Author's Notes: Thank you for all the comments and reviews so far. We are now at the middle of this supernatural tale, and I probably shouldn't say anything more. So on with the story.

Chapter 3

For the heart whose woes are legion

Slowly, Diego opened his eyes. His head hurt, and the cold had seeped into his bones where he lay on the floor. Listening for a moment, he heard nothing and nobody, and so he pushed himself to his feet. He steadied himself against the desk. The dust except where he touched it was undisturbed. So... he had only dreamed Ramone had been there. He sighed with relief as he rubbed his arms; he really needed to get warm. Victoria should have gotten a good fire going by now. The thought made him pause.

How long had he been out? He pulled out his watch and froze as he looked at the time. He'd been unconscious nearly two hours, and there was no sign Victoria had ever been in here. He knew her. She wouldn't have simply stayed by a fire instead of looking for him when he didn't return in a reasonable amount of time. She was no shrinking violet to simply sit and wait for things to happen.

Grabbing up the candle, which he now noticed had burned about half way down, he hurried back to the main room, where he could see the flickering embers of a small fire in the large stone fireplace. What he could not see was Victoria.

He called her name as he looked around the room. There was a loud crash of thunder from outside. Turning to the window, he saw the rain still hitting the glass. She wouldn't have gone out into that, even if she could get the front door open, would she?

Of course, she would, if she could, if she was trying to get help, Diego thought, as he placed the candle on the table, before trying to open the door again. Still stuck fast. He looked around again. The other candle was missing, so Victoria must have taken it to explore, but why wasn't she answering? What could have happened while he was unconscious?

She's always running into danger.

"Victoria!" He went through a door and down a short hall around to the dining room and kitchen. No sign of her.

Those were the last rooms on the ground floor. He hurried to the stairs still calling Victoria's name, cursing the fact that he had to be careful with the candle. Above he could hear a mournful howling of wind that almost sounded human.

He called her name again as he climbed the stairs. He froze as he thought he heard a low whispering voice calling, but he could not make out any coherent words. Continuing up the stairs, he stopped again at the top.

Diego headed to the end of the hallway where the sound seemed to be coming from. Pushing open the door, he stepped through and froze as he saw a flash of movement in the corner, as a sudden gust swept through blowing the candle out.

Lightning flashed outside the window illuminating the far side of the room for a brief flash, reflecting off a mirror half covered by a gauzy cloth.

He let out a small nervous laugh as he crossed the room to the mirror, pulling the cloth loose. Another gust of wind came through the window which he could see was broken though here too were bars. Who would build a hacienda and bar up all the windows in this fashion? Some paranoid gentleman afraid of attack or robbery? Or, a worse thought struck him, keeping someone in? And where was Victoria?

Can you keep her safe?

He twisted his head around, checking the room. Another flash of lightning lit the room. He saw movement from the corner of his eye, but when he turned there was still nothing to be seen. He didn't like that he couldn't entirely trust what he saw and heard and his worry for Victoria was increasing. But as he stared at the fireplace next to the mirror, he was struck by a thought that somehow the space around the staircase hadn't really matched up. In another flash of lightning, he saw a candlestick with a glass chimney around it sitting on a bedside table. He quickly moved to light it, while turning his back to the wind which kept coming through the cracked window. At least the chimney would minimize the chances of the candle being snuffed out.

Once it was lit, Diego stared at the fireplace which reminded him a bit of the one in his own home. Could it be hiding a secret as well? Or rather was the one downstairs hiding a secret? It seemed unlikely that Victoria would have gone upstairs before looking for him downstairs, and there would have been some signs that she had seen him.

Feel the cold.

He shivered again. Victoria had his jacket, so she had some protection. Perhaps there was something here that could serve without getting in his way like a blanket would. He didn't usually feel the cold, but now it seemed to weigh down his limbs.

He looked around. There was a heavy looking trunk against the far wall and he hurried to it, not wanting to delay his search for Victoria more than necessary, but definitely wanting a bit more warmth since he had no idea what he might find. Fortunately it wasn't locked nor empty. Among an array of old-fashioned men's attire obviously too small for him, he found an elaborately-embroidered black and red cape and pulled it out. With a wry grin he tied it on, grateful for the greater warmth and the covering that would make him a less visible target. All things considered, he would have preferred something plain in any other dark color so as not to put Victoria in mind of the man in black, but looking as ridiculous as he must in this, he felt that she would not make the connection.

Her blindness is your protection— if you want to keep her safe.

Diego looked around, but again there was no one there, yet still it felt as if he were not alone. Ramone had merely been a figment of his unconscious imagination. Nevertheless, when he spotted a heavy walking stick on the floor near the bed, he grabbed it before taking up the candle and heading back downstairs to the main room. He needed to find Victoria now.

As soon as he was by the fireplace, Diego started looking for some kind of switch or lever or button. He started from the spot where the switch was on his own, though he hardly believed that two families would put one in the same spot, and he was right about that. He was running his hands over the ornamentation of the mantle, when he stopped.

This is the wrong approach, he thought looking down at the dying glow in front of him. No, better to consider what Victoria would have been doing that might have led her to opening some kind of hidden door. After all, she was cold and damp and tired, and she wouldn't have been looking for a secret. That's if she found one of her own accord and wasn't dragged off by someone hiding in the house. No, that had just been a dream. Just a dream.

Diego knelt down by the fireplace and took a moment to add more wood and stir up the flames, before examining the area. Looking closely, he doubted that the back of the fireplace moved the same way as the one at his family's hacienda; there had always been traces for anyone determined enough to look for them. He was fortunate no one had. But there had to be something. He looked at the elaborate carvings on the side of the fireplace. Standing up, he spotted a very familiar animal.

Always the fox. Or rather half the fox.

Reaching out, he touched the carved fox and noticed that it was not all one piece, and then it was only a moment before he heard a click, and the panel next to the fireplace opened.

Grabbing up the candle and the stick, he stuck his head through the entrance and saw a staircase spiraling up and down before him. "Victoria!" he called out. For a moment he could hear nothing, then there was a nearly inaudible cry from below. He gripped the stick tighter in his hand as he hurried down the stairs, hoping to find his love.

~Z~Z~Z~

Victoria lifted her head. She was lying on the floor where she had initially fallen. Or at least she supposed so. There was again no light to see. "Abuela?" she called. "Are you there?"

There was only silence. She must have dreamed the presence of the old woman.

How long had she been here? Where was Diego? How was she to get back out?

Victoria took several sharp, deep breaths through clenched teeth in an effort to calm herself and clear her thinking, but she was unable to stop her frustration and fear from bubbling up as she slowly got to her feet and stumbled against the table. Feeling against the top, she recognized the items there. So she was where she had been. She could find her way back out to the stairs in the dark. And even if she couldn't find the way to open the door at the top of the stairs, surely she could make Diego hear her. He had to be wondering where she was.

Moving slowly, arms stretched out in front of her, Victoria made it to the wall and, hands on the rough rock, carefully sidestepped her way around until she reached the doorway, only to freeze when she touched heavy wood where there should have been empty air. She pushed against the door, hands clawing for any handle.

This could not be happening. That door had been propped opened. It couldn't have slipped. And if it had closed, it shouldn't be stuck. Victoria beat and kicked the door. None of this made sense. She'd think she was still dreaming if it weren't for the pain she felt as she pounded on the door.

"Diego!" she screamed. Where was he? Would he even be able to hear her? Oh, if only Zorro were with them. Perhaps he could make sense of this madhouse.

Yes, Zorro is the hero you rely on.

Victoria slid down to the floor, putting her hands over her face. If only I had some light, she thought. If only I weren't alone.

You're not.

~Z~Z~Z~

Diego heard Victoria's voice, muffled and indistinct, and then the sound of banging and nearly ran down the stairs into a cave not that dissimilar in size to his own. It seemed solid and empty at first glance until he turned to see a heavy looking wooden door in the wall behind the staircase. There was a stone block toppled on the ground nearby.

"Victoria?" he called as he moved to the door. "Are you there?"

There was a long moment of silence before he heard. "I can't get out! The door's stuck!" she called. "Help me!" He could hear panic in her voice as she pounded on the door.

Diego saw a metal bar in the latch of the door and, after putting the candle down nearby, with a hefty push lifted it on its hinge. Somehow it must have fallen into place when the door shut. At least that's what he hoped as he pulled open the door. Victoria stumbled out into his arms, clutching at him. He covered her hands with one of his own. They were like ice. He held her close with his other arm, pulling her under the cape. She was shivering, and he didn't think it was entirely from the cold, though she leaned into him, her head resting on his chest. Diego wished he could simply enjoy the feeling of her in his arms, but he was too concerned about what had brought her to this state.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

Victoria lifted her head. The candle cast a flickering shadow over her face though he could see her dark eyes glistening with some strong emotion, though he couldn't tell what.

"I don't know," she said. "I was afraid that no one would come." Her head twisted back and forth. "I don't understand. I don't… I can't… it's all…" she stumbled over whatever she was trying to say. She clutched at Diego's shirt. "How did you get here, Zorro?"

Diego's eyes went wide. "What did you just say?" he asked.

"How did you get here? And how did you know Diego and I were in trouble?"

"Diego?" He was now even more confused.

"Yes. We got separated, and I found my way into this strange room and then everything went dark and…Zorro, how did you find me in the dark and without any light?"

He looked nervously from Victoria to the candle and back to her again. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't react. Now he understood why she was calling him Zorro and why she thought he found her with no light. He swallowed hard and his stomach twisted into knots as what had been a growing suspicion blossomed into full on horror as he realized what was going on.

She was blind.

~to be continued~

End Notes:

I spent far too much time looking for Spanish fashions, not entirely for this story. What Diego found was a Spanish circle cape with a great deal of embroidery, and it's a little shorter than Zorro's cape, as it was meant for someone shorter than him.

And I think I'll just leave it at that for now. Penultimate chapter on Wednesday, though I might be convinced to post late Tuesday if there's enough interest in an early posting.