Author's Note: And another episode right away just to thank my reviewers. Let me know what you think and yes, there's much more to come.

Usual disclaimer applies.

Mendoza arrived back in town as the dawn was just breaking over the far hills. It had been a fruitless search. Although there had been a three-quarters moon, there had been no tracks to follow and wandering aimlessly up and down the countryside had not led him to cross paths with the elusive man in black. Mendoza got off his horse, weary from the saddle and tired from lack of sleep.

"And just what do you think you were doing out all night?" The cold tone of the alcalde greeted Mendoza as he reached the cuartel gates.

"I was looking for bandits," replied Mendoza. It was not exactly a lie. Zorro was considered a bandit and would have been hanged as one if he had ever been caught.

The alcalde snorted his disdain. "That's a laugh! You couldn't catch a bandit if you stumbled over him in his sleep. Put your horse away and join the men in the cuartel. I have an announcement to make."

"Si, alcalde." Mendoza saluted and led the horse off.

The alcalde stood staring after him for a moment. It was a small thing, probably insignificant. But Mendoza had not called him "mi alcalde," like he usually did, only "alcalde." Still, he had obeyed. De Soto shrugged and returned to his office.

The meeting went smoothly despite some initial grumbling by the lancers when they found out that the new soldiers would be staying longer than they had expected. The alcalde was making the Imperial soldiers responsible for going out on patrol while the lancers would remain within the city, working to enlarge and refurbish the garrison.

Back in their quarters, Pedro broke the ice, "Well, at least we won't be the ones being shot at!"

"Si," replied Jose, "no more saddle sores!"

"Enjoy it while you can" teased Mendoza, but inside he was troubled. Would these new soldiers find Zorro, and if they did, would they be able to capture him, perhaps even kill him? And what could he do about it?

In the tavern, business had picked up since the soldiers had left. Now, a week later, the room was almost full at lunchtime. Two old caballeros were playing chess in a corner, there was a business deal going on at another table over lunch, some lancers were joking around a heaping platter of enchiladas and the bar was full with people in town for market day. Again the door swung open, and Don Diego walked in.

"Is there room for one more?" he asked Victoria with a smile. "It seems that you are quite busy today."

"Si, I am grateful that the alcalde found other quarters for the Imperial soldiers once Emisario Resondo was gone." As she spoke the words, she suddenly realized that she had made a mistake. A shadow passed across Diego's face and she quickly added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"That's all right, Victoria. He was my brother and yet he would have killed both me and my father. It still makes no sense to us. But we cannot dwell on the past and what was lost. There is the present to enjoy and the future to plan." As he spoke, Diego looked straight at Victoria and a light came into his eyes. For but a second she met his gaze, then looked down and blushed slightly.

"There is always room for you, Don Diego. Here, I will set a place. What would you like?" As she spoke, she quickly gathered up some dirty dishes and made room for him to sit.

"Whatever you have prepared as the meal of the day," he replied. "On such a busy day, I don't want to burden you further." Victoria nodded her appreciation and walked toward the kitchen. Diego scanned the room to see the other guests. He gave a slight wave to greet the caballeros in the corner. Friends of his father, they were daily fixtures at the tavern. From time to time, they would tell him stories of what life was like during the first years of the colony or give him advice on how to be a good caballero. He was somewhat surprised at the large number of lancers in the tavern. Normally, some of them would have been out on patrol or collecting taxes at the market. But then, now that he thought of it, it had been Imperial soldiers instead that he had met on the road and seen in the marketplace.

Victoria came back bearing a plate of food just as Mendoza walked in. "Sergeant Mendoza, won't you join me for lunch?" Diego called out. Mendoza hesitated, looking toward the lancers at the far table, then sighed and approached the table.

"Thank you, Don Diego, that is very kind of you, but I have already eaten at the cuartel..."

Diego probed, "Then won't you have a glass a juice and sit for a moment? Surely there is no pressing business to be done."

Mendoza sighed again and yielded. "That is certainly true, Don Diego. With the new soldiers here, there is very little for us lancers to do."

"I had thought that the Imperial soldiers would leave after the funeral. Surely there is nothing more for them to do here." Diego had not been in town since the funeral, between tending his wounded arm and attending to the paperwork for Felipe's adoption, so he had not realized until now that the soldiers had stayed on.

"Yes, that is what we had thought too. But the alcalde had other ideas."

Victoria passed by and handed him a glass of juice. "When the alcalde gets ideas, I get worried!" she joked, then moved on to other customers.

Mendoza took a sip of the juice. "Aah, this is good. At least that is one advantage in staying in town, there is more time to enjoy Victoria's cooking!" Mendoza watched Victoria as she went from table to table, then looked back at Diego. "The alcalde is using them on patrol instead of the lancers, hoping that they will be able to catch Zorro, where we have failed." Mendoza stared into his glass of juice for a moment, then continued. "And with their new rifles, they may succeed. The alcalde considers us incompetent but he's wrong…" At that moment, a loud voice could be heard echoing across the plaza. "Mendoza!"

"There he goes again. It's Mendoza this and Mendoza that. Sometimes I wonder why I stay in the army at all" Mendoza blurted out bitterly. With a slight bow and the customary "Con permiso, Don Diego," Mendoza rose from the table and left the tavern.

Diego ate slowly and thoughtfully. It was just as well that with his arm healing, he had not gone out lately as Zorro. He realized all too well the danger of the new soldiers and their rifles—one had shot him while he had been fighting with Resondo on the roof. It could easily have killed him. He had always been able to count on the fact that muskets were inaccurate and short-range weapons. In addition, the lancers could only shoot one bullet at a time, so if he could get them to fire while he was still out of range, he would be safe until they had time to reload. Now he was up against a different enemy that would call for different tactics. So caught up was he in considering Mendoza's news and deciding how to respond to this new danger that he hadn't even noticed Mendoza's unusual outburst.