A week ago

Padre Benítez feared the situation could only get worse and would end tragically for both sides, so at dawn he urged the Indians to abandon the asistencia mission at Los Angeles to go back to the largest Misión de San Gabriel, even if that meant to camp around its perimeter. The Indians were only too glad to move some distance away from the white settlers, who greatly outnumbered them in Los Angeles.

ZZZ

In the afternoon, Don Alfonso and Oliver were at the tavern eating a delicious bowl of sopa de albóndigas. From their table, they could see and hear Don Alejandro talking passionately about the virtues of the Indian workers.

"That Alejandro de la Vega is a total nuisance," Don Alfonso said. "He can't stop talking in favour of the savages. He is an important pillar in this community, and the others are listening to him. Something needs to be done about it."

"Don't worry. I am on it. I will consider your concerns into my plan," Oliver said, mysteriously.

ZZZ

"Mendoza, I want you to gather the lancers to practice your tracking skills today. You will leave the garrison to a destination of your choice about ten miles away, and the men will track you down half an hour later," Luis Ramón ordered the next day.

"Today, mi alcalde? It is quite hot, so maybe we should do that exercise another day. The horses will be tired, and…"

"Mendoza, shut up, and do as you are told! You are going on tracking manoeuvers. Now!"

"Sí, mi alcalde," Mendoza said quickly, saluting at attention, kicking his heels.

ZZZ

Diego, Felipe and Victoria were at the tavern door watching Don Alejandro getting ready to make a speech in the plaza.

"Your father is so passionate. I admire him for that," Victoria said.

"He certainly is," Diego said with a calm he did not feel. As opposed to me. That's what you believe, he thought, quite upset. How an Indian whom I just have met can realize so easily that I am Zorro, and yet all the people I love the most can be so blind?

"At least as much as Zorro," Victoria continued with a dreamy smile, oblivious to Diego's feelings, as usual. He looked at her, annoyed, but he didn't have much time to wonder about Victoria's words because at that moment a large group of lancers left the garrison, diverting his attention.

"Where do you think they are going, all of them at once?" Victoria said while grabbing Diego's arm, anxious. "I hope they are not going to track Zorro down."

"I have no idea where they are going, but I don't think that will be the case, don't worry. Corporal, where are you heading?" Diego asked Sepúlveda when he trotted nearby on his horse.

"On manoeuvres, Don Diego," the soldier answered, downhearted. "And in this heat. Can you imagine? We'll melt out there!"

Diego thought it was very odd to leave the pueblo defenceless without the soldiers' presence, especially with the Indian situation, but he didn't say anything. With no time to go home to change his clothes and reappear as Zorro, he decided to stay alert. Something was about to happen, he was sure of that. And the alcalde knew about it.

ZZZ

Oliver arrived at the pueblo dressed with an Indian outfit, quietly and undetected. He climbed to the roof and walked slowly to a position where he could easily look at the whole plaza. Then, he crouched down to lie on the hot roof, and placed the bow he was carrying over the hot tiles, by his side.

People were gathering around. Oliver scanned the crowd in the plaza, looking for his target. There he was, addressing some citizens, ranting and complaining about the alcalde and the rampant racism at the pueblo. People were listening, and they hung on his every word. Don Alfonso was right: that man was a great nuisance, who should be neutralized as soon as possible. Oliver smiled because the old don, standing on a crate to deliver his speech, offered such an easy shot.

He selected an arrow from the case at his back, grabbed the bow, and quickly got on his knees. Aiming carefully, with the arrow head pointing at the victim's chest, he slowly pulled back the bowstring to its fullest extent. Then, Oliver held his breath for a second and released the arrow, which whizzed toward its target. However, it never reached it, because moving surprisingly fast a tall caballero leaned forward at the last moment, pushing the old don off the crate and out of harm's way. The arrow hit his left shoulder instead of Don Alejandro's chest.

With the impact, the tall caballero fell to the ground on his back. The crowd gasped but didn't react, disbelieving at the sight of an Indian arrow, until someone spotted Oliver on the roof.

"Look! There's an Indian there, on the roof! He's got a bow! Run for your lives!"

Chaos followed. Everybody tried to run away from the plaza, screaming in terror, getting in each other's way. Only Don Alejandro, Felipe and Victoria stayed put, helping Diego up.

Looking at the small group in the plaza, Oliver hesitated with another arrow in his hand, annoyed because he had hit the wrong De la Vega. In the confusion, before he could make up his mind about shooting again, the concerned group acted quickly and efficiently, dragging the injured caballero into the tavern for shelter.

Giving up, as his purpose to create confusion and terror had been fulfilled anyway, Oliver ran over the roof tiles toward the end of the row. Confident in the knowledge that the lancers would not shoot him, as they were nowhere to be seen, he jumped on his bareback pinto horse and galloped away. On his way out, he added more drama by howling wildly, with his bow held high, as a fearsome Indian warrior would do.

ZZZ

"Oh, my God! Diego, you've been shot!" A bright red stain was quickly spreading over Diego's white shirt. Don Alejandro instinctively reached for the arrow and tried to pull it out, but Diego held his wrist to stop him.

"No, Father. Leave it there. Don't touch it," he grunted. "Help me to get up. We need to get out of here."

"Into the tavern, quick!" Victoria said, leading the way.

Around them, people ran in a frenzy, screaming panic-stricken, as if thousands of Indian arrows were already whizzing over their heads. Some of them were also trying to get shelter in the tavern, and the petite owner had to push them in to make way for her injured friend.

Don Alejandro and Felipe helped Diego up. Supporting him on their shoulders, they dragged him into the tavern as fast as they could. The pressure on the injured left side, where the arrow was shaking at every step, was torture for Diego. He groaned and complained all the way in.

After they helped the stumbling Diego to reach one of the empty rooms upstairs, Don Alejandro sent Felipe to get the doctor.

"Be careful! Watch out for any other Indians!"

Felipe nodded and rushed downstairs recklessly, jumping the steps three at a time.

"Hold on, Son, you'll be all right. The arrow only hit your shoulder. Why would an Indian shoot you? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Actually, Father, he didn't shoot me. He shot you," Diego mumbled. He sat on the bed, at the edge, and started unbuttoning his shirt. His father was right: the arrow had only hit the shoulder, not the chest. But still, it hurt so much he wanted to cry out. "I saw him at the roof, ready to shoot. That's why I pushed you."

"Me? Are you sure? Why me?"

"Why would an Indian shoot Don Alejandro? He is the one who is always trying to help them," Victoria said, looking at her friend with great concern.

Diego, with a rather shaky hand, was struggling with his buttons. He looked so pathetic with that huge arrow sticking out, so pale and miserable with the pain, that something stirred in her and she felt the urge to comfort and nurse him, as she would do to a helpless baby.

"Let me help you with that."

She held his trembling hand gently, pushing it away slightly, and smiled at him as if nothing was wrong. He stared back at her with what should have been just gratitude in his eyes, but the look had such intensity that it made her feel uncomfortable. She looked down and concentrated on the buttons. When she had finished with them, she tried to remove the expensive shirt but she realized it was not possible, because it was pinned in place by the arrow.

"I am going to get a pair of scissors. Sorry, Diego, I am afraid I will need to cut your shirt."

She sounded genuinely apologetic, with a tone in her voice that made Diego chuckle awkwardly.

"Victoria, don't worry about the shirt. I'll manage without it," he said in his painful misery, shaking his head slightly. Funny, the kind of thing women worry about in a crisis.

Victoria flushed red. There was her best friend, seriously injured, and she was worried about a stupid shirt that wasn't even hers. She left the room quickly, ashamed of herself. On the way to hers, she wondered about the look in Diego's eyes. Was it love what she had seen? Was he in love with her? She shook her head. No, that's not possible. He is like a brother to me, my friend. I would have known. It must be the shock; he is not thinking straight.

She came back shortly after and approached the injured man, avoiding his eyes this time, focusing on the scissors and cutting the cloth. He shivered when she touched his chest under the shirt. In all honesty, even Diego didn't know if it was due to the pain or the unexpected and exciting contact with Victoria's soft skin.

Just when she had finished cutting the shirt, the doctor arrived. For decorum, Victoria removed only the left side, leaving the rest to partially cover Diego's chest and back. She was quite impressed by the prominent muscles on display. Her eyes were irresistibly dragged to them. I never would have thought… How can he be so strong if he is all the time reading? He must be doing something special, something he found in his books. No doubt about it. He always says that "everything" is in the books.

The doctor approached Diego and straight away he started to poke around the wound, even probing and shaking the arrow, making him groan with pain again.

"Don Diego, I can feel the arrow end in your back, deep under the skin," doctor Hernández said. "Rather than pulling it, the best way to remove the arrow will be pushing it out through your back, with a hard blow. Either way, it is going to hurt," he warned.

"Do what you need to do, doctor," Diego said weakly, biting his lower lip under his moustache.

Watching him suffering made Victoria's nursing instincts flare up again, so she gently held his right hand, a gesture which was quite comforting for Diego. Although, not good enough to put a smile on his face. In any other circumstances the contact would have been absolutely lovely and he would have been ecstatic, but, not this time.

"All right. First, I need to saw the shaft," the doctor said, producing the appropriate instrument from his bag. "Hold on. This arrow is way too long. It is going to move quite a lot while I cut it."

He instructed Felipe to hold onto the shaft as close as possible to Diego's shoulder, and positioned Don Alejandro behind his son to support his back straight. Victoria, by his side, continued to hold Diego's right hand, reassuringly, whispering words of encouragement to her friend.

"You'll be fine, Diego, don't worry. We are all here with you," she said, stroking his arm gently.

He replied with a grimace that resembled a smile. She was caressing his arm! Maybe Diego should get injured more often. He sighed deeply. I'd rather be alone with you somewhere else, querida.

"Ready?" the doctor asked. Diego nodded, uncertain. "There we go."

Doctor Hernández started to saw the wooden shaft with slow and precise movements to avoid splinting, aiming for a clean, straight cut. Closing his eyes, Diego clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to scream. Despite Felipe's efforts to hold it still, the arrow head was shaking inside Diego's shoulder quite badly. At least, having Victoria so close, helped him to be brave and quiet, just for her.

Suddenly, amidst the cloud of pain, he realized his hand was clutching at Victoria's way too tightly. When the doctor had nearly finished cutting the arrow, Diego opened his eyes. He quickly let go of Victoria's hand, ashamed and distressed when he saw her upset expression. Her beautiful face was pale and distorted in a painful grimace, looking at him with wide open, frightened eyes.

"I am sorry, Victoria. I am so sorry… I…I didn't realize… Are you all right?" he asked in dismay. Victoria bit her lower lip so hard it turned white, obviously trying to be brave herself, for him, and she nodded silently, ignoring the sharp pain in her floppy hand. However, despite her determination, revealing tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.

"Done!" the doctor said, discarding the severed arrow shaft on the floor. "Are you all right, Victoria?" he asked when he saw her expression, because she looked like about to faint.

"No, she is not! I think I broke her hand, doctor. Please, have a look at her," Diego begged.

Doctor Hernández caught Victoria's limp body just in time when she passed out. Unsteadily, Diego stood up, allowing the doctor to place Victoria on the bed. His own pain was forgotten for a moment.

"Diego! What have you done? What were you thinking?" Don Alejandro scolded.

"Not now, Father, please. Is she all right?" Diego asked with a high pitch tone, with the intense guilt narrowing his throat. Doctor Hernández examined Victoria's hand for a few seconds. When he had finished, he looked at Diego with reproach in his eyes, just as Don Alejandro was doing.

"I think you are right. I think it's broken. How tight were you holding it?"

"I don't know… I didn't mean to… Oh, God," he sobbed softly, covering his eyes with his right hand. The last thing he wanted to do was to harm Victoria. He would have preferred to die right then instead. With his strength failing, he sat down at the edge of the bed again, shaking.

"I should have warned you. The next time grab a towel, or something soft, no need to crush a señorita's hand for support," the doctor said in a light tone, trying to lift the mood, feeling sorry for Diego, who looked devastated. After all, the injury inflicted wasn't too serious, although quite painful, and she should heal without problems. Doctor Hernández manipulated Victoria's hand, repositioning the fragile bones, and applied a supporting bandage with wooden splints. When he had finished treating her hand he considered using the smelling salts, but decided against it.

"I'll let her wake up on her own time. Removing the arrow is not going to be a pleasant sight. Are you ready, Diego?" he asked, placing his hand gently on his right shoulder. "It will take less than five seconds." Diego sighed deeply and nodded, sitting upright, supported again by his father.

Doctor Hernández approached his patient with a wooden mallet in his right hand. Holding the now short arrow shaft with his left hand, he practiced the movement a few times, in slow motion.

"At the count of three. Take a deep breath. One… Two… Three!"

The loud scream that followed woke Victoria up. She sat upright, screaming loudly herself, mad with fear and pain. When she saw the doctor pulling out the bloody arrow from Diego's back, just a few inches from her face, she slowly slumped back on the bed, fainting again at the sight of so much blood. Don Alejandro held his son's limp, heavy frame for a moment while the doctor applied some dressings and a sling, but he eventually let him slip down in bed too, next to Victoria.

It was the first time the couple lie down so close in bed together. Such a shame they were both unconscious and could not enjoy such special moment.

ZZZ

Diego woke up in his bed at the hacienda De la Vega.

"Diego, are you all right?" Don Alejandro said, quite anxious, leaning forward from the chair beside the bed when he realized his son was awake.

"Yes," Diego said, blinking. He tried to sit up, crying in pain when he moved his shoulder. "No, I am not. It hurts."

"You have been unconscious for a few hours. Here, drink some bark infusion," he offered, bringing a glass close to his son's lips.

"How is Victoria?" Diego asked after he drank a few long swigs.

"She is fine, don't worry. She is here. She'll stay at the hacienda for a few days until she feels better to go back to the tavern."

"I am so ashamed. I didn't realize I was holding her hand so tightly," Diego said, grief stricken. Don Alejandro tapped his son's arm softly.

"Don't worry, Son, she knows you didn't mean to hurt her. She'll be fine. I'll call her now so you can apologize yourself."

Don Alejandro left the room. Victoria came inside shortly after, and sat down in the chair next to the bed, where Don Alejandro was sitting before. She looked a bit pale, but she smiled at Diego warmly.

"Diego, how are you? We were so worried about you."

"Victoria, I am so sorry. Forgive me. I didn't mean to harm you. I didn't realize I was crushing your hand. Are you all right? Does it hurt?" he said, distressed.

"Don't worry, Diego. I'll be all right," she said showing him her bandaged, injured hand. "Doctor Hernández did a good job splinting it. It hurts a little, but I'll be fine. I am more worried about you. If that arrow had hit you a few inches lower down, it could have struck your heart."

"I guess I was lucky. What happened afterwards, in the pueblo?"

"I don't know. Everybody panicked, and we left in the carriage to come here. Anything could have happened."

Diego tried to sit up again, but once more he groaned in pain.

"Eagle Eye prepared an herbal infusion for me. It worked very well for the pain. I'll bring you some."

"Thank you, Victoria," Diego said. When she left, he rested back on his pillow, letting out a frustrated, long sigh. How unfortunate he had been injured right now, when Zorro was needed the most.

ZZZ

"I need to find out if that man at the roof was a real Indian," Diego said to Felipe at the first chance he had, when they were alone at the library the next day. He already felt better to move around, and preferred to sit there rather than staying in bed all day. "He was very skilled with the bow, but I don't think he was Indian."

"Would this help?" Felipe signed. With a broad, proud smile he produced the end of the arrow, the piece that doctor Hernández had discarded on the floor at the tavern.

"Felipe, where did you get that from?"

The youngster explained with a few gestures, glad to see the excitement in Diego's face.

"Well done, Felipe. I thought that arrow end was lost forever." Diego examined carefully the long feathers at the end, but he didn't have a clue. "We need Eagle Eye. He can tell us if this is a Tongva arrow, or from another tribe in this territory."

Felipe looked at him with a big question in his eyes, surprised.

"Yes, I haven't had the chance to tell you. Eagle Eye knows who I am."

Felipe shook his head incredulous, and then signed: "how?"

"I don't know. He is a very perceptive man. He only needed a few minutes by my side to realize. Which makes me wonder how blind is everybody else around me. Please, call him now."

ZZZ

"Not us. Not Tongva. Don't know. Feathers too long," Eagle Eye said, shaking his head. He gave the arrow end back to Diego.

"Are you sure this is not an arrow used by any of the tribes from around here?"

"Yes. Not us. From the North and rising sun, maybe. Beyond the large canyon."

"Do you mean the Colorado canyon?"

"Don't know how you call canyon. Far away. Very large canyon. Different people there. Maybe arrow theirs."

"Thank you, Eagle Eye. I have to find out what happened, who that man was, and why he wanted to kill my father."

"I go back to Mission, ask the chief. Maybe he knows. Boy stays here, safe."

"Yes, do that. Grasshopper will be all right here. Take care, be careful."

After the Indian left, Diego kept thinking while twisting the arrow shaft slowly between his fingers. According to Eagle Eye that was indeed an Indian arrow, but not from California, maybe from far away, from the North American tribes. Very odd to find such an arrow here. And why did that Indian from the North try to kill his father? And what about the gold, and what was the role of the Alcalde into this conundrum? He didn't get to any conclusions, other than injured or not, Zorro was needed to pay a visit to the alcalde's office to find out, as soon as he had recovered enough to do so.

ZZZZZ