East meets West

Disclaimers: The characters from the Queen of Swords are copyright to Fireworks Productions and Paramount. Young Blade characters are copyright to Ion Media Networks, Inc. formerly Pax No copyright infringement is intended or revenue expected from their use. The story plot and other characters are copyright to the author, James Guy.

My thanks to my friends Judith for the French Translations and Shirley Long who betad this story.

Rating: 3 Swords

Prologue

Paris 1653

In a glen surrounded by ancient oak trees, dark cloaks draped the shoulders of the masked and hooded individuals as they stood about an obelisk, an object that once was the property of the High Priest of Anubis. The leader picked up the hot thurible from the makeshift table and added some incense onto the glowing coals. As the smoke from the burning incense rose upwards, the leader incensed the obelisk. A cloud formed above the obelisk and grew black and ominous. Bolts of lightening lashed out from the cloud and struck several of individuals as well as the thurible. A clap of thunder resounded from the cloud as more lightening exploded around the glen.

Along the trail between Nice and Paris, four equestrians rode towards the City of Light after a mission on behalf of the King of France. The musketeers were quiet as they traveled as they had been on the road for several hours. They stopped at a way house for food and to rest their mounts. An hour later, they remounted and continued their journey.

Ramon glanced behind him. "Madre Dios. What is that?" He pointed to the growing cloud that moved between them and the way house. The four musketeers urged their horses into a gallop as daylight faded. "D'Artagnan. Where are we going?"

"There is a cottage about five miles up the road. We can find shelter there."

Jacques glanced at the legend's son. "How would you know? Some place where you entertained a young woman?"

D'Artagnan laughed. "My father's sister's son lives there."

Siroc smiled. "Right. Well that cloud is growing and we had better hurry."

The horsemen galloped down the road and into the forest as the lightening from the cloud erupted towards them. A loud rumble came from the cloud and then a thunderclap. They rode out of the forest into a canyon. They looked behind them to see that not only was the cloud gone, but so was the forest. They reined their horses in and let them blow. Jacques looked around. "Okay, so where is this cottage? In fact, where are we? I don't remember hearing about a place like this in all of France."

D'Artagnan shook his head. “I have no idea. Let’s go up the canyon to see where it leads.” He looked at the churned up ground. “There are a lot of tracks heading this way.” A few minutes later, they came out in a meadow with a small lake. Wild grasses had been flattened by numerous animals. The mooing of a heard of cattle at the lake made the musketeers look at each other in bewilderment. Siroc scratched his head. "Ceci est le secret le meilleur gardé dans le France entier. (This is the best kept secret in all of France.)."

Ramon looked around. “Amigos, we have company and I don’t think they are happy to see us.” Twenty unsavory looking characters spread out on foot carrying swords. "Oú sommes-nous? (Where are we?) Vous-êtes qui? (Who are you?)"

Still speaking French, D'Artagnan held up his hands. “We want no trouble, we just want some water and we will be on our way.” He saw the men look at each other in confusion. He turned to Ramon. “What’s wrong with them?”

Ramon smiled and looked at the men as he switched to Spanish. “Señores, we wish no trouble. We are strangers and only want water.”

“We don’t believe you. You come in here wearing uniforms. Did Colonel Montoya send you?

“Colonel Montoya? No. We are the King’s Musketeers.”

The men laughed. “What King? Montoya is no King.”

“The King of France.”

The men laughed. "Napoleon is now King? Didn't he learn the first two times?"

Ramon shook his head. "I don't know who this Napoleon is. I am talking about Louis XIV."

The apparent leader of the group snarled. "Bastante. Kill them." The musketeers drew their weapons and engaged their new enemy. As the battle raged, men fell and blades became bloody. Jacques and D'Artagnan fought back to back, as did Siroc and Ramon. Suddenly the attackers backed off and turned to face a new enemy. Jacques turned to her partner. "I heard one of them yell out Reina. Who or what is a Reina?"

Ramon laughed. "It means Queen in Spanish. Wherever we are, I don't think we are in France anymore. Remember the saying; the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We are the King's Musketeers, I think we can at least help out this Queen."

The foursome charged into the fray and soon the finesse of the musketeers as well as the Queen and her companion turned the mob of twenty into a pack of ten cowards running away. The remaining attackers were either dead or wounded. The victors gasped for breath as the battle ended. D'Artagnan approached the Queen. "Oú sommes-nous?"

The Queen cocked her head. "Yo soy Reina des Espades. Se habla Español?"

Ramon walked up. "Si Reina. My name is Ramon and I am from Spain but now I serve the King of France as a musketeer. These are my Amigos, D'Artagnan, Siroc, and Jacques." He turned to see Jacques curl up and collapse. They all ran over to the stricken musketeer. Siroc pulled back Jacques' coat to see a splotch of blood. The Queen's companion muscled his way in. "I am a doctor. Robert Helm."

Siroc snarled. "The only doctors I know tend to cause more bleeding. No, I can help him much better."

Helm looked at the blonde man. "I was a soldier before I was a doctor and I have sewn up more wounds than you can think of. I don't bleed my patients. That is just medieval. Sounds like something out of the 17^th Century."

The musketeer looked at him. "It is the 17^th Century."

Helm glanced at the Queen. "I hate you break the news, but this is the year 1820. What year do you think it is?"

D'Artagnan crossed his arms. "1653. Yes Doctor, we all speak some Spanish, thanks to Ramon. Now can you help Jacques?"

Helm nodded and started to undress the wounded musketeer. He tensed and then froze. "Back up all of you, I need room." He leaned over to whisper to Jacques. "Do they know you are a woman?"

"Yes."

"Someone go fetch my horse. There are some bandages in the saddlebags. You Siroc, is it? Go get two horses. I am sure that those men won't need them. We need to rig a sling between two horses so your friend will not be jostled too much. Reina, do you think that Señorita Alvarado would mind a visitor?"

The Queen smiled. "I am sure she will be thrilled. Her dueña might be a little taken aback by the presence of armed French Soldiers in the casa. I suggest you all speak Spanish unless you wish to be flayed. Marta is Rom."

D'Artagnan stood up. "Are you sure we can trust her?"

"You can trust Señorita Alvarado as much as you trust me."

Ramon laughed. "Where we come from a person with a mask is usually a criminal."

Helm looked up. "Not all is as it seems Señor. You see, less than 10 years ago, the ruler of France attacked Spain and occupied it until the British pushed the French out. The sight of French soldiers is apt to make Spaniards uneasy. I would suggest a change of clothing as soon as possible."

The Queen put her hand on Helm's shoulder. "Doctor, I will go and alert Señorita Alvarado."

An hour later the party, minus the Queen arrived at the Alvarado hacienda. A lovely young woman with flowing black hair greeted them and behind her was a gitana carrying a pistol. "Tessa, I don't trust these Frogs."

"Marta, these people need our help and they are guests in my home. Bienvenides, mi casa es su casa." She hurried over to the wounded figure being transported between two horses. "Mi Dios, what has happened? Please bring him into the house. You may use the guest room, Doctor." She led the way into the house and down the hallway. "Marta, please boil some water and get the bandages. Is there anything else that you will need Doctor?"

Helm nodded. "Yes, get me more lanterns and open the shades. Our friend here has taken a sword slash and will need to be stitched up."

As Siroc helped put Jacques on the bed, Tessa ushered Ramon and Siroc outside. "You friend is in good hands and Doctor Helm doesn't need everyone else in there. You, Señor, you also. Marta and I will help Doctor Helm." She pushed them out and closed the door. "How is she Robert? Don't worry, I already told Marta of the secret."

"She has lost a lot of blood. Help me get her out of her clothes. I need to get these bindings off so I can work. Tessa, maybe you could do that while I get the sutures ready and Marta gets the water. I will be right back." He walked out of the door to see three worried men. "The señorita is changing your friend so I can work on her. I am curious as to how a woman ended up in the musketeers. Yes I know of them, but they have been disbanded for close to 150 years."

D'Artagnan looked at Helm. "It is not our story to tell so it will have to wait until she decides to tell you. If we really are in the future, it won't matter who knows."

Siroc put his hand on Helm's shoulder. "Doctor, my I assist you? I patch up all of the musketeers since I don't trust our doctors. No offense,"

Helm smiled. "None taken. There have been a lot of changes since your time. I will ask your friend. What is her name?"

"Jacqueline. Who was that masked woman?"

"The Queen of Swords. She fights injustice."

Ramon smiled. "She is some woman. Maybe I will create a rhapsody about her. Do you know who she is?"

Helm glared at the Spaniard. "The reason she wears a mask is to hide her identity."

Ramon nodded. "Sí, that makes sense. She hides behind a mask and hides her secret. Hmm. Behind the Mask, there's a secret life. Behind the Mask, there's a hero's eyes. Beauty can be a disguise hiding a warrior inside."

Helm chuckled as the others rolled their eyes. "I like it." He turned as the door opened as Tessa walked out. "You can come in now, Doctor."

D'Artagnan grabbed Helm's arm. "Why have you delayed treating her?"

"You may be French, but in Alta California, a man, even a doctor must treat a woman with certain proprieties. This is our time and culture, not yours." He turned to the door but looked back as he stepped through. "If you ever grab me like that, you will lose a hand." Siroc snickered as he entered the room.

The remaining men watched as Marta walked down the hallway with a kettle and a pan. "Don't just stand there, open the door. Do you think I have three hands?" She shook her head. "Dumb Frogs."

Ramon quickly jumped to open the door. "I am sorry Señora, but I am not French."

Marta frowned. "Then what is your excuse?"

A half-hour later, Tessa came out of the room. "She will be all right. Doctor Helm and you friend Siroc took good care of her. Marta, will you please make some lunch. I am sure they are hungry."

Ramon walked over to Tessa. "Señorita, may I walk with you while you show me your home?"

Tessa laughed. "You are a sweet man, but I must tell you that my heart belongs to another."

A knock on the hacienda door prompted Tessa to go to the foyer and open the door. "Vera, what are you doing here?" She watched as her friend walked directly to the library.

"I just stopped by to ask if you wanted to come to my hacienda for a luncheon tomorrow." The blonde woman stopped and stared at the three young strangers. "Tessa, who are these young men? They are cute."

"Vera. This is my cousin Ramon and his friends Siroc and…”

“Charles,” D'Artagnan quickly supplied.

Flashing him a grateful smile, Tessa turned back to Vera. “A friend of theirs was injured and they brought her here. Her brother Jacques will be here later.”

"Four young men in your house and you are a single woman? Tessa, I am shocked."

"Vera, I said Ramon is my cousin and Marta is here with me. They only arrived today." She stopped and thought a moment. "Who told you there were staying here? Accommodations have not been discussed, but I presume they will be staying at the hotel in town."

Vera walked over to Ramon. "Why Tessa, they could stay at my hacienda. I am sure that Gaspar wouldn't object.”

Tessa scowled. “Vera, these gentlemen will be going with Doctor Helm and staying in the hotel for now.”

“Ah Tessa.”

Tessa laughed. “Vera you are shameful, Gaspar might get jealous.” She leaned in closer and whispered. “So would Marcus.” Vera blushed but held her tongue.

Chapter 1

As day turned to dusk, Helm led the three musketeers to town after they had changed into other clothing, provided by Tessa and altered by Marta. Vera and Tessa headed for town a short while later. At the hotel, the men were able to obtain separate quarters for all three. No sooner had they settled in when Ramon heard a knock on his door. Siroc and D'Artagnan stood on either side of the door, hands on swords. Ramon nodded and opened the door. "Si?" He saw a tall Americano in uniform with a smirk on his face.

"I am Captain Grisham. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Ramon looked at the Captain. "Is this what passes as hospitality? I am Ramon Montalvo Francisco de la Cruz and my friends and I are visiting my cousin."

"And who are your friends?"

As Ramon smiled, the two musketeers stepped into view. "Charles de Batz and Siroc."

"Siroc huh? No last name?"

The blonde's face betrayed no emotion. "Where I am from we do not have last names."

The American sneered. "How convenient. Answer my question or I will throw you in Montoya's hotel. The Frog for being here, he with no last name for being suspicious and you just because. "

"You have two hotels in this pueblo? I do believe I answered your question, now if you have no other business."

"Not so fast. I don't believe you, as a matter of fact, I believe you are a threat to our happy pueblo, so you are under arrest."

"On what charges, Captain?"

Ramon watched while the Americano grew pale just before Grisham turned around at the sound of the woman's voice. "What has my cousin done to be arrested? I think the governor would be interested in how Colonel Montoya treats the King's subjects or how they are treated by the colonel's hired dog."

Grisham stuttered. "I am sorry Señorita Alvarado, but they looked suspicious. I thought they were vagabonds."

"I will have you know that my cousin Ramon and his friends have been hired by me as body guards and to keep certain riffraff off of my land."

"Why didn't you come to me? I can protect you."

Tessa laughed. "You are the riff raff I am talking about. Now do you mind? Ramon and I have business to discuss." She walked past him and slammed the door in Grisham's face. She grinned. "That was fun."

Jacqueline shook her head, trying to focus her eyes. She remembered riding through France and then fighting for her life in a strange land with a masked avenger. She also remembered the handsome doctor putting his hands on her to fix the slash in her side. She felt the bandages around her ribs with her hand. She rolled to her other side and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She realized that she was wearing a nightgown that wasn’t hers.

Looking around she saw her sword and dagger hanging over the back of a chair. Carefully she stood up and headed for the door. She listened for a few minutes before opening the door quietly. She crept down the hallway, past the foyer and came to the open door of the study. A woman sat at a desk, her back to the door with playing cards. Jacqueline gasped as she saw that they were tarot cards. "La Sorcière. You are a bruja." The musketeer backed up as Marta stood up and faced her.

Marta looked at her in the eyes. "I am not a bruja, I am Gitana and we use tarot cards to discern what might be in the future. What guides our future."

"You can see my future? That we will live our lives and die here in this strange land?" Jacqueline clutched the crucifix at her throat. “Reading those, those cards is devil’s work. What kind of a place have we been brought to? My God, does your mistress know you delve into the black arts?”

Marta frowned. “Senorita, you have not recovered from your wounds. You need your rest. Here I will help you.”

The musketeer threw off Marta's hand. “No, keep your sorcery and your hands to yourself. I don’t want anyone reading my future.”

Marta shook her head. "No Senorita, you misunderstand. I cannot see your future but I do see that something evil brought you here or to be more exact, sent you here. The evil came from your time."

Jacqueline felt weak and walked over to a chair. She sat down. "The Black Order?"

"Madre Dios." Marta blessed herself. "You know of the Order of the Knights of the Black Tabernacle? I know they were an old order of evil and I think most of them have perished in Spain thanks to the Inquisition. I think many may have fled to France as there are some still there." Marta picked up the cards and put them away. "Do not fear Tessa or me. We will not harm you."

“But you are a Sorcière, a bruja, a witch.”

Marta sighed. "People are branded witches by others who do not understand. If I am a bruja, what are you who have traveled here from our long ago past? The people here would burn you for a witch and your friends as well. They might even come after Tessa and me for letting you stay here.” She sat down next to Jacqueline and took her hand in hers while looking her in the eyes. "Now why are you hiding who you are?”

"I would like to know also." The women turned to see Tessa enter the study.

Jacqueline smiled. "I will tell you if you promise to tell me why a noble woman hides behind a mask and wields a sword."

Tessa's mouth dropped. "Me, the Queen of Swords? You must be weaker than I thought. You should really lie down. I will send someone for Doctor Helm."

The musketeer grabbed Tessa's right hand. "A noble woman would not have calluses on her hand caused by gripping a sword." She showed Tessa the same hardness in her own hand.

"I run a hacienda and I ride every day, of course my hands will be rougher than a normal noble woman."

Jacqueline laughed. "Those are cause by sword use not tools or reins."

Tessa looked into Jacqueline's eyes. "You are very observant. Have you told your friends?"

The French woman shook her head. “No, I just figured it out. I would be a poor guest to tell your secret."

Tessa nodded and pulled up another chair. For the next hour the musketeer described her life, from her youth to when her father was murdered. Tessa nodded afterwards in understanding as she told how she became the Queen of Swords after her own father was murdered. "Jacqueline, we are sisters fighting wrong and seeking justice."

A week later, the musketeers gathered around a table on the veranda. Jacqueline was clothed in a peasant blouse and floor length skirt that Tessa had given her while the men wore clothing as befit any vaquero. Siroc scribbled on a piece of paper with a quill and ink. D'Artagnan put down his dagger and whet stone. "Just how are we going to get home? We are musketeers and we should be in France protecting our King."

"Easy, Amigo." Ramon put down the spare rib he was eating and licked his greasy fingers. "We are protecting a Queen and a beautiful one at that." He looked at Jacqueline. "Present company excepted. Jacqueline can be herself without wondering when Mazarin's men will uncover the truth. Siroc is learning new methods of science and I am back with my people, even though it is half a world away."

The lady musketeer nodded. "Don't forget a century and a half in the future. Siroc, do you have any ideas."

The inventor shook his head. "It would be easier if I knew precisely how we got here. Marta feels that Mazarin had something to do with it and I agree."

Ramon grinned. "You and Marta are sure spending a lot of time together, Amigo. Care to share?"

"Marta is a healer and she is teaching me herb lore."

D'Artagnan winked at Jacqueline. "Sure there isn't something else going on?"

Siroc frowned. "No more than Jacqueline and Doctor Helm or Ramon and Tessa."

Jacqueline swatted Siroc's arm with her hand. "You know damn good and well that Robert and Tessa are a couple, even if neither one wants to admit it."

D'Artagnan grinned. "Oh ho. Robert is it? Even Tessa calls him Doctor."

Jacqueline slapped her hand on the table. "Just because I am wear a skirt doesn't mean I can't beat you in a fight. Speaking of which, we start dueling tomorrow morning. We might end up back in France at any time and we wouldn't want to get out of shape."

D'Artagnan grinned. "Why wait? Go change and we can begin now. You have gotten soft."

"Soft? I'll be back in five minutes and you will eat your words." As she left, Siroc looked at the departing friend.

"It has only been a week since she was wounded. Be careful."

D'Artagnan face grew serious. "Don't worry. Look how quickly she recovered after Gerard's death."

The ringing of metal on metal brought Tessa and Marta to the veranda. Tessa watched the combatants and leaned over to Marta. "Maybe I should work out with them. Their style is different but they fight with finesse and a fire in their eyes."

"You would have to tell all of them about the Queen. Maybe you and Jacqueline could work out while the men are gone."

"Not a bad idea. You wouldn't be betting against me would you?"

"Who with? Myself?"

The women watched as a sweating and worn out D'Artagnan pushed himself up from the ground. "I slipped." They women saw a smirk of Jacqueline's face. Marta nodded.

"Those two love each other but won't admit it, any more than two other people I know."

Tessa tilted her chin into the air. "Hush, Marta."

Chapter 2

Three more weeks went by as Jacqueline continued to recover. She and Tessa took trips to town where the musketeer could be a woman in public without having to fear for her life. She left her sword at home, but her thirteen-inch long dagger never left her.

As they walked the town, eyes followed them. Many were merely curious but some were not. One set belonged to Grisham and another Colonel Montoya who watched the pair from his balcony overlooking the pueblo. "Grisham who are these strangers that have come into Señorita Alvarado's life?"

"She claims the Spaniard is her cousin but the others are friends. I have to admit that the girl is very attractive."

Montoya looked at his watchdog. "Maybe you should cultivate a friendship."

"I have had worse assignments. She will be like clay in my hand." He walked out of the colonel's office and down the stairs past the two stone lions. He looked across the square and saw Tessa and her friend. He brushed off his uniform with his hand and strutted across the pueblo. He came up behind the two gabbing women. "Señorita Alvarado, please wait up a moment."

Tessa and Jacqueline turned around. "Captain Grisham. What can we do for you?"

"Well, you can introduce me to your companion. A lovelier lady I have never seen before, yourself not included."

Tessa batted her eyes. "Captain Grisham, this is my houseguest Jacqueline Roget."

Jacqueline nodded. "Nice to meet you, Captain."

"My pleasure Señorita. Señorita Alvarado would you mind if I took Jacqueline on a picnic to the beach?"

Tessa smiled. "You mean the one you took me to in order to try and seduce me? Well it is up to Jacqueline."

"Tessa, you cut me to the quick. I just want to be friends."

Jacqueline laughed. "If I needed another friend, I would get a dog." She started to turn and walk away.

Grisham’s face tightened. “I suppose those men you travel are very close friends. Do you service all of …” He never saw the right hook that caught his jaw and sent him to the ground nor the hand that grabbed his sword and pressed it to his groin.

“One more word, Captain, and you will be neutered.” She stuck the sword into the ground between his legs. She and Tessa stomped away.

Grisham stared at the two women as he rubbed his jaw and shook his head. "What is it with those two? What did I ever do to Tessa?" 'Oh yeah, I killed her father, but she doesn't know it.'

Three days later the four musketeers rode through a canyon following the tracks of a heard of cattle. As they came out of the canyon, they spied six vaqueros driving the cattle. One of them turned around and alerted his comrades. The thieves grabbed their swords and charged the four friends who had drawn their own weapons. The two groups clashed. Jacqueline’s blade bit deep into the side of her attackers while Siroc and Ramon traded blows with the others. D'Artagnan dove at two of the men and knocked them out of their saddles. He rolled and came up with his sword struck one of the men. The survivor turned and ran. The other musketeers disposed of their opponents. They gathered the bodies and draped them over the horses.

Montoya turned at the sound of a knock on the door. “Entrada.” A scruffy looking man swaggered in and sat down. He put his boots on Montoya’s desk.

Montoya scowled. “You have two seconds to remove your feet from my desk or lose them.” He grabbed his sword for emphasis. The man quickly sat upright. “That’s better. Now what do you want?”

“We are having problems. Those new men on the Alvarado hacienda have killed many of my men and prevented us from stealing any more cattle. They seem to be everywhere. These are not just body guards, they are professional soldiers.”

“Well two of them are French so it is possible that they are remnants of Napoleon’s army.”

The man shook his head. “I fought the French. I never saw anyone fight with a sword like them except for you, Grisham and the Queen of Swords. Besides, there are four of them.”

"Four? That means there is one that we haven't seen. Get out." He walked to the door. "Guard, get Capitan Grisham now."

A few minutes later Grisham walked into Montoya's Office. "Grisham, take a patrol and arrest those body guards of Señorita Alvarado's."

"On what charge?"

"Suspicion of espionage. These men are professional soldiers, not your local riffraff.”

“Well Colonel, I don’t think a patrol will be necessary.”

Montoya frowned. “And why not?”

“Because they just rode into town.”

"All four?"

"No Sir, Only three. Señorita Alvarado and Señorita Roget also arrived in a carriage."

"No matter. Go and arrest the three men."

A few minutes later Grisham and ten soldiers surrounded the five. "Gentlemen, you are under arrest on the charge of espionage. Drop your weapons."

The musketeers looked at the soldiers with guns and took off their baldrics. A soldier collected them. Grisham turned to Tessa. "You ladies go on home. This is man's business."

Jacqueline gaped at Grisham as Tessa pulled her hand. "The captain is correct Jacqueline, we must not interfere." Tessa led the female musketeer to the carriage as the men were led to the jail. As soon as they were out of town, Jacqueline turned on Tessa.

"Why? Why didn’t you stand up and fight them?"

"First of all, we were unarmed. Second we were outnumbered. Third, the soldiers had guns and fourth Maria Teresa Alvarado does not fight the soldiers. That is the Queen's job."

Jacqueline nodded. "Then I will go with the Queen."

"No you will not. I know that jail and I will bet that there is more to this than meets the eye."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you happen to look at Colonel Montoya's balcony?"

Jacqueline frowned. "No, why?"

"The day we met, several of the bandidos escaped and one of them was standing next to the colonel just now. Maybe they are working together and they didn't like my body guards breaking up their little enterprise."

Jacqueline paced back and forth in her room, waiting for the sound of hoof beats to let her know when the Queen rode away. When the sound finally came, the musketeer tied a black bandana with eye holes that covered the upper part of her head, ending at the tip of her nose. She grabbed her baldric and sword and crept out to the stables, saddling her mount in record time. As she walked the animal away before mounting, she kept a look out for any one watching.

Chapter 3

In Santa Elena, Montoya sat at his desk, reading a book that had arrived that day accompanied by an object about two and a half feet high and in the shape of an obelisk. 'Good thing I learned to read French.' He traced the writing and stopped. 'Well, I'll be…' He stood up and put on his coat before walking out of his office and down the steps leading to the square. He smiled evilly as he crossed the square to the jail. Dismissing the inside guard, he walked up to the cell. “Which one of you is Charles de Batz-Castlemore, Comte D'Artagnan?" Three sets of feet hit the floor. "Ah that means one of you is. The only question is who else do we have here? Athos, Porthos or Aramis?"

Once mounted, Jacqueline set her mount into a trot away from the Alvarado hacienda, until she spotted the Queen up ahead going around a bend in the road. A half an hour later the Queen dismounted at the edge of town and crept into the shadows. Jacqueline rode up beside the Queen's horse, Chico, and dismounted. As she followed the Queen, she felt the point of a dagger at her neck and a woman's voice whispering. "I told you to stay home. Be quiet or you will wake the garrison. Who are you supposed to be?"

Jacqueline turned to the Queen as the blade pulled back. "Those men are my friends and comrades. There is no way I would leave them in jail. We have fought by each other and for each other.” She smiled underneath the crude mask. "The Knight of Swords. How long did you know I was following you?"

The Queen smiled. "Since before you left the hacienda. I had to wait while you saddled your horse so you wouldn't lose me." She pointed to the colonel's office. "That is where we are going. Montoya's office."

"But they are in jail, why go to his office?"

"Two reasons. One, we will need their weapons and two, Montoya just went into the jail." The queen led the way up the trellis and on the balcony. She listened before opening the French doors and crept inside. The Masked Avenger moved quickly to the bookcase and found the switch to move the opening to the secret room. Jacqueline looked at her.

"What are you doing?"

The Queen laughed. "Shopping." She pulled out her dagger, forced the lock to the wrought iron gate, and swung it open. She grabbed two baldrics and swords and slung them over her shoulder. "Grab the other one." She looked at her companion in wonder, as the musketeer seemed to be frozen. "What is the matter?"

Jacqueline walked over to a shelf. "This." She pointed to a pyramid shaped object. "The last time I saw this obelisk was in France. This should not be here. It is evil." Jacqueline picked up a piece of canvas folded up on a shelf and covered the obelisk. She picked it up and walked out of the secret room. The Queen shook her head. As the women walked past the desk and Jacqueline stopped. "Does Colonel Montoya read French?"

"Why?"

"This book is in French." She looked closely. "Mon Diem."

The Queen walked over. "What is it?"

"There are names listed: Athos, Porthos, Aramis and Charles de Batz-Castlemore, Comte D'Artagnan. That is D'Artagnan's father and they were all Musketeers who fought Cardinal Richelieu. Mazarin took over from Richelieu and it is Mazarin who is the leader of the Order of the Knights of the Black Tabernacle."

The Queen shook her head. "We can talk about this later. For now we have to rescue your friends." Jacqueline nodded and picked up the book.

"I am not leaving this here."

The three musketeers looked at Montoya. Ramon stepped forward. "I am Ramon, this is Siroc and this is Charles de Batz. His great-great grandfather was Charles de Batz-Castlemore, Comte D'Artagnan. Athos, Porthos and Aramis were all musketeers one hundred and fifty years ago. Why would you think we were them?"

Montoya frowned. "Who is the fourth man? I know there are four of you."

D'Artagnan stared at Montoya. "Actually, there are five of us counting Jacqueline. She is staying with Señorita Alvarado. Her brother Jacques is deaf and dumb and he is our fourth comrade in arms.”

Montoya laughed. “You expect me to believe that a deaf and dumb man is a soldier?”

“He was injured during the war when a canon exploded near him. He hasn’t been able to hear or speak since. Now, Colonel, why have we been arrested? We have not done anything."

"You are soldiers, don't deny it."

"Sí, we were soldiers, but we came here to visit my cousin and she offered us work, so we took it."

"You were spying."

"How were we spying? We stay in the hotel unless we are on the Alvarado hacienda."

"Yes please tell them, Colonel. How were they spying?" Montoya turned around to see the Queen and a masked stranger standing in the door way and a guard on the floor, clearly unconscious. "Don't even think of yelling or going for your weapons."

"Ah…La Reina. What do you want? And who is your friend?"

The newcomer stepped forward, blade in hand. "I am Don Quixote, the Knight of Swords and I want you to release these men. Obviously you were mistaken." The Knight held a rapier to Montoya's throat.

Montoya looked at the Queen who stood leaning up against the cell bars with her sword on her shoulder. "Where in the hell did you find this guy?"

The Queen laughed. "The Knight of Swords does have a tendency to be rather blunt and quick to act, so I would not piss him off. He wandered into the pueblo tonight when he heard that you had arrested these innocent men."

Montoya raised his hand slowly and moved the rapier point away from his neck. "I get your point. All right, maybe I was in error. I will release these men." He pointed to the office. "The keys are in there."

The Queen laughed as she swung the ring of keys around her finger. "You mean these?" She walked over and unlocked the cell door. As the men came out, she handed them their baldrics. The Knight escorted Montoya into the cell and locked it. Montoya growled.

"These men may be free but you my dear Knight and now on the wanted list."

"Gracias, Colonel. Now the Queen and I are equals. You have a good night." The musketeers and the women left the jail quickly. The musketeers raced over to the stables to get their horse while the Queen and the Knight retrieved their mounts and raced out of Santa Elena.

An hour later, the musketeers arrived at the Alvarado hacienda and were greeted by Tessa, Helm and Jacqueline. The men told an amazing story of their rescue by the beautiful Queen and her companion the Knight. Tessa grinned. "Ramon, this calls for a celebration. Why don't go down to the cellar and pick out a bottle of wine."

Ramon looked at D'Artagnan and shrugged his shoulders. "Coming Amigo?"

The legend's son shook his head. "No, you go ahead. You are the expert."

Ramon found the cellar with ease and was astounded by the long rack of wine bottles. He picked up several and looked at the labels before returning them to their place. He tried to pick up one but it appeared to be stuck. He pushed and pulled until the rack opened to a hidden room. He spotted a torch on the wall with a striker. He used the striker to light the torch and crept into the room. "Madre Dios. What is this place?" He wandered around picking up items until he came to a costume hanging on the wall. "Well, I'll be. The Queen of Swords. So that is the señorita's secret. He turned his head to see a rack of weapons. His attention was drawn to a dagger on the wall. He took it down and looked at it. His fingers traced the hilt and the name engraved. Anger crossed his face and he stormed out of the room and upstairs. He waved the dagger as he stormed into the study. "Who are you that you have this dagger?"

A flash of anger showed in Tessa's face. "Where did you get that? That is a family heirloom handed down from my mother's family."

Ramon pointed to the inscription. "This dagger belongs to me. See the inscription?" He showed the dagger to Siroc, Jacqueline and D'Artagnan. The musketeers looked from it to Tessa as Ramon took out a dagger from his belt. "See this dagger? It is identical, even to the nick in the hilt."

Helm looked at the too blades. "Wait a minute. They are not the same. The one you have has your name De La Cruz on it. You brought yours with you while Tessa's was handed down to her and has the name DelaCruz on it."

“But the nick is the same.”

“Ramon, most daggers that have seen battle have nicks. How would you explain the spelling?

"I am Ramon Montalvo Francisco de la Cruz…musketeer, not a scientist."

Tessa took the dagger that Ramon found. "This dagger was handed down from me by my grandmother from her mother and back from my great-great-great uncle Ramon Montalvo Francisco de la Cruz. You appear to be he."

“I was named for my uncle and he died before I was born.”

Siroc laughed. "Ramon, you were trying to seduce your long removed cousin."

D'Artagnan laughed. “At least he has good taste.”

Siroc laughed. “D'Artagnan, you never got over Maria Mancini.” He turned to Tessa. “Pretty girl but his interest waned when he found out that not only was she the niece of Cardinal Mazarin, but Louis’ mistress.”

Ramon shook his head. "The King wasn’t the only one with secrets. I found this in a secret room where I also found the clothing worn by the Queen of Swords." The room grew quiet. "You are the Queen of Swords."

Tessa looked at everyone. "I am. Only Robert and Marta know the truth. Now you three know."

"Make that four."

Tessa looked at Jacqueline. "Right, I forgot about Jacqueline."

Siroc walked over to his female comrade. "We sort of told the peacock colonel that Jacques was deaf and dumb and his sister Jacqueline was staying here."

“You did what? He said that? Isn’t it bad enough that I have to pretend to be a man? Now I have to play the part of a deaf-mute as well? Who came up with that?”

Siroc and Ramon pointed at D'Artagnan. Jacqueline grabbed the dagger from Ramon and stormed towards D'Artagnan, who had backed towards the door. “Tomorrow morning, six o’clock behind the casa, bring your sword. I am so going to make you pay for this.”

D'Artagnan looked at his two comrades. “You were just waiting to tell her, weren’t you?” Both men grinned.

Ramon looked at Tessa. “Who is the Knight of Swords?”

Tessa shrugged her shoulders. “I really have no idea. He showed up just as I got to Santa Elena and stayed around until you went to get your horses. He seemed pretty sure of himself and he definitely took a dislike to Montoya.”

Siroc laughed. “I think the colonel almost wet himself.”

Chapter 4

Montoya had spent a miserable night in jail until the guards awoke from their comatose state and released their commander. As Montoya stormed across the square, Don Gaspar Hidalgo, who had just dismounted from his carriage, stopped the furious colonel. “Colonel Montoya, I must protest the arrest of three fine young men on a trumped up charge of espionage.”

Montoya stared at the rotund man. “Don Hidalgo, I have had a very lousy night. The men you are interested in have been released. Now, if there is nothing else?”

“I believe we had an appointment this morning, so why don’t we finish this in your office?”

Montoya nodded and led the way. As he reached his office he stopped. His eyes surveyed the room before he walked to the bookcase. As he opened the case, he turned to Hidalgo. “Close the door, it seems we have a problem.”

Gaspar frowned as he closed the door and watched the colonel move from the bookcase to the desk. “Gaspar, we have a big problem. The obelisk and the journal from Cardinal Richelieu and the notes from Cardinal Mazarin are missing.”

“Missing? How?”

“Last night I read where Richelieu had issues with four men known as musketeers. One of them was Charles de Batz-Castlemore, Comte D'Artagnan. One of the men at Senorita Alvarado’s hacienda is one Charles de Batz. I went to see them and found that he is a descendent of the musketeer. While I was there, The Queen of Swords and some character that calls himself the Knight of Swords freed them and locked me in my own jail. Now I find the book and obelisk are gone”

Gaspar frowned. “And you think the Queen stole them? Was the book in Spanish?”

Montoya gazed at the Don. “No, it was in French. I don’t know if she can read French or not, but I have an idea that this Don Quixote can and is probably the one who raided me.”

“Are you going to tell El Jeffe?”

Montoya sat down. “Do I have a choice? The order has a meeting scheduled for tonight anyway. I will bring it up then.”

Gaspar nodded. "The order will be interested in what El Jeffe has to say. One thing will be why those artifacts were sent here for protection and were stolen in less than twenty-four hours."

Montoya frowned as Gaspar turned and left. ‘There will be a day of reckoning, my friend.' He took off his coat and tossed it over the chair before walking into his bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and flopped backwards on the mattress. Minutes later he was asleep.

The morning after the jailbreak, Tessa was awakened by the sound of metal on metal. Grabbing her housecoat, she headed for the sound only to run into Marta. "Marta, are they really fighting this early? I thought they were joking."

"According to Ramon, Jacqueline and D'Artagnan go at it almost every day. Just watch and enjoy the show."

Tessa watched for a few minutes while Jacqueline countered every move D'Artagnan made with one that drove the man back. "I am going to get dressed." She turned and went back to her room. A few minutes later she walked out carrying her rapier. She walked up to Siroc. "Care to show a girl a good time?"

Siroc choked. "Come again?"

She bared the blade. "En guarde."

Siroc pulled his own blade and crossed the metal with hers. Four blades rang through the morning air. In a short time the women beat back every attack made by Siroc and D'Artagnan. As Tessa and Siroc fought, Jacqueline disarmed D'Artagnan.

The sound of horses caused Tessa to pause. She ran back into the house with Jacqueline while Siroc and D'Artagnan began to spar. As the horses rounded the casa led by Captain Grisham, Tessa and Jacqueline, wearing housecoats, walked out of the kitchen. Tessa carried a pitcher of lemonade and Jacqueline a tray bearing glasses. Tessa handed the pitcher to Marta. "Captain Grisham, what did I do to have you visit me so early in the morning?"

"Señorita. We were on patrol when the sound of sword fighting echoed across the morning air. I see your men have been practicing, but I only see three. Where is the fourth man, this Jacques I have heard about?"

Jacqueline walked up beside Tessa. "Jacques was riding night patrol with the herd."

Grisham sneered. "How convenient. Maybe he is the Knight of Swords. Montoya told me that this Knight and the Queen stole a book and he wants it back."

"My brother can not speak but I hear the Knight can.”

Tessa walked up to Grisham’s horse. “If there is nothing official that we need to discuss, you may leave. We are about to have breakfast.”

Grisham started to dismount. “Sounds like a good idea.”

Tessa looked at Grisham. “I don’t remember inviting you, Captain.” She gave a backhanded wave of her hand. “You may leave us.”

Grisham stared at the señorita. “I’ll bet that fancy Doctor Helm is here.”

Helm walked out of the house. “You would be correct Captain. You should be glad I am here.”

“And why should I be glad?”

“Because if you step down from your horse, you will be in need of my services.”

Grisham stared at Helm before turning his horse and riding away.

Montoya rode the moonlit trail to the remnants of a former mission just north of Santa Elena. One horse was tied to a dead tree next to a crumbling wall. Montoya could see the dim light of a torch inside and carefully picked his way across the shattered adobe. In the shadows, he could just make out the shape of a large man. The man started to move towards the colonel.

"Brother Montoya, I am disappointed in you. I traveled all the way on the order of the Grand Knight to bring the artifacts for you to protect. As I explained to you earlier, the climate in Europe is still unsettled even now after the war. I was sent here after I had recommended you to the Grand Knight and now you have lost both artifacts. How could this happen?"

Montoya looked at El Jeffe. "I had been reading the journal and read four names, one that was familiar. When I went to the jail, the artifacts must have been stolen. The book was on my desk but the obelisk was locked up in a secret room."

El Jeffe laughed. "Apparently not that secret. So do you have any suspects?"

Montoya frowned. "I would guess the Queen of Swords but it is a little out of character for her. Then there is that friend of hers, the Knight of Swords."

El Jeffe scratched his head. "Where did this Knight come from?"

"He showed up when I had those three strangers locked up in the jail. The Queen and the Knight convinced me that I had no case in arresting them. At least I know who this Knight is. His name is Don Quixote."

"Good God Montoya. Don't you know who he is? He is the man from La Mancha. Don Quixote was a book written to mock the popular novels of chivalry that glorified the ideals of courtesy, constancy, bravery and loyalty. This Knight is playing you for a fool. Now who is the man that you recognized?"

"The name of the man in the book was Charles de Batz-Castlemore, Comte D'Artagnan and the man in the jail was Charles de Batz but he claims he is a descendent of the man in the book."

"I have read the journal and there were two men by that name. The first and his friends were known as the Three Musketeers even though there were four of them and they were a bane to Cardinal Richelieu. The son and his friends did the same to Cardinal Mazarin."

"So what happened to them?"

"Mazarin was trying to use the obelisk but something went wrong and he uttered the wrong words. Apparently as he was trying to bring the four Horsemen forward he uttered the words promitto (send forth) instead of prodo (bring forth).the result was a backlash and ten of the brotherhood were killed and Mazarin narrowly missed meeting the same fate."

"El Jeffe, I have patrols looking for the Queen and the Knight but every time the Knight is seen several of my soldiers are wounded or killed."

"I had some luck in writing about the Queen the last time I was here. I think maybe it is time for Edward Wellesley to revisit Santa Elena." The Englishman smiled. "My friend, have you discussed this with my counterpart here in Santa Elena?"

"No, not yet. However, I have discussed it with Don Hidalgo."

Edward nodded. "All right, I will let you handle things for now. In the meantime expect a reporter to arrive with a few days." He turned and walked out of the mission. Montoya shook his head and realized that the palms of his hands were sweating.

Chapter 5

For two weeks Jacqueline worked with Marta and Siroc learning to be a deaf-mute. Siroc looked at the female musketeer. "I am going to do some hand motions and I want you to tell me what I said."

"How am I going to understand what you are saying? Do you have a book or something?"

Siroc grinned. "Actually there is a book that I have studied. Did you know that Pedro Ponce De Leon established the world's first school for the Deaf at the Monastery of San Salvador near Madrid, Spain where he taught till his death and he even taught the deaf-mutes from birth to speak."

Jacqueline shook her head. "How in the world did he do that?"

Siroc spread his hands out. "He taught them to write while showing them with his finger the object which was named by the written characters; then drilling them to repeat with the vocal organs the words which correspond to these characters." Siroc showed her the alphabet using his hand. "He wasn't the only one. Thirty years ago, Juan Pablo Bonet published a book called "The Simplification of Sounds and the Act of Teaching the Deaf to Speak." He believed deaf-mutes should be forced to learn one hand manual alphabet using pictures illustrating the position of the hand for each letter before learning to speak and lip-reading." Siroc demonstrated with Marta using the hand signs. ‘Try to keep it simple and slow’ Jacqueline watched the two in amazement. “How can I understand what you are saying?

"I am going to teach you to hand talk. You and I will be able to communicate. The hardest part of this whole thing is you make it seam you are deaf. To help, I have created some small ear plugs made from beeswax which may not stop all sound but it will muffle the sounds so you won't be startled."

Marta nodded. “A friend of mine played a deaf-mute and showed his courage when the Commandant put two pistols by his ears and fired. The concussion blew both of his eardrums. He is truly a deaf-mute now. We don’t want this to happen to you. Now let’s do some signing.”

When Siroc was away on patrol, Jacqueline sparred with Tessa, learning different sword techniques. She also created a new costume without letting the men know about the Knight's identity.

A week went by before she was able to put her new-found expertise to work. Ramon rode through a canyon following the tracks of a single horse. His mount whinnied and stopped as four scruffy looking men came out of hiding from all around him with swords drawn. Ramon dismounted and drew his sword as the men closed on him. The musketeer feinted as one man charged and allowed Ramon to have his back against the canyon wall.

"Would you like some help?"

Ramon and the four men glanced toward the sound of a voice and saw a man with a grey leather mask covering his face from the nose to forehead with only eyeholes in the mask. His upper body was encased with a grey leather jacket similar to what was worn by the soldados de cuera or leather jacket soldiers. The cuera was made from several thicknesses of deerskin that the soldiers wore to protect themselves against Indian arrows. Over the cuera the man wore a black knee length coat and black leather pants and the same color knee length boots. In his black gloved hand he held a rapier. “Gentlemen, I am the Knight of Swords. En guarde."

Two men attacked Ramon while the others attacked the Knight. Within minutes three of the attackers lay dead and the fourth ran for his life only to be cut down by a bullet fired from a musket by a man hidden in the rocks. Ramon and the Knight took cover behind a rock. Ramon glanced at the Knight. "Gracias amigo. I thought I was a dead man at four to one odds."

"It seems someone wanted you dead. They know they can't take you when you are all together, so they must believe in divide and conquer."

"So why did they kill the one who ran away?"

The knight shrugged his shoulders. "Dead men tell no tales."

Ramon looked at his rescuer. "Do I know you? You look familiar."

"I am Don Quixote, the Knight of Swords. We met when you were released from jail."

Ramon nodded. "Your clothing and mask were different."

The Knight shrugged his shoulders. "I had to improvise."

"Why Don Quixote? I mean the Queen of Swords goes by that but the Knight of Swords goes by Don Quixote?"

"Well, I figured that Colonel Montoya wouldn't pick up the joke."

"Joke? What joke?"

"Well I am not tilting at windmills and Sancho Panza is not following behind me. It appears that you are the only one who caught on."

Gaspar knocked on Montoya's office door and entered when he heard "Entrada." As he entered, he saw Montoya sitting behind his desk with a frown on his face. "I take it your meeting with El Jeffe did not go well."

"No it did not. It seems that El Jeffe is not the Master, but only the chief of Alta California. The Grand Knight is still in Europe and sent El Jeffe here to deliver the artifacts for safe keeping. He was very upset to find that they were stolen. Of course, he wanted to know if I had discussed the situation with his counterpart here in Santa Elena."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him that you and I had talked. You don't know El Jeffe, do you?"

Gaspar shook his head. "Nor do I know who El Jeffe's counterpart is. Do you?"

Montoya shook his head. "His counterpart has never contacted me. Grisham really put us in a bind when he killed Don Alvarado. He knew who the leader is. Hell, as far as I know, Don Alvarado was our leader and Rafael hated me. The one thing I do know is that although brothers we may be, we don't always agree with each other's action." Montoya laughed. "You know the joke would be on us if El Jeffe turns out to be La Jeffa."

Siroc and Marta worked closely together as the gypsy coached the musketeer on the herbolgy lore and the applications. Marta even introduced Siroc to the herbs of the Chumash Indians. Siroc knew that not only was Marta a wealth of information, she was also a very attractive and desirable woman. Siroc was unused to the heat of Alta California and drank lots of water during his sojourns into the upper desert. Unbeknownst to him, Marta had found a small vial of a liquid and she tasted it. Although a little sweet, she determined it was harmless and slipped some into the water. One day as the two were out collecting herbs Siroc studied the Rom as their hands inadvertently collided while picking a specimen. They looked at each other and as their eyes met, their lips met soon afterwards. "Siroc, not here."

"Why not here, surely you don't suggest the hacienda."

Marta smiled. "No but there is a cave not far from her that is secluded. It is on the beach." They mounted their horses and Marta led Siroc to the beach and the cave. The cave was large enough for them to ride their horses into the cave before dismounting. Marta led him deep into the cave as she wrapped her arms around him and they kissed. In no time their passions heated and, as they explored each other, their clothes were strewn across the cave floor.

D'Artagnan and Tessa rode along the coast during the doña's morning ride, with the Musketeer slightly behind the señorita. As their horses splashed in the surf, D'Artagnan saw a large shadow along the cliff wall. "Tessa, what is that?"

Tessa pulled her horse up short. "That is Lover's Cave. When I was a child, the boys would sneak there at night to meet their girlfriends. The parents supposedly did not know of the cave." She laughed. "That cave has been known by that name for at least 80 years."

D'Artagnan looked at her. "So did you meet your boyfriend there?"

Tessa glared at him. "I was in Spain during those times. When I was of the age that young boys and girls went to the cave, I had to be careful of the dogs of French soldiers who occupied my home land."

The musketeer held up his hands. "Don't look at me that way. I wasn't there and I was living over one hundred and sixty years ago. I am a Kings Musketeer, not a common soldier. In my day, France and Spain had a tenuous peace. Look, even Ramon came all the way from Spain to protect the King of France."

Tessa snickered. "I heard it was to protect the young ladies of France from you." She stopped as she heard a horse whinny from the direction of the cave. "Come on…shall we scare a couple of young people?" She flashed the Frenchman a grin as she led the way.

Quietly they dismounted and crept their way into the cave. The horses in the cave had been ground tied and softly whinnied when Tessa and D'Artagnan slipped past. Tessa stopped and listened before she went on. She found a discarded torch and lit it with a striker that D'Artagnan produced from his jacket. The sounds of lovemaking echoed through the cave as the two conspirators crept forward. Thrusting the torch forward to illuminate the lovers, Tessa came to a stand still. "What are you two doing?" Her hand went to her mouth. “Madre de Dios." She looked at the naked form of Marta straddling Siroc's pelvis. The lovers rolled away as they grabbed their clothing to cover themselves. Tessa dropped the torch in embarrassment and forced D'Artagnan back to the cave entrance. As Marta attempted to grab her clothes and get dressed, Siroc wrapped his arms around her and kissed her before lowering her back down to the makeshift bed. “Don’t worry, we will get them, but not just yet.”

About the same time, Robert Helm rode up to the Alvarado hacienda and dismounted. As he knocked on the door, he was surprised to see it opened by Jacqueline. “Buenos Dias Señorita Roget.”

The musketeer grinned coyly. “Buenos Dias, Doctor. I am afraid Tessa is out riding this morning with D'Artagnan.”

Helm frowned. “So why didn’t you go along to chaperone them?”

Jacqueline laughed. “I think that Tessa can take care of herself.”

Helm grinned. “I was speaking about your musketeer friend. Actually, I came out to see Marta and Siroc about some herbal medicines. It is rather warm today. Marta didn’t leave any lemonade, did she?”

Jacqueline nodded. “Actually she made a pitcher before they went riding. Come, I will get you a glass.” The musketeer led Helm to the kitchen and poured him a glass.

Helm put the glass down. “That hit the spot….Now, can you tell me where Marta is?”

“Oh, she and Siroc went out earlier looking for some plants.” Jacqueline looked at Helm. “Actually, I am glad you came by. Those stitches you sewed me up with are really starting to annoy me.”

Helm nodded. “I can take a look. Maybe they are ready to come out.”

Jacqueline smiled. “Right this way, Doctor. It will be easier in my room rather than in the kitchen.” She led him into her room as she tried to hide the sly smile on her face. As Helm walked in, she closed the door behind him. "Robert, are you in love with Tessa?"

Helm blinked. "What brought that on?"

She fingered the buttons on his shirt. "I don't want to come in between you and Tessa if you two are in love." She put her hand around the back of his neck and forced his head down until their lips met. Helm did not resist at least in the beginning. He broke free and backed away from the woman. She glared at him. “Why?”

“Jacqueline, you are not yourself.”

As she picked up her sword with an irate look on her face, Helm grabbed a chair to fend her off. The armed woman swung at the chair, taking gouges out the rungs on the furniture. As she screamed at him, the door burst open and Ramon raced into the room, sword drawn. The swordswoman stopped her attack for a second. “Ramon, he attacked me.”

Ramon looked at the angry woman with a sword in her hand and a man cringing in the corner with a chair. “Jacqueline, put the sword down. As beautiful as you are, I don’t think our doctor would attack you while you are holding a sword. What has gotten into you?”

The young woman tossed her sword on the bed and walked over to Helm. “All right, I put my sword away, now kiss me.”

Ramon’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Jacqueline what’s wrong with you?” He looked at Helm. “Do you know?”

Helm nodded. “I have a suspicion. Jacqueline, have you eaten anything or had anything to drink?”

“I didn’t, you did. I used that little bottle I found to sweeten up the lemonade that Marta made. Why?”

Ramon frowned. “Was that bottle about three inches tall with a stopper?”

“Yes.”

“Madre Dios. Doctor Helm. I think that the bottle contains the elixir that Siroc made. When a man drinks it, he becomes irresistible to women. We experimented with it a while back and it was some time before any of us got any rest. I hope my comrades didn’t drink it.” He looked at Jacqueline. “Amiga, you stay in here while I talk to Doctor Helm.” He motioned Helm out of the room.

As they left, the female musketeer shook her head and sat down on the bed. “What is happening to me? I don’t throw myself at men.”

Out in the hallway, Ramon turned to Helm. “I hope Marta and Tessa didn’t give that elixir to Siroc and D'Artagnan. Those guys wouldn’t have a chance.

As Tessa and D'Artagnan raced out of the cave, they waited for Siroc and Marta to come chasing them, but no one appeared. Carefully, they snuck back into the cave and heard the sounds of two people in the throes of ecstasy. D'Artagnan looked at Tessa. “I think we should leave before they remember we are here.”

Tessa ran her fingers up D'Artagnan’s shoulder. “Why leave? There is plenty of room here.” She pushed herself against the Frenchman and slid off his jacket.

D'Artagnan gulped. “This brings back memories of . . . Did you put something in my water?”

Tessa smiled. “Just a little sweetener from a small bottle in the kitchen.” She reached up and kissed him. The musketeer found himself enjoying the kiss until he remembered that Tessa was a descendent of Ramon's, his friend, his comrade and the man who would kill him. He untangled himself from Tessa and ran out of the cave. He caught up his horse and mounted on the run. Tessa stood watching the fleeing horseman in stunned silence. She walked out of the cave and caught up her Palomino. "Come on Lindo, let's go home."

Four hours later, an exhausted Siroc pulled on his pants and boots and stood up. He looked down and the lovely gypsy woman. He picked up her skirt and lay it over her naked body. He smiled as she opened her eyes. "How are you?"

Marta grinned. "Where are you going?" She sat up and let the skirt slip to her waist. "Why not come back down here?"

Siroc pulled on his shirt. "Marta we have been here for several hours, even after Tessa and D'Artagnan interrupted us." He knelt down beside her. "What gypsy spell did you cast on me, woman?" He bent down and kissed her throat. She moaned as his tongue traced a line from her throat to her navel. Marta's hands pulled Siroc's shirt off and forced his head to her chest.

As Tessa headed for home, D'Artagnan followed and watched from a safe distance. He saw a rider coming from the direction of the Alvarado hacienda and was amazed when they stopped for a minute and then turned north. He followed as the riders rode into a windy arroyo until it opened to a small valley where a cabin sat near a pond. As the two walked into the cabin, D'Artagnan could tell it was Tessa and Doctor Helm. Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he retreated down the arroyo and rode toward the hacienda.

No sound could be heard except for the click of his boot heels on the tile as he walked into the casa. As he walked down the hallway he heard a soft sound of crying. He knocked gently on the door and opened it. Jacqueline sat on the bed looking totally dejected. She looked up at him and stared. D'Artagnan walked over and sat down on the bed. "Jacqueline, what is it?" Jacqueline wrapped her arms around her friend and kissed him deeply. He did not resist and reciprocated.

The sun was setting as Tessa and Helm rode to the hacienda and ran into Marta and Siroc. The gypsy and the Frenchman were surprised to see Helm instead of D'Artagnan, but did not say anything, although they did blush when they first saw Tessa. Upon entering the casa, they heard noises from Jacqueline's room and raced down the hallway to investigate. As the door opened, the sight of Jacqueline's bare back and her straddling D'Artagnan’s hips made them quietly close the door.

When Helm rode towards Santa Elena, Ramon had decided to patrol the area where he had been attacked. As he sat on his horse looking at the arroyo from the cliffs above, he took his canteen and drank. Normally he didn't take one, but the container was already sitting on the kitchen table, so he had acquired it. As he looked around, he saw a rider coming toward him, the rider's blonde hair flowing behind. Ramon rode forward. "Señora Hidalgo, you shouldn't be riding out here alone."

"I always ride alone. You are Ramon, right? Tessa's cousin?"

"Sí, Señora."

"Vera, please call me Vera. Maybe you could escort me to someplace safe. My husband is in Monterrey on business."

"Pardon Señora, but I head that you were sweet on a certain Americano Captain."

Vera waved away an imaginary fly. "Captain Grisham is also in Monterrey for Colonel Montoya." She urged her horse closer to hum and ran her fingers up his arm. As her hand traveled up behind his head, she pulled them closer together and kissed him. "Come Ramon, I know a place."

Chapter 6

Colonel Luis Montoya walked into the darkened room wearing a hooded black robe. Unlit torches that were set in holders on the walls were lit and Luis realized that there were twenty hooded figures standing forming a walk. A figure was seated in a chair on a platform at the end of the double line. He watched as the figure stood up. "Brother Montoya, you were entrusted with two ancient artifacts from the Order of the Knights of the Black Tabernacle. What are you doing to recover them?"

"I have patrols out looking for the Knight of Swords?"

"Why do you think it is this Knight of Swords instead of the Queen of Swords?"

"The Queen of Swords would not know of the significance of the obelisk and I doubt that she reads French. I know nothing of this Knight of Swords, but I think he may be French as he spoke Spanish with a slight French accent. Unfortunately my imbecile Captain of the Guards has not located him."

"Colonel, it is your responsibility to protect the artifacts but first you have to find them. I would suggest that you take a personal hand in searching instead of making Captain Grisham do it. He doesn't have a personal stake in this. You on the other hand could be under a death sentence."

Montoya was sweating profusely. “I will not fail.” He looked at the leader who waved his hand as if he was batting at a fly then turned and disappeared. The torches were extinguished, leaving Montoya in the dark. Early the next morning, Montoya saw Edward Wellesley sitting at the Cantina and approached him. “Señor, who is El Jeffe?”

Wellesley sipped his early morning glass of wine. “Colonel, you know the chain of command. You only know your direct superior, maybe the next one above, but never the top Knight. I only know my superior and I cannot divulge that under pain of death.”

“I would not tell anyone.”

Edward stared at him. “Maybe not, but the walls have ears.” He looked up to see a serving girl approach. “I see Carlotta is now a serving wench.”

Montoya chuckled. “Her other profession is still active.”

“May I get you something, Colonel Montoya?”

Montoya shook his head. “No thank you, Carlotta, I have already eaten.” He stood up. “Maybe we can meet later, say on a ride through the countryside.”

“Perhaps, Colonel, but only if you have a deaf horse. Speaking of deaf, I hear that Señorita Alvarado has hired a deaf-mute.”

Montoya nodded. “Yes, she has. In fact the lot of them just rode into town. One of them is her cousin. I wish I could put my finger on what bothers me about them.”

Edward smiled. “Perhaps they won’t bow to your superiority.”

“Perhaps. Just maybe that deaf-mute isn’t so deaf after all.” He saw Corporal Trujillo on patrol and motioned him over. “Walk up behind the short one and fire a pistol by his head.”

The four musketeers dismounted, grabbed their saddlebags and walked towards the hotel where they had left some of their possessions. They came to retrieve the few items as they had decided to stay at the Alvarado hacienda.

Jacqueline was not entirely comfortable walking around with wax earplugs blocking the sound of the world around her. She remembered how she felt when as a child her ears were plugged up from a cold. Her comrades’ voices were so muffled that she could not distinguish anything. The pounding of her heels on the ground sounded like muffled drums in her head. As she walked toward the hotel, she tried not to bring attention to herself but at the same time, her eyes moved, watching for the unexpected. She concentrated so much to her front and sides that she did not see the corporal pull his pistol and fire into the air near her head. The concussion and flash of gunpowder against her face startled the musketeer. As the other musketeers started to pull their swords, Jacques drew his pistol, cocked and pointed it at the corporal. The corporal turned white as he stared into the barrel. “Colonel Montoya told me to do it.” Jacques could only see the man’s lips move and the pure terror in his face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Siroc sheath his sword and reach towards her hand, gently forcing the pistol downwards. He motioned with his hands. ‘Did you hear that?’

‘No, but I felt the blast on my face. If I did not have these ear plugs in, I would really be deaf, at least in one ear.’

Siroc turned towards the corporal. “If you ever do that again, it will be the last thing you do.” As he started to turn, Siroc missed the right cross that Jacques leveled at the corporal, knocking him to the ground. Montoya walked over to the group. “Striking a soldier is cause for being arrested.”

D'Artagnan stepped in front of Jacques. “Firing a pistol at someone’s head is a good way to get shot.”

Montoya looked at the four musketeers. “I wanted to be sure that this man is truly deaf.”

“What difference does that make, Colonel? You have your proof, and you are lucky that Jacques did not pull the trigger on your corporal or you.”

Montoya frowned. “Ah yes, but he did turn, so maybe he isn’t totally deaf.”

Siroc moved towards Montoya. “Colonel, Jacques told us that he felt the concussion and the flash against his face.”

"I thought he was mute as well as deaf. Señor Roget has our apologies."

"His name is Jacques Le Pont Roget and while they are twins, his sister goes by the name of Jacqueline Roget. Le Pont was their mother's name."

“So had did he talk to you?”

Siroc frowned. “Colonel, we used sign language. Juan Pablo Bonet published a book thirty years ago showing how to communicate with the deaf.” He noticed Jacques sign and he turned to Montoya. “Jacques said something that would be impolite to repeat Colonel, now, if you will excuse us….” The musketeers turned and walked into the hotel.

Edward watched the entire proceedings and laughed at Montoya walked back. “Colonel, just because a man cannot hear, does not mean that he can’t sense things. Would you like to know what that young man said?”

Montoya frowned. “Probably not. How is it that you can understand that gibberish?”

“My brother was deaf.” Edward laughed. “Actually Colonel, he said something about sticking it where the sun don't shine.”

A voice interrupted them. “That was a mean trick Colonel, having your man fire a pistol next to a deaf person.”

The men turned towards the voice and saw Tessa standing there. She smiled sweetly, walked over to the Englishman, and sat down. “Señor Wellesley, when did you arrive? It is a pleasure to see you again. Surely you have news of Madrid that you can tell me. What are the styles now?” She put her hand on Edward’s hand as she turned her head and motioned to the servant. “Please bring some wine for the Señor.”

Montoya bowed and walked away shaking his head as the doña and Englishman conversed. “How does that girl run a hacienda when all she thinks of is parties and fashion?”

The four musketeers gathered what possessions were left and started to leave the hotel. Siroc signed to Jacques. 'Are you all right? Did the wax plugs help?'

'Thank God, yes. That damn Montoya could have permanently destroyed my hearing.'

The musketeers gathered their things and headed back to the hacienda. As they were taking things into their rooms, Siroc dropped one bag in Jacqueline's room. Something sticking out from under the bed caught his eye. He bent down and picked up a piece of leather with two holes. He turned as Jacques walked into the room and they locked eyes. He signed. 'Jacqueline, you are the Knight of swords.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I found the mask. I know you are the Knight. Why?'

'It was a way to get my friends out of jail and I found something.'

'What did you find?'

"Mazarin's obelisk and his journal. I took it from Montoya's office. It tells all about Richelieu’s fight with the musketeers and Mazarin's fight with us.'

'How did it get here? Someone must have brought it and that means the Order is here.'

Jacques nodded. 'It also means that there may be a way to get home. Marta and I think that the Order was responsible and I think the obelisk is the center of it.'

Siroc walked over to the door and closed it. He turned back and signed. 'We must keep this quiet. I need to see the book and obelisk to see what we might be able to use.’ He watched Jacqueline for a moment. ‘Wouldn’t you rather live here?’

Jacqueline shook her head. ‘As nice as it is here, I do not wish to spend the rest of my life here. Although I wouldn't mind it, at least I can be myself.'

Siroc frowned. 'Right. That why Jacqueline Roget pretends to be a deaf- mute Jacques and the Knight of Swords.'

Siroc shook his head and walked out of the room.

Frustrated, Jacqueline threw up her hands and followed. "It wasn’t my idea to be a deaf-mute.” She pulled the earplugs out of her ears. “Siroc, be honest, why do you want to stay here?"

Siroc stared at her. "Many reasons. I would not have to look over my shoulder in the fear that my former master might find me. I talked to Doctor Helm about the advances since our time. Did you know they invented a far seer called a telescope in 1668."

"Isn't that the collapsible tube that Tessa has? Actually I think that some inventor in Holland created one earlier than that. My father used to tell me stories as a little girl and Gerard and I used to make toy ones."

Siroc frowned. "All right, I will give you that one, but they perfected it since then. They even invented a boat powered by steam a few years ago and they move passengers." He shook his head. "Remember that submersible I made? Well they perfected it in 1776 one hundred and twenty three years after I did and they call it a submarine." He walked around in circles. "Don't you understand? I am an inventor and in the last century and a half, they invented everything."

Jacqueline laughed. "Maybe they left a couple of things to be invented. Are you sure you are not more interested in Marta?"

Siroc stopped and smiled as he looked at his comrade. "She is a fine woman. Beautiful, smart, resourceful, loving…"

Jacqueline shook her head. "Siroc, I took an oath to protect the King and I intend to do that for as long as I live."

Siroc ran his fingers through his hair. “Not like it will make any difference. King Louis sat on the throne until his death at the age of 77 in 1715. Doctor Helm told me that there is no King of France now. The French people executed their last king and queen in 1793. A man named Napoleon Bonaparte who was a General during the revolution that overthrew the King became Emperor until about 1814. He caused a war between France and half of Europe, a war that both Colonel Montoya and Doctor Helm were involved in as soldiers. Tessa and Marta lived in Spain during the occupation." He looked at Jacqueline. "You know the only musketeers that are remembered are Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan. No one remembers us at all." He laughed. "Louis must have done all right without us, meaning we never returned home."

Jacqueline shook her head. "Or it means we did our jobs so well that Louis lived a long life. If there is a chance, I want to go back. Back to France, the land of my birth." She took Siroc's hands in hers. "Do you know if D'Artagnan and Ramon want to go back?"

Siroc shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, we never discussed it. Look, even though I would be willing to stay here, I will do everything in my power to find a way back. I need to examine the book and the obelisk. Where are they?"

"I hid it."

"Jacqueline! Where did you hide them?"

"Someplace no one would think to look."

Siroc looked down and shook his head. "Jacqueline, this is me, Siroc. Don't you trust me?"

"We need to all be together when we retrieve them."

Chapter 7

Edward indulged Tessa with the reports of all of the goings on in Madrid as he secretly wondered if all the women in Alta California were so materialistic and vapid. He compared the few women he knew here and only Marta was a down to earth woman. She had better things to do than worry about parties and fashion but, then again, she was only a servant to a rich doña.

A figure stood in the shadows of a building and watched the confrontation between the Corporal and Señorita Alvarado’s friends. Now the figure watched the Englishman and the señorita talk while Montoya walked away. ‘If Montoya paid more attention he would retrieve the obelisk. Of course then he would not have lost it in the first place.’

Colonel Montoya opened his eyes and listened. Something had caused him to wake up, but he didn't know what. He casually rolled over, slipped his hand under his pillow and felt for his pistol. It was gone. He sat up until the forward motion of his head was stopped by something cold and round.

"Stay easy Colonel. You wouldn't want me to pull the trigger of your own pistol, would you?"

"Who are you and why did you sneak in to my room in the middle of the night?"

"What's the matter Colonel, afraid of the dark?" Montoya heard the striker and saw a flash of light as the intruder lit a candle on the bed stand. As his eyes adjusted, he was startled to see a hooded figure. The figure laughed and pulled off the hood to reveal the Knight of Swords. "Surprise Colonel. I swear you are as white as a ghost. Now let's see if you can become whiter." The Knight drew a second pistol and placed one on each side of his victim's head. "You thought it would be fun to scare a deaf mute. You do realize that being deaf does not mean blind or unfeeling, don't you? In fact, you probably gave that poor boy powder burns on his face. Now to show you how it feels, I will fire both pistols at the same time."

Montoya paled. "Wait! If you do that, then I will be deaf."

The Knight looked down ay his victim. "What's your point?" He cocked one of the pistols and fired.

Click

Montoya’s face was white as a sheet and sweat trickled down his face. His eyes widened as the second pistol was placed at his forehead. “Say good bye, Colonel.” The hammer was cocked. “No wait, I want to ask you a few questions first.”

Montoya gulped. “What do you want to know?”

“Why did you have the corporal fire his pistol?”

“I wanted to be sure the man was truly deaf. If he was dead then there is nothing to worry about, but a man playing deaf and overhearing others would be a danger.”

The knight nodded. “That sort of makes sense…in a paranoid kind of way.”

Montoya stared at the Knight. “I answered your question, now answer mine. Why did you take the obelisk and book?”

The Knight laughed. “What makes you think I took it?”

"It was here when I went to the jail and gone when I was released. The only two people who would do this are the Queen of Swords and you. Now since the Queen doesn't read French, it must be you."

"You think I read French better than the Queen? I am flattered."

Montoya shook his head. "Don't be. I detect a slight French accent in your Spanish. In fact, it appears that you arrived about the same time as those friends of Señorita Alvarado. I just wonder where you all came from. The way those men carry themselves, it is obvious that they do not belong here and neither do you. Who are you?"

"They are friends of Señorita Alvarado. I on the other hand, I am an enemy of the Order." The Knight eased the hammer down. "Next time Colonel, I might not let you off easy." The Knight rapped the pistol along side Montoya's head and knocked him out. Stepping outside the room and onto the balcony, the Knight slipped over the balcony and dropped to the ground before slipping away into the darkness.

In the shadows across the square, a figure watched as the Knight of Swords slipped into Montoya's office and a few minutes later slipped out. A smile formed as the figure turned and mounted a horse and rode away from Santa Elena.

Two hours later, Jacqueline opened the cellar entrance to the secret room and ran straight into D'Artagnan. "Have a nice meeting with Colonel Montoya, Jacqueline? Or should I say the Knight of Swords?"

The female musketeer stared at him. "How did you figure it out?"

"I followed you when you snuck out tonight and got back just a few minutes ago. I watched as you entered and left Montoya's office. Did you have fun?"

Jacqueline laughed. "Oh yes. If Montoya was a lesser man, he would have wet himself."

D'Artagnan frowned. “Jacqueline you have got to quit taking unnecessary chances. It’s one thing to play Jacques in France but here you are Jacqueline, the deaf mute Jacques and the Knight of Swords. You are going to get yourself killed.”

“That’s sweet D'Artagnan, but that is the very reason I didn’t tell you.”

“Who else knows and what have you learned?”

The female musketeer jumped up on a box and sat down. “Siroc figured it out. I have learned that Mazarin’s obelisk is here. Montoya had some sort of journal that named your father and his friends from Richelieu’s time. I haven’t read it all yet but so far, we are not mentioned. Siroc is trying to find a way to get us back to France and our duty to our King.” She furled her brow as D'Artagnan’s face seemed to go limp. “What? Don’t tell me you would rather stay here?”

He shook his head. “I will go anywhere you go. Don’t you like it here?”

“But you would rather stay here. Don’t you care about country and King?”

“You are confusing duty with the patriot’s game.”

She frowned. “What the hell is the patriot’s game?”

“It’s a song I heard sung by an Irish traveler a year ago and has to do with England conquering the Irish.” He put on his singing voice.

Come all ye young rebels, and list while I sing,
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing.
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame,
And it makes us all part of the patriot game.

“Basically it tells us that we become reckless in the name of patriotism, like becoming this Knight of Swords.”

A third voice popped in. “Or the Queen of Swords.”

The two musketeers looked to see Tessa standing on the stairs to the cellar. The señorita smiled. "Sometimes it isn't a patriotic game, D'Artagnan but justice. Once you put on the cloak of an avenging angel, you are hooked." She looked at the female musketeer. "Just like you did, Jacqueline. You put on the cloak of justice as I did and you cannot shirk your duty, even though that duty just may be the death of you."

"Tessa, are you down here?" Marta's voice could be heard coming from the top of the stairs.

"Sí, Marta, D'Artagnan and Jacqueline are here with me. We are just coming up." Tessa looked at the musketeers. "Shall we? As nice as the basement is, the study would be better. D'Artagnan would you be kind enough to select a bottle of wine?"

As the legend’s son looked at the wine rack, Jacqueline got down and the women went upstairs. Marta let the women pass and waited for D'Artagnan to come up the stairs. "I think she said a bottle of wine, not two."

"We are French and there is no such thing as one bottle of wine. Besides one bottle won't serve six people."

Marta frowned. "Six? Is Doctor Helm expected?"

D'Artagnan shrugged. "If he does that would make seven. I was counting you as one of the six."

"I am a servant and servants don't get included."

D'Artagnan looked past Marta to see Tessa and Jacqueline looking at him. "You Marta are not just a servant. You are Tessa's confidant, her duena and her friend.” He smiled. "I believe Siroc would have something else to add."

Marta blushed and let him pass. "Flatterer." As D'Artagnan stopped and kissed her on the cheek, her cheeks turned even redder.

The next morning, Siroc and Jacques rode out together to patrol the rancho. As they rode, Jacques looked over at Siroc. "The Knight had a little visit with Colonel Montoya last night."

Siroc turned his head sharply towards her. “Are you trying to get yourself caught?"

"He was asleep when I got there and we had a little chat. He knows I took the book and knows I am French." She turned her head towards the trail they traveled. "He is trying to connect the Knight with the four of us and he also suspects that I took the book and the obelisk."

"I need to look at that book and the obelisk. Where did you put them?"

Jacques laughed. "I hid the book where Montoya would never look…right under his mattress. The remarkable thing is that he seemed more interested in the book than the obelisk. Maybe Montoya is working with someone."

Siroc nodded. "We will need to be on our toes. Montoya thinks there is a connection between the Knight and us. His best bet is to get one of us alone for interrogation."

"Then if someone…anyone…wants to separate us, the others had better be close behind."

Siroc scratched his chin. "Where is the obelisk?"

Jacques grinned. “I hid it in the sacristy of the church."

"You don't think they would check there?"

"Siroc, Montoya barely goes into the church itself. I would bet he has never been in the sacristy. We have to wait until an opportunity presents itself so we can recover the items."

Two days later, Tessa and Marta drove the wagon into town for supplies, escorted by the four musketeers. As they rode into town, Doctor Helm walked up. "Buenos Dias, Señorita Alvarado. A donde esta Señorita Roget?"

"Buenos Dias, Doctor." She handed the reins to Marta and stepped down. "Jacqueline stayed at the hacienda today. She wasn't feeling well."

"Anything I can do?"

Tessa smiled. "No, it is a natural thing."

Helm nodded while he noticed three of the musketeers blush. Jacques just sat his horse watching the pueblo. The deaf mute reached over and touched Siroc's arms. 'We have company coming. Don Hidalgo I believe.'

Siroc nodded and signed. 'I believe you are correct. Dona Hidalgo is coming this way also.'

The heavy set Don walked up. "My dear Tessa, I wonder if I might impose."

Tessa smiled and took the Don's arm. "Now how could I refuse anything for a Godfather? What is it?"

"I have to travel to El Presidio de Santa Barbara and I do not wish to travel alone. Might I impose on one of your friends to accompany me?"

"Why certainly, I will ask them."

"Tessa, this may sound strange, but the one I want to go is the deaf mute. You see, I will be doing some confidential business and I need someone who I know would not compromise the situation. Someone who is deaf and a fighter would be very helpful."

Tessa nodded and turned to Siroc. "Don Hidalgo would like to have Jacques travel with him to Santa Barbara."

Siroc turned to Jacques. 'You heard?"

'Of course. I did not put in the wax yet. Sounds like this might be interesting.'

Siroc scratched his chin with his hand. "Oui, you might learn something.'

'Remember what we said about if someone tries to get one of us alone?'

Siroc nodded. 'I would agree, but they think you are a deaf mute.'

D'Artagnan turned to Don Hidalgo. "Señor, I will accompany you on the trip as well. It would be safer for Jacques." As Don Hidalgo nodded in agreement, he did not see the look that his wife gave Ramon or the musketeer's smile. "Don Hidalgo, when do you wish to leave?"

"Tomorrow morning, if you are available."

The legend's son smiled. "We will meet you at your hacienda tomorrow morning then."

As the portly gentleman walked away, Jacques squinted at D'Artagnan and made some gestures. Siroc laughed. 'Jacques, I will not translate those gestures. D'Artagnan is right, however. You should have a partner with you. It will be safer.'

Jacques frowned. 'I hate it when he is right.'

Siroc smiled. 'I will talk to Tessa about a little raid when you are gone. I am willing to bet that Montoya will be gone for a few days. I am also willing to bet that our chubby friend is up to his eyeballs with Montoya and the artifacts. Even Mazarin did not work alone. Someone has to be in charge, and Montoya and Hidalgo don't appear to be wily enough to be pulling the strings.'

‘You are right about someone else being in charge, but I thought I made it clear that we all needed to be together.’

‘Jacqueline, we may not get another chance to get into Montoya’s room again. I will only get the book. The obelisk will have to wait.’

‘All right, only the book. I wonder who the leader would be…’

Siroc shrugged. 'I doubt it would be Grisham. It would have to be someone who is smart and intelligent, not to mention experienced in the art of misdirection.' Siroc looked around the square. ‘Be careful in Santa Barbara, but keeps your ears open. You never know what you might learn.'

‘Don’t worry, I will be with Don Hidalgo and D'Artagnan can nose around.’

Siroc and Ramon rode into town with Tessa just as Montoya and ten soldiers rode out of town towards the South. Tessa had ridden her horse and left the wagon for Marta who was out hunting for herbs with Doctor Helm. Tessa dismounted in front of the hacienda and walked towards Montoya's office where she saw Captain Grisham. "Captain, where is Colonel Montoya going?"

Grisham tipped his hat. "He is going to San Diego for a few days. Is there something I can do for you?"

"No, gracias. I needed to speak to Colonel Montoya about something, but it can wait until he returns. Tell me, does he get upset when he finds out that you sleep in his bed while he is gone?"

Grisham's job dropped. "I would never do that. He is a lot shorter than me and besides if he ever found out, he would castr… he would unman me with a dull knife."

Tessa blushed. "That is a little more information than I wanted to know. Thank you Captain." She turned and walked back to Siroc and noticed that Ramon had entered the cantina. As she walked past them she lowered her voice and looked at Siroc. "Montoya will be out of town for a few days. Do you mind telling me why you wanted me to find out about where Grisham would be?"

"I have something I need to find."

Tessa nodded. "You mean the book that Jacqueline hid? I helped her hide it where Montoya wouldn't look. I am not sure where she put the obelisk but there weren't many places she could go before we went to the jail to free you." She looked around the square. "I guess the Queen and the Knight ride tonight."

Jacques and D'Artagnan rode alongside Don Hidalgo's carriage for three days past La Purlisma Concepción Mission, and then Mission Santa Ynez on the way to El Presidio de Santa Barbara. The musketeers were wary as they approached the mission and continued past it. They continued two miles until they reached the presidio. D'Artagnan and Jacques looked at the whitewashed buildings that were constructed of sun-dried adobe bricks laid upon foundations of sandstone boulders. Timbers supported roofs of red tile that the Spanish developed to prevent roof fires. The buildings of the presidio formed a quadrangle enclosing a central parade ground, the whole surrounded by an outer defense wall with two cannon bastions. The most prominent structure was the chapel and it was to this structure that Don Hidalgo drove towards.

Soldiers stood guard near the various buildings. Colonel Montoya descended the steps of the chapel and greeted the don before looking at the musketeers. "Gaspar, what are they doing here?"

"Colonel, you had several soldiers with you, I had two men. Señor Roget will accompany me as a bodyguard. Since he cannot hear or speak, he will not be a security risk."

As D'Artagnan walked the horses to the tie post, Montoya lowered his voice for Gaspar to hear. Jacques pretended to look around the presidio as if he was truly deaf. “Gaspar, do what you will with the deaf boy, but the other one must die. I will have him invited to a ride with two of my soldiers. You do know there are a lot of bears in the Goleta valley, don’t you?”

As the two men conspired to end D'Artagnan’s life, the musketeer bumped into a Franciscan friar. “Excuse me Padre, I am new to this area and I would like to ask you some questions.”

The padre nodded. “Of course my son. We are very proud of our accomplishments. What would you like to know?”

“Well, I thought Santa Barbara was a mission, but it turns out to be a fort.”

The Padre smiled. “That is easy to understand. Santa Barbara is a presidio and a mission. The Santa Barbara Royal Presidio is one of four military fortresses along the wilderness frontier. In 1786 the mission was founded two miles from the presidio and in 1790, the mission had established cattle herds and farms in the Goleta Valley. In 1803 the sub-mission church of San Miguel was established in the Goleta Valley but in 1812, both missions were destroyed by an earthquake.

“We Franciscans introduced agriculture to these Indians. The principal products of the field are wheat, barley, corn, beans, and peas. We also have orange and olive trees as well as grape vines brought up from Mexico. Water is brought from the mountain creeks to irrigate the fields and for domestic use. To impound these waters a dam was built in 1807, about two miles upstream. The water feeds into the mission by a gravity aqueduct. We also maintain cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, mules and horses in great number. Do you know that in 1809, there were 5,200 head of cattle, and in 1803, 11,221 head of sheep. Here at the mission, the Indians make adobe, tiles, shoes, and woolen garments. Many are learning the trades of carpentry and masonry as well as being herdsmen and farmers. For uncivilized people they also have leaned to sing and play European instrumental music.” The padre’s smile went away. “I must caution you my son that there are many wild animals around. One year during a bad drought, the soldiers gathered over 9000 pounds of bear meat to feed us. Don’t go alone or unarmed into the Goleta Valley. Not all of the animals here walk on 4 feet, some walk on two.” He looked around. “I must go my son, I have said too much.”

Out on the parade grounds Montoya whispered to Gaspar and then left. The don walked over to D'Artagnan. “I am going to rest before supper so you and your friend can look around. Have him meet me at six o’clock at the chapel as that is where my meeting will be. Until then you are on your own.”

The Frenchman nodded. “Very well.” He signed to Jacques. ‘You heard? We have until six o’clock. Have you learned anything useful?’

‘Yes, Montoya is going to have you killed.’

‘Oh…how?’

‘He said that he would have two soldiers invite you to ride in the Goleta Valley. They will probably make you have an accident or something.’

‘Eaten, more than likely. The padre tells me that there are a lot of bears in the valley. You know, I didn’t believe Siroc when he said I should learn sign. Glad I did. The padre also suggested that I would be attacked and that confirms what you heard. I can take care of myself, but you watch yourself.’

Jacques stayed close to Don Hidalgo during his meeting and played the perfect deaf bodyguard. The musketeer observed the group that met, all of them soldiers except for the don. When the meeting was over, Jacques returned to the quarters that were assigned to the don's guards. As they settled in for the night Jacques looked and her companion. "Don't get any ideas. I am still Jacques, not Jacqueline."

D'Artagnan's face fell. "Jacqueline, I would never…especially since we are surrounded by Spanish soldiers in a Spanish fortress, in a foreign land almost two hundred years from our own time."

Jacques slid a dagger lose from its scabbard and smiled. "Just a precaution." She walked over to the window and looked out. "Do you think they will attack us in the middle of the night?"

"No. I think they will make me have an accident. Then they will attack you or maybe you will make it back to tell the others."

She tuned back to her comrade. "What are we going to do?"

"Play it by ear. Now let's get some sleep. I think tomorrow may prove interesting."

The next morning as the musketeers finished breakfast with the presidio soldiers, they saw a sergeant walk up. "Señor, I believe your name is D'Artagnan?"

"Sí, what can I do for you?"

"I am Sergeant Trujillo. Your companion will be with Don Hidalgo all day. There isn't much for a visitor to do, so I am inviting you to go on a bear hunt in the valley. A farmer lost some animals last night."

D'Artagnan nodded. 'Okay, this is it. Unless you actually see my body, don't believe what they tell you.' "That would be all right. I told Jacques that we are going hunting."

"Very good. Would you prefer a musket or a pike?"

The Frenchman considered a moment. "A musket will be fine."

Several hours later the hunters returned with the body of a bear. Three soldiers bore wounds but D'Artagnan was nowhere to be found. Sergeant Trujillo walked up to Jacques. "I know you can't hear me, but your friend was killed by a bear. He must have been torn apart along with Private Elias. All we found of him was this dagger in the body of the bear." He handed the dagger to Jacques. The musketeer's face showed shock and sorrow, but he did not cry. He turned and walked into the shared quarters. As she closed the door, tears welled up in her face and she did not see the shadowy figure in the corner. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth and a voice alerted her. “Do not move or make a sound.”

Chapter 8

Santa Elena

The moonless night hid the intruders of Montoya’s bedroom as the Knight and the Queen crept up the stairs. They stopped when they heard the sounds of intimacy coming from the room. The Knight motioned for the Queen to hide as he stomped his feet on the stairs. Squeals of a woman and the bouncing sounds of the bedsprings could be heard just before the door opened and a flash of blonde hair and a bare back rushed by them and into another room. They heard footsteps and the unmistakable sound of someone kicking something, followed by words. The Knight and Queen looked at each other as they did not understand the words, but knew they were English. The Knight leaned over to the Queen. “Sounds like someone stubbed their toe.”

“Serves him right for sleeping with another man’s wife in his Commander’s bed.” The Queen pushed the door open a bit and slipped in. “All clear. Get the book and let’s get out of here.” The Knight crawled under the bed and retrieved the book while the Queen listened for any interruption. They started to leave the quarters, but stopped when they heard yelling.

Marcus Grisham swore as his right bare foot smashed into the bedpost in his hurried attempt to escape before Montoya entered. Hopping on one foot, he made it to the balcony and dropped to the ground, injuring his left bare foot on rock. "Damn, what else could go wrong?"

"Captain Grisham, you are a man without honor." Grisham froze. Slowly he turned his head to the sound of the voice.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I am here to warn you about ruining a woman's reputation." Ramon walked up closer. "Do you know what will happen if Don Hidalgo finds that you have been sleeping with his wife?"

Grisham laughed. "Do you think that fat old man will challenge me to a duel?"

"No, he will probably throw Señora Hidalgo out and disgrace her. Do you think a woman like her will run to you, a mere Captain? I think not. She may toy with you but in the end she will go to her husband."

"I think I know what you are doing. You want her for yourself, don't you? Well, you aren't going to get her." He reached for his sword and realized it was in Montoya’s bedroom.

Ramon shook his head. "Don't even think about it Captain. If you fight me, everyone will know what it is about. If you care about her, you will stay away from her."

"And if I don't, you will tell her husband? Go ahead, what do I care?" Grisham looked around at the sound of a gasp and saw Vera in the shadows. She walked over too him and slapped his face.

"Lechón." She turned and stormed away.

The Knight and the Queen raced away on horseback with the journal. A half hour later they sat side by side in the hidden lair at the Alvarado hacienda reading. Siroc translated as he read to Tessa. "I read the first part that was done by Cardinal Richelieu but this part was written by Mazarin. It concern my companions and King Louis XIV." He looked up at Tessa. “Richelieu was not the leader of the Order. His downfall was due to his trying to take over and he was dealt with severely. Here is something interesting. He writes ‘If you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang him.’”

Siroc fell silent while Tessa drummed her fingers on the table. “Well, is there more?”

The blonde frowned. “This part was written by someone else about fifty years after Mazarin died. Sounds like he was writing a biography. It says that Mazarin was educated by the Jesuits at Rome until he was 17 and became a chamberlain to the University of Alcala in Spain. Oh, this is rich. Our illustrious Cardinal distinguished himself more by his love of gambling and his gallant adventures than by study. His extracurricular activities were the Spanish language, and Spanish love-making. That helped when he became the servant of a Spanish queen.” He scratched his chin. “I wonder who that might be?” He winked at Tessa. “In 1622 he went back to Rome and obtained a degree as Doctor utriusque juris, and then became captain of infantry in the regiment of Colonna.” Siroc shook his head. “I never knew the man had been a soldier. Anyway, Mazarin died at Vincennes on the 9th of March 1661, leaving a fortune estimated at from 18 to 40 million livres.” He whistled. “Not bad for someone who supposedly took the vow of poverty.”

“Very nice, but what does that have to do with anything?”

Siroc chuckled. “It is always good to know your enemy.” As he turned a page, a piece of parchment fell out. “Hey this is in Mazarin’s hand. It describes an incident in 1653 when he tried to conjure up the Four Horsemen. He let an underling cast the words but he messed up. Apparently the underling uttered the words promitto (send forth) instead of prodo (bring forth).the result was a backlash and ten of the brotherhood were killed. Mazarin doesn’t how close he came to dying himself but it appears it wasn't by much.”

"Siroc, that still doesn't tell us anything. Who are these horsemen?"

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse of the Bible. They are better known as War, Famine, Pestilence and Death. I am sure Mazarin wanted them so he could control them."

Tessa stood up and paced. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would any sane man want to control these Horsemen?"

"Mazarin could use them to eliminate the Huguenots in France and possibly all of Europe. Obviously his plans didn't work."

Tessa sat on the edge of the table with one foot on the floor. "So what happened?"

"What happened was four horsemen, namely us, were transported to the future. The question is how do we get back?"

"Does Mazarin give you any clues?"

"No, but there is a disturbing notation. He says here that he believes that within 10 years the musketeers will no longer be a thorn in his side. Tessa, you cannot tell anyone about this. If they knew that we will all be dead it would be disastrous. One should not know when he will die."

Tessa put her hand on Siroc's hand. "You forget something that you said earlier."

Siroc looked up at her. "What is that?"

"You left France in 1653 and Mazarin died in 1661. Is it possible that he foresaw his own death?"

Siroc nodded. "Yes it is possible, but what if the reason that the musketeers are no longer a thorn is that we don’t make it back?”

“Surely you weren’t the only musketeers? How many were there?”

“About two hundred.”

“So Mazarin only considers the four of you to be thorns and no one else?”

Siroc laughed. “You have a point, but still, I don't think we should tell anyone.”

"Agreed." She stood up and started to leave. “Come on. If we stay down here too much longer, my lover will be looking to castrate you.”

Siroc winced. "I wouldn't want that to happen. Someday I might want children."

Tessa winked. "So do I." She led the way up the stairs. She stopped as she walked into the kitchen. Marta and Robert faced them each with a long knife in their hands.

Robert frowned. "What are you doing with my woman?"

Siroc gulped. "Nothing, I swear it."

Marta walked up to him and put her seventeen-inch blade at his crotch. "You had better be more convincing or I know of a Frog who will be filleted. How dare you romance me and then try to romance Tessa?"

Sweat ran down the musketeer's face. "I swear we were just talking."

Marta and Robert exchanged looks and started laughing. Robert slapped Siroc on the back. "If I really thought you were trying to woo Tessa, I wouldn't need any help. You are a swordsman, a musketeer. I too was a soldier and a spy." He flipped the blade around in his hand, catching it by the tip of the blade and flung it at the door jam. The blade quivered in the wood, just as Ramon appeared in the doorway. The Spaniard's eyes widened. He carefully backed out of the kitchen.

"If you want privacy, just say so."

Tessa walked to the door. "Come on in Ramon, Roberto was just making a point with Siroc."

Chapter 9

Presidio de Santa Barbara

Jacqueline relaxed at the whispered words. As soon as the hand was released, she spun around and kissed the owner of the hand. "Damn you, even though you warned me, it was a shock. What happened?"

"Private Elias led the way into the valley with Sergeant Trujillo taking up the rear, putting me in the middle. Somewhere along the trail, Trujillo disappeared. When I realized he was gone, I pulled off the trail without alerting Elias. A few minutes later I heard a scream and a musket shot. It turns out that the good Sergeant had circled around and got ahead of us. When Elias rounded a rock, a bear reared up and swatted the Private from his horse and ripped him open. Trujillo fired a shot at the bear and then ran. Elias' horse had been injured also and tried to run away. It got halfway back towards me before the bear caught it and killed it." D'Artagnan swallowed as he remembered the sight. "I guess the smell spooked my horse and threw me. I crashed into the brush and rolled down an incline. I could see own horse as it too was ripped apart and I was afraid it would come after me, but by then Trujillo had reloaded and shot the bear again, killing it. I decided to play dead."

"So now what?"

"I am going to nose around and see what I can find out. You play the deaf mute and I will meet you on the trail on the way back." He laughed. "It's not like I have a horse at the moment." He kissed her and slipped out of the window that he had used when he entered.

Alvarado hacienda.

Tessa sat at the kitchen table across from Roberto while Siroc and Marta snapped green beans into a bowl. Ramon sat on a small stool in the corner and peeled potatoes. Tessa looked at her longtime friend. "Marta, have you ever heard of the Order of the Knights of the Black Tabernacle?"

Marta's face went pale and she blessed herself. "Tessa, what do you know of them?"

"Siroc and I were reading a journal about the Oder."

Marta took Tessa's hands. "They are an devil worshipers who are deeply involved with the occult. They were also heavily involved with the Inquisition. The leader supposedly has an obelisk that he has tried to use several times to bring forth evil."

"What kind of evil?"

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."

Tessa nodded. "That is what the journal said."

Marta stood up and walked to the stove. "At least the obelisk is not here."

Siroc and Tessa looked at each other. "Marta, I have seen the obelisk."

Marta whirled around. "You what? The obelisk is here? Madre de Dios. This is terrible what are we going to do?"

Tessa stood up and walked over to Marta, putting her arms around her friend. "Calm down Marta, the Knight of Swords hid the obelisk and the Queen of Swords retrieved the journal with some help from a friend."

Marta stared at Tessa. "We must recover it and destroy it."

Siroc shook his head. "No. We cannot destroy it as it may be the only way we can get to our own time. Of course we have one problem in that we don't know where it is."

Ramon put down a potato. "I have one question." He watched as they all turned to him. "If the obelisk and journal are here, who is running the Order? I mean, we know that Mazarin led it during our time, but who runs it now?"

Helm looked at Ramon. "Good question. Who had the obelisk and journal in the first place and how did it get here?"

Tessa sat down. "Montoya had it, but who could have brought it to him? The only newcomer was." She stopped and her hand flew to her mouth. "Madre de Dios, Edward."

Helm looked at her. "That English reporter? He brought it?"

She nodded. "Could be, but I am not certain."

Presidio del Santa Barbara

Jacques walked side by side with Don Hidalgo as they walked into a dimly lit room. As the robed and hooded Don found his place, he motioned Jacques to the side of the room where the musketeer stood alone, as he was the only one who was not wearing a robe or hood. Jacqueline's eyes took in all of the area and saw fifteen individuals sat in a U shaped setting with three hooded individuals at the opening of the U, one on a platform sat above the others. Jacques was surprised that the chubby Don sat on the left side of the platform.

The figure to the right stood up. "Brothers, we are gathered together to discuss some serious matters of the brotherhood. As you know, the leadership of the brotherhood has been transferred from France to Spain and now it has been transferred to Alta California upon the demise of Grand Master San Pablo during the Inquisition. We now have a new Grand Master whose identity will be known only to two others, myself and Brother Hidalgo. You will notice that there is one person who does not wear the robes of our order. Brother Hidalgo brought that person here, because the young man is deaf and dumb. The boy only knows that he is here to protect our brother." The speaker removed his hood to reveal himself. "Everyone remove your hoods." Jacques looked at the speaker, as he did not recognize the tall portly man even though he looked familiar. "For those of you my brothers who do not know me. I am brother Edward and I recently brought the obelisk, the symbol of our order to Alta California to be entrusted to our new Grand Master. Unfortunately, it has been taken, along with the journal of our Grand Master, all the way back to before Cardinal Richelieu."

A thin man stood up. "Brother Edward, who took the obelisk?" He sat down.

"We don't know. We thought it was the Queen of Swords, but upon further review with Brother Luis, we feel that she would not have known the significance of the obelisk or what the journal is, since she does not speak French. No we feel it must be another, possibly this Knight of Swords."

Another man stood up. "Who is this Knight of Swords?"

Jacques winced as he heard the response. "We believe that the new comer, D'Artagnan was the Knight of Swords. He has miraculously been terminated by a bear." He chuckled. "Not the way the situation was to be handled, but quite effective, and no one can come back to us." He gestured to the man to the right of the dais. "Brother Louis will now address the Order."

Montoya stood up and looked at those assembled. "Brothers, as Brother Edward has said, we have a new Grand Master. Due to the tragic recent history, it has been decided by the Grand Master electorate that only the electorate and the Grand Master's second in command will know the identity of the Grand Master. In this case, only Edward knows who the Grand Master is because the four members of the electorate were killed shortly after the election. This is what precipitated the transferring of the obelisk to Alta California." Montoya walked over to Jacques and put his hand on the musketeer’s shoulder. "I know you do not hear me, but for the sake of the Order, I want you to stand outside the building." Montoya led Jacques to the door and motioned him where to stand. Jacques nodded in understanding, and the colonel went back into the room. "Brothers, we now have an issue to deal with." He approached the dais. "I hereby accuse Brother Edward of the murder of the electorate."

The Englishman's face turned pale. "That is a lie. I did no such thing. The electorate was in Spain when they were killed and I was in England. In fact, I was interviewing a naval hero, a British Admiral by the name of Sir William Sidney Smith. When I got back to Spain, I found out about the tragedy."

Montoya sneered. "How convenient…especially since you are the only one who knows the Grand Master’s identity. I wonder if we should demand to know who this Grand Master is." Montoya looked at the members. "A show of hands in favor of all members knowing the identity of the Grand Master." He turned back to Edward and the Grand Master. "So say we all."

Sweat poured down Edward's face. "Wait…Sir William is a member of the Freemasons and I was there to get him to join the Order."

"Oh really? At whose request?"

“Grand Master San Pablo."

Montoya looked at the Englishman. "Very interesting. Grand Master San Pablo was killed two years ago and the electorate was killed eight months ago. I doubt that you spoke to San Pablo. Who told you?"

Edward gestured to the Grand Master. "It seems that Sir William does not want to join us because he thinks that we are tied to the Paulicians or the Bogomils."

Montoya laughed. "The Paulicians and Bogomils are practitioners of Catharism."

Edward nodded. "Exactly, and since he feels that way and Cathari are practitioners of the Black Mass and necromancy, he wants nothing to do with us."

Montoya shook his head. "That is the sorriest excuse I have ever heard, and it was the Grand Master who sent you to England just before the electorate was killed. Edward, have you ever seen the face of the Grand Master?"

"Yes, why?"

Montoya signaled to two brothers. "Unmask the Grand Master."

Edward's mouth dropped open. "That is not the Grand Master. That is Francois De Molay. That man is an imposter." Edward grabbed the imposter by the neck. "Where is the Grand Master? Tell me."

The man sneered. "Over my dead body." He grunted as his eyes glazed over. As he dropped to the floor, the membership could see two daggers in the imposter's upper torso. Edward looked at Montoya. "I think you and I have some talking to do."

Montoya nodded. "I agree. Now, do you know who the real Grand Master is?"

"I do, providing this scum didn't kill the Grand Master." He whispered to Montoya who jerked his head back. "You're serious? That's who the Grand Master is? Do you think this cabron was a decoy?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't think so, but he may be the one who killed the electorate. What tipped you off?"

Montoya grinned. "I was slipped a note by a hooded member. It said that the Grand Master was an imposter. Now that the deception was uncovered, I think we should adjourn until tomorrow night."

An hour later, Montoya took off his jacket and shirt. As he sat down to remove his boots, his hand slowly removed a pistol from under the mattress. He froze as something sharp poked him in the back of the neck and a woman's voice whispered in his ear. "Don't even think about it Luis. You wouldn't have a chance."

Montoya removed his hand and slowly stood up, turning around to face a hooded figure. "Who are you?"

"I am the Grand Master."

"Impossible, women aren't allowed into the Order."

The Grand Master removed the hood. "Oh but Luis, there have always been women in the Order. We stayed in the background, but we are really the power behind the Grand Master." She stroked his chin with her right hand and removed the hood with her left. "You know me in Santa Elena as Carlotta, the bar maid passed around by any man with the right amount of reales, but my real name is Maraclea Sidon. My father was a Lord of Sidon and my mother was a daughter of Castille. We managed to stay out of the way of the Inquisition until Grand Master San Pablo was taken. Look back in history, the real one. Do you know who had the power over Mazarin?"

Montoya looked at her. "Some bar room whore?"

Maraclea narrowed her eyes. "The Queen mother, Anne herself."

Outside the room, a listener almost choked. He moved and was able to see the Colonel and his visitor. His eyes widened as the woman unbuttoned her dress and let it fall to the floor. He watched her for a moment and then averted his eyes. 'I have got to get a life.' A poke of a dagger and a gloved hand covering his mouth made him realize that he had gotten sloppy. Especially when he heard a whisper. “Seen enough, D'Artagnan?” Slowly he turned to see Jacques.

“I was just investigating.”

Jacques nodded. “Did you see anything interesting? No, don’t answer. Did you learn anything?”

“Yes. For one, the power behind the Grand Master of the Order seems to be a woman. In Alta California it is this woman, Carlotta. I have seen her around Santa Elena. She said her real name is Maraclea Sidon and that in our time, Queen Anne was the power behind Mazarin. Just before she came in, I saw two men in robes carry a body and load it onto a horse. I would wager that they are going to dump the body.”

“You could be right. There was something going on when they sent me outside.”

D'Artagnan’s face showed worry. “Do you think they know you can hear?”

“No, but I do have eyes so better that I be out of sight. I did hear an argument and a few minutes later everyone left. I stayed nearby until Gaspar motioned for me to leave. Now what do we do?”

“Jacqueline, I really don’t know. We’ll just have to play it by ear. I am going to steal a horse and hide in the hills until you come along. Then I will surprise you.”

“Be careful and try not to give Don Hidalgo or me a heart attack.”

D'Artagnan smiled. “You do care after all.”

“We have a mission, that is all.” She turned and walked off, but D'Artagnan caught her glancing back at him.

Chapter 10

The next morning Jacqueline led Don Hidalgo's carriage down the trail to Santa Elena. Colonel Montoya had offered to send two soldiers with them, but Jacqueline had firmly shook her head as she stared down the two soldiers. She wrote a note and passed it to the Don. "Have those two challenge me."

The two soldiers grinned at the prospect of taking down a Frenchman. They drew their swords as a crowd gathered to watch. Jacques drew his musketeer rapier and swished it a few times before saluting the soldiers. Montoya, watching from the sidelines, shook his head in disgust at his soldiers. He turned to Gaspar. "My friend, I may not like this Frenchman, but at least he knows the honorable way to fight a challenge."

The soldiers circled the musketeer as Jacques kept up his guard. He looked at the soldier on the left and lowered his blade. As the soldier on the right charged, Jacques made a sudden turn and grabbed the man's lapel as she disarmed the man. She turned and faced the remaining soldier as she swished both of the blades she held. The man’s face paled as he looked at Montoya. The man removed his jacket and then charged. Jacques made two swishes of the swords. He looked to see that there was no blood on him and grinned. The grin went away as his pants fell down.

Jacques stepped back with a satisfied look and smirked as Montoya shook his head and turned away. She watched as a grin started to form as he turned. Jacques also noticed that Gaspar was stifling a laugh. Other members of the garrison laughed at their embarrassed comrades. The musketeer walked over to Gaspar. He held up two fingers and pointed to the Don and himself. Gaspar nodded and turned to Montoya. “Colonel it would seem that our young man here doesn’t want competition on the road home.”

Montoya nodded. "We will be taking the coast trail and since we will all be mounted, we will arrive in Santa Elena before you. Have a safe trip, my friend."

Jacques road in front of the carriage as it traversed the El Camino Real heading for Santa Elena. It was slow going due to the mountains and the Don’s careful driving. In the late after noon, just before dusk, the disguised young woman came to a halt and dismounted. He signaled to the Don that this would be their camp for the night. As the Don dismounted, Jacques gathered firewood. He walked into the woods and spied a pile of wood. As he looked all around him suspiciously, he drew his sword. A tap on his shoulder brought an immediate response with the rapier.

“Jacqueline, be careful with that thing. Do you want to kill me?”

The woman frowned. “As a matter of fact I do. What do you mean by sneaking up behind me like that?”

“That’s the thanks I get for gathering firewood for you? I will carry some back. Maybe it will ease the shock on Don Hidalgo’s face when he encounters a ghost.” The musketeer walked out of the woods with his arms full of wood, as if he had been traveling with them all along. "Don Hidalgo, would you please get the supplies while I start up the cooking fire?"

Gaspar nodded and started towards the buggy. "Bueno, yo tengo mucho hambre." He stopped as his eyes widened. His mouth dropped open as he turned around. "Madre de Dios, you are dead. Sergeant Trujillo said you were mauled by a bear."

D'Artagnan laughed. "The report of my death has been highly exaggerated. In truth, my horse was mauled and I was thrown down an arroyo and it took me awhile to get back to the trail." He looked at Jacques and back to Gaspar. "I gather your mission is over. I, for one, will be glad to get back to Santa Elena."

"Well, I am happy that you are alive. I didn't know how to explain it to your comrades, especially Jacques here."

Colonel Montoya and his men made it back to Santa Elena in two days. Once he cleaned off the trail dirt, he rode out to the Alvarado hacienda. Tessa was outside tending to the rose garden when she heard him ride up. "Why Colonel Montoya, to what do I owe this surprise visit?"

Montoya dismounted. "This is not a social call, Señorita. Are all of your friends here?"

Tessa frowned. "Well D'Artagnan and Jacques are in Santa Barbara with Don Hidalgo. What is it? Has something happened?"

"Please Señorita, I would like to tell all of you at once."

"You are scaring me Colonel. Please come in." She opened the door. "Marta, Siroc, Ramon, Doctor Helm, please come here." As soon as all were assembled she invited them to sit. "Colonel Montoya has come to address us. Colonel."

Montoya sighed. "This is never easy. I am afraid that your friend D'Artagnan was killed in an accident. Your deaf friend, Jacques, is all right. D'Artagnan was out hunting bears with a couple of my men when they were attacked. One of my men was killed, but the other was able to bring my man's body back." He looked around. "I don't see Señorita Roget. Isn't she here?"

Tessa, in a state of shock, looked at Montoya as if she did not hear the question. Marta moved over to her. "Jacqueline went to Monterey with a couple of vaqueros to look at some horses. She is very good with horse flesh."

Montoya nodded. "Ah. I hate to say this, but your friend's body has not been recovered. We presume that the bear devoured his body. You all have my deepest sympathies." He bowed. "I can see my own way out."

As Montoya walked out he nodded to a woman carrying a basket of eggs to the house. “Hello, Carlotta. I trust that you will be listening today as I don’t trust the Señorita’s friends. There is more to them than meets the eye.”

“I will be like the proverbial fly on the wall, Colonel.” A wry smile crossed her lips.

Inside the hacienda, the five friends sat in shock. Tessa looked at Robert with tears in her eyes but Helm merely waited until he heard Montoya leave. He looked out of the window and smiled.

"How convenient. Two of his men go out with D'Artagnan and only one man survives to bring back the news. I think we should wait until Jacques gets back to get the whole story. If Montoya is back, Don Hidalgo won't be far behind."

For two days, the musketeers watched for a sign of their amiga. Ramon was on the hill watching when two riders approached. He ran down the hill to the hacienda. "Two riders coming." As they all raced outside, the riders pulled up and dismounted. Tessa ran over and hugged the two.

"D'Artagnan, we were told you were dead."

The Frenchman laughed. "My death has been greatly exaggerated. I presume our illustrious colonel came to dance on my grave?"

Ramon stared at him. "He said you were eaten. What happened? Were you too tough for the bear?"

"No, my friend. The bear attacked one of the soldiers. The other one had conveniently disappeared so I was on the alert. When the bear charged, my horse threw me over a cliff into some heavy shrubbery. From where I was, I saw the bear kill the soldier and my horse. The missing soldier shot the animal and looked around for me. I guess my visiting Montoya would probably kill him. You should have seen Hidalgo's reaction."

Siroc shook his head. "We really need to get out of here and back to our own time."

Jacqueline looked at Tessa. "I guess it is time to recover the obelisk and try to reverse what Mazarin did."

The blonde Musketeer nodded. "Here is the thing. I have studied the book. It appears that the Order worships Baphomet. According to what I read, a Lord of some country loved a Lady of Maraclea. She died a young woman and on the night of the burial, the young lord dug her up and lay with her. A voice told him to return in nine months when he would find a son. Nine months later and reopened the grave to find a head on the leg bones of a skeleton. Well this artifact is what the Order is trying to find, as it will supposedly give them all power."

Ramon, Tessa and Marta blessed themselves. Marta stood up. "This obelisk must be destroyed."

Jacqueline nodded. "It will be, but we must use it to get back to our time. If we do, none of this will happen, maybe. Anyway, if we use it and we go home and the obelisk remains, you can destroy it. If it comes with us, we will destroy it."

Helm coughed. "Would someone tell us where the damn thing is?"

Jacqueline smiled. "Where no one would think to look for it. It is in the Sacristy behind the monstrance."

Tessa grinned. "I guess it is time for it to be retrieved.”

Robert paced. "What if what you are planning doesn't work?"

Siroc scratched his head. "Then I guess we stay here in the future and fight the Order here. I wonder who the leader is?"

D'Artagnan laughed. "Would you believe a woman?"

Marta looked at him. “A woman? Now that I didn’t see before, but it makes sense. Who would expect a woman to be the leader of the Order? I think I need some wine. I will be right back.” So absorbed in their plans, they did not see the furtive shadow who had listened and now slunk out of the open kitchen door, mounted her horse and rode away.

Tessa looked at the empty bottle of wine and contemplated their next course of action.

"Look, the Queen and the Knight can sneak into town and retrieve the obelisk."

D'Artagnan shook his head. "No, the musketeers will retrieve it. Suppose there is a foul up and we have to fight out way out. We are used to superior odds."

Tessa choked. "Excuse me? You are four but you have what, one and twenty in the garrison? I fight all of the soldiers and criminals by my self." She looked at Helm. "All right, sometimes I have some help, but still I basically am alone. Besides, I think I know the ins and out of Santa Elena better than any of you. Remember, I grew up here. I know where the escape holes are in practically every building." She perked up her head. "Quiet, I think we have company."

Ramon went to the door when they heard a knock. "Señora Hidalgo, come in please. Señorita Alvarado is in the parlor."

"Gracias, Ramon. I am so sorry to hear about your friend D'Artagnan. Captain Grisham told me of the accident." She waltzed into the parlor. "Tessa, Doctor Helm, I am sor..." She turned white. "You, you are alive? Colonel Montoya told Captain Grisham, who told me, that you were dead."

D'Artagnan bowed. "A misunderstanding, Señora. Your husband and I have been traveling from Santa Barbara with Jacques."

Vera turned to Jacques. "Madre, I forgot, he can't hear me, can he?" She turned back to D'Artagnan. "I am pleased that the reports were wrong. I am sure Colonel Montoya will be relieved as well."

"Señora, please don't tell him. This will be our secret."

Vera's eyes lit up. "A secret? Ooh, I love secrets."

Chapter 11

On a moonless night two days later, three musketeers rode into Santa Elena from the east while two masked figures rode in from the north. The musketeers circled the square looking for the night guard. D'Artagnan shook his head. "I don't like this. I don't see any soldiers on guard. We had best leave now." As Siroc and Ramon nodded and the three rode out again, but this time to the north, the Knight and Queen of Swords crept into the sacristy of the church. The masked avengers moved the monstrance and gaped at the bare cabinet. The Knight's nostrils flared.

"Where is it? Someone has taken it."

The Queen closed her eyes tightly. "Montoya. He found it. We have to get it back." They claimed their horses and rode out of town the way they had come in. A few miles outside of town, they reined and dismounted.

"Jacqueline, over here." As the two women followed the soft call and walked their horses towards the sound, Jacqueline smacked her gloves against her leg.

"Montoya got the obelisk."

Siroc came out of the shadows. "That's not all he got. Robert was waiting outside of the pueblo with the book. We found him unconscious. He had been worked over pretty good."

The Queen pulled off her mask. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

"I am right here, Tessa. Three men in robes jumped me and got the book. They rode off to the west."

Tessa tied her mask back on. "Then we go after it. I think I know where they might go. There is a ruin of an old hacienda on the coast. It would be a perfect place for them. I have a feeling that they will try to use it tonight." She mounted Chico.

Jacqueline nodded. "I agree. You didn't see them in Santa Barbara, I did." She mounted her horse and waited for their companions. In a few minutes, the Queen led her avengers towards the ruins.

In the moonless night, it took an hour for the four musketeers, the Queen and Doctor Helm to reach the ruins. They dismounted several hundred yards away and crept closer until they could hear chanting of twenty robed clothed individuals. While the musketeers divided into pairs—Siroc and Ramon went to the right and D'Artagnan and Jacques the left—The Queen and Doctor Helm took the center pathway. As the Queen entered the open-air room, several heads turned to her and then back to the center of their focus.

The Queen looked at Helm. “Reactions like that could give a girl an inferiority complex.” She pulled her rapier out. “Hey, does anyone care that I am crashing your party?”

Hooded figures turned towards her and opened ranks as another robed figure glided forward. “Ah, Reina, I am glad you are here. We needed a virgin to sacrifice and here you are.” Tessa felt her face redden under her mask.

“Virgin or not, you have set your sights on the wrong girl to sacrifice.”

The figure laughed. “It really doesn’t matter whether you are or not, it just sounds good. All we need is the blood of a sacrifice.”

“May I suggest you slit you own throat then and leave the rest of us alone?”

The figure pushed his hood back to reveal Edward. “My dear Reina, you are two, there are twenty of us. That is ten to one odds.”

Siroc barged in with Ramon right behind him. “Make that five to one.”

D'Artagnan and Jacques entered with their swords on their shoulders. Jacques smiled. “Make that about three to one.”

Edward lost his smile. “Ah…you do speak, and, I presume, hear very well. After tonight you will no longer be in the land of the living.” He turned to his hooded comrades. “Get them.”

Seventeen figures attacked the six intruders while Edward and the remaining two members backed up around the obelisk, chanting. The non-members of the order concentrated on the enemy so intently that they were unable to hear what chant was being said. The Queen glanced up and saw a cloud forming in the sky above them. “Get out of here before that thing gets here.” Helm and the four musketeers disengaged their attackers and ran for their horses. As they mounted and rode away, Helm and the Queen separated from the musketeers while the ominous cloud started to engulf the ruins.

The horsemen galloped down the road and into an arroyo as the lightening from the cloud erupted towards them. A loud rumble came from the cloud and then a thunderclap. They rode out of the arroyo and into a forest, and looked behind them to see that not only was the cloud gone, but so was the ruin. The musketeers reined their horses in and let them blow. Jacques shook her head. “A little dejá vu anyone?”

Tessa and Robert woke up stunned and looked around. The ruins had collapsed and small fires could be seen in the rubble. Several robbed shapes lay scattered around what had once been the makeshift altar. They crept closer as Helm checked pulses on the bodies. "They are alive but unconscious." Helm moved to a hooded figure closest to the altar and uncovered the face. "Well, well, well. Colonel Montoya, you will live but maybe I should shave off half of your moustache before you awake."

The Queen moved over to the other figure and gasped. "Gaspar. I didn't know he was involved with this. It will destroy Vera." She looked at Helm. "What should we do?"

"Check to see if they alive and let them come to on their own. How is Edward?"

The Queen moved over to the Englishman. "Lie still Edward."

"No. I am going to die, I know it." He coughed and blood came out of his mouth. "Reina, I have some thing to tell you." The Queen put her head close to his mouth. "The leader of the order is….." His voice became so weak that it was more a whisper just before he gave up a sigh and died. The masked avenger stared at Edward's lifeless body. "I don't believe it."

Helm walked up beside her. "Tessa, we have to go before they wake up." He looked around and shook his head. The objects of their search were missing.

Unseen by the Queen and her consort, two pairs of eyes watched Helm and the Queen walk away and mount their horses. The figures waited for them to leave before mounting their own horses, fixing their skirts and rode away. The gypsy turned to the blonde. “Isn't it nice to know than no one suspects you of being my cousin?”

The blonde laughed. “Or that Gaspar is really my father, not my husband? No one knows but you my dear cousin, not even Montoya.”

Marta chuckled. “And only Edward knew you were the real La Jeffa.”

Epilogue

Mazarin swatted at the burning robes that covered his body. This was the second time within a few hours that an ominous cloud had engulfed the altar to Baphomet and set his robes on fire. The first time the obelisk and the journal he had received from Richelieu had disappeared from the podium. The fire out, he walked over to the place of honor for the book and found it returned. He flipped thru the pages to find that thirty previously blank pages were now turned to ash. "Now that is really strange. Maybe someone is suggesting that I give up the Order." His eyes glanced over to the obelisk that was now a pile of pebbles. “Looks I have to get another obelisk. “ He threw off the acrid smelling robes and walked out of the cavern, stepping over several of the bodies of his followers. He grabbed a couple of guards at the door. "Clean up this mess." As he left the hidden lair, he contemplated the happenings of the last few hours. "If I didn't know any better, I would think those dratted musketeers had something to do with this. Give up the Order? That will never happen."

A few hours after the musketeers found themselves in France, they rode into the garrison and dismounted. Captain Duval walked out of his office. "It's about time you got back, I expected you back hours ago." He looked at his troops. "It is the middle of winter, how the hell did you four get a sun tan?

The four looked at each other and Jacques smiled. "You won't believe it, Sir, but the Cardinal was responsible."

"In my office, now." He stormed into the building as the four musketeers followed. D'Artagnan smirked.

"Hell, I don't believe it. Jacques, you get to tell him."

"Why me?"

Siroc put his arm on Jacques shoulder. "Because, for some reason, the captain trusts you."

Jacques smiled. "Would he trust me if I had ridden in here as the Knight of Swords? Good thing I had my Musketeer uniform in my saddle bags."

In Santa Elena, a few days after the musketeers disappeared, Doctor Helm and Tessa rode out to the ruins. The bodies were gone and the only trace of recent activity was the fresh soot where the journal had stood. Helm walked over to where the obelisk had stood, now only a pile of pebbles. “This is interesting. I know the history of the obelisks that Caesar carried off to Rome. They were solid blocks of granite. This one looks like some sort of mortar was used. Very odd.”

Tessa prodded the rubble with her fingernail. “I wonder if the first time the obelisk was original but was destroyed, the musketeers got home along with the thing but it was ruined. Someone glued it together and the reason it is this way is due to the fact that it was a copy. It caused the dark cloud when the order tried to use it.”

Helm laughed. “Very unscientific but it sort of explains it, as long as you don’t try to convince anyone. Otherwise they will think you are as scatterbrained as Vera.” Helm looked at Tessa. "What did Edward tell you before he died?"

Tessa sighed. "He told me who the leader of the Order is."

"Is? You mean he wasn't the leader?"

"No. He wasn't. I don't know why he told me. Maybe he wanted someone else to know, someone who could control the leader."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Robert, I can't. The Queen of Swords heard a deathbed confession. I have to deal with this in my own way."

Tessa returned home and looked for her dueña. "Marta? Are you here?"

"Estoy aquí en la cocina. Did you have a good day with Roberto?"

"Marta, Edward told me something just before he died…something that no one else knows."

"Whom did he say was El Jeffe?"

"Not El Jeffe, but La Jeffa. Marta, I know who she is and I have to stop her."

Marta put her hand on Tessa's arm. "Don't Tessa, there are things that you do not understand."

Tessa frowned. "I have to stop her."

"Sit down Tessa."

The woman who was also Queen turned and walked to the cellar stairs. "I don't have time Marta, I must stop her."

"Tessa, sit down!"

Tessa stopped, startled by the firmness in Marta's voice. "Marta?"

"I said sit down, we have to talk."

Tessa walked over to the bench by the kitchen fireplace. "All right, I am seated."

"I want you to promise that you will hear me out, completely without interruption."

Tessa nodded. "I promise."

"I am not sure exactly where to start but here goes. It wasn't an accident that our Musketeer friends landed here in Santa Elena. In 1653 Cardinal Mazarin and the Order of the Knights of the Black Tabernacle attempted to call forth Baphomet by using the obelisk. The person uttering the words messed up the wording and sent the musketeers here. By their reckoning they were gone only an hour or so, but we know they were here for several months."

"How?"

"You promised not to interrupt."

“Sorry.”

“Where was I? Oh yes. When that storm cloud engulfed the ruins where the Order was gathering,”

“Wait, how do you know about that?”

“Tessa, I said no interruptions.”

Tessa hung her head as she thought. “All right, but I am making notes.”

Marta pursed her lips. “As I was saying, when the cloud engulfed the altar, the musketeers, the journal and the obelisk went back to 1653. The book was partially charred and the obelisk was a pile of stone. Eventually someone made some mortar and put it back together but it was flawed. That was why when the order tried to operate it here, the results were a reversal of the first action.”

Tessa opened her mouth but shut it when Marta cocked her head to one side and furled her eyebrows. “A month or so after the musketeers went home, Jacqueline discovered she was with child. She hid it for while, but eventually she had to go to Duval and tell her story. Naturally, Duval was upset that one of his best musketeers was pregnant and threatened to have the man strung up. Duval admitted that he had known that she was a woman, but overlooked it as she was good. She then told him of their little adventure in Santa Elena."

Tessa started to interrupt again but kept he mouth closed after a stern look from Marta. "As soon as Jacqueline found that she was pregnant they visited a church named St. Julien le Pauvre Chruch which is a short distance from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. They were secretly married by Father Darius with Duval, Siroc and Ramon as witnesses. Jacques and D'Artagnan went on a secret mission to Switzerland during the winter shortly afterwards and were purported to have been killed in an avalanche. Several months later, D'Artagnan returned, but did not elaborate on what happened to Jacques. He just brought back a bent musketeer rapier. For the next few years, the Musketeers were a thorn in the Cardinal's side, but not as much as they had been. Strangely a single person occasionally played havoc with Mazarin's plans, one Knight of Swords. On March 9, 1661, Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino, also known as Cardinal Mazarin, died after having been sent into seclusion. Six months later, D'Artagnan was able to have Jacqueline's name cleared, and, two months after that, he brought back to Paris his wife Jacqueline and their seven year old son Paul to the court and presented them to the King. A couple of years later, Siroc disappeared and was never heard from again. D'Artagnan became a Captain upon Duval’s retirement, but tragically, Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan was killed in 1673 at the Siege of Maastricht during the Franco-Dutch War. Jacqueline was devastated and turned to her dearest remaining friend, Ramon, for consolation. Five years later, they married and she bore him a daughter, even though she was almost forty years old. They left Paris for Spain, never to be in the public eye again." Marta looked at Tessa and laughed. "Close you mouth, you will catch a fly."

Tessa shook her head. "Marta, that is a sweet but sad story. How do you know all of this?"

"It is a history that has been handed down by the descendents of the real power of the Order. Queen Anne actually had two children, twins. Louis and his sister Angelina. The girl was spirited away before the King or anyone else knew about her. When she was of the proper age, the Queen brought her back as a lady in waiting. Angeline became the real leader after Queen Anne retired and Mazarin was dead. From then on, Angelina's female descendents have led the Order to this time, doing good and not evil. Unfortunately, the Inquisition thought otherwise and the members were hunted down and killed. The real leader was never discovered, as only the male leader knew the truth. Edward was the last one to know that Vera, my cousin, is La Jeffa. There is something else you should know. Don Hidalgo is not Vera's husband but her father."

"What?"

"It is true, and the reason I am telling you this is that your mother was also my fourth cousin. My family had become gypsies to protect ourselves from our enemies. You see Tessa, Vera does not like the responsibilities of being the leader and we have been waiting for the rightful leader to taker her place. That leader is you."

"Me?

"Yes you. We have tried to guide the Order towards the good, but we have been unable to run it. Men like Montoya always seem to show up. Gaspar tried to keep an eye on Montoya as did Edward. Now, with a woman such as yourself, the Order can truly be a power for good."

"Marta." She stopped when they heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it. I have some thinking to do." She walked to the front door and opened it. "You! How?"

"I will tell you, but I must see Marta."

"I'll get her, but…how is it that you are here and you appear to be fifteen years older than you were a few days ago?"

The blonde haired man smiled. "Twelve, actually. It took me eight years to acquire the pieces of the obelisk. After Mazarin died, I acquired the pieces and then it took me four more years to put the obelisk back together and use it. Now, where is the love of my life?"

Tessa took him by the arm. "Oh Marta…there is a gentleman to see you."

In the kitchen, Marta wiped her hand on her apron as she took it off. "A gentleman to see me?" She walked out of the kitchen and stopped. "Siroc." She raced to his arms and as the two kissed, Tessa took her leave. 'I wonder if he has any more elixir. I need to find Robert. Something tells me that I will be losing my duena.' She smiled at the thought.

As if her thoughts were all powerful, she walked out to the veranda and ran into Robert who had just arrived. "Robert, how did you know I wanted to see you?"

"Just lucky I guess. I was out riding and saw that same cloud formation that took your friends away and I was concerned."

"Funny, they were only here three months and even though they have been gone a week it feels like they have been with us all our lives." She took Robert's hand. "Can I trust you?"

"I learned something troubling today and I need to think things through."

"What about Marta?"

"No this is one occasion when I can't turn to Marta, besides, she is occupied." She laughed. "An old friend came to see her."

Helm raised an eyebrow."Oh?"

"Yes, his name is Siroc. He hasn't seen her for twelve years but for her it is like a week. Come we shall walk while I tell you a story."

For the next two hours Tessa told Robert the story Marta had told her. "So you see, our friends were here about three months but for them they were gone only a few hours. On the other hand they have been gone from Santa Elena a week but for Siroc it has been tweleve years. Marta wasn't sure what people would say about a woman her age and a man his age now they are the same age."

Robert shook his head. "You know, I think that the only person you can trust is someone who is willing to protect you. That person is your husband."

"How much peyote have you been taking? You know I am not married."

"I know. That's why I am asking you to marry me."

Two months later Padre Quintera performed a double wedding. Siroc and Marta built a home one part of the Rancho that Tessa gave them as a wedding gift. Tessa and Robert settled down to a life of their own. The Order was renamed and their mission was converted to one of helping the poor and the mistreated peasants. Tessa and Robert raised their five children and lived to old age. Robert and Siroc both became political leaders when California became part of the United States.