The Secret of Zorro Tornado's Crown Chapter Four by Ella Christian @1999-2002 Contact author at EllaChristian@aol.com Chapter Four Zorro's Banditos Clementia was getting tired. Riding a galloping horse was not a frequent occurrence in her life. She quickly discovered it took muscles she wasn't accustomed to using for very long. However, she was determined that her husband be home for supper. He was gone entirely too much of the time. Day and night of duty, duty, duty. Why he insisted on remaining in the military was a source of great frustration to her. In addition, she found him frequenting the Tavern regularly. "Only for one leeeeeettle drink," he would explain. "One leeeeeeettle drink that takes you three hours to consume!" she would huff. "When you could be at home with me!" She could still see the dust trail ahead of her, assuring that she was still on their trail. They had zigged and zagged after Vilaro and the lancers for a few miles but the chase was now on the valley road. "Come on!" she urged her horse. "Come on!" To her amazement the horse sped up. Clinging to his mane, she tried to take deep breaths and stick to her plan. The gap between her and the dust cloud was closing. It was a very large dust cloud for just the Sergeant and his Corporal. She squinted, but could only see the motion of horses' hindquarters ahead of her. Then she realized that the horses ahead of her were slowing down. The dust trail was still very dense, and she was tossing up dust of her own. "Finally!" she said to her horse, urging him on again. It was at full gallop that she tore straight into the cluster of seven Natchez brothers and cousins. Shouts ensued. ****** Chatterbox and Sirocco were having a great adventure. With her big, handsome new friend, the tiny mare was leading a charge back home to Rancho de la Vega. They galloped past the slow-moving Matteo buggy in a flash, wind in their ears. Ignoring Carlos's shouts to his wayward horse, the pair continued up the hill, dodging around Elizabeth where she waited for her father and aunts. "Oh! Bad horse! Bad horses!" Elizabeth yelled at them, trying to hold her dress down as the dust and rocks flew all around her. "Chatterbox! Stop! Oh, bad horses!" It was no use; the animals were too greatly enjoying their wild freedom. They continued down the other side of the hill and cantered into the de la Vega stable yard. No vaqueros were present at the moment, everything was quiet. Chatterbox went straight for the water tank and took a long drink. Sirocco joined her. He snorted, looking around. She finished her drink. Then she nipped at him lightly and walked straight across the yard to Blanca's stall. The white mare was dozing lightly. She jerked her head up on hearing the hooves approaching, and snorted indignantly when Chatterbox made her way to the stall door. When she saw Sirocco walk up behind the pony she began grinding her teeth nervously. Chatterbox whinnied softly. Then she started gnawing at the wooden bolt holding Blanca's stall gate shut. ****** Elizabeth realized, as she climbed into the buggy to join her family, that some explanation of her location and the treasure in her hands would be in order. "Did you see Chatterbox and Sirocco run by!" Carlos asked her excitedly as he helped her into her seat. "How could I miss it?" Elizabeth asked. She grinned at her aunts, who were fanning themselves to keep the dust and flies away. They had changed dresses and looked more rested. "How did Sirocco get out?" she asked. "That utter nuisance of a pony let him out!" Carlos fumed, urging the horses to proceed. "She can open nearly anything! He was in his stall and she; she got him out of it! And he ran off with her!" In spite of herself, Elizabeth laughed. "I cannot imagine they will go far, Daddy, I just saw them go into our stable yard, they will probably be there eating oats when we get to the hacienda." "I don't know...." Bridget said. "That pony has mischief written all over her." She looked at the box in Elizabeth's hands and then into her niece's face. "What are you doing alone on the road at this hour? And what have you got there?" Elizabeth cleared her throat. "I was with Diego and he had to take the horse to go do something and we saw your carriage so I just decided to wait and get a ride from you and this is just something from Diego for me." "Oh?" Lydia said. "A birthday present? What did he give you?" Then she frowned. "Why was there only one horse?" "Uhm, his....we went riding this morning and his horse wandered off so we were on my horse." "Where did he go?" Bridget asked. "I am not sure," Elizabeth answered carefully. "He has been acting mysteriously all day, producing things like both of you." "Ohhh, so he might be up to something else," Bridget nodded approvingly. Then she asked, "And what did he give you?" She nodded at the small box in Elizabeth's hands. Elizabeth clutched it tightly into her lap. "It's....a secret," she said. "A secret?" Carlos repeated. "Do you mean a secret in that you don't know what it is, or a secret in that you aren't going to tell us what it is?" Bridget asked, a twinkle in her eye. "A secret in that it is a....secret!" Elizabeth gulped. "I thought he gave you a saddle for your birthday," Lydia stated. "That does not look like a saddle." "It does not look like...anything!" Elizabeth said, feeling some panic. She clutched the box a little more tightly. Then she looked at her aunt. "How did you know he was giving me a saddle?" "He told us, dear," Bridget said, patting Elizabeth's white knuckles. Elizabeth jerked her hands and the box away. "Don't worry, I am not going to try to pry a secret out of you," her aunt assured her with a knowing smile. Elizabeth stared at her Aunt Bridget. I ordered these from France, Diego had told her that afternoon. He did not explain the terms of the order, or how the item's passage had been made. Could her aunt have been in on this? Bridget simply kept her gaze, continuing to smile, and then looked ahead. "Why look, we are nearly here," she said. Elizabeth faced ahead and saw that they were approaching the gate into the hacienda. Their Indian servant, Conchita's companion Mendocino, appeared. He smiled on seeing Don Carlos and all the ladies. Elizabeth reached for his hand and stepped out of the carriage first. "Thank you, Mendocino," she said. Carlos jumped out. At that moment a pounding of hooves started, and they all looked up to see an enormous white horse bearing a masked, black-garbed rider, a cape flying behind him, a sword in its sheath at his side, racing towards them. "Zorro!" Juan and Don Carlos exclaimed at the same instant. Aunt Lydia shrieked. Elizabeth's heart leaped as the bandito flew by. She caught his eye and thought he gave her a wink. "Oh," she murmured weakly. She held her box to her heart. Carlos put his hand on his daughter's shoulder, half-protectively and half as a restraint. Indeed after he had passed, she stepped into Zorro's dust cloud, watching as his stallion raced up the hill they had just come down. "Elizabeth," he said gently. "What on earth was that?" Bridget asked, alternately looking after Zorro and fanning her sister, who had barely averted swooning. She noticed Elizabeth looking after the whirlwind that had just passed. Alejandro appeared at the gate, to find them all watching as Zorro disappeared over the hill. "Zorro!" he exclaimed. He saw Lydia leaning against the carriage and went to her. "Seņora, are you all right?" he asked in Spanish. "I am fine, I am fine," Lydia answered in English, trying to straighten herself. She had no idea what he had literally said but she knew it had to have been about her health. "But there was a masked man on a horse.....!" Alejandro looked to Carlos for translation. He saw Elizabeth still transfixed. "We have had a sighting of Seņor Zorro," Carlos explained. He waved in the direction of the hill. Zorro and Phantom were long gone by this time. "Zorro!" Bridget said. "Capitan Solano told us of a masked bandit here in Los Angeles who used to help the poor and tease the Spanish soldiers. But I did not realize he was still here!" Elizabeth finally turned to look at them all. "Of course he is still here!" she exclaimed. She looked back in the direction Zorro had ridden away in. "Elizabeth," Carlos said a little pleadingly. "Don't...." Lydia raised her eyebrow. She looked at Alejandro, who simply shook his head. He eyed his daughter-in-law. "Elizabeth!" he said rather sharply, trying to pull her to her senses. She took a deep breath and turned back to them all. "I am going in to check on the baby," she said. Then she walked through the gate and to the stairs. "So am I!" Lydia announced, not sure why things had gotten awkward but seeing an opportunity to make over her grandniece. Bridget smiled at Alejandro and Carlos and said, "I will go too," she said calmly. She followed Elizabeth and Lydia. The men stood there for a moment. "What is El Zorro doing out at this hour?" Carlos asked. "Is something going on I have not heard about?" He looked around. "And where has Diego gone?" "I have no idea," Alejandro sighed. Then he brightened. "But you will not believe what Esperanza did all by herself this afternoon!" ****** Clementia could not stop coughing, suddenly trapped in a terrible dust cloud. She heard voices around her and at first believed she had found her husband and the other lancers. "Demetrio!" she shouted. "Commandante! Someone get me out of this dirt!" She kept trying to calm her horse, who was agitated and rearing up repeatedly. "Stop it!" she shouted at the horse. "Demetrio!" Finally a hand came to the horse's bridle from below. She looked down and saw that it was attached to an arm which was not uniformed and which she did not recognize. The man at her horses' head was wearing a ripped brown shirt and black pants. He was dark-haired, mustachioed, hatless, and grinning. "Seņora Garcia!" he exclaimed, finally getting the horse to cease its motion. He sounded surprised and very pleased. Clementia looked at him hard and then looked around. Six more young men were in a half circle around her, all on horses from the cuartel, and none of them in uniform. They were all smiling. Two of them were missing teeth in the front. She realized it was the Natchez boys. "Oh," she murmured. "Oh dear." "We are happy you decided to join us," the one at her horse's head told her. He led the horse towards his own, taking the reins from his cousin. He looked at her again and gave a bow. "I am Pepe!" He began pointing at the others. "This is Reynaldo, and there you have Miguel, Joaquin, and the other Pepe, Little Pepe, he is my cousin and our mothers did not know they picked the same name for their sons until it was too late, they were used to us by then! And over here is my brother Tomas, and our other brother Ignacio. He is the one who got the fancy name." He bowed again and then got up on his horse. Looking east he saw the cloud of lancers in the distance. "I am not sure, Seņora, how you managed to pass them, but now you can come with us! We are not going back to the cuartel!" Yanking her horse's reins, off he went, everyone following with "yips!" and whistles. Clementia was so surprised, and now had such a task to again stay on her horse, that all she could do was hold on, continuing to say "oh, dear, oh dear," and then muttering, "this is what happens to Elizabeth, not to me!" ****** El Zorro stopped Phantom at the edge of the hilltop beyond Rancho de la Vega, overlooking the situation and attempting to ascertain who was going in what direction. He saw Clementia veer into the desert and realized she had by-passed the lancers by going off of the road. "Ohhhh, Clementia," he said softly to himself. He watched as she headed straight into the dust cloud from the Natchez boys. Unable to suppress a grin, he shook his head. Then he gave Phantom a nudge in the ribs and off they went after the escapees and their unexpected prize catch. As his stallion galloped across the hard, dusty earth, Zorro kept an eye ahead and alternately an eye behind. By crossing the dusty meadow behind him, he was now between the lancers and the Natchez crew. He did not think that the lancers yet knew he was present. The jailbirds were clearly headed for the Cahuenga Pass. If they could navigate that, they had at their disposal the many hiding places that the Valley, with its many hills and caves and river groves, offered. If they managed to get that far, and given that the sun was beginning to set, it would be hard to find them. He had set out not to capture them and return them to the jail. His original plan had been to provide a distraction to the lancers to help them get further ahead of their pursuers. That seemed simple enough and had assured being home for dinner. But, whatever foolishness had gotten her there; Clementia presented a complication to this plan. Now he had to retrieve her and still let the Natchez boys get away. He knew they would not harm her, but he also knew they were not quite stupid enough to let her go until they knew they had shaken the troops off their trail. "Go, Phantom," he said to his horse softly. "We are all going to be in hot water if we do not get this done quickly!" ****** Elizabeth found Esperanza and Maria sitting on the floor in Esperanza's room. They were playing with wooden blocks. "Oh, here you are!" she said lightly, coming over to the baby. Esperanza looked up and smiled. She offered her mother a block. "Why thank you sweetheart," Elizabeth answered, leaning over and accepting it. Lydia and Bridget came into the doorway. "Do you have blocks for your aunties too?" Elizabeth asked. Esperanza looked at the ladies in the doorway and then looked down, suddenly shy. She picked up another block and batted it on the floor. Then she looked up again and peered around her mother to her aunts. She smiled. Lydia walked in and leaned over her. "That smile of yours is going to sink ships," she told the baby. Esperanza looked up at her and giggled. "Sip!" she said. Elizabeth reached down and picked her up, keeping the special box tucked under her arm. "Do not say such things, Aunt," she scolded with a smile. Bridget came in too. Elizabeth handed Esperanza to her. "Let's take her down to the patio," she said. "Maria, bring some food, the sun is beginning to go down, we can feed her outside and then enjoy the light while supper is being prepared." "Si, Doņa Elizabeth," Maria said. With her usual silence she passed ahead of them, heading for the stairs. They went back to the balcony and stood for a few moments looking down onto the patio. "After all that excitement this afternoon it is nice for things to be calm," Lydia commented. She looked at Esperanza. "We had an earthquake that woke us up, and then the pony visited us and kidnapped Sirocco, and then we saw that man in the black on his big white horse!" "Faaaaaantaaa," Esperanza replied. Elizabeth looked at the baby, her eyes widening. "Fannnnta," Esperanza said again. "What is she saying?" Lydia asked. "It sounds like 'faaaahnta,'" Bridget offered. She looked at Elizabeth. "Is that a Spanish word?" "I don't know what she means!" Elizabeth said quickly. "It doesn't sound like any word I know, anyway. Perhaps it is something she has picked up from Maria or Alejandro. Let's go downstairs. Take her down, I will be there shortly." The aunts glanced at one another and then headed for the stairs. "Mamma," Esperanza said, watching her mother over her aunt's shoulder. Elizabeth went to her room and closed the door. She set the box on the dresser next to the door, and then leaned her back against the door to take a long deep breath. She felt oddly shaken. Being suddenly abandoned by Diego after their wonderful, intimate afternoon together left her feeling as if something tender had been ripped away. Then had come the awkwardness with her family around his present, though it was really no one's business what he gave her for her birthday. Then the sudden, dazzling appearance of El Zorro. Seeing him again made her heart pound. She had not seen him galloping off on a mission in many months, and the only time she had seen him ride Phantom was the night he first appeared in the pueblo on his new white stallion. It thrilled her and at the same time it made her heart ache for the magnificent, doomed Tornado. "I will never get used to seeing you on a white horse," she murmured to herself. Her mind wandered briefly to Blanca, and the hope that lay with the equine life in her womb. Would the white mare bring a strapping black son of Tornado into the world? Or would they have yet another white filly or colt? Then it hit Elizabeth anew that Esperanza had been trying to say Phantom's name to her aunts. All the baby had heard was a mention of the white horse, and she had tried to say Phantom's name. Diego had probably been teaching it to her in the cave that very morning, as it was one of the words she had tried to say to Elizabeth when Diego brought her to their room. You should stop taking her down there, she had told him. Now he had to listen to her. She hoped it was not too late. How ironic that would be, she thought to herself. If our child were the one who accidentally revealed the secret of Zorro. ****** Take the high road, take the high road, Zorro sent his thought in the direction of the Natchez gang as they raced ahead of him into the pass. He knew that Vilaro hated this route, having been chased that way twice by the commandante. It was harder work to ride, far more rocky, and dropped straight into a gully which led to the Portioculo River. Vilaro detested riding into water. Zorro had learned this. He had no way to convey it to the riders ahead. Unless.... He gave Phantom another nudge in the ribs. The horse responded despite the hard riding they had already done, and despite the fact that they traveling up a rise. "Good boy," Zorro said to him, patting his neck. He urged the white stallion on, and saw that they were closing on the hindquarters of the eight horses galloping ahead of them. "Pepe!" he shouted at them. It was useless, there were too many horses making too much noise. They were nearing the fork. He gained a few more yards on them. "Pepe!" he shouted as loudly as he could. Then he resorted to something he did not like, which was the use of the pistol strapped to his saddle. Bernardo kept it there despite his disdain for firearms. He pulled it out, aimed it in the air, and pulled the trigger. The subsequent explosion of gunpowder got the attention of the riders ahead. It was Little Pepe who looked around first, and his eyes widened as he saw what was following. "Zorro!" he shouted. "Pepe, Naldo, Tomasito! It is El Zorro!" Horses began to stop and collide into one another, but miraculously not even Clementia ended up on the ground. Zorro rode into their midst but continued without stopping. "Take the high road!" he shouted at them. "The high road!" the brothers and cousins shouted. "Zorro! Take me home!" Clementia shouted. They all proceeded on the right fork up higher over the pass, the Natchez gang following the legendary bandito. ****** Less than a mile back, Vilaro and his lancers, joined at last by Garcia and Reyes, spied the huge white horse with its black-cloaked rider as he streaked up the road behind their escapees. "Zorro!" Vilaro fumed, kicking his horse harder. "Get them all!" he shouted at the lancers. Corporal Reyes squinted into the dust. Then he realized what he was seeing. "Sergeant!" he exclaimed. "What!?" Garcia asked. He hated riding this fast. He enjoyed a horse most when it was walking. "It is an under-used gait in the military," he often told the corporal. "I think....someone you know is up there," Reyes said loudly, to overcome the clatter of horses' hooves. "Of course there is!" Garcia exclaimed. "I know all those muchachos! I think I even know Zorro! I know he knows me!" "That is not what I mean," Reyes yelled back. "Your wife! I think it is your wife!" "My.....!" Garcia gasped. He, too, squinted into the distance. Though he could not see clearly, he saw the flutter of what surely looked like a bright yellow dress flapping over one of the horses. Clementia had a yellow dress. "Oh!" he shouted. "Clementia!" He kicked his horse wildly, his adrenalin surging through his huge body, a sense of panic overwhelming his soul. "Commandante!" he cried. "They have my wife!" ****** Clementia, while feeling a huge surge of relief at knowing that El Zorro was at hand, also felt an indignant surge. Why isn't he rescuing me?! she kept asking as she clung to her horse's mane with one hand and the pommel of her saddle with the other. Why is he riding ahead? Where is he leading us? Why doesn't he stop and tie them all up and take me home!? Still they charged upwards, rocks flying, dust continuing to rise all around them, the riders occasionally whooping. Clearly they were having the time of their lives, having become Zorro's banditos. Clementia began coughing, the dust nearly choking her. Still higher they went, zig-zagging around sudden bends in the path, scraping against bushes and chaparral. Her horse suddenly stumbled, causing her to cry out, but he managed to right himself and continue trailing the first Pepe's horse. Out of nowhere Clementia was startled to see Zorro beside her on his white stallion. "Are you all right, Seņora?" he asked her as they continued the rush through the pass. She kept coughing but managed to nod. "Good!" he smiled at her. "We will stop before long!" Then he was gone again, sprinting ahead of the others. My he is handsome, she thought, feeling some heat. Though she had seen him numerous times, it had always been briefly, at a distance, and usually at night. The only time she had seen him fairly close up was at her wedding party, when he had interceded to prevent her father and the other dons from being robbed and had paused long enough for a brief dance with Lupe Cahuenga. He had dazzled everyone with his grace as he swirled the young girl around the courtyard, and had dashed off immediately thereafter. In all those times he had never directly addressed Clementia. Demetrio, of course, had had many encounters with him, but had never been able to report much about him beyond that he was very tall, "and very much a gentleman, as long as he is not aiming his sword at me!" Clementia had given up on trying to get anything out of Elizabeth about him, though she still suspected that her friend had much to report, were she ever to decide to report it. "Whoaaa!" she shouted suddenly, yanked from her line of thought by a low branch that she ducked under just in time. "Keep your head down, Seņora, there are more trees ahead!" the first Pepe shouted at her, laughing. They rounded a curve and the land began to drop suddenly, making the horses slow down. Indeed more trees hung over the path. It was not long before they had to drop to a trot as the horses made their way down the steep passage, picking their way around rocks and between trees. Clementia could smell water ahead. The river, she thought. He is taking us to the river. ****** Elizabeth was walking down the stairs to re-join the family on the patio when she saw Bernardo and Rufino pass through the gate and into the courtyard. Rufino bounded up to Carlos excitedly. "Everyone at the mission is fine, but the baptismal font cracked!" he reported. "Cracked!" Carlos said. "That is terrible! Will it still hold water to baptize our new Christians with?" "Padre says he will have to replace it entirely," Rufino said. He saw the Sullivan sisters sitting under the fig tree with Esperanza. "Hello, aunts," he said to them. Bridget waved at him. Alejandro tried not to smile. "Doņa Elizabeth, did Esperanza's pony come home?" he asked. "I am sorry I lost her." "It is all right, Rufino, I saw her go into the stable yard a little while ago. I think she came home on her own," Elizabeth said. She stood beside her father. "Si, no one in the wilds is going to stuff her with oats!" Carlos said indignantly. "Did Sirocco come home too?" Rufino asked. "He was with her," Elizabeth assured the boy. "But perhaps you can go to help the vaqueros with the horses, it is time to feed them," she suggested. "Si!" he replied. He turned and ran towards the barn. "I wonder where Diego is!" Lydia said, putting Esperanza on the ground. Carlos repeated her remark in Spanish. "Oh, he goes off sometimes on a horse for no reason," Alejandro said. "He has done it since he was a boy." "He does love to ride," Elizabeth agreed. "But it is your birthday!" Lydia reasoned. Esperanza was clinging to her hand but otherwise standing on her own. "Maybe Esperanza will..." Carlos started. He waved at his granddaughter. "Come to Chocho," he said to her, squatting and holding out his hand. The baby looked at him, and then up at her mother. Then she let go of Aunt Lydia's hand and carefully walked the eight feet to her grandpapa. He grabbed her and hugged her, swinging her into the air. Everyone cheered and clapped. Elizabeth took her and held her tightly. "Oh, you walked on your own!" she cried. "If only Daddy had been here!" "She did it earlier this afternoon," Alejandro said. "But then she went back to needing a hand. I think she is getting the idea now." "Oh, you walked for Papito earlier today!" Elizabeth exclaimed looking at the baby. Esperanza smiled and then butted her forehead into her mother's shoulder. "Oh, it is all right! I am so proud of you!" Elizabeth hugged her daughter tightly. "What a big girl you are now," she whispered. "Mam-Mah!" Esperanza said. She looked around at her grandpapa and reached for him. "Papata," she said. "All right, come to Papito," Alejandro said, taking her. "At the rate we are going her feet may never touch the ground again," Bridget laughed. "I have Esperanza's supper, Doņa Elizabeth," Maria said, her silent entrance lost in the excitement of Esperanza's walk. This was the cue for everyone to sit down and take turns feeding the baby, who was having the time of her life being the center of attention. The actual feeding task was quickly taken over by the aunts, who took turns giving Esperanza bites of rice between tiny mouthfuls of cooked root vegetables and bits of soft tortilla. Carlos was watching and laughing along with everyone else when he felt a yank on the edge of his sleeve. He looked down to see Rufino standing beside him. The boy did not look happy. "What is it?" Carlos asked softly. "I have something good to tell you and something good to tell Doņa Elizabeth, and something bad to tell Doņa Elizabeth," Rufino told him. Elizabeth caught her name and looked over at the two. "What?" Carlos asked. The aunts and Alejandro were still completely absorbed in feeding Esperanza. "Sirocco is in the paddock." Rufino said. "That is good," Carlos said. He waited. "And," Rufino looked at Elizabeth, and then looked down. "Chatterbox is in her stall." "Good," Elizabeth said. "We will get a better latch for that stall door." Rufino stood there for a moment, saying nothing but still staring down. "What else?" Carlos finally asked. "Doņa Elizabeth's horse is gone," the boy said. "What!?" Elizabeth exclaimed, standing up. "'Gone'? Do you mean Blanca is gone?" "Si, I think Chatterbox ate the latch on her stall," Rufino said. "The vaqueros have just gone to look for her...." his voice trailed off. "Oh, no!" Elizabeth cried, running towards the stable. "What is it, what is wrong?" Alejandro asked. Esperanza, seeing her mother running away, started to fuss. "It looks as if that nuisance pony has managed to let the one horse we want here, out!" Carlos said, following Elizabeth. He knew how much the mare meant to his daughter. Once she was finally able to ride her, she had come often to Casa Matteo to show her off. She talked with great excitement about the new foal that was due. "I think it might be a colt from Zorro's first horse, the big black one, the one Monastario killed," she confided in him once. "Can you imagine?" She had made him promise not to repeat her suspicion, which she said was founded on a report from one of the de la Vega vaqueros who had spied a black stallion in Blanca's meadow while Elizabeth and Diego were away in September. Carlos had kept the secret. Elizabeth raced to Blanca's stall, to find it empty. What was left of the stall latch was wet with horse slobber and eaten away. "Chatterbox!" she cried. She whirled around to see the pony several stalls down, munching hay and looking innocent. She ran back out into the twilight. "We have to find her!" she cried. "She is going to have her baby any time!" She started to cry. "The vaqueros have gone looking for her," Carlos tried to reassure her. "I am going to shoot that little four-legged demon!" she cried, pointing towards Chatterbox. "Oh, where is Diego, he could find her!" Alejandro and Bernardo hurried up to them. Elizabeth saw them and pointed at Blanca's empty stall. "Bernardo," she cried. "Find her!" She pointed at his horse, who had just been returned to the paddock after his ride to the mission with Rufino. Then she pointed at him, and then at Blanca's stall again. "Find her!" Bernardo nodded. He headed for his horse. "Take Padre!" she cried after him. "No, I will take Padre!" Carlos took her by the arms. "Elizabeth, she cannot have gone far, the vaqueros are looking for her, Bernardo will look for her. You do not need to go out, it is nearly dark. Stay here with your family, we do not need to panic." "You don't understand!" she cried, nearly collapsing in his arms. "Where is Diego?" she wept. Alejandro was not sure what to do. The light was quickly fading from the sky, his son was gone, Elizabeth was in a state, and the mare they all so wanted to bear a new Tornado had wandered off thanks to what he had heard Elizabeth refer to as a four-legged demon. He had not imagined that his innocent gift for Esperanza would set such a drama in motion. "I will go look for her too, Elizabeth," he said, making an instant decision. "Carlos is right, she cannot have gotten far. We will find her. Stay here with your aunts and Esperanza. We will have Blanca home in no time." Elizabeth began pulling herself together, the reassurances helping. They were right. Blanca was so huge and so near to dropping the foal that it was impossible for her to get very far very fast. And she was too intelligent to wander into a foolish situation. She was probably in her favorite meadow nibbling wildflowers in the dusk. "All right," Elizabeth said, pulling her kerchief from her sleeve to wipe her nose. "I will calm down. But you must find her, bring her home so she is in a warm safe place for when she has her baby." She took a deep breath and then squared her shoulders and walked back towards the gateway to the courtyard. Alejandro took a deep breath too, and looked at Carlos. "Has she always...cried so easily?" he asked. "I do not know how Diego handles it." "Si, from the time she was born," Carlos confirmed. ****** The Natchez gang, led by El Zorro, stopped at the river's edge. Zorro held up his hand for quiet, as the young men were jabbering excitedly to one another. "You must cross the river here, muchachos. It is a crossing that is not entirely easy but I guarantee it will slow down Vilaro and his men. Stay to the left of the rock in the middle and you will cross without harm. Go now, and go quickly. When you get to the other side there will be a path beside those two oak trees," he pointed. "Follow it into the grove and ride hard until you reach a small lake. Follow it to the west. I wish you good speed!" "But Zorro, are you not coming with us?" Reynaldo asked. "We want to be your banditos!" Miguel volunteered. "Si, we will help you help all the peons," the first Pepe said. "Si, si!" the second Pepe added. "You are better off going now, muchachos!" Zorro warned. "I hear Vilaro's lancers up the hill. Thank you for the offer of help, but El Zorro rides alone!" He whacked the rear of the horse nearest him to get the first rider on his way. "What about her?!" the first Pepe asked, indicating Clementia. Zorro grabbed the reins of her horse from him. "She will go home to her husband," he answered. He waved them towards the water again. "Go!" he shouted. "Now!" The men all urged their horses into the water. A great deal of splashing occurred, punctuated by a few shouts, but it took them all barely a minute to forge the river. At the other side, they waved. Zorro's horse reared up on his hind legs, and the masked man saluted the escapees with a wave. "Thank you Seņor Zorro!" both Pepes shouted across the water. Then they turned their horses and, at the pair of live oak trees, took up the path and led their band of fugitives away. Zorro looked over at Clementia. "If you remain here, Seņora, the lancers will be here very soon and...." he looked up, seeing the lancers approaching down the hill. He could nearly hear Vilaro cursing. He grinned. "They will see you home. I am sure your Sergeant will be relieved to find you safe. Adios!" He saluted to her just as pistols began firing, for the lancers had spied him at the river's edge. "Thank you," Clementia said to him. Then she saw him jerk his left arm back suddenly, and he seemed to wince. He grabbed at his arm with his other hand. The lancers were nearly upon them. "Clementia! Oh, Clementia!" she heard the Sergeant calling anxiously. She watched as Zorro plunged into the river on his horse and made the crossing himself. He seemed to be holding his left arm. Reaching the other side of the water, his white stallion cantered into the dark trees. "Oh, dear...." she said.