Another shot rang out, a far bit closer to their cave. Diego instinctively took a step forward, and Victoria grabbed his arm.
"Maybe I was mistaken in thinking you were Zorro," she whispered. "What do you think you're doing?"
Diego gently removed her hand. "Maybe you were mistaken."
"Zorro wouldn't just wander out there without weapons, in the middle of the fog. He'd have a plan."
Diego sighed. He wasn't sure he wanted her to know for sure that he was Zorro, but the total dismissal of the possibility always hurt. Especially when she voiced her doubts.
"Why do we even need to go out there?"
"I wasn't thinking of us both out there, Victoria. You would stay here," he said. Victoria folded her arms, and defiance flashed in her eyes.
"If you go out, so will I."
"I'm not planning on climbing the mountain. I just want to know how far the gun battle is. We could be in danger."
Victoria glared at him. Diego bit his lip in frustration, determined to keep the words he wanted so much to say from spilling out.
"I don't want you to catch a chill. I want you safe," he said eventually.
"Do you think I want you to catch a chill, Diego? Do you think I want someone to shoot you?"
Far enough, Diego thought. He wished the rain would make up its mind, either pour or stop...even snow would be better than this.
"I am good at moving in the mountains, I have grown up playing in the hills. I have an adversion to being shot, I tend to avoid it generally."
"You are going whatever I say?"
He met her eyes, which had softened somewhat. "Yes." She glanced away in disappointment.
"Please stay here, Victoria. I promise I will be careful." He smiled, as he reached out for her hand. It was cold and trembling slightly, whether from the temperature or from unspoken fear.
"I can't stop you. But, if Zorro is really dead, you won't have anyone to save you."
Diego nodded. Resignation and resentment were evident in her words, and so was her fear.
"Promise you will stay here and wait for me. I won't be long. I am not going that far."
She stared at him for a moment, and he thought he might not get his promise. He knew she would keep a promise, if she made one at all, so he waited.
"I promise."
"Thank you," he breathed. It was a relief. He couldn't think of her safety as well as his own.
"I promise I won't leave unless you fail to return in an hour."
"Victoria…"
"I mean it, you could get shot and need help. You could fall and break a leg. Your balance isn't great, in general."
"Alright. I promise I will be back in under an hour, Victoria." Diego wasn't sure how they could syncronise anything given that his pocket watch was the only timepiece. He tossed it to her, confident that he could estimate the passing of an hour, and besides he wasn't going too far. He was certain he would be back safely in an hour.
The stranger in the oilskin had ducked behind a rock, but not before one of the lookout bandits had spotted the movement. A gunshot had missed him by inches, and once he took shelter, he answered the gunshot with one of his own. The bandit fell without another sound, but the gunshot echoed in the mist.
He had slipped up a little, alerting everyone in earshot of his presence. He had overestimated his experience and underestimated the bandits. They were beginning to be more than a slight nuisance. The bandit had chosen to shoot at moving figures in the mist, not aware of who or what he was. That suggested that the bandits were more than a little on edge. His quick mind factored them in more solidly as he considered their level of threat.
Did the bandits know the territory well? What were their main goals? Were they mainly robbers or did they have deeper plans? He needed to take more care.
He noticed a shape moving below him. Maybe the man from the sheltering couple? He kept his position hidden, and the shape dissolved into the mist. Maybe he had imagined the figure? Maybe it had been an animal of some kind? For the hundredth time, he cursed the weather and the mist, knowing that he was seriously hampered.