Chapter 3:
Lucho and Lorenzo were riding about half a night when a moan made them aware that their precious cargo was waking up.
"Let's stop here and place her in the saddle in front of you she has to arrive in one piece," Lucho said with a groan. He had preferred that she would have regained consciousness after they had set up camp but it was what it was so they would have made it work.
They both stopped their horses while Lucho stepped out of the saddle aiming his guns at the beautiful senorita, "Don't make a mistake senorita, I will shoot if you try something. Now we will make sure you will get a bit more comfortable."
"Zorro will find me and he will save me," Victoria said bravely although all she felt was fear. She didn't know where they were.
"He will have to find some trails or evidence first." Lorenzo laughed while he dismounted his own horse and pulled Victoria out of the saddle, "Now you will be a good girl and step back on the horse."
"Oh, I am not afraid of your fox senorita. I am counting on it that he will find you but then it will be too late." Lucho laughed mysteriously.
"What do you mean? What are your plans with me?" Victoria asked with a tone of fear in her voice.
"Let's say we are just the delivery boys to your soon to be husband. We are getting well paid to bring you there but the bounty on Zorro's head would be a nice bonus." Lucho Laughed, "Now mount the horse and put that beautiful ass in the saddle."
"I am sorry but I will only marry Zorro." Victoria said before she got a slight push towards the horse by Lorenzo, "We aren't going to repeat it, senorita."
Victoria huffed but did what she was told. She would have faith that Zorro was going to find her. Lorenzo jumped on the horse taking place behind her. She wasn't happy that the man wrapped one arm around her waist just to control the horse with his other arm. Following Lucho to the place where they would set up camp but they still had a few hours to ride before they reached the meeting point where the rest of the gang was waiting for her.
"Don't I have a right to know who wants to marry me and would kidnap me to do so?" Victoria asked suddenly after riding for a few hours in silence.
"You will find out soon enough, senorita." Lucho said shortly, "now shut up."
They had been driving for a little over an hour since Victoria asked the last question when they arrived at what looked like a little abandoned farm. She looked around and saw eight more men walking around the farm.
Lorenzo jumped from the back of his brown mare and helped Victoria out of the saddle, "Eduardo bring the senorita to her room and make sure that the women know what to do. We want her to get some rest she must be taken care of."
Eduardo nodded and took Victoria by her arm to lead her into the farmhouse, "Don't worry, senorita you will have a great life in front of you if you only want to accept your faith."
"I will never marry another man, I rather die." Victoria huffed trying to follow the man's quick steps.
Eduardo didn't react, the only thing he did was laugh while he pushed her inside the house.
She was shocked when she looked inside. There were four women dressed in dirty clothes some of them with bruises and even with black eyes. These men meant business.
"Feed her and let her rest. She must be treated well for the man who bought her." Eduardo ordered.
A small woman nodded, "Yes, sir,"
Eduardo pushed her in the direction of the woman who reacted to him, it was his wife Elena.
"Come on, senorita there is still some bread left for you to eat," Elena said while she noticed that Victoria was looking around.
"There is no way of escaping, senorita. We all tried and failed. My name is Elena." The woman said softly, "You are a lucky woman, we are not allowed to reveal the identity of the buyer but you will have a better life then we have."
Victoria sighed, she wasn't going to give up there had to be a way to contact Zorro but yet again Zorro always managed to know that something was wrong, "I could eat for myself if you only would untie me." Victoria tried but she noticed that the women were scared to death.
Elena shook her head, "We can't do that, senorita. I am sorry."
"Please call me Victoria. What have they done to you that you are so afraid of them?"
Elena looked at the floor but didn't answer her.
"We all come from poor families. We were bought by the leader, Lucho and forced to marry one of his men." A chubby woman said from a corner of the house. She was obviously cleaning, "we're owned by the man who we married."
"I will not marry anyone else. I am spoken for." Victoria said bravely.
"You don't have a choice. Someone paid a lot of money to have you and Lucho and his men are known for always delivering." Elena said softly.
Victoria shook her head, "The man I love will find me and nobody had ever beaten him in a fight."
"Don't get your hopes up, I was spoken for by a man who could fight very well. Lucho killed him and I was forced to marry him." A third woman said. She was tall and slim. A real beauty who could have the life of a princess if she had found the right man.
"The man I love is the best swordsman in California," Victoria said proudly.
"Who is this man?" Elena asked curiously while breaking a chunk of the bread to feed Victoria.
"The man who promised to marry me someday is called Zorro." Victoria smiled at the thought of her masked hero.
"You are the woman who holds the famous hero's heart?" A fourth more brave woman said, she listened to the name Lucia. She was married to Lorenzo, Lucho's right hand.
"Lucia, shut up, you know that his name can't fall here," Elena said with a tone of fear in her voice.
"What happens when you say his name?" Victoria asked curiously while eating the bread she got from Elena.
Elena sighed and nodded to the chubby woman going by the name Gloria, who turned around and showed her back. Her back was covered with scars obviously coming from being whipped. It could only mean one thing in Victoria's mind, the men were afraid of Zorro. She just had to keep the faith.
What Victoria didn't know is that help was closer than she could expect. Not in the form of Zorro but it was close enough.
Toronado knew that he had to stretch his legs on his own until his master returned so he had been galloping through the desert and was munching some grass on a place he knew was safe enough from soldiers. Not that they would ever catch him when he was on his own. He had no master to look out for or no gear on his back that stopped him from going really full speed. He usually stayed out of sight of the farmhouse, criminals tend to use it as a hideout.
He was enjoying his last day of real freedom when his hearing caught a familiar voice. The voice sounded angry. Toronado decided that he had to take a look. He would need to take action if what he heard was right. His master needed to know the moment he came home. Toronado knew that his master would come down to the stable the moment he could sneak away from his home upstairs.
The black stallion stood on the top of the mountain and saw that he was right after all. His tall master's love was in danger. He watched in silence until he noticed that they brought Victoria inside.
He needed to make himself known to her but how was he going to that without alarming the men who took her? He looked around and found some bushes to hide behind. Now that he was out of sight it was time to let his presence known to the only one who would recognize his sound.
Inside the farmhouse, Victoria looked up when she heard the familiar neighing. She couldn't believe her ears could it be? Could he really be here?
"What is wrong?" Elena asked who saw the spark of hope in Victoria's eyes.
"I know that sound." She whispered.
"Which sound?" Lucia asked curiously, "The only thing I heard was the sound of a horse neighing."
Victoria shook her head, "That's not just a horse, there is only one horse that sounds like that. Zorro's horse."
Lucia huffed, "You recognize a horse by his sound? In a minute you will tell me that he would know that you are in danger."
"Toronado is a special horse, he is smarter than some men I know," Victoria said with pride.
"Come on, Victoria. It's probably a wild horse running eating in the field on the top of the mountain behind the house." Elena whispered.
"I know it for sure. If he is here that means Zorro is near to." Victoria smiled.
Lucia startled when a black head came through the window, "Where did he come from?" She asked to no one in particular.
"Toronado?" Victoria asked silently.
The black stallion nodded his head. Victoria noticed that the horse had no gear on, like other times.
"Isn't Zorro here with you?" Victoria whispered in a broken voice.
The horse shook his head in response. The other women were all in awe. This creature really was intelligent.
That gave Victoria an idea, this was her only hope. Toronado may be smart but he couldn't speak so she was going to make sure that he could give the message.
"Elena do you have something to write?" Victoria asked.
Elena looked confused but nodded, she had sworn to help her when she could even though she didn't understand the plan. She gave Victoria a pen and paper. The tavern owner scribbled down a quick note, before walking towards the back window,
"Give this to Zorro, please hurry," Victoria whispered to the horse, who nodded before leaving at the same way he had used to sneak down. He had found a small path down which a normal horse would refuse to use but Toronado wasn't a normal horse, he jumped over ravines for goodness sake. He was going to make sure his master would receive this note to save Victoria.
He took off like the wind he was named after, straight to his stable. From there on all he could do was wait for his master.
Victoria watched Toronado disappear and sighed, "Thank you, Elena. I wished that I could do something in return for you."
"Think nothing of it. Are you sure that he will receive your note?" Elena asked curiously she rather liked Victoria.
Victoria nodded "I am sure now that he will come and help me. I just hope he will be here on time. If any of you ever escapes. Come to Los Angeles to my tavern I will help you." Victoria smiled Toronado had brought hope again.
"Come on get some sleep, we usually travel at night to the next camp. I will keep an eye out." Elena whispered.
Victoria sighed, "Thank you." She did what Elena asked of her and placed herself on the small bed in the corner of the house, dreaming of her hero rescuing her and even marrying her before riding into the night on the famous coal-black stallion
