The man in white contemplated the view. With the rain falling this way, there was really no point in trying to see what was going on. The misty veil was annoying. It meant that he may as well wear the oilskin cloak and go investigate in person. Perhaps now it was time to introduce himself to the little girls, and at least put them under his protection. He felt Charles might be a task far too complicated to deal with, not without a serious strategy behind him.
He had never met the children, so they might react with fear. Charles was unpredictable given his age and the fact that he seemed to be trying to take care of them all without going to a trustworthy adult. He didn't want to hurt the boy, but Charles might not have the same concerns for his safety.
He had a few spare oilskins and could offer them to the sheltering couple below him, but he was sure they were warm and dry, able to take care of themselves. He smiled a little. They may not even welcome the intrusion.
He would have to be careful. The rocks were now slippery and the fall was steep. A foot wrong, and there would be problems, even if he didn't fall to his death. The water might soon turn to ice, but it seemed warmer than it really should be.
He flung the oilskin over the white cape, aware that as he did so the camouflage was lessened dramatically, and he stood out against the white of the snow. He doubted anyone would care to be out in the open with the rain teeming down, but it still made him wary. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and breathed.
Zzz
Diego was pacing the floor of the cave, while Victoria decided to make coffee for them both. The little fire was cheerful and bright, but would only last so long before new fuel would be needed. As the coffee brewed it filled the cave with a comforting aroma.
"We can't do anything until the rain calms down, Diego. There really is no point in getting so worked up."
"I know, I know. Those children could be freezing - as you yourself said."
"I said that because I thought the rain wouldn't last long. We haven't had much rain this year."
"With our luck, it will be a year's worth of rain in a week."
"There is nothing we can do. Even Zorro could do nothing in the rain, not like this rain."
"I'm sure he would have worked something out."
"What could he do that we couldn't?"
"Well, there are oil skin cloaks and great coats, they keep people from getting too wet. They are almost waterproof. I think Zorro would have one of those…"
"Like the coach driver?"
"Exactly. I wish we had a couple right now, or even one."
"What could you do? You sense of balance is legendary - everyone knows you have none. You could fall, and visibility is pretty bad out there. I don't think Zorro has really got the eyes of a real fox, and not even he could do anything. If he couldn't, why do you think you can?"
Diego could only agree with her and silently hung his head for a moment. He hated to feel trapped. Even in a cave with the woman he loved. Especially with the woman he loved.
"It's a meaningless debate. Zorro has disappeared. Talking about what he is and is not capable of is a useless exercise."
Victoria was silenced by that, and he knew he shouldn't have mentioned it. She concentrated on pouring coffee into mugs, and Diego tried to ignore the way her hand shook. It wasn't with the cold. She turned aside to gaze out the cave entrance, holding her mug. He had to fetch his own full mug. A tear slid down her cheek. Diego felt like a cad.
He sat on a rock near the entrance, peering out at the misty landscape. There was no visibility, he couldn't see much at all. If there were any threats out there, he had no way to see them. Hopefully, any threats would have the same problem.
He bent to take his mug and thought about what he could say. Was he just hurting her to keep her away from her questions? He felt very selfish and stupid.
"Tell me about Zorro. You know the best, I should think."
"You don't even like Zorro."
"Of course I like Zorro," Diego protested. "He's saved you and my father numerous times. He tries to help the pueblo and get justice for the poor."
"You are always saying horrible things about him," Victoria said with a sniff. "It's almost as if you were jealous of him."
Diego kept his mouth shut, although things were fighting to be said. She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced at the quality.
"Do you need sugar?" Diego said. She turned and glared at him.
"You want to talk about Zorro? Sugar is beside the point. Don't change the subject all the time!"
Diego frowned. He wanted to help but this problem was building up between them like a monster. Of his own making. Only he could fix this. A shudder of apprehension went through him, an icy breeze touching his heart. Was fear to overcome him completely? Turning him into a true coward?
"Well, Victoria. Talk to me about Zorro. I promise I will listen. You want to know who he was, or is? We can work together," Diego said. "Just talk, and I will just listen."
Part of his brain screamed at him to just tell her. Just to hold her in his arms and whisper the secret into her ear, and take what was coming to him. Playing more games would only get him further in trouble. But he couldn't. He wasn't even sure if they were still friends.
He handed her his fresh handkerchief and waited for her to completely compose herself.
"You are always so patient with me, Diego. And I am so horrible to you."
"That isn't true, Victoria. You are one of my closest friends. Sometimes I need to be put in my place, just like anyone else."
She smiled. "I didn't mean all the things I said. I'm not used to you being so negative."
"I'm sorry. Still grieving I suppose. I will make an effort to be better. If you will help me?"
She patted him on the arm and went to the cart. "I keep a notepad and pencil in a bag. So I can write things down. Helps me to remember things."
Diego nodded. Victoria sat on a rock opposite him and opened the notebook. She took the pencil in her hand and waited and thought.
"Do you think if I asked questions your thoughts would be clearer?" Diego said, after a moment.
"That might be useful," Victoria said. "You are the smartest person in the pueblo. That is something people don't notice enough of the time."
"Thank you. I don't think it's given me any favours, but thank you all the same." He finally smiled.
"Well, now. What do you think he looks like, Diego?"
"Well, what colour are his eyes and hair? That might be a good place to start?" He turned so that she couldn't see his eyes, but she wasn't paying him any attention.
"I think his eyes must be hazel. They change colours sometimes."
"Maybe there are two men?"
Victoria shook her head. "I would know if there were two. There is only one man."
"Write down that, hazel eyes. Green to blue, or blue to brown?"
"I don't know. Darker than green, I think. Blue to brown?"
She scribbled it down. Diego watched her silently until she was finished.
"How tall do you think he is?" Diego said, slouching a little as he spoke. He didn't want to make her suspicious by changing his posture, but again she wasn't aware of what he was doing. Diego sighed and sat up properly. She would never see him as Zorro anyway. He would have to tell her outright one day. Just not today.
"Well, maybe…? Can you stand up for me?"
"Why?"
"Come over here, and put your hands around my waist," she said. "I can estimate whether he is taller or shorter than you."
He reluctantly did as he was told, aware that his heart beat louder and faster as he did so. Maybe she already knew? She'd know if he couldn't control himself. He knew he was blushing, the heat in his cheeks let him know that.
"Like this?" He asked, clumsily touching her waist. She was warm and inviting, but she wasn't really his, he reminded himself. She glanced up at him, her eyes scanning his face.
"I think he is...taller?" Victoria said, dropping her eyes, and removing Diego's hands.
"How much taller could he be?" The words came unthinking to Diego's lips. "I'm the tallest man in the pueblo."
"So you think he is from the pueblo?"
Diego startled and laughed. "That was quite clever."
"I thought so," Victoria said with a smile. "Saved another question."
Diego hadn't moved, but he had let her remove his hands. He stood so close to Victoria, his eyes on her face, lingering on her lips thoughtfully.
She launched herself at him, just like she had in the de la Vega garden. Her lips found his, and it took a moment before his brain could factor in whether this was a threat or something else entirely. His body reacted differently than it had to her first kiss so long ago. It responded immediately and automatically by intensifying the kiss and embracing her fiercely.
"Yes...you kiss...just like him…" She said when they stopped for a breath. "Diego, is there something you have forgotten to tell me?"
There was a gunshot just outside the cave, and Diego went immediately to investigate. He welcomed the distraction in some ways and in other not so much. There was danger out there in the mist, but where?
Victoria had jumped with surprise when she had heard the gunshot, and shrunk a little into the shadows. It was an instinctive impulse, as she wasn't afraid. She looked at Diego, and she looked with different eyes than she had only this morning. She saw the tense muscles in his shoulders, and his clenched jaw and wondered why she had never thought to notice. His right hand clenched into a fist where Zorro's sword normally hung at his side.
He hadn't brought his sword today, she realised with a shiver. They didn't carry any weapons in the cart, and this danger was unknown and hidden out there in the rain. Who was being shot at? Who was doing the shooting? Were they in danger?
Diego crept closer to the entrance, intent to see more if he could. The mist was easing a little. He saw a figure in an oilskin for a brief moment against the snow, but it had vanished in the blink of an eye. He wasn't sure if the figure was even real, or he had seen what his brain was telling him was out there. It was higher up the mountain on the opposite side, and it seemed to be only aware of its own threats. The gunshots were directed up there. They were safe for the moment.