the Night
Chapter 3
�Yes, sergeant?� the elder de la Vega said impatiently.
�A thousand pardons, Don Alejandro, for troubling you so early, but we were just wondering whether you saw anyone or anything.�
�Saw whom? What?�
�Zorro.�
�Zorro?� Alejandro felt his heart skip a beat. �No, I have not seen him. Why are you asking?�
�Well, you see, don Alejandro, we were chasing him and he lead us straight into the swamp � . . . Khm. . . Well. . . Two of the lancers managed to trap him and one of them shot him ��
�Shot?� De la Vega barely suppressed his emotions.
�S�. And he fell off of a cliff ��
�And?�
�When we got there, he was gone. (Alejandro gave a barely noticeable sigh of relief.) And the comandante ordered everyone to look for him. And so we did.�
�You have been looking for him in the hills all night?�
�S�, Don Alejandro,� the sergeant�s yawn confirmed his answer.
�Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, sergeant, but I have not seen Zorro. Good luck with your further search.�
�Gracias, Don Alejandro.�
De la Vega closed the gates and went inside. Bernardo was waiting for him in anticipation. When Alejandro relayed his conversation with sergeant Garcia, the manservant gleamed and made a sign of relief.
�S�, Bernardo, it is a relief to know that he was not captured. But he was wounded. Where could he go? Why did he not come home?� Bernardo shrugged his shoulders. �I do not know either. But we cannot go looking for him now. It would only arouse suspicion on the part of the comandante. We�ll just have to wait.�
***
Slowly, very slowly, his consciousness was coming back to him and with it all the pain. It was no longer so sharp and unbearable as before, but he could still feel it in every part of his body. He groaned quietly and opened his eyes. The bright sunlight hit his eyes, blinding him momentarily, and then a figure of a woman bent over him, shielding him from the window. The sunbeams bent around her body, streaking through her golden-brown hair, creating a kind of a halo around her. She seemed almost like an � ��ngel,� the word escaped his lips.
�No, se�or,� the young woman answered with a slight English accent. �I am not an angel, and you are not in heaven, even though I am flattered by the comparison. How are you feeling?�
�Alive,� he whispered hoarsely, a slight smile touching his lips. �But who are you? And where am I?�
�You are in my room in the inn of the pueblo de Los Angeles. My name is Annabelle . . . DuBois, and this (she pointed to the older man who just came to her side) is my servant �tienne.�
�I believe I owe you two my life. Gracias.�
�De nada,� she smiled. �It was a mutually advantageous experience for both of us.� Noticing the dumbfounded look on his face, she explained: �You were my first patient.�
�You mean you�ve never�� He broke off as she shook her head �no.� �Well, I must really be a very lucky man.�
He lifted himself up slightly looking down at the bed. His eyes barely had time to register the two-sizes-too-big cream pants and a white shirt, as the sharp pain pierced his entire body, and he groaned again, falling back onto the pillows. Concern touching her eyes, Annabelle put her hand tenderly on his forehead, and he felt a warm wave run through his body, dulling the pain.
�I seem to have lost my former clothes,� he mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.
She blushed. �These belong to �tienne. I had to take yours off to treat the wounds. Do forgive me, se�or �.� She looked at him in anticipation.
�De la Vega,� he said, realizing a bit disappointedly that his disguise was already ruined, �Diego de la Vega.� He smiled sleepily; his eyelids were suddenly beginning to feel very heavy.
�Would you like to sleep some more?� Annabelle asked.
�S�, but can I ask one more favor of you? My father is probably going crazy with worry ��
�You wish for me to ride to your hacienda and tell your father that you are alright?�
�I don�t know if I am too bold asking that ��
�No. Not a whit. But, before I go, I want to ask you something. Are you that masked bandit they call �Zorro�?�
And already drifting to sleep, Diego mumbled groggily: �At your service.�
***
Capit�n Basques sat behind his desk barely containing his anger. �Those incompetent soldiers! How could they have let Zorro escape?� He was sure that the outlaw was still hiding somewhere close. If he was indeed wounded, he would probably require the help of a doctor or someone of that kind. But the capit�n had already questioned the Los Angeles doctor � the latter knew nothing. Someone had to have seen that outlaw or known where he was. Capit�n had already interrogated every haciendado in the area, and, excluding the peons, the guests of the inn remained the only ones that he had not yet questioned.
�Sergeant Garcia!� the comandante�s voice roared over the cuartel.
The fat sergeant flew into the room, (if the word �flew� could be applied to someone like sergeant Garcia), saluting and trying to close the door at the same time.
�S�, mi capit�n.�
�We are going to the tavern.�
�We are?� the sergeant�s face spread into a big happy smile.
�Not to drink wine, baboso! To question the guests! Bring two more lancers with you.�
�S�, comandante.� The sergeant was noticeably disappointed when he left the office.
When the door closed behind the fat sergeant, capit�n Basques clenched his right hand into a tight fist. �This time I will get you, se�or Zorro.� And the fist dropped heavily onto the desk.