The Secret of Zorro Tornado's Crown Chapter Ten by Ella Christian @1999-2003 Contact author at EllaChristian@aol.com Chapter Ten Rancho Verbena's Finest With the exception of a few wizened drinkers, the entire Tavern emptied out in the sweep of Clementia Bocca Garcia's skirts as she charged for the cuartel. The Sergeant, Lupe Cahuenga, the Sullivan aunts, Don Carlos, Bernardo, Elizabeth and Don Alejandro were the first, quickly followed by Consuelo Perez and her military companion, whose departure necessitated the departure of the lancers who were present in his charge. Rosaria and Juan Bottega followed them all out, and stopped to watch what would happen next from the safety of their doorway. Don Miguel Cahuenga and Don Francisco Bocca stayed with them in front of the Tavern, wondering what all the excitement was about. Across the plaza, Rufino and Moneta, along with several of the other Mission children, were playing beside the well. They saw the dust flying as the entourage scurried out the Tavern door and came running to see what was happening, causing yet another huge cloud of dust to rise from the dry plaza ground. Across the plaza, at the cuartel gate, stood Corporal Reyes and a Mexican lancer. "What is that?" the Mexican asked, noticing the small crowd coming first. The Corporal looked at what was on the way. He squinted and then frowned. Then his eyes widened. "Uh. Oh," he said. The Mexican looked at him, puzzled. Then they both heard "Yip! Yip! Yip!" and the sound of horses’ hooves approaching from the far side of the cuartel walls. They looked in that direction to see yet another, even larger dust cloud rising from around the corner. "Jesus, Maria y Jose," Juan Bottega murmured to his wife, seeing the collision that was about to occur. For coming around the corner, rapidly approaching the cuartel gate from the side, was a small herd of around two dozen horses, guided by several enthusiastic border dogs and tailed by two riders. Clementia looked to her right and saw the mass of horses bearing down on her and those just behind her. Without thinking, she stopped in her tracks and screamed. The herd immediately went from walking to trotting and cantering, disturbed. Elizabeth heard the horses at nearly the same time as Clementia, looked to the right, and gasped. "Alejandro!" she cried at the same moment Clementia screamed. She grabbed at her aunts, whom she knew were wholly unprepared to find themselves unexpectedly surrounded by untethered, tired and easily-spooked horses. She tried to pull them backwards, and managed to steer them to the well and head off the children in the process, shooing them back to the well also. The dogs herding the horses commenced to barking wildly and nipping at the horses to keep them together. This upset the horses more. Sergeant Garcia pushed Clementia towards the cuartel gate, nearly tumbling over in his hurry to escape the animals and save his wife from being trampled. Alejandro, Carlos and Bernardo raced ahead as well, Alejandro yanking Consuelo along with him. Everyone seemed to be yelling. The Mexican officer and his lancers barreled across the plaza just ahead of Alejandro, and the Corporal opened the gate to let them in. From within the gate, numerous lancers spilled out to see what the ruckus was about. Elizabeth could barely make out what was happening no matter where she looked, and she had to keep hold of Rufino's collar to keep him from plunging into the action. Then she saw something that horrified her. "Lupe!" Elizabeth screamed. She could see that the girl had panicked and stood still, to be suddenly engulfed by the jittery, anxious horses. "Lupe!" she screamed again, trying to see the girl's head. Out of nowhere a huge, dark horse seemed to dive through the herd. The animal was beautifully proportioned but it was impossible to tell what color he was, for he was covered and caked in dirt and dust. His rider, also dust-covered and unrecognizable, was wearing a dark hat low on his head and a red kerchief around his neck. Without missing a beat, he bent over and swept Lupe up out of the chaos. He cantered his horse between the other animals and circled back around, dropping her in front of the Tavern. Then the horse and rider veered back to the herd and, with the other mounted vaquero and the dogs, guided the horses into the corral by the pueblo stable at the far end of the plaza. Slowly the dust began to settle. "Good Lord," Alejandro said to Carlos, trying to dust himself off in front of the cuartel gate. "Did anyone get hurt?" "That was...." Consuelo said, looking gratefully up into Alejandro's eyes. "Seņor de la Vega, I do not know what to say...." Alejandro looked at her and simply smiled elegantly and with a nod. Then he looked beyond her to the corral. "Who on earth was that on the horse?" he asked. Carlos, dusting himself off as well, replied, "I did not recognize him, but whoever it was is exceptional on a horse!" "Clementia, darling..." the Sergeant was saying, fanning his wife. She had nearly passed out in all the excitement and was now leaning heavily against him, muttering something incomprehensible about the need for laws against horse herds in the plaza. At the well, Elizabeth looked her aunts over to make sure they were all right. "Stay here," she instructed them. She eyed Rufino. "You too," she said. "All of you!" she told the children. "I will make sure it is safe." Moneta nodded at her. Elizabeth glared at Rufino until he said, "Si, Doņa Elizabeth." Elizabeth then hurried to Lupe, who was being comforted by Rosaria and Don Miguel in front of the Tavern. "Are you all right?" she asked, looking into the girl's eyes. Lupe nodded, too shaken to speak. Elizabeth hugged her. "All those horses!" she said softly. "We must teach you to get out of the way of a herd!" she laughed. Lupe half-cried and half-laughed, letting her dark head fall onto Elizabeth's shoulder. "Si," she agreed. "I am glad your mother was not here!" Don Miguel said, satisfied that his daughter was none the worse for her brief ordeal. He looked across the plaza towards the stable. "We have someone to thank, Lupe. Whoever that vaquero was who plucked you out of that herd likely spared your life!" "A rider to remember," Don Francisco added. "I have not seen riding like that by anyone in Los Angeles, save El Zorro himself." Elizabeth's gaze went slowly from Lupe to the corral. The rider had indeed done a daring and dangerous deed effortlessly in saving the girl. No one could ride like that except one, but she knew that he was still three hundred yards away, behind bars. "Si," she said. "Let us go and find that vaquero and thank him." "Who on earth would bring a herd of horses into the pueblo in the middle of the day?" Juan Bottega asked. "And such a hot day," Rosaria added. "Who moves horses on such a day as this?" "Well, we shall find out," Elizabeth said. Taking Lupe by the arm, she began to walk towards the corral. She could see that one of the vaqueros had secured the gate and dismounted. The other was still mounted and in the middle of the herd, trying to calm the animals. Don Miguel came close behind the women, Don Francisco beside him. "I am....so embarrassed," Lupe said to Elizabeth, still breathless. "I did not know what to do when all those horses...." "It was a shocking sight," Elizabeth assured her. "And it all happened very fast, none of us knew what to do." In her heart, she was, along with being very glad that Lupe had not been hurt, saying a silent prayer of thanks for the idiocy of these vaqueros. They had also prevented the spectacle of Clementia attempting to enter the jail and pull Diego's shirt off of him. The quartet approached the corral, everyone slowing down. The two dons squinted at the dismounted vaquero, neither of them recognizing him. He was short and on the heavy side, covered in dust, and wore a heavy, drooping black moustache. He looked at them and grunted as he tied his horse to the rail in front of the corral. They all turned to see the man still in the corral. He was just dismounting near the gate, his back to them. Then he turned around to see them all standing them. He took his hat off, a slow smile widening across his face. He looked at them all briefly and his eyes stopped on Elizabeth. He leaned forward slightly as if to take a step towards her, but was stopped by the commentary that followed. "Saints and angels," muttered Don Miguel. "You!" cried Don Francisco. Lupe looked down at the ground, gulping. "Benicio," Elizabeth said, feeling very hot and confused. For there before her, covered in dirt, his black hair caked in dried sweat and dust, stood the Bocca son. The horse he had just dismounted, she could now see, was his handsome if very dirty sorrel. "Why are you here in the pueblo with all these horses?!" Don Francisco asked his son. "You nearly caused a stampede and crushed this poor girl!" He indicated Lupe. Benicio looked at Lupe, then walked over to her. "Are you all right, seņorita? I hope I did not hurt you in the rush to pull you away from all those hooves." Lupe tried to look up at him, but could barely lift her gaze. "Si, seņor, I am fine. Thank you for rescuing me." He smiled, lifting her chin up with his finger so that their eyes met. "It was my duty and my privilege," he said gently. "Forgive me for chasing horses into the plaza at such a bad time." She managed to give him a weak smile, her lovely face open and innocent. Elizabeth felt her heart start to pound strangely, not liking what she was watching. She cleared her throat. Benicio let his hand fall away from Lupe's face, though his eyes remained fixed on hers for a few more moments. Don Miguel, also feeling inner disturbance, stepped forward. "It was your duty indeed!" Francisco Bocca exclaimed to his son. "You know better than to bring such a lot of horses into the middle of the pueblo without any advance warning! What has gotten into you? Why have you brought these animals to Los Angeles? Surely you do not think I am going to start feeding them at Rancho Bocca!" Alejandro and Carlos appeared, followed by Consuelo and Elizabeth's aunts. "Benicio!" Carlos exclaimed happily. Consuelo ran to him and gave him a hug. "Clementia will want to see you!" she cried. "And where is my good sister and her big Sergeant?" Benicio laughed, putting his cousin on the ground. "I want answers!" Don Francisco said. Why does he always manage to cause such a stir? Elizabeth asked herself, watching Benicio turn to face his father. She looked over at the cuartel gate, to see that it was still partly open, a number of lancers still milling about. She frowned, looking around some more. Bernardo was nowhere to be seen. * * * * * * Diego accepted the bowl of what appeared to be some kind of stew involving a few vegetables and a hunk of probable beef from the lancer, realizing he was extremely hungry. The bread that went with the meager meal disappeared in no time. He had eaten little of what Elizabeth had brought him the night before and had not wanted anything when his father tried to get him to eat some boiled corn meal that morning. He was glad that Vilaro had released Alejandro and Mendocino from the jail cell minutes earlier. This battle was not his father's and certainly not their servant's. He sat down on the cot in the cell and began eating the meat. It tasted about as awful as it looked, but he was so famished he didn't care. He was glad to feel the hunger, for it told him that he was healing. His arm still hurt. He knew he should have it in a sling, but that was not possible. He would simple have to keep it stable, which did not present much challenge as long as he was sitting in the cuartel. He devoured the food without thinking very much about how it tasted, though he did allow himself the thought, I am glad I am not a soldier. He finished quickly and returned the bowl to the lancer, who accepted it and walked away. Diego stood there at the bars, surveying the garrison yard. It was very quiet, a few lancers sitting about, horses being groomed, the door to Vilaro's door shut. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this mess. He sat back down unhappily. Socking Vilaro had been extremely satisfying, though the price was dear in pain, in the embarrassment of collapsing, and in the outcome of being jailed. He shook his head. This will teach me to act on impulse, he thought. And to act out of who I really am, he added to himself with a sigh. The constant portrayal of a mostly weak man for so many years had momentarily abandoned him last night, despite the bullet hole in his arm. Or perhaps because of it, he thought. He realized that he was angry with Vilaro, not simply for walking in on Elizabeth and making himself such a nuisance, but for jailing and then chasing the Natchez boys, for placing the order that delivered a bullet into El Zorro's arm, and for generally being an utter idiot at a moment when the pueblo needed decent, honorable leadership. The transition over to the Mexican government was delicate and only the military could guarantee smooth change. Vilaro was reasonably intelligent and disciplined, but had no ability to rise above his own sorry agenda and schemes. Why did the Mexican government send him? Diego wondered. They must think little of our pueblo, in Mexico City. It was extremely hot in the mid-afternoon. He unbuttoned the second button on his shirt, to give himself a little more air. On any other day he would have taken the shirt off entirely, there being no women present, but he was hardly going to do that under the circumstances. How long will this bandage hold? he wondered, feeling his arm delicately. Then he thought of Elizabeth. His dearest had once again demonstrated her stubbornness, in sitting for hours in the carriage at the cuartel gate. Diego shook his head, looking down at the dirt under his boots. He had appreciated Carlos's reassurance that she was all right, and that her aunts were taking her to the Tavern for some water and to cool off. She was surely beside herself with worry, and feeling terrible helpless. And with a hangover, I imagine, he thought, smiling to himself. She had been extremely funny the night before, telling him of the battles between the three Sullivan sisters during her growing up years, even as he plied her with more and more wine. The sound of many horses pulled him from his recollection, followed by shouts and a scream from the plaza. He stood up and took a step, but was stopped by the iron bars. The lancers in the yard all dropped their various tasks and ran for the gate, which they pulled open and exited, most of them disappearing into the plaza and the rest standing at the gate looking out. He watched anxiously and then heard another series of shouts, dogs barking, and then what sounded like Elizabeth's voice shouting "Lupe!" He grabbed the bars in frustration and yanked at the door of the cell. The sounds of the horses' hooves continued from beyond the gate, and he could see dust rising from all across the plaza. Then out of nowhere he saw Bernardo appear, running towards him in haste. "What is happening out there!?" Diego exclaimed as the servant approached him. Bernardo shook his head anxiously, waving his hands that it would take too long to explain. He looked around quickly and then reached into his pocket, handing Diego some strips of clean cloth. "Ah, good!" Diego said, accepting them and shoving them into his banda. "The bandage you made last night is holding, but tonight in the darkness I can change it with these. As usual you are a lifesaver, my friend! But what is happening outside, Bernardo, is Elizabeth still out there?" Their bandage exchange completed just as Vilaro stormed out of his office, his hand on his jaw and black eye, heading for the plaza. He saw Bernardo standing beside Diego and shouted for a lancer to go back and guard the prrrrrrrrrrisoner. It was Corporal Reyes who heard him and obeyed, heading back towards Diego's cell. Bernardo stood there, his hands at his sides, and nodded pleasantly as the Corporal approached. "What has happened?" Diego asked him. "What is the ruckus in the plaza about?" Reyes sighed, needing to think about where to begin. "I can only say what I saw, Don Diego," he answered. "Well? What did you see?" Diego demanded, his hands still gripping the bars. "First, I saw Seņora Garcia come out of the Tavern," he explained. "And with her were Don Carlos and Don Alejandro and Doņa Elizabeth and Seņorita Lupe and Seņora Walton and...." "I have the picture," Diego interrupted him. "What happened? Is everyone all right?" "They were coming to the cuartel when the horses came around the corner," Reyes explained. "And then Rufino and Moneta ran into the plaza, and then everyone ran in different directions, and then the horses almost stampeded, and then Seņorita Lupe was almost trampled, and then one of the vaqueros grabbed her, and then I heard the Commandante shouting and I came here," he finished. "But no one was hurt?" Diego asked. "I do not think so, Don Diego. Some of them were at the well and some of them were at the cuartel gate, and Seņorita Lupe was being carried away by a vaquero." Diego looked at Bernardo and then back to the Corporal. "Whose horses are they?" he asked. Reyes shrugged. "I do not know, I did not recognize the riders. They were very dirty." Diego gave the cell door one last yank and then stepped away, his frustration rising. He sighed and then looked at Bernardo. Gesturing for the servant to return to the plaza, he made his sign for his father and for Elizabeth, and also for Rufino, indicating that he wanted to know if they were all right. Bernardo nodded and headed back towards the gate. Other lancers were now returning to their posts, which suggested that whatever all the excitement had been about was over as quickly as it started. Vilaro, however, was still out in the plaza. "Don Diego?" the Corporal asked. "What?" Diego answered, sitting heavily onto his cot. "Do you think that Zorro will forgive me?" "Forgive you for what?" Diego asked. "For shooting him." Diego looked at the Corporal, realizing that his mournful face was even droopier than usual. "Do you think that you shot him?" he asked. "Si, I think it was me," Reyes answered sadly. "Well, he did not fall off his horse, if I understand what happened," Diego said, "so I do not think you shot him very badly. He got away." "He always gets away," Reyes said. "But I am afraid he will carve a 'Z' into my.... I am afraid he will carve a 'Z' somewhere I do not want one, when he finds me." "Corporal, I suspect he has better things to do than hunt you down," Diego said. He was still watching for Vilaro to return, and he was also realizing that the key to the jail cell was jangling on Reyes's belt at a temptingly close angle. He got up, coming closer to the Corporal. "It was an accident," Reyes said. "I did not mean to hit him." "Corporal if you have the opportunity to explain it to him some day I suspect he will understand," Diego replied. Reyes nodded slowly. "I hope so," he said. Then, to Diego's heightened frustration, he took several steps back, to sit on a wooden box a few feet away. "I am sorry we have to keep you in jail," he said. "So am I," Diego groaned, sitting back down. He took a deep breath. There was simply nothing he could do other than wait for the next opportunity. Or hope that the situation would resolve itself in ways he could not presently imagine. He sat there for a few moments and then saw Vilaro re-enter the cuartel yard, walking for his office, still pathetically holding the side of his face. He was talking and gesturing, and at one point waved his hand in the direction of the jail. Another man was with him, a tall and dusty-looking character. Then Diego sat up straighter, for he recognized the saunter of Benicio Bocca. * * * * * * "Oh, please!" Elizabeth begged, standing at cuartel gate which had just been shut in her face after Benicio and Vilaro entered. She turned around and looked at her father. Carlos shook his head. "You must go home," he said to her. "You are filthy. All of us are, between the heat and all those horses. Your aunts are exhausted. Alejandro must rest, look at him. He was awake all night in that wretched prison. Even Bernardo looks as if he could use some sleep." He looked around to see who else he could reference in making the case to go home. "Even the Sergeant has taken Clementia to their home to recover." "But they have to let me see Diego!" Elizabeth cried. Bernardo, after emerging from inside the cuartel as Vilaro and Benicio entered, had hurried off to Alejandro without reporting to her of her husband's condition. Carlos thought nothing of this. Elizabeth knew that the information she wanted could not be given anywhere but in private. "No, they do not," Carlos was saying to her sternly. "And they will not as long as you are behaving as if you were Queen Isabella commanding her private army." He eyed her for a long moment. Her attempt to confront Vilaro when he charged to the stable to find out what was going on had failed. The Commandante had ignored her protests and had required Benicio to come with him. The only thing Benicio had said before the officer summoned him was in reply to his father's demands about why he was in the pueblo with all of the horses. "I have brought Rancho Verbena's finest to Los Angeles, so that Don Miguel is saved the journey," he had answered. He had then gently kissed Lupe's hand, glanced at Elizabeth, and followed the Commandante. Elizabeth had pursued them, trying to get Vilaro's attention, but to no result. The officer quite simply ignored her, as he would an annoying puppy at his heels. Carlos took his daughter's arm and slowly escorted her back towards the stable. "Diego is all right, my angel," he said to her, for she was fighting tears. "I saw him not half an hour ago. He is very put out but otherwise quite himself." She nodded. She knew there was no way to get into the cuartel for the time being. "Vilaro is an evil man," she said quietly. "He is a desperate man, my dear," Carlos said. "Holding this pueblo together is the only thing between him and poverty. His pride was greatly injured last night, a pride that has already suffered numerous disasters in his two tours in Los Angeles.' "You sound as if you feel sorry for him," Elizabeth said bitterly. She saw her aunts ahead, sitting in the carriage awaiting her. "I do," Carlos admitted, "though not enough to believe that he has anyone's well-being besides his own in mind. In the end he cannot do anything to Diego...." Alejandro joined them at this point, "...without so damaging his position in the community that it would be irreparable." Alejandro heard the sentence and added, "Perhaps, though he could leave him in jail for a very long time." Elizabeth looked at her father-in-law miserably. "He cannot stay there!" she said. "We will get him out, Elizabeth, it just may not be tonight," Alejandro said to her gently. "I have a suggestion, that you come home with me and get Esperanza, and then we will send you to Casa Matteo for the rest of the evening to be with your family. I will work on some things at Rancho de la Vega, and see what I can do to have Diego released tomorrow. He will be all right for one more night in the jail." Elizabeth surrendered at last, seeing that everyone involved in the escapade with the horses was gone, excepting her aunts and Rufino. Lupe had apparently been taken home to recover from her ordeal and subsequent rescue by her father, and Don Francisco must have returned to the Tavern. The children had all run back to the Mission, leaving Rufino with his family. The boy was sitting on the back of one of the horses hitched to the Matteo buggy. Carlos walked to the driver side of the carriage and stepped up into the seat. "I shall go home with Don Carlos!" he announced, patting the horse's neck. "Had enough of the excitement at Rancho de la Vega, have you?" Alejandro asked. At this point he was so tired that he was actually glad the child was not coming home with him. "It has been exciting everywhere for the last two days!" Rufino said. "First the ladies came, then we had an earthquake, then Chatterbox ran away, then Sirocco ran away, then Blanca ran away, then Zorro got shot, then Don Diego socked the commandante and fainted, and then everyone went to jail for a while and after that we had a stampede and Seņorita Lupe was almost trampled. We have not had so many things happen all at once since last summer when the commandante tried to hang the gypsies!" "I would say you have summed up the situation pretty well," Carlos said, indicating for the boy to slide off the horse and get into the carriage. "At least so far everyone is still alive!" Rufino said cheerfully, as he got down and stepped up into the buggy, taking the seat beside Carlos in the front. "And let us keep it that way," Alejandro said. Elizabeth waved at her aunts. "I shall be there as soon as I have gone home to take a bath, change my dress, and get Esperanza," she said to them. "All right, dear, we will be watching for you and we will make sure there is a good meal waiting for you," Aunt Bridget said, waving back. "Please avoid the big ruts," Aunt Lydia instructed Carlos, after blowing a kiss to her niece. "It will jar my arthritis." Carlos snorted and then, with a click of his tongue, started the horses off towards the west. "Come soon, Elizabeth!" he called behind him as they lumbered away. Elizabeth, Alejandro and Bernardo stood for a few moments watching. Then Elizabeth turned to the servant. "Is he all right, truly?" she asked. Bernardo nodded reassuringly. "Then let us go home, let me repair myself," she said, going to the de la Vega carriage. "Go ahead and take Elizabeth home," Alejandro instructed Bernardo. "What, are you not coming too?" Elizabeth asked, turning around. "Go," he said, shooing at her. "I have a few more things I must do here in the pueblo. I will secure a horse and be there soon." Elizabeth started to protest, but in view of the string of failures her protests had thus far produced that day, she sighed and climbed up into the buggy, Bernardo joining her. "Be careful, Alejandro, you are tired," Elizabeth said to them as they started out. The elder de la Vega nodded, and waved as they, too, pulled away. He waited until they were out of sight around the corner, heading for home. Then he turned around and walked back towards the cuartel. He knew what he had to do. * * * * * * Diego sat immobile, staring at the commandante's door, for some time. Then he saw yet another sight that surprised him. His father re-entered the cuartel yard and, without even looking at the jail, also walked to the commandante's office, knocked, and entered. Diego waited. Alejandro was not there for long. He emerged within perhaps a minute and a half of entering. He glanced at Diego, and then simply walked out of the garrison yard and back to the plaza. That was strange, Diego said to himself. A few more minutes passed, and then Benicio, too, emerged from the commandante's office. He strolled over towards Diego and planted himself six feet from the jail cell door, folding his arms and eyeing the young don. "You look a mess," Diego said to him, not getting up. "I have been riding for two days," Benicio answered, his head cocked slightly. "Two dozen horses up the Camino Real from San Juan Capistrano. You look a mess, too." "I am in a mess," Diego stated. Benicio shook his head. "It does not look good for you, amigo," he said. "Vilaro is as unhappy as I have ever seen him." "You would be an expert on that I suppose," Diego replied. Benicio shrugged. "I wish I could help you," he said. "But I do not think there is anything I can do." "I have not asked for your help." Benicio's lips curled in his slow smile. "Si," he agreed. He paused, and then said, "I must go and make sure Rancho Verbena's finest are all right, and change my clothes, and see how many times my sister fainted, and make sure that my father has not told my mother I tortured the poor Cahuenga girl." "The Cahuenga girl?" Diego said. Benicio only kept his smile, nodded at Diego, and turned away, walking back to the Plaza and, no doubt, a beer and a hand of cards at the Tavern. Diego leaned his head back against the jail cell wall. Definitely a mess, he thought.