour longer. The men keeping watch were yet to signal the approach of the lancers, so they had more than enough time to make sure everything was perfect, to the last detail.
When a signal was, eventually, given, it was to announce that a lone rider was approaching.
Diego went to see who it was, and was astonished to recognize his father making his way on horseback towards them.
"Son!" The older man uttered as he dismounted to embrace the tall caballero.
"Father? What are you doing here?" He inquired dumbfounded.
"I came for you. I talked the Governor into offering you a pardon. He knows you are no rebel, but you need to come with me right now." He told Diego. "His men are on their way. I made it past them without being noticed, but they aren't far behind. You should all leave!" The older don continued by telling the others. "They have over a hundred men, the garrisons from San Francisco and San José included. Leave and save your lives, Señores!"
"We can't leave, Father!" The tall caballero replied as he glanced at Victoria, who had just come out of the house to find out what was happening. "There's nowhere to run anymore. Our only chance is to win this fight."
The older caballero followed his glance, then sighed, determined to save his heir at any cost.
"Diego, Victoria is married. She and Juan may come with us if they wish. I will do all in my power to help them, but you can't stay here. We both know you're no fighter. The Governor has pardoned you! You are a scholar, not a rebel, Son!" Don Alejandro replied, trying to make him see reason.
"Whatever the Governor said, you should not trust him, Father." Diego uttered. "Besides, he might have agreed to pardon me for being with Correna's men when they were arrested, but he will never pardon me for all I did before that. And the truth is, Father, I will never be able to just stand by and let others harm people, just because they are strong enough to do so. Nor will I spend even another day without the woman I love by my side, pretending to be just half the man I am."
"What are you talking about, Diego?" His father inquired.
"Father… Victoria is expecting," he answered looking at the smiling woman who shyly neared him and stared at Don Alejandro, "and I am very certain it is my child she will give birth to, even though she had no idea who she was giving herself to at the moment that baby was conceived."
The elderly caballero watched him open-mouthed as the implications of his words were starting to reverberate through his head, and he was finally drawing all the right conclusions.
"You're telling me you're…"
"Not just a scholar…" Diego answered with a suggestive smile. "Are you with us, Father?" He then inquired and his father nodded pensively. There was no need for words, nor could he utter any at that point for he was too stunned to formulate a coherent sentence.
The thought briefly flashed through his mind that there was no world in which he wouldn't fight by Diego's side, or die, if he had to, in order to protect him, so his question shouldn't have even been necessary.
"Come, then! I'll explain the plan to you!" The younger De la Vega told his father.
Don Alejandro nodded again and followed him, then listened as in a daze to his son's strategy, realizing it was just brilliant enough to succeed, yet also risky enough to end in tragedy.
ZZZ
The lancers hadn't followed the rebels but awaited new commands as they sent carrier pigeons to both the Governor and Lieutenant Ortiz.
Eventually, they made their way towards the Hacienda Serrano slowly, as soon as one of the pigeons returned with instructions.
In the meantime, while everyone was lying in wait, eating, playing cards or just sleeping, Victoria took some food to Juan. He was cuffed to a pillar and was dozing off as she entered the pantry.
"Are you thirsty," she asked as she neared the young man.
"Yes." He replied. "Is that my last meal?" Juan further inquired, noticing she was carrying a plate filled with food.
"Of course not! Diego wouldn't let anyone harm you… Although, right now, I do feel a little like strangling you with my own hands." She answered as she sat down and, after helping him drink a glass of water, started feeding him with a spoon. "And not because of your misconceived plan to kill 70 men who have done you no wrong! I know you did what you did because of your misplaced loyalty to the King and the Governor, and because you were trying to save me and Diego. However, I still very much resent you for stabbing the father of my child… Then again, I guess he wouldn't have been able to save everyone if you would have acted differently –"
"He didn't save anyone, Victoria! What he did was utterly stupid and I can't believe you are unable to see that!" He cut her off to say. "Unless you leave before the lancers come, and cross the border into the States, you are both lost!"
"You're wrong! You're wrong because Diego has a brilliant plan, and those lancers coming here stand no chance to succeed!" She assured him before standing up, ready to leave. "Juan…" she turned to ask just as she was about to reach the door, "what about Zafira? Don't you care at all about her? Don't you care that those lancers would have killed her had they had the chance?"
"I would have made sure she'd be pardoned, as well." He told her. "The Governor would have certainly agreed to add one more name to the list of pardons I had requested as a reward for my services. Now… She's just as doomed as you and Don Diego." Juan added, saddened.
Victoria just looked at him slightly shaking her head, then left the room.
ZZZ
It was already late afternoon when the alarm was sounded. Unlike the lancers, the people at the hacienda were all well-rested and fed, ready to properly receive them.
Just as planned, nobody fired a shot, just took their positions and waited for their enemies to arrive.
"Where is the Lieutenant?" A captain leading the contingent asked Diego, who was awaiting them in front of the hacienda, unarmed, his hands folded across his chest.
"A couple of the rebels managed to escape, and he went after them. I'm sure he'll find them soon enough." The caballero answered with a smile.
The man nodded, then glanced around. "They're all dead?" He asked, looking at the people lying on the ground.
"Yes. The poisonous mushrooms worked quite well." The caballero answered. "There are quite a few more inside and at the back of the house. Your men should have no trouble gathering the bodies to take them to Monterey."
"You did an unexpectedly good job, De la Vega! I must confess… When I received the Lieutenant's message about your initiative, I was more than a little surprised. I knew you were a coward, but I had no idea how far you'd go to save your life. I guess these fools had no idea, either." The man said with a grin. "De Soto said you were as smart as a fox! He also told me not to trust you for you are full of tricks!" He continued as he pointed his sword at the caballero's chest.
Diego felt cornered as the colonel started imparting orders and the lancers began dismounting and spreading around in search of the bodies.
