Chapter 14:

Victoria's scream could be heard in every room of the hacienda. It made Felipe and Don Alejandro look up from the breakfast table. Felipe was allowed to be eating with the family since Diego was in the process of adopting the young boy.

They both jumped up and made their way to the young couples sleeping quarters.

"Victoria?" Don Alejandro knocked on the door of the bedroom. That wasn't a scream of joy but a scream of fear. What the hell was Diego doing in there.

Victoria put on a robe before she opened the door to the room.

"Victoria, what's wrong?" the old don was worried now, seeing that his new daughter-in-law had been crying.

"I don't know what's wrong, don Alejandro. Diego doesn't move anymore and he barely breaths." Victoria explained between sobs.

"Please Victoria call me father from now on. Let me see him." the old don walked through the door from the moment Victoria had opened it completely. Victoria simply nodded at her father-in-law.

He ran to his son's side, "Diego?" He shook his son's shoulder but Diego didn't react. Felipe stood shocked in the doorway, "Felipe, go and get dr. Hernandez quickly." Alejandro yelled towards the boy, who turned around and made his way towards the stables to get his pinto.

He arrived back a little while later with dr. Hernandez following the young man on the pinto, with his carriage.

"Doctor, thank you for coming so soon. My son… my son doesn't react anymore." Don Alejandro showed the doctor the way to Diego's room. Although the good doctor knew very well where the room was situated.

Victoria, who had put on one of the new dresses Diego had bought for her over the years, hoping she would wear it one day. She sat in a chair next to her husband when the doctor entered the room.

"Come on Victoria, let Dr. Hernandez do his job. We will wait in the hallway." Don Alejandro led his daughter-in-law outside the room with Felipe following him. The young man closed the door behind him.

Felipe was worried about his soon-to-be father. This was different from all the other times that Diego was hurt when he rode out as Zorro. This time his life really was in danger.

Don Alejandro saw how worried the young man was. "I know you are worried, Felipe. We all are."

"I am not used to feeling helpless." Felipe signed, "I am used to being the one helping him, be there for him."

Victoria took the boy in her arms, "Diego is a fighter, Felipe." she whispered to the boy. The tears running over her cheek. If she only could believe it herself.

Don Alejandro sat on a chair near a window, he was staring outside. The roses blooming in the garden.

Victoria and Felipe sat on a bench next to each other when Dr. Hernandez came outside the room.

"doctor?" Victoria asked worriedly.

"I am sorry dona De La Vega, I think your husband has been poisoned, I just don't know how it could have happened. I only read about it but it never mentioned a way to cure the patient. I am afraid that there is nothing I can do for him." the doctor explained sadly. This wasn't good because the old man has his suspicions about who exactly was fighting for his life in that room. Some of the fractures he had through the years didn't hold up with the story behind it.

"You mean he is dying? What poisoned him?" Victoria asked between her sobs.

"If I am right he is poisoned by a mixture of plants, the poison is called Krolax. The longer he stays this way, the less chance he has that he will make it. I will come back tomorrow morning." The doctor nodded towards Victoria and the old don, who had been listening in silence. He was way too quiet.

Victoria couldn't believe it, Diego was dying even before their life together could start. She wasn't going to give up, "There has to be something we could do?"

Felipe thought about it for a moment and something dawned on him, if someone could help him, it was clear eyes from the Indians that had an amazing respect for Zorro when he made the wall of death, the wall of life.

"I have a plan to save Diego." Felipe signed, "but you will have to trust me."

"Do whatever you need to help my son, Felipe." Don Alejandro held a now crying Victoria in his arms.

"I will be right back." Felipe signed before he left towards the library. He pushed the button on the mantle. He disappeared inside the cave.

Victoria and Don Alejandro both sat next to Diego when they heard hooves inside the hacienda. They both looked at each other in confusion.

"You stay with Diego dear, I will go and have a look." The old don stood up and walked towards the hallway there he saw something that he never thought would see in his entire life.

In the hallway stood a beautiful but oh so familiar black stallion with on his back a cloaked and masked figure.

"Felipe is that you?" don Alejandro asked shocked.

The only thing the boy did was hold his index finger in front of his mouth asking his soon-to-be grandfather to stay silent.

The young man jumped off the horse's back and took a bunch of familiar black clothes out of the saddlebag. A sword was tied up to the saddle, it wasn't Zorro's sword though but one Felipe got from Diego for his birthday last year.

He gave the clothes to don Alejandro, "I have no time to explain but we need to dress him as Zorro. The man I am going to see only knows him as Zorro. He is a shaman with the Indians, a tribe with huge respect for Zorro. They surely will help him."

Although don Alejandro was curious he needed to trust Felipe. He had helped Diego for so long now and if someone could help him it was him.

Victoria looked shocked seeing Felipe with a mask of his own and a large black cloak. He placed Zorro's clothes on the bed.

It took the two men about ten minutes to dress Diego into Zorro.

To make it easy for the men Toronado laid down. That way they didn't need to pull Diego on his back.

"Bring him home to us, son." Don Alejandro whispered while Victoria caressed Zorro's cheek one more time before Toronado stood up again. Carefully not to hurt his master.

"Come home to me, my love." She whispered before taking a few steps backward to let Felipe leave with Zorro laying across Toronado's back.

Toronado walked carefully out the hacienda and made his way towards the tribe. Toronado knew well enough which way to go and he also sensed that his master's life was in danger. So he had to be quick but careful not to let Zorro fall off his back.

The ride took almost twenty minutes before he arrived at the tribe. Felipe hadn't been here before but he knew Zorro had from the stories Zorro had told him.

"Halt, make yourself known!" Angry eyes said when the black stallion came into view. It was only then that he recognized the mighty animal, "What happened?"

"Someone poisoned Zorro. Can you help him? " Felipe signed.

Angry eyes turned to his chief, "Wise Eagle, cunning black fox is poisoned. This man asks to help him."

Wise Eagle nodded and pointed towards the hut next to his. It was where their shaman lived, Clear Eyes.

Angry Eyes took the reins of Toronado and guided the animal towards the tent.

He ordered two strong men to lift Zorro from the stallion's back, Toronado knew this was crucial for his master's health so he allowed the men to come near him. Still fighting the urge to defend his master.

They placed Zorro on a cot. The shaman took some white sage to go over Zorro's body while chanting.

"This is a really rare and strong poison." The shaman spoke, "I will do my best to help him but he will have to fight for his life too. Pray to the great spirit that I am not too late yet."

Felipe started praying while sitting on his knees next to Zorro. He needed to have faith in Clear Eyes and in the Lord that he wasn't going to take Zorro from them not just yet. All Felipe could do was hope now.

Victoria was pacing around in the hacienda while don Alejandro was leaning against the mantle of the fireplace. His forehead against his arms. He didn't notice that he accidentally pushed a button and looked up when a secret door opened behind the fireplace.

He looked at Victoria who was curious too. They both walked through the door before it closed again.

Both of them were shocked when seeing just what Diego had been hiding from him. Don Alejandro looked at the arsenal of weapons Diego possessed while Diego looked at the sort of books Diego stored down here.

Victoria fell on her knees the moment she found a painting of her. Obviously Diego's work. She had kept herself strong the entire time but this was the last straw. She fell on her knees and cried her eyes out. Don Alejandro kneeled down beside her and pulled her against him while tears were running over his cheek.

He tried everything to comfort his daughter-in-law but Victoria was inconsolable.

TBC