THE RIGHT TURN OF THE ROAD

Chapter 24

Gabriel's mood didn't improve much over the next couple of days. He was such miserable company that even Pablo started to avoid him. That in turn only increased his anger. He used every chance he got to yell at some poor soul in the fields, but that didn't make him feel at all better.

Barking at some peasant when he picks grapes too slow, he thought in disgust at himself. He had used to command soldiers. He had led men to battle. He had had so much power and so many responsibilities. Now he had nothing.

The thought of revenge, which had usually cheered him up and given him the motivation to keep going, was now making him feel even more down. He hated admitting it, but he knew it was unlikely he would ever get what he wanted. He was powerless to do it. Hell, Raymond and Zorro probably didn't even remember him anymore. That was the worst, being so unimportant in everyone's lives.

Nothing much happened at the estate during these days. The carriage was fixed, and Rafael started going to town again to drink all night long. A letter from Don Augusto arrived, but Rafael didn't let anyone know what his father had to say. The only development that had any effect on Gabriel's life was that they finished building the fence.

Now he had even less to do, but he surprised himself with how often he found himself looking at the fence. It was a very good fence, and it was nice to think that he had helped to build it. Maybe it was pathetic how such an insignificant matter brought him some joy, but there was no changing the fact that building the fence was the only thing that had made him feel like he had accomplished something as of late.

It was almost time for everyone's break at noon when some of the workers suddenly stopped what they were doing and turned to stare to the other side of the field. Gabriel was about to snap at them to get back to work at once, but the words died on his lips when he saw the reason to the people's interest. There were soldiers gathered around the fence.

"What the hell are they doing here?" he muttered. There looked to be five men in total, but they weren't doing anything. Three were just sitting on horseback while two were leaning against the fence. If they were supposed to be patrolling the area, they were being shamefully inept at it.

The sound of a horse approaching made him turn his attention towards the main entrance of the estate. Gabriel gritted his teeth when he saw that it was one of the new lieutenants, the one with straight, dark hair.

"What do you want?" he asked when the man stopped his horse before him.

"I'm Lieutenant Serrano, and I need to speak to whoever is in charge of this estate."

Rafael was still in bed, and Eduardo had gone to town to buy something. Gabriel supposed that left him in charge at the moment, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with this man. He didn't like Serrano's arrogant tone of voice, the way he sat straight in the saddle or that he was wearing a lieutenant's uniform and Gabriel wasn't. However, everyone in the fields had now stopped working and were staring at them. He couldn't back away.

"You can speak to me," he said.

The briefest smile crossed Serrano's lips, and Gabriel knew he would hate this man forever.

"Very well," Serrano said. "We're here because of the fence."

"The fence?" Gabriel repeated in surprise. Of all the things Serrano might have named, that wasn't it. His first thought had been that the army was there to collect a new tax.

"Yes, it has been brought to our attention that the fence violates several laws regarding land use. We came to tear it down."

"What? That's insane! The fence is perfectly fine!"

Serrano shook his head and took a document from his pocket. He spent a good while folding it open, like he enjoyed making Gabriel wait. When he was finally done, he said, "First of all, the fence is too close to the road. While the road does belong to the estate, it's a public route that ties San Tasco to our neighbours in south. The commander is very worried about the hazard your construction causes to the good people who are using the road."

Gabriel didn't know which was more laughable – that the fence was supposed to be dangerous or that Raymond would care about what happened to the people. The road was so wide that one would have to be a complete idiot to crash into the fence – someone like Rafael, maybe.

"You can't be serious," he said.

"Do you think the army's orders are a joking matter?" Serrano asked.

Gabriel's snarl about how this idiot should just mind his own business never left his mouth. He recognised the lieutenant's arrogant tone. This was exactly how he had used to talk to people when he had informed them of some new law or order that Raymond had come up with. He could hardly believe that this upstart dared to use these words with him. Who did he think he was?

"These orders are insane! Since when does the army bother with something like this?"

"Since when is it the commoners' business to question orders?"

That was it. Gabriel was not going to listen to that. "Just who do you think you are?" he growled and reached up to grab Serrano by the front of his uniform so that he could pull him off his horse. In his anger, he forgot about his right arm. The pain made him unable to get a good grib, so when Serrano gave him a kick to the chest, he was instantly sent flying back.

"And just who do you think you are?" the lieutenant asked snidely.

"Damn you!" Gabriel snarled through gritted teeth. Hell, he had almost forgotten how badly his shoulder could hurt. "If I were still in the army, I'd -"

"You? In the army?" Serrano interrupted. His brows shot up when realisation dawned on him. "Oh! You must be my honoured predecessor."

Gabriel needed all his willpower to keep from jumping on his feet and attacking Serrano again. His face was burning with mortification, and he could barely stop his hands from shaking. This humiliation was too much; it couldn't be happening. He did his best to come up with something to say, but thankfully the decision was taken off his hands.

"What's going on here?"

Serrano turned his eyes to Pablo when the man arrived at the scene. "Maybe you have more sense than this fool here," he said and nodded at Gabriel who had just picked himself up from the ground.

"We'll do whatever we can to help. What do you want?" Pablo asked. He shot a careful look in Gabriel's direction, and Gabriel realised he probably thought he was being difficult just because he was bitter about the army. That was only half of the truth. He really didn't want to let them touch the fence.

"They're here to tear down the fence," he said.

"What? Why?" Pablo asked, and Serrano had to repeat what he had said earlier. Pablo didn't look one bit convinced by the explanation, but the only sign of emotion on his face was a doubtful frown.

"There must be a mistake," he said.

"There isn't. I received these orders from the commander personally."

He's doing this on purpose, Gabriel realised. There could be no other reason. Raymond had finally made his move and decided to make his life difficult – and what a ridiculous and petty way he had found to do it. He could have at least sent someone to arrest him for some imaginary offence, but it appeared he wasn't even worth that. No, he was going to treat him the exact same way he treated the people of San Tasco, as if he were one of them. Gabriel couldn't imagine a worse insult.

"You can't just destroy it! It took over a week to build it, and the fields need to be protected somehow," he tried to reason.

"Oh, the fields won't go unprotected. I was actually coming to that," Serrano said. Gabriel's scowl deepened as he waited for him to continue. Raymond was such a bastard. Whatever trick he had up his sleeve, he wouldn't like it.

"The law actually requires there to be a fence around the field, but it should be two feet further away from the road. Technically, you should be fined for building the fence in the wrong place, but the commander has decided to be generous this time. If you can rebuild the fence in three days after the army has torn it down, there won't be a punishment for anyone," Serrano explained.

"That's insane!" Gabriel snapped. "It's impossible to do that even if we worked day and night!"

"I'm afraid this is as much leeway as the commander can give," Serrano said. He put the letter back into his pocket and turned his horse around to return to the others by the fence.

"Now wait a minute!" Gabriel yelled. He was about to run after the lieutenant, but then he felt Pablo grab his arm.

"Don't. There's nothing we can do."

"What? Are you just going to let them destroy it after we worked so hard to build it? Maybe you will, but I won't!" Gabriel said.

"Don't be stupid. You of all people should know what happens if you rebel against the army," Pablo said.

His words were like a punch to Gabriel's face. He wasn't rebelling against the army! He'd never do that. It was just that he couldn't let Raymond ruin their work. It was unfair, and he couldn't just watch and see it happen.

"It's nothing like that!" he snarled and wrenched his arm free from Pablo's hold. He didn't stop to listen to the man's objections or see if he was following him as he marched through the wine fields towards the fence. All the workers stood frozen on their places, staring at him in surprise when he passed them.

By the time he got to the fence, more soldiers had arrived. The work on taking the fence apart had started and was swift. It probably wouldn't take them longer than a few hours to destroy the whole thing. If it hadn't been for the bitter fact that Gabriel had spent much longer building it, he might have been impressed by how organised and effective the men were.

"Hey! Stop that!" he yelled when he arrived at the scene.

The soldiers stopped at once and turned to look at him. Gabriel recognised all of them, but at the moment he was too angry to worry about what they might think of him.

"And why did you stop?" Serrano asked.

"But, sir, he said -" one of the soldiers started.

"Who is the lieutenant here? Him or me?"

"You, sir," the soldier said, but he hesitated for the briefest moment. That was the only thing that made it possible for Gabriel to tolerate the arrogant smirk on Serrano's face.

"That's what I thought. Now get back to work!"

"And I told you to stop! Even idiots like you should see what madness this is!" Gabriel said. When his words didn't get any reaction out of the men, he marched to the soldier closest to him and shoved him aside. The others immediately turned to look at Serrano for advice.

The lieutenant looked at the men in distaste. "Well, what are you waiting for? Detain him!"

"Don't you dare," Gabriel snarled at the men, but they had no choice but to follow their orders. A few of them had a satisfied gleam in their eyes as they approached him, but Gabriel couldn't believe they'd really go through with it. These men had used to take orders from him; they couldn't just –

When the first soldier grabbed his arm, he was at first too surprised to act. That moment cost him his chance to fight back, and before he had fully realised what was going on, he was pinned to the ground with several men holding him down.

"Let me go!" he growled at them and tried to struggle free, but he could barely move against so much weight.

"What should we do, sir? Are we going to arrest him?" one of the soldiers asked.

Serrano pursed his lips in thought. "I doubt that's necessary. He only needs to be taught a lesson as a reminder of the army's power. Just hold him down until we're done here."

The rest of the men returned to tearing down the fence. At first Gabriel kept yelling at them to stop and at the others to let him go, but he soon realised how futile it was. He could do nothing but watch and tremble in anger. His right arm was twisted in an uncomfortable position that was growing more and more painful, but he gritted his teeth and didn't complain. It was all that was left of his dignity.

This had to be the most humiliating experience of his whole life. He was being held down by men who had once taken orders from him. He was powerless against them and couldn't stop them from destroying his work. Even worse, countless commoners were watching. Now they saw exactly how weak and useless he was without his uniform. After this, nobody would fear him anymore, and then he'd truly be nothing.

It took hours before the whole fence had been taken apart. The army didn't bother clearing out the debris they had created and just let it lie there. They had even stomped on the vines during their work. The edge of the field looked like someone had let wild horses loose there.

"Alright, men, we're done," Serrano announced. He had been sitting on his horse the whole time, watching the work and ignoring Gabriel. Now he turned to look at him again. "I hope you enjoyed the show and that from now on you'll remember your place."

Serrano gestured for the soldiers to let go of Gabriel. His whole body ached as he got back on his feet, but he did his best not to show it. The anger that had made him want to fight back against the soldiers was gone. All that was left was the utter humiliation of letting the others see him like this and the shock of how quickly the army had ruined what they had worked so hard to build.

"And that goes for the rest of you as well!" Serrano announced as he made his horse dance a circle so that he could look at the workers. "Anyone who tries to oppose the army will be severely punished!"

The soldiers were soon gone. Gabriel stood and watched the remains of the fence. He couldn't bring himself to turn around to face the workers. He was too embarrassed, and all his self-control was needed to keep his hands from shaking in mortification. What an utter fool he was.

"This isn't good," he heard Pablo say as the man came to stand by his side.

"Of course it's not!" Gabriel snarled. He waited for Pablo to say that he had been right, that it had been stupid to oppose the army. He needed it; maybe then he could make himself angry at Pablo and feel something else than this pathetic loathing for himself. However, the man gave him no easy way out and didn't say a word about it.

"It's going to be difficult to clean this up and build the fence again," Pablo said with a shake of his head.

"Not difficult. Impossible," Gabriel said. Anyone could see that. Even if they worked day and night, he, Pablo and Basilio could never build the fence again fast enough. Eduardo was busy elsewhere, and Rafael would certainly not help.

"We have to try," Pablo said, but he didn't look any more convinced than Gabriel did. "Otherwise the punishment will probably be harsher."

"Dammit," Gabriel swore. "Raymond wants to rub this to my face. He would never bother with something like this otherwise."

"I don't know if a man of his position can be that petty," Pablo remarked. Gabriel said nothing, but he had to admit Pablo had a point. Raymond was usually able to keep his anger in check and never acted out of personal enjoyment only. As much as the thought irritated him, he knew he wasn't important enough to be Raymond's only motivation.

"He has plans for the estate," he said. Destroying the fence was just the first strike to test the waters and see how Rafael would react. Whatever the next step was, it would be more severe.

"If that's true, the best thing we can do is not give him a reason to punish us. We had better start repairing the fence if we want to get it done in time," Pablo said.

"How can you be so goddamn calm about -" Gabriel started, but he caught slight movement from the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he saw that all the workers were still staring at them with uncertain looks on their faces.

"And what are you all looking at? Get back to work!" Gabriel snarled.

"Don't take it out on them. They haven't done anything," Pablo said.

"I'm not taking anything out on anyone! These idiots are supposed to be working here!" Gabriel replied. He was ready to punch Pablo should the man say anything more, but he seemed to sense how badly wounded Gabriel's pride was. Without another word, Pablo went to clear out the destroyed fence so that they could start building a new one.

After a few moments of fuming to himself, Gabriel went to help. Why, he didn't know. They'd never make it.

When they went to inform Rafael of what had happened and suggested that he should hire more men to help with building the fence, the young man wasn't one bit interested. Quite the opposite.

"If the commander has a problem with how this estate is being run, he can talk to my father about it," Rafael said upon being confronted by them.

"If you keep acting like this, there won't be an estate left when your father returns," Gabriel said. Maybe that was what Raymond wanted. Maybe he just wanted an excuse to take over the estate and the lands that belonged to it.

Had it not been completely insane, he might have thought that was what Rafael wanted, too. The man's disinterest and downright stupid actions were getting so ridiculous they couldn't be genuine anymore.

"That's my father's problem. I never wanted to be in charge of this dump," Rafael said. With that, he returned to his room and didn't come out the whole day.

They got the remains of the old fence cleared out by the time the setting sun had painted the sky a delightful shade of orange. Basilio had come to help, and Eduardo had given them a hand when his duties allowed so. Even then, it was slow and exhausting work.

It had taken a couple of hours for Gabriel's fury to fade, but it had been replaced by wariness and pain. His body hadn't ached that much since the angry mob had nearly killed him. Every movement made him want to give up and go to bed.

However, this was nothing compared to how tired he felt inside. Unlike his anger, the humiliation of being treated like that by the soldiers didn't disappear. Even worse was the new lieutenant. It had been difficult enough to watch him from afar and see him live the life Gabriel wanted, but today's events made him feel like Serrano had spit him in the face.

"This is hopeless," he said as he observed the result of their work. They had already wasted one day and had only two left to re-build the fence. They could never do it, and yet they had no choice. He felt trapped and powerless, and he realised that this was exactly what he had felt like after Raymond had removed him from service. He wasn't in control of his life, and that was what frustrated and terrified him the most.

Even Pablo couldn't remain in high spirits when faced with how impossible their task truly was. He was frowning in thought as he stared at the edge of the field where they would have to build the new fence.

"Gabriel is right. We'll never get it done," Basilio said.

"I never thought I'd see the army do something pointless and unfair like this," Pablo muttered.

Gabriel said nothing. Such things were common in San Tasco. He couldn't even count how many times he had been in Serrano's place and ordered something like this to be done. He had never cared about the consequences of his actions, but now he thought he could better understand the anger and frustration the people felt for the army.

"Um, excuse me."

When they turned to look, they saw that the workers in the wine fields had finished their work for the day and that a couple of them were approaching them. Gabriel recognised one of them as Edmundo, the man who had hurt his hand some time earlier.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Are you going to start building the fence tonight?" one of the men asked.

"Does it look like we have a choice?" Gabriel asked. So, now the peasants came to mock him. They probably thought it was hilarious that he was being treated like this by the army, that he got a taste of his own medicine. These pathetic bastards, one day he'd –

"We were wondering if you'd let us help," the man continued.

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"But you've already worked the whole day in the wine fields. You must be exhausted," Pablo said.

"Oh, that's nothing. We heard everything the lieutenant said. The army is always doing something like this, but that just means we all have to help each other. That's the only way we can survive," Edmundo said.

"We can't pay you," Gabriel said.

"We don't want to be paid," Edmundo replied with a frown, as if he had just been insulted.

More people from the fields had arrived. Almost all of the men were there, and some of the women had decided to join them as well. Gabriel didn't know what to think as he observed their determined faces. Though he tried to, he couldn't detect any malice on anyone's features. These people had really come to help, nothing else.

"If you're so certain, then we'd be more than happy to accept your help. Just know that you're free to leave as soon as you feel too tired to keep up," Pablo said.

"Don't worry about that. We'll stay as long as it's needed. We'll show the commander what the people of San Tasco made of," Edmundo said.

And so they all got back to work. When it got dark, they lit lanterns so that they could keep going. Gabriel didn't talk to the others, but he never let his eyes off them. The people had to be exhausted. Yet they were smiling and chatting with each other as they worked. Gabriel couldn't understand where they got such energy from, or why they'd waste it like this.

He brought down his hammer to make sure the plank he was working on was securely in the ground. The impact sent a jolt of pain up to his shoulder, and he no longer had the self-control to keep from wincing. He knew he should have switched to his left hand, but he was afraid that the others would notice.

Gabriel was about to deliver another hit, but then he noticed that Edmundo was staring at him. Gabriel immediately felt defensive.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am."

"You should be more careful or it's just going to get worse," Edmundo said.

At first Gabriel thought the man was making fun of him, and he was ready to snarl at him to leave him alone. Then his eyes were drawn to Edmundo's right hand. It still didn't look alright. If anything, it was even more swollen and an unhealthy shade of red.

"You should mind your own business. You're not in a position to lecture at me," Gabriel pointed out.

Edmundo followed Gabriel's gaze and turned to look at his hand. "It's not as bad as it looks. I can even grab things with it now."

Gabriel snorted and returned to work. They were working as pairs so that one man had a hammer while the other held the planks in place. At first he hadn't minded that he was working with Edmundo. He felt better about himself next to a man whose other hand almost entirely useless. Now he felt like Edmundo was keeping an eye on him.

"You know," Edmundo started as he lifted another plank to its place, "I was a little surprised by what happened today."

"You said it yourself that it's normal for the army to do something like this," Gabriel pointed out.

"I didn't mean that. I was talking about how you tried to stop the soldiers," Edmundo said.

Gabriel gritted his teeth in embarrassment, not wanting to be reminded of that pathetic experience. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Why not? It was wonderful," Edmundo said.

"Stop making fun of me!" Gabriel snarled. He couldn't quite believe that Edmundo had the guts to be this forward with him. Maybe it had been wonderful to him to see the former lieutenant so humiliated, but he could have at least kept that to himself. Maybe the ordeal had crumbled Gabriel's authority more than he had thought.

"What do you mean? We all thought it was inspiring how you had the courage to stand up against the army even though you knew how it would end and even though you used to be one of them. I'm not sure I could do the same," Edmundo said.

"What?" Gabriel asked. Was this some clever way to mock him?

"What do you mean what? Didn't you notice?"

All Gabriel could do was shake his head. He had been too busy feeling angry and mortified to see what was going on around him. His thoughts had been so consumed by what he was sure the others were saying and thinking about him that he hadn't doubted it even for a minute. It was just inconceivable that they could see anything positive about what had happened.

"It was pathetic. I could do nothing," he said.

"But you tried. None of us could have done it. We're so used to what the army does to us that we would have just stood back and watched," Edmundo said. He turned to address the two men who were working by their side. "Isn't that right?" he asked.

The men stopped what they were doing. When they turned to look at Gabriel, he could see some careful admiration in their eyes. Gabriel suddenly didn't know what to say. While the men were still clearly doubtful, it was such an odd feeling to see someone look at him without the resentment he was used to.

"I'm glad you did it. More people should be brave like that," one of the men said.

"People need to see that they don't always have to take everything the army does to us without complaint."

Gabriel couldn't believe they were talking of him. They made him sound like a hero when he had done nothing but failed. And he had been in the army. It wasn't too long ago that he had been the one to kick these people around and make their lives miserable.

They returned to their work again and didn't speak for a long time. Edmundo kept throwing thoughtful glances to Gabriel's direction, and eventually his curiosity got the better of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't understand you," Gabriel admitted. "You have to be lying. How could you think like that about me when you know who I am and what I have done? If my shoulder was fine, it would have been me today, not Serrano."

"I'm not lying," Edmundo said. "I don't know about the others, but to me the past doesn't matter. It wasn't just the fence you tried to defend today. It was the whole estate, and that includes everyone who works here. I'm sure there are those who will always want to have revenge on you for what you did, but I doubt anyone here thinks that."

Gabriel couldn't bring himself to believe that. His thirst for revenge against Zorro and Raymond was so great that he found it impossible to imagine someone could give him another chance that easily. These people had no reason to like or trust him.

Edmundo saw the doubt on his face and pointed to a man some distance away. "Fabricio's brother was injured in the accident at Adans' mine. Help reached him just in time. If you hadn't been there, he would have died. Many of us live near the mountains and have friends and family working in the mines," he said.

"But that's still -" Gabriel tried to say, but Edmundo interrupted him.

"And you haven't fired anyone yet, not even me when you know my hand isn't well. My niece Lupe told me about that."

"That's nothing," Gabriel said. Compared to what he had done and how much these people must have hated him, a few good deeds like that shouldn't matter. It didn't make sense, and he didn't quite dare to believe that the people were genuinely grateful. Maybe he had been lying and cheating for so long to achieve anything in his life that he had forgotten how to trust others.

"Hold on. Give me the hammer," Edmundo said all of a sudden.

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"I can't just watch how you torture yourself like that. Let's switch for a minute," Edmundo said.

"I can do it just fine," Gabriel complained, but in truth he wouldn't have minded. It was like someone was twisting a knife in his shoulder, and he wasn't sure how much longer he would have feeling in his fingers. Maybe it was better to have a break before he dropped the hammer and made a fool of himself.

Pablo, who was just walking past them, stopped to shake his head at them. "He's a real oaf sometimes. You won't get the hammer if you don't force it out of his hand."

"You shut up," Gabriel grumbled and handed the hammer to Edmundo.

"Just trying to make friendly chit chat. You two look so serious over here. What are you talking about?" Pablo asked.

"None of your business."

Pablo shrugged. "Whatever it is, too bad it hasn't improved your mood yet." Then he turned his eyes to Edmundo who had taken the hammer into his left hand since he couldn't hold it in his right hand. "Are you sure you can do it?"

"I'll be fine," Edmundo said.

"Another oaf," Pablo said. "Maybe you two should call it a night and get some rest before -"

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Gabriel and Edmundo snapped. To illustrate his words, Edmundo brought the hammer down to nail the plank Gabriel was holding onto its place. It went fine, but the man clearly wasn't used to working with his left hand, and his work was slow.

"Maybe you're right," he had to admit. "I can't keep up with the others."

"Then let me have the hammer again," Gabriel said.

"No, I'll take it. The others are bringing more planks in a wagon. Edmundo can go and help them with the unloading," Pablo suggested.

Gabriel didn't know whether to be angry at Pablo or not. He hated it that he wasn't in the condition to make it without help, but at least Pablo was courteous enough not to make him feel like he was weak. In a way, he was doing the opposite by proving him the chance to rest before he got so exhausted that he'd make a mistake and look like an idiot.

"The work is going better than I expected," Pablo remarked.

Gabriel took a look around and was surprised to see that Pablo was right. They had been working for only a couple of hours, but a good portion of the new fence was already finished. They were still behind schedule, but it was far better than he could have ever hoped for.

"Maybe we can make it after all," he said. It felt good to say those words. They had hope. Not just him. They. Whatever these people's motives were, he couldn't deny that he felt grateful for their help.

"I'm willing to bet that -" Pablo started, but he was interrupted by sudden ruckus and alarmed yells.

"Now what's going on?" Gabriel asked.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and hurried towards the noise. A crowd was gathered around the wagon that had been used to transport new materials for them. When Gabriel got closer, he saw that the wagon had fallen to its side and that all the heavy planks had rolled to the ground. That wasn't a problem, but the fact that there was someone buried under them was.

"Let me through!" he snapped at the people.

A few men were already working on moving the planks aside to get the poor man out from under them. A couple of moments later, it turned out that the man was Edmundo. It took a little longer before he was free, and Lupe hurried to help him sit up.

"What happened here?" Gabriel asked.

"The wagon just gave in without a warning," one of the men said.

"It's a leftover from the previous owner. The damn thing is probably half-rotten anyway," another one added.

"Never mind," Gabriel decided. That wasn't important. He turned to Edmundo. "How bad is it?"

"I'm just fine," the man said, but Gabriel could see that he wasn't. He could hardly sit, and the corner of his left eye was already swollen shut. The rest of his face was alright, but that was only because he had used his hands to protect it. That was where the biggest problems lay.

"Uncle, your hand," Lupe said.

No more needed to be said. If the hand had been only mildly injured before, it was definitely worse now. Gabriel would have been surprised if there was even one finger that wasn't broken. It was also bleeding, which made it look like it was nothing but a mess of broken bones and flesh.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Edmundo said. Gabriel couldn't guess if he was trying to convince them or himself.

"Could be, but you're going home," Lupe said.

"No, I can't. There's still so much to -"

"You had better do what she says," Gabriel said.

"But -"

"Shut up and go home. You'd just be in the way here. We can build the fence without you," Gabriel said.

These words finally got through to Edmundo, and he started to get up with Lupe's help. Someone offered him a piece of cloth he could tie around his hand, and it was only then that he seemed to realise how badly injured it really was.

"Damn," he muttered and grimaced in pain as he tried to get the bleeding to stop.

"I don't think you can come to work tomorrow, uncle," Lupe said.

"Don't talk such nonsense. Of course I'll come."

"You have to go to a doctor and get some rest. Otherwise it'll never get better," Lupe said with a frustrated edge in her voice. "It would be fine already if you weren't so stupid and stubborn!"

Gabriel was suddenly reminded of everything Dr. Timothy had said to him after he had been shot. He knew that even if he had listened to him, it probably wouldn't have helped, but he still wished he had had the patience to do as he had said. Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess now if he had.

"She's right. You're staying home tomorrow," he said.

"But I can't," Edmundo said, and now he looked desperate. "My family needs the money. I must work."

"Didn't you hear what I said? You're staying home. Or do you want you want your hand to be ruined? Then you can never work again," Gabriel snarled. He didn't even know why he was suddenly so angry.

Edmundo gritted his teeth. "Does that mean I'm fired?"

"Send someone in your place," Gabriel said.

"There's nobody. My wife already works elsewhere."

"Don't you have any children?"

"I have a son, but -"

"Then he'll work here in your place until your hand is better. That's final," Gabriel said, and his tone left no room for objections. He told Lupe to take her uncle home and ordered everyone else to get back to work. He still wasn't sure if they could get the fence finished in time, but at least they had to try.

Lieutenant Serrano wasn't sure what to think when Commander Raymond invited him to his office so late at night. He was long since finished with the paperwork regarding the incident at the Alvarez estate, and he didn't think the matter had been so important that it required an interview. They had just destroyed a fence.

To be honest, Serrano didn't know what to think of that either. He was sure there were more important matters to attend to than some fence that was built in the wrong place. He hadn't minded the orders one bit – in fact, he had rather enjoyed marching to the estate to announce what they were going to do. He hated these rich landowners and how they thought they were so much better than everyone else.

At first he had been disappointed that the owner of the estate hadn't been there, but at least he had got to know his predecessor. It seemed like Raymond had told them the truth. This Gabriel was clearly unstable if he tried to resist the army that way. He of all people should have known how futile it was.

He arrived at the door to the commander's office and knocked. Not long after, he was told to enter.

For some reason, he had been expecting the office to be dim, but there were so many oil lamps that it almost felt like it was daytime. Commander Raymond was sitting behind his desk. A few papers were neatly piled before him. Serrano wondered if that was the report he had written.

"You wanted to see me, sir."

"That's right, Lieutenant," Raymond said. "I would very much like to hear about today's events."

"Was my report not satisfactory, sir?" Serrano asked.

"Quite the contrary. It's exactly what one would expect," Raymond said.

"Then I must admit I don't understand."

Raymond crossed his hands before him and flashed him a weak smile. "As much as I admire your report writing skills, Lieutenant, I'm actually more interested in hearing your personal account of what happened. Without the official jargon, if you please."

Serrano still didn't understand. He did his best to keep his hands still. Whenever he was nervous, he got the irresistible urge to start twidling with his fingers. The commander's request was too out of the ordinary and too suspicious to his liking.

He started telling Raymond about how they had arrived at the estate and informed the people of what they were going to do. When he got to the point about how Gabriel had got angry and tried to resist them, he noticed how the commander's eyes were suddenly alight with amusement.

"I expected as much," Raymond said.

"Sir?"

"It's not surprising that Gabriel loses his temper and acts without thinking. That's one reason he had to be dismissed. But do go on," Raymond said.

"He tried to attack us when we started taking apart the fence. We had to detain him before we could continue."

"And Rafael Alvarez? What did he have to say about this?" Raymond asked.

"He didn't show up at all," Serrano said.

"You sound disappointed, Lieutenant," Raymond remarked.

Damn, Serrano thought. He had tried to be so careful and not let his frustration show. As much as he had enjoyed fulfilling the day's orders, he wished that the man in charge of the estate would have been there. It would have been so wonderful to show one of these lazy and selfish landowners that their money and power were nothing against the army.

Raymond chuckled at Serrano's inability to come up with a quick answer. "That's understandable."

"Sir?" Serrano asked in confusion.

"Colonel Jekyll told me that you've expressed disinterest in patrolling on land owned by some of the local families. What I can gather from that is that you have something against landowners. With that in mind, it's not too difficult to assume you would have liked to deliver the bad news to Mr. Alvarez," Raymond said.

Raymond's pose was relaxed, and he was speaking in a mild-mannered tone. Serrano didn't know if he should have felt relieved or even more alarmed. He had thought he had done a good job hiding his dislike for landowners, but the commander had seen through him right away.

"I'm sorry, sir. I know I shouldn't let my feelings affect my work," he said.

"That's right, but I'm a patient man, and you're new here. Besides, I believe I can give you some leeway regarding this issue."

Serrano gritted his teeth. That could only mean that Raymond had looked into his background. Of course he had every right to do it, but Serrano had been hoping he wouldn't confront him about it. He had been so happy to be positioned in San Tasco because it meant he could start a new life without worrying about the past.

"I've had the pleasure of receiving a letter about your earlier achievements. I must say I'm impressed," Raymond continued.

The praise made Serrano wish he were anywhere else but that room. Impressed that someone like I could do it, he thought. Raymond hadn't voiced those words, but his tone had been clear enough. People who came from such poor backgrounds as he did usually didn't join the army and certainly didn't make it to a lieutenant in such a short time.

"I don't want you to make any exceptions for me, sir," he said.

"I'm not planning to. However, there is one thing that I want to make sure you understand." As Raymond said these words, he leaned back on his seat and turned his eyes to his hands. He was silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "Do you know why you were positioned in San Tasco?" he asked.

"No, sir. I assumed it was just a coincidence," Serrano replied.

"There are no coincidences in the army. San Tasco is not a particularly important place. There are hardly any possibilities to build a good career here. It is no place for an officer who has shown remarkable courage in battle and achieved much considering his young age," Raymond said.

"You're insinuating that I was positioned here because my family is poor," Serrano said.

"Exactly. Not many say it out loud, but the most important quality a man can have in the army is his background. Promotions and important positions are decided based on who your father is," Raymond explained.

The empty feeling in his chest prevented Serrano from replying. That was the way of life, he knew. He had long since grown used to that those who had the money and the right parents were those who ruled the world. He had thought the army would be different, that it was the only institution where skill and work also played a role.

"Not everyone who has a high position in the army is from a prestigious background, sir," he dared to say.

Raymond nodded. "True, but they are the rare exceptions. The fact is that the vast majority of commoners will never be more than sergeants at most. As I said, I'm surprised you've made it this far."

Why is he telling me this, Serrano wondered. Did the commander want to rub it to his face that he'd never be more than a lieutenant and was perhaps forever stuck in this town? What could he hope to achieve with that? Or maybe he just enjoyed watching his frustration.

"Sir, may I ask something?" Serrano asked.

"Go ahead."

"If what you say is true, why are you here in San Tasco?" Serrano asked. He expected the commander to grow angry for his question was well on its way to an insult, but Raymond only shrugged and kept looking at him with that light, almost friendly expression.

"I've already answered that question," Raymond said.

It took Serrano a few moments before he understood what Raymond meant, and then he didn't know what to think. He felt honoured that the commander would admit something so personal to him, but at the same time he wondered why. He hadn't done anything to deserve the special attention.

"As I said, there are rare exceptions," Raymond said. "But achieving that requires much work and many sacrifices."

"Sir, I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" Serrano asked.

"Lieutenant, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I think you have tremendous potential as an officer. If your background was a little different, your skills would guarantee you a remarkable career in the army. I think it would be a waste of potential to see you remain a lieutenant in this small town," Raymond said. The look in his eyes had grown a little softer, and Serrano found himself wondering why he had ever been nervous before this man.

"That's why I'm asking whether you'd be interested in becoming one of the rare exceptions in the army. It's not an easy path to travel, but I believe you have what it takes," Raymond continued.

"What do I need to do, sir?" Serrano asked. Raymond's words had made him feel like a spark inside him had burst aflame. He couldn't say if it was a flame of excitement at hearing his superior speak of him like that or a flame of anger at how unfair the world was. Either way, it warmed him and made his blood rush in his veins.

"You have to be ruthless and put your own career and interests before those of anyone else. Make powerful friends and pretend to be a friend to those whom you can use. Use the law to advance your own position and wealth. That's the only way for men like you and me to achieve what is rightfully ours," Raymond said.

"But, sir. That's -" Serrano started, but Raymond interrupted him.

"It's cruel and selfish, but it's the only way. Believe me, I didn't become a commander without having to pay for it," he said.

Serrano chose not to answer. His reasons to join the army had been mostly selfish; he had only wanted to build a life he could be proud of and become something more than his poor father. His pathetic father who had failed at helping Elena... That he'd be serving the Crown and helping the people had been only a side that didn't matter so much to him, but he didn't like Raymond's cold description of it. It made him feel like a criminal.

"I understand it's not something you want to hear, but it's the truth. I know what your situation is like, and I'm willing to help you. I don't plan to stay in San Tasco forever. I'm working to achieve something better, and I think you and I could help each other," Raymond continued.

"I'm honoured, sir, but I don't know what to think," Serrano said.

Raymond nodded. "That's perfectly alright. You don't have to decide right away. Just know that I would never ask you to do anything illegal. Following my more discrete orders would make you an disliked man in San Tasco, but I'm afraid that's the price you have to pay for success."

It made sense, though Serrano wasn't sure if he wanted to admit it. The world was an unfair place, but he wasn't sure if he wanted success when it meant acting in a way that made him uncomfortable. Then again, he didn't want to be a lieutenant forever.

"I'll think about your words, sir," he said.

"Good. And I'd like it if this conversation remained just between us. Firstly, I don't want it to be known that my background isn't as glorious as one might expect. Secondly, I have many enemies who would twist my words to make me look like a traitor. I trust all officers here, but the fewer people know a secret, the more likely it is to remain one."

"Of course, sir," Serrano said. Despite his indecision about the situation, he felt honoured that Raymond had talked so directly to him. Nobody else had ever spoken so highly of him or treated him like he could be just as good as the rich and the noble. He didn't yet know what he'd do, but at this moment he was sure that no matter what happened, he would follow Raymond to hell and back.

Gabriel couldn't remember when he had last been so tired. There was no part in his body that didn't ache, and it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. His shoulder was the worst. The burn had become so intense that just moving the arm was nearly unbearable. Despite all this, he felt so satisfied that he was able to forget about the pain for a moment.

They had made great progress with the fence. With all the people helping, they had got almost one fourth of it standing. It looked just as good as the old one. When Gabriel looked at it, he was certain that they could finish the rest of it in time. Somehow, this made him feel prouder than the old fence. They'd show Raymond that he couldn't push them around like that.

"It looks good," he said. He was mostly musing to himself, so he was a little surprised when others voiced their agreement.

"We can do it it," one man said. "They can try, but they won't bring us down that easily."

"I'd like to see the commander's face when he realises that he can't treat us any way he likes," another one added.

Gabriel looked at the tired but smiling faces. The people weren't talking just amongst themselves, he realised. They were talking to him, too. It filled him with a sense of belonging and companionship that he hadn't felt in a long time, probably not ever since he had decided to assist Raymond in his plans. After that, everything had been about him and his selfish goals.

Inspired by the people's sudden friendliness, he responded to their smiles. "I... thank you for the help. It's because of you that we have a chance," he said and was pleasantly surprised when he got no frowns or snide words as a reply. He knew it wouldn't last and that once the fence was finished, the people would remember who he was, but for now he enjoyed their company.

"It was nothing, really," one of the men said. He covered his mouth with his hands when the end of his line threatened to turn into a yawn.

Gabriel decided that if someone came late to work the next morning, he'd pretend that he hadn't noticed.