PART EIGHT:
LA DOÑA NEGRA LIVES!
“Spawn of incompetence, how can you be certain? Tomorrow I am posting a 5,000-peso award to be given to the man -- or men who brings me Zorro alive. I MUST HAVE HIM TAKEN ALIVE, COMPRENDE, HOMBRES?”
“And who can explain to me how my finest warriors let a woman --A WOMAN -- he shrieked, best you in a battle! All of you are no better than toads, you are utterly useless!
By now, Capitan Guiterrez’s face was mottled crimson from shouting in frustration. Soon, he or one of his men would take care of the Fox. In the meantime, he imposed an even more severe schedule upon the Indians, because he and his partner wanted to quickly ship out the gold ore that they had mined and leave California as soon as possible.
Of utmost importance was pleasing his “business partner.” Señor D’oro would be very happy with the commandante because Guiterrez had discovered a new vein of gold ore in the southwest area of Aquila’s Canyon. ’I wish that this Senor D’oro was less secretive than he is.’ Guiterrez’s business partner preferred to communicate with the Capitan via oral messages or written notes. He wondered about the real identity of his partner, for “Senor D’oro” was obviously a “nom du voyage,” and not his true surname. All Guiterrez knew was that the gentleman in question paid him in Spanish reals, and not the accursed Mexican pesos!
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Don Diego’s friend and confidante, Bernardo knew that something terrible had happened - he had felt these premonitions before. He should have not listened to Diego. He should have remained with his beloved Master to complete the night‘s work.
“Zorro can use an extra pair of eyes and hands, amigo mio, but not tonight!“ Diego had told him. ‘By the Blessed Virgin, I just had to obey his order on such an important night! How stupid of me to go back the safety of the hacienda after helping set up those gunpowder charges at Coalinga Pass.’ He thought worriedly.
But that was his master - kind and always worried about him. He scratched his head, which was his usual nervous habit. Santa Maria! It was now after midnight and still my caballero is not home! 'Don Diego told me that he would be back in his bed before 10:00 o’clock!‘
He paced the cavern for another ten minutes and then he fetched Don Alejandro from the library.
“Come, Bernardo, we shall have to risk discovery; lets go outside and see if--“ Alejandro de la Vega began.
Suddenly, they heard Tornado’s loud neighing. The faithful animal was leaning against the wall nearest to the cavern’s entrance, in an effort to keep Don Diego from falling off.
Don Alejandro was horrified. “Bernardo, we must get him at least get him as far as the secret room!”
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“Señora, what are we going to do? Did anyone recognize us---?" Maria was beside herself with worry.
Carmen shrugged “I doubt it, mon chou. But we shall have to continue the battle against the Capitan that Zorro started, understood?”
“Sí, my mistress! I shall try to be brave!
Carmen gazed fondly at her maid of almost ten years. "It will be all right, Maria. From now on, I will lead a small group of my most trusted vaqueros and I will lead the battle against Capitan Guiterrez.”
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Bernardo and Alejandro managed to get Diego upstairs and undressed and out of his Zorro clothes and back in Diego’s bedroom before Dr. Jivarro’s arrival. Don Alejandro had sent for Dr. Javier Jivarro, who was an old family friend, could be trusted not to ask questions regarding Diego’s gunshot wound.
After nearly an hour with Diego, the doctor told Don Alejandro that his son was very fortunate, for the musket ball had passed very close to the left eye’s optic nerve. The wound was not as deep as the doctor had feared.
“Will Diego be able’ to"---- Alejandro’s voice choked?
“Sí, sí, my old friend. His vision is safe. I am afraid, however, when his head struck the ground he suffered a moderately severe concussion. You should have someone stay with him for the next two or three days. Talk to him after the mild sleeping potion wears off, to see how he responds. I will return after 9:00 a.m. Adios.”
Tears streaked down Bernardo’s face, and Alejandro was almost overcome by his own emotions. But he asked Bernardo to tell him what happened at Coalinga Pass.
As he deciphered Bernardo’s hand signing, Alejandro de la Vega was pale. “Bernardo you did not ---I should say, Diego told you to return home, did he not? Is it possible that someone could have...helped Diego into his saddle? Dr. Jivarro told me that Diego’s injury would have prevented him from remounting Tornado! Dios! May the Santos help my son...“?
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Next day in the afternoon, Carmen had decided that she was ready for some point work with her Spanish épee rather than use her saber-hilted rapier. After all, she decided that one-day she might have the enormous pleasure of seeing Capitan Guiterrez at the end of her choice of blade.... unless El Zorro deprived her of that wish.
Unlike sabre dueling, her childhood instructor of the épee exercises placed greater emphasis on the technique of thrusting. Sabre training, on the other hand concentrated on the broader stokes and moves, the “flashy and slashing motions” that the cavalries of European nations so greatly favored.
She had to keep her focus on the tightness of her parries, which was especially difficult for Carmen since she favored the strong slashing sabre dueling strokes. Her instructor, Senor Hector Gonsalves Romero, emphasized narrow, circular parries, aiming for the higher points of the body, usually, the head.
Whenever Carmen would fence with Maria, her maid complained about the ferocity of her attacks and Señora Rodriguez would always reply: “I never retreat, and I never give up!”
Doña Carmen was an expert in fending off attacks. She would defuse Maria‘s spirited offenses with mostly circular and semi-circular parries. Her strong ripostes, the offensive actions following the successful parry of an attack, gradually unnerved Maria. Indeed Carmen‘s style of dueling, coupled with her natural skill, had intimidated many an opponent in Spain.
Carmen’s favorite ploy was the compound attack, wherein she made a series of feints - which are one of the four basic fencing positions. She would determine that Maria had figured out her offensive strategy and then she would extend her sword arm, but would not lunge forward
Thus, Señora Rodriguez would be in a position to find an opening and begin her attack. Maria would make one of her chosen parries to halt the first part of Carmen’s attacks. Depending upon whatever parry Maria would use, the simple, circular or semi-circular parry, she would then deceive Maria into moving her weapon out of line. Carmen then got her blade point under her opponent’s sword, and into the opposite side of Maria’s original point of attack. She then made a lunge toward Maria, who, by now, had left her chest unguarded by being forced out of her line of attack. Carmen would follow through Maria’s parries nearly always with successful responses (ripostes).
By one o’clock, Carmen was exhausted. “Maria, send out Jorge and Paco to check on anything that may be amiss near Aquila’s Canyon and Coalinga Pass. And have them report to me as soon as possible.”
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Less than 48 hours after Diego was wounded, Bernardo was having a difficult time stopping his master from dressing as Zorro and riding out to carve up Capitan Guiterrez. He shoved Bernardo aside as he almost collapsed after pulling on his black boots.
“My son!” Alejandro cried out as he entered Diego’s sickroom “do not try that again, at least until Monday, por favor!”
Diego opened his eyes and pulled himself up slightly. Although his skin was no longer pasty looking, his grip upon a nearby pine night table was far from secure.
“Father ... did someone help me get home?” I only remember hitting the ground after feeling this sharp pain in my head.”
Bernardo glanced away from his master and friend. Alejandro remained silent but forcefully pushed Diego back into his goose feather stuffed four-poster bed.
“Father! I ... am not a child!" Diego swung his long, lithe but muscular legs over the left side of his bed. “One of you had better tell me HOW I arrived home. I know that Tornado could not have hoisted me into the saddle!”
Alejandro paced the bedroom floor. “The truth is, Diego, we don’t know. We only saw Tornado coming into the cave with you barely able to cling to the saddle!
Diego sighed in exasperation. “Father I know that there were at least two persons who helped me... I... heard their voices...”
But Diego could not finish, for he had collapsed, moaning about his aching head, onto the floor. After redressing him in nightclothes, Bernardo and Juanito took turns watching Diego sleep until noon the following day.
Alejandro breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Jivarro pronounced Diego well enough to come down to sit in the patio on the following afternoon.
Diego slept until his body functions wakened him. As he stumbled back to bed, he heard (or he imagined he did), a voice inside his head telling him that now he would learn the answers to many important questions. Diego was told that he needed to dream, for in his dream he would find answers to any question he desired - if he were brave enough to ask them. Towards dawn he finally fell asleep... and began to dream...
Diego/Zorro was lost, truly lost. Then the scenery in his dream became clear --for this must be a dream or a vision or at worst some new form of nightmare. As his body sped into deep sleep he dreamed that he was back in Andalusia. But the terrain was not real, as the sky here was purple and the land beneath him was blood red, lifeless and devoid of grass. He was riding Tornado, and that this was impossible, for he had left his horse behind in Los Angeles five years ago when he went to the University in Spain. Diego/Zorro felt as if his head were detached from his body. Now, he was floating above the Andalusian countryside, looking down at a dark figure racing his Tornado across the crimson ground.
Suddenly, he was no longer airborne, he was astride Tornado, who turned to him and spoke: ‘Now that you are here, ask your question(s), if you dare!’
“Must I continue my masquerade? Although Tornado whinnied, Diego/Zorro understood him. “Look into the eyes of the man riding next to you!“
He did and the hooded figure tore away his disguise, revealing his own face, but almost a decade older!
"Who is La Doña Negra?” But he only heard voices - he could not see her, as she was clothed completely in black. Then his charcoal colored horse neighed. “You will learn soon enough! You may ask only one more question and time grows short!”
Diego/Zorro sighed. “Should I marry?” Tornado shook his head and did not respond. A thought intruded on his consciousness ‘be bolder - be more specific!’
He forced himself to speak, and the words lay heavy on his lips. “Who will marry me?”
Tornado shook his head indicating ‘look to your right. ’ There indeed was someone riding an Andalusian, draped in the same black disguise as Zorro always wore. The magnificent animal startled him by speaking first. ‘Hurry! Time flies -- tempus fugit.’
“I MUST SEE HER FACE! POOR DIOS! I MUST SEE WHO SHE IS!” He shouted.
“There is no need to yell so, my beloved .” Diego knew that voice, that sweet voice. When he turned to look, the smiling face belonged to Doña Carmen riding her splendid gelding, Night Shadow!
He dreamed no more and slept until noon.
Chapter Nine
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