Chapter 16: The anger of El Lobo

In the meantime, Zorro followed the bandits' tracks and quickly caught up with the latecomers. Seeing the Fox after them, they took out their guns and fired. Bullets were whistling all around him but he continued his wild stampede. He took out his whip and quickly unhorsed two bandits. The pursuit was suddenly shortened when an explosion was heard, provoking an avalanche of rocks and forcing him to stop in order not to be buried. When the fall stopped, he cleared a way among the rocks but in front of him, the brigands had vanished... Zorro nonetheless continued his path.

...

When El Lobo arrived at his camp, his rage subsisted and his worry was growing.

"Hernando!" He cried out.

This one stood up in the moment, something was wrong.

El Lobo dismounted and took Salena in his arms.

"Hernando." He repeated, walking straight to the cabin.

"Si." The man stammered.

"I need you right now!" He said by opening the door with a kick.

Inside, Isabella jumped. She observed El Lobo laying a señorita on the bed. Her face blanched.

"Señor!" Exclaimed Hernando, recognizing Salena.

"If you value your life and the one of your wife, make sure that she survives." El Lobo said before storming out.

Isabella followed him with her eyes, looking at him through the window. Outside, El Lobo took his head in his hands before crying out his rage.

"Mama." Whispered the child.

"Not now, Diego." She answered in the same manner while she bent to him. "Mama is going to help the doctor if she can."

Isabella stood up then and went closer to him.

"Don Hernando, can I help you?"

Astonished, Hernando turned to her.

"Si, open the closet next to you. There is a black medical bag... Give it to me, por favor."

Isabella obeyed and gave the bag to the doctor.

"Señora, have you ever treated any injury in the past?"

"No." She admitted while she was feeling nauseous.

"In this case, if you feel bad, don't hesitate to go to the window to have fresh air. I won't tell you to go out of the cabin; El Lobo won't appreciate it as he won't understand why. Take off this linen please."

When the señora obeyed, she saw the wound.

"Dios." She whispered. "What happened to her?" She asked then.

"This wound... It's a shot." Grumbled Hernando. "I don't know how she was hurt." He explained by beginning to treat her after having gotten rid of the cloth around the wound. Isabella watched a moment, helping the doctor, but quickly the nausea came back and she stepped back to the window.

"Will you excuse me!" She stammered, confused.

"Don't be ashamed, Señora. The first time I saw a wound like this, I was sick as soon as my eyes were on it." Hernando explained trying to comfort her.

When he ended to treat her, he put a clean linen on the wound.

"Señora, could you help me to bandage her? This linen must remain on place."

Isabella turned to him, trembling. When she noticed that the wound was not seen anymore, she went closer again. Hernando told her then the right thing to do.

"Gracias, Señora." He said once he was finished.

"You're welcome... Who is she?" She finally asked.

"Doña Salena De Castillos. Could you put her clothes back on, por favor?"

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Give an account to El Lobo." He answered while putting away his instruments.

Then he stepped back and went closer to the door. With his hand on the knob, he breathed for a long time, and then went out of the cabin.

While she dressed Salena, Isabella noticed a scar on her right arm.

"Who are you to be so special to have put this man in this state?"

Observing that the señorita's forehead was burning, she went looking for a second linen and moistened it before passing it on her face.

"I cross my fingers for you, Señorita." Isabella whispered, feeling the pain of the young woman.

"Mama?" Called Diego.

"Si."

"The señora, she is hurt?" He interrogated.

"I suppose yes, but for now she is resting. We must not make noise." Isabella explained on the verge of tears without knowing why.

Salena began to moan, moving her head from right to left.

At least, she is alive.

"Diego... Diego, look out!" Salena whispered, still unconscious.

Isabella opened her eyes wide of astonishment.

Diego? Would it be possible that it be Diego De la Vega? What happened?

Outside, El Lobo observed Hernando coming to him and went to his encounter.

"How is she?" He hurried to ask.

"It's still too early to say... She lost a lot of blood... When was she injured?"

"Just before we came back... I... It's an accident." He stammered.

"You should have left her in Los Angeles... Her chance of survival would have been bigger." Hernando commented.

"What!" El Lobo exclaimed. "I forbid you to talk like this." He said by pushing him.

"If she dies, you can only put the blame on you." Hernando argued.

"No, because if she dies, you will follow her in the grave as well as your wife and all the other prisoners." El Lobo raged.

"Yago!" He called then. "Yago." He repeated.

"Señor." One of the bandits dared to say. "Yago didn't come back."

"What are you saying?" Don Sebastián said with surprise.

"He... He was restrained in Los Angeles by numerous lancers when you gave the retreat signal."

El Lobo cried out his rage, nothing was going as he wished.

"Gather the men immediately, we have to get ready. Hernando, go back to the señorita and woe betides you if anything happens to her."

Hernando obeyed silently. It was nonetheless more careful to stay in the cabin.

El Chivo isn't come back either... Will he risk the life of his dear niece and her snotty child? She named him Diego... She could have chosen another name... What's more, when I think about it again, De la Vega wasn't there! Curious... If Monastario arrives, Señora De la Cruz will be on the first rank. For the time being, I have orders to give. Don Sebastián thought as he watched his men gathering in front of him.

"José, Luis, Antonio, I want you to blow up the second encampment."

"What about the prisoners?" Luis questioned.

"I don't care about the prisoners. Blow them up with the camp."

"Even Doña Angela?" José astonished.

"Included Doña Angela." El Lobo grumbled.

"Yet, she cooks well." Antonio remarked.

"Obey without discussing if you care for your lives!" Don Sebastián fumed by taking out his gun and aiming at them.

"Very well, Chief." They suddenly said.

"All of you prepare yourselves to the impending arrival of the lancers."

Perched in the trees, Zorro, who finally arrived by another path, had heard all the talking. He observed Don Sebastián returning close to the cabin and noticed the three men coming in his direction. As he made himself more discreet, he watched them pass before going down from his hideout to go and find Tornado.

When he arrived to the second camp, the three men were locking up the hostages in a big cabin.

"And Angela?" Questioned José.

"You heard El Lobo." Antonio Retorted.

"The patron became crazy since he returned from Los Angeles." Underlined Luis.

"Do you care for your life or not?" Antonio harshly asked.

"Yes but..."

"In this case, don't contradict the patron's orders, José, or you will end like his other enemies." Antonio argued.

When the last prisoner was inside the cabin, José, Luis and Antonio evacuated the guards and installed powder kegs around and under the cabin. Then, with the last barrel, they created a way of exit by running a black streak on the arid ground in order to have time to run away.

As they were about to shoot on the streak to ignite it, Zorro arrived. Making crack his whip, he deflected Luis' shot, who turned with surprise.

"Zorro!" He exclaimed by dropping his weapon.

Antonio aimed at him; the shot went off as a second lash resounded.

"Come, come, Señores."

"José, shoot on the powder." Ordered Antonio by taking out his blade before dashing on Zorro.

At the bandit's approach, Tornado reared up, menacing, forcing the man to step back. In the meantime, José drew his gun... But so ill at ease close to the fox, he dropped his gun... Nonetheless, the shot went off when the weapon touched the ground, igniting the powder's streak.

Antonio smiled while Zorro winced. More than ever, time was playing against him. He made another lash with his whip to unarm Antonio before dismounting off Tornado and he ran to cut the black streak. The spark stopped then, to his greatest relief.

As he turned back, he noticed that the three bandits ran away.

I have to get out the prisoners.

Quickly, he went to the cabin's door and broke the bolt with a pommel hit... Lucky, the wood was worm-eaten.

"Hurry up to get out." He said authoritarian by opening the door and making signs at the occupants.

Men, women, and children looked at him incredulous.

"Zorro! Gracias a Dios." He heard.

"Hurry up." He insisted as he went off the doorstep.

A shot, both far and close, got his attention.

"Go seek shelter in the other direction and wait for the lancers." He ordered.

"Gracias, Zorro." They all repeated.

The last one to get out, a señorita, stopped close to him, stunned.

"Señor, we owe you a great gratitude." She said by bowing.

"Come, Señorita, please get up." He said ill at ease.

"My brother would know to thank you at your right value."

"We'll see to that later... Join the others; I have to make this cabin explode in order that the bandits don't come back."

The señorita nodded and obeyed to this mysterious black rider that some have called Zorro. Turning briefly before taking back her run, she saw him light the fuse close to the cabin and going in the other direction.