They quickly left, and as soon as the door was shut Montoya looked back at his nephew, who was now standing at attention as if he were a soldier.

"Don't stand like that. You're supposed to be a Don, not an idiot. And what the hell are you doing in town? You should be with Don Gaspar."

Before Rameriz could answer, Montoya continued, "Speaking of Hell, that’s just what you look like. Let me guess--a father or husband?"

In a nasal tone of voice, Miguel replied, "Neither, I ran into the Queen of Swords."

Montoya interrupted and exclaimed, "From here, it looks like she ran her fist into you. I warned you. What were you trying to do, flirt with her? He waved his hands in the air and said, "Never mind, I don't want to know." He began rubbing his forehead again as he walked behind his desk and sat down.

Miguel remained standing. "Again, I forced the issue," he said.

Montoya replied, "This ought to be good. Go on; let me hear how you fouled my plan up this time."

"Don Gaspar was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole idea, until I convinced him that Captain Grisham was having a affair with his wife. That’s why he kidnapped him, a matter of honor rather than politics," said Miguel.

Montoya placed his hands over his face and said nothing for a few seconds. When he removed them, the look on his face seemed to frighten Miguel, who stepped back. "Your shot in the dark has hit its mark and may have also cost Grisham his life."

Miguel looked puzzled and asked, "I don't understand what do you mean?"

Montoya replied, "Never mind. I don't have time now to explain. Regardless of his reason for doing so, Don Gaspar has kidnapped the Captain of the Guards. We may have to play these cards and hope for the best. I want you to return to your hacienda, and remain there until I send for you."

Again, the silence of the afternoon was broken by the sound of horses. Montoya stopped and listened as he thought to himself, It’s too soon for that to be the lieutenant and his column leaving. Besides, it's getting louder. He stood up from behind his desk, quickly crossed the office and stepped back out onto the balcony, with Rameriz following him. Montoya was startled to see a long column of mounted troopers riding into town from the direction of Monterey. His mouth dropped open for a second when, out of the cloud of dust behind the column appeared six mounted lancers escorting the Viceroy's carriage.

The six lancers led the carriage with the royal seal blazoned on its side to the foot of the stone staircase.

Quickly, the driver climbed down, placed a portable step under the door and held it open. A man of small stature, dressed in purple pants and red vest with a white ruffled shirt that had lace at the collar and cuffs, stepped out onto the step. His shiny black shoes had large brass buckles on them and he carried a very fancy walking stick.

Montoya immediately recognized his Excellency Javier Morales Rodrigues, the new Viceroy of Monterey, returned to his old post after his drunken successor had been recalled for not dealing successfully with a pirate raid on Monterey. Then, to Montoya's surprise, the driver helped out a second man, Don Ventura.

"Good, I get to meet the Viceroy," said Miguel, with a sly grin.

Montoya grabbed him by the arm, turned and headed back into the office with Miguel in tow.

"I think not," replied Montoya, as he headed for the bookcase. Without releasing his grasp on his nephew's arm, he grabbed a book with his free hand and tipped it forward, tripping the latch. He pulled on the bookcase and it swung open.

"Stay in here and keep quiet," said Montoya, shoving him inside.

"Why are you hiding me in a closet?" cried Miguel.

Montoya said nothing as he closed the bookcase on his errant kinsman. No sooner had the bookcase closed when the door of his office flew open. Two of the Viceroy's very large guards entered, and took up a rigid stance, one on each side of the door, as the Viceroy entered, followed by Don Ventura.

Montoya stepped forward and stopped in front of the Viceroy, clicking his heels together and making a slight bow. "Welcome to Santa Elena, your Excellency. This is a very unexpected surprise."

The small man placed one hand on his hip and leaned on his walking stick.

"From your expression, Montoya I would say more like a shock rather than a surprise, as well it should be. I am here to put to an end these rumors of sedition I have been hearing."

He turned to Don Ventura and continued, "That’s why I first sought out my dear, old friend Don Ventura to get to the bottom of this."

Don Ventura smiled and almost blushed, "You are too kind, your Excellency."

The Viceroy turned to Montoya. "I've been mislead about the true purpose of the Council of the Dons. Don Ventura assures me that they are no threat to the Crown and that all of this misunderstanding is due to one trouble maker, Don Rameriz."

Montoya looked at Don Ventura, who returned an almost defiant expression back at him.

Before Montoya could say anything, the Viceroy spoke. "I would ask everyone to leave, so that the Colonel and I may have a private conversation on this matter."

Upon hearing this, one guard held open the door, while the second one escorted Don Ventura out of the office and closed the door behind him. The two men both watched in silence as the door closed and then the Viceroy turned to Montoya and motioned him to come closer. When he did, the Viceroy continued motioning with his finger for him to come even closer. When Montoya bent over towards him the Viceroy exclaimed, "Majadero!" and hit him on the side of the head with his walking stick.

Montoya grabbed the Viceroy by his ruffled shirt. Montoya’s eyes narrowed as he began shaking the pompous ass. "How would you like me to place that walking stick somewhere on your person were the sun does not shine?"

The Viceroy broke free and countered, "How would you like for me to call my guards back in and have them demonstrate some wrestling holds on you?"

"There are six lancers against forty of my soldiers."

Montoya stepped back as the Viceroy straightened out his shirt and vest, saying, "I am thirsty. Where do you hide your alcohol around here?"

Montoya pointed towards his small bar and said, "Go. Help yourself, or do you want me to pour it for you, Excellency?"

The Viceroy gave Montoya a hard look and walked over to the cabinet. "You've gone too far this time, Montoya."

He opened the cabinet door and began rooting through the bottles, "It's one thing to kill off a Don every now and then and confiscate his property, but this is even more than the two of us can get away with."

The Viceroy stood back up and turned around with a bottle in his hand. When Montoya saw that he had a bottle of his best bourbon, he just shook his head and said, "Your Excellency didn’t complain when you received twenty percent of the Reyes property."

He opened the bottle, filled two glasses half-full and replied, "No, but that was different. What you’re planning to do now may get out of control and burn the both of us."

He walked back over to Montoya and handed him a glass.

"You have been away from Spain for too long," he said. "You have forgotten."

The Viceroy took a drink then pointed towards the door, "Don Ventura is first cousin to King Ferdinand, and he is only one of many Dons with such connections in the Spanish Court."

Then, he became angry, "Good God, what were you thinking? Even if they wanted to plan sedition, they probably could do so with no worry about any repercussions."

Montoya took a long drink and said, "So, what does your Excellency plan on doing?"

The Viceroy replied, "I'll smooth things over here, but you know the rules Montoya: no big plans without consulting with me first. Someone is going to have to pay for your ambition. This Don Rameriz, the troublemaker, is your inside man, no doubt. I want you to have him arrested and charged with treason against the Crown. You can either hang him here or I will take him back with me to Monterey and hang him there."

He finished his drink, sat the empty glass on the desk turned and headed towards the door. Montoya said, "That’s your plan? Is there any other way?"

The Viceroy already had his hand on the doorknob when he stopped and turned back towards Montoya and, in a stern voice, said, "These rumors of sedition will stop here and now and not make it back to the Spanish Court. If I get recalled to Spain, I am not going alone. And guess who will be on board to empty my chamber pot every morning?"

He opened the door and his two guards snapped to attention. Don Ventura, waiting in the outer office, walked over towards him.

"All is settled. The Colonel has been given his orders. I will address the Council of the Dons tomorrow morning before I return to Monterey, and by tomorrow evening all with be back to normal," said the Viceroy.

Don Ventura clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you, your Excellency. Tonight, you will be a guest at my hacienda. I have a special dinner planned in your honor."

The two men walked away, arm-in-arm, with the guards following. Colonel Montoya closed the door.

Montoya sat down, leaning his elbows on the desk as he placed his hands over his face, trying to take in all of what had just happened. He then heard a tapping sound, and a muffled voice coming from behind the wall. He stood up, walked over to the bookcase and opened the secret door.

"I was starting to run out of air in there," said Miguel, looking pale and gasping for air. "You're not going to allow him to hang me, are you?"

Montoya gave him a slightly evil smile and said, "Of course not, my boy. We're family."

Montoya placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder and patted him on the back. Miguel gave him a nervous smile. No doubt he was thinking, I am doomed. And he was.

"Wait here. I have a few arrangements that need to be made," said Montoya as he walked towards the door. He opened it and turned back towards Miguel.

"Just stay here and I will come back for you."

Before Miguel could respond, his uncle was gone, pulling the door shut behind him. Miguel heard the sound of the key locking the door. Miguel swallowed hard and said, "You'll have to do a lot better than that, Uncle."

An hour late, Miguel was several miles out of Santa Elena, riding his horse along a lonely trail. He wasn’t making very good time now, because his horse was limping from the hard run. He heard the sound of a horse galloping and turned in time to see the Queen of Swords ride up alongside of him.

"Allright, Rameriz. Let's finish what you started," she shouted at him.

He responded with a smirk, "You should have finished me off earlier, when you had the chance. Now, you'll have to get in line behind the Viceroy, my Uncle, and half of the Monterey garrison, all wanting to hang me."

What’s wrong, Miguel. Is your Uncle's plan coming undone?" she countered,"

He laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it's going to hell in a handbasket, and guess who's holding the basket?" he said, as he pointed to himself.

She smiled. "Your Uncle wouldn’t hang his nephew, now, would he?"

"He's sawing off the limb as we speak," he replied.

Looking puzzled, she inquired, "What’s that, some kind of family humor?"

"I guess you can say that, but from where I am sitting, it's not very funny."

"So, what are you planning to do?" she asked.

"As soon as I get back to my hacienda and pack a few things, I am getting a fresh horse and then I am in the wind, a dot on the horizon. Believe me, it won't be the first time, either," he replied.

The Queen smiled and said, "You might want to walk your horse for awhile."

"I can always double up with you."

Shaking her head, she replied, "I don't think so. Besides, your hacienda is only a few miles away."

She paused, and then continued, "When you do leave, take the trail south until you reach the canyons. Don't follow the trail up the ridge, but turn off and cut through the canyon. You'll eventually come out onto another trail and from there, you are two days hard ride to Mexico."

Pulling back on the reins, he brought his horse to a stop. He gave her a strange look, "Why are you telling me this?"

The Queen also came to a stop. "For what you did to Vera, you deserve to hang. Let just say that I am tired of seeing others paying for your Uncle's wrongdoings. Just make sure that you never return."

"On that, I can assure you."

"One last question, Rameriz. Why is it that you and your uncle are so evil and Carlos is so..." she paused searching for the right word, "...different?"

He smiled and said, "Again, Carlos. That is the second time you have asked me about him. I can't answer your question, but I can say that, having Montoya blood in his veins, cousin Carlos would have little trouble in seducing you if it were his intention to do so."

She countered in a slight huff, "Since you and your uncle obviously have all the bad blood in your family, Carlos would have no other choice but to turn out good."

He looked at her and laughed. Even with the mask on, he saw that she was blushing and said, "Your mask may hide your face, my love, but your eyes tell me all."

Giving him a hard look, she said, "I would watch my tongue if I were you. I let you off easy with just a broken nose. Don't push your luck."

She began to ride away and he called out, "Where are you going?"

Pulling on the reins, she turned Chico and said, "I'll ride on ahead and make sure your uncle doesn’t have any surprises waiting for you." Then, she turned Chico and galloped off down the trail, leaving Miguel in her dust.

Cresting a rise in the road, the Queen saw the former Reyes--now, Rameriz--hacienda off in the distance. She suddenly noticed, ahead of he,r a group of about twenty soldiers blocking the road. She pulled on the reins and was about to stop when she realized that they were all wearing green jackets. She galloped up to them and they began to cheer and wave at her. Coming to a stop, they gathered around her.

"Who's in charge, here?" she asked.

An older man stepped forward and said, "I believe that would be me. How can we help you, Reina?"

She smiled and replied, "The Viceroy is in Santa Elena and has at least half of the Monterey garrison with him. It's only a matter of time before they come here."

They all became very concerned and began talking to each other at hearing this. "What do you want us to do?"asked their leader.

In a loud voice for all to hear, she said, "It's time, amigos, to go back to being farmers and rancheros. The Dons are rich. If they want to fight Montoya, let them hire mercenaries. The time has come for them to stop using you for soldiers."

The leader removed his jacket and threw it down on the ground. Almost immediately, everyone else did the same and some were already starting to disperse. The Queen looked at the hacienda and stables, which were only a few hundred yards away. She noticed that all the stable doors and windows were shut and thought how odd it was for this time of day. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a man going around and picking up the jackets. She turned to look at him.

He looked up and said, "I think I am going to save the pretty brass buttons."

She smiled and nodded at him. Inside the darkened stable, a single lit lantern sputtered. There was a large vertical post in the center of the structure. With his back up against this post, his hands tied behind it, gagged, and wearing only his long johns, was Captain Grisham. A short distance away, sitting at a large grinding stone and making it spin by working a foot pedal was Don Gaspar. He was sharpening a large butcher knife. The sparks flew off the blade as he dragged it across the stone, giving it a razor sharp edge.

The Queen spoke out of the darkness. "Are you going to kill him, Don Gaspar?"

He stopped the grinding wheel and turned to see the Queen of Swords step out of the shadows.

He replied, "Kill him? why would I want to do that?"

He turned to look at Grisham, and in a deeper and meaner voice said, "I am just going to neuter this perro."

Grisham's eyes got wide and he turned to the Queen with a pleading look.

She said, "I can't allow you to do this. He's not the one responsible for what happened to Vera."

Turning back to her, and in a fury, he exclaimed, "Then, who is?"

She replied, "It was Rameriz."

He interrupted, "Rameriz is my friend. Why should I believe you?"

"You should be more careful whom you pick for your friends. He forced himself on your wife. She was afraid to tell you and when Rameriz found out she was pregnant, he put the blame on Captain Grisham. If you don't believe me, ask Vera, but you had better do so before it is too late."

Looking stricken, he said, "What do you mean by 'too late'?"

She lowered her head and said, "I am very sorry to have to tell you this. Vera is very ill. and is now at the Alvarado hacienda with Doctor Helm. She needs you"

The stable door burst open and out of the bright sunlight walked Miguel Rameriz. He stopped and said, "Hello, what’s going on in here?"

Before the Queen could react, Don Gaspar stood up, pulled out his pistol and fired it at Rameriz. Rameriz grabbed his chest, dropped to his knees and then fell face down on the stable floor. The Queen's mouth dropped open, and she placed her hand over it. Don Gaspar returned the pistol to his belt and started walking to the entrance. He stepped over Rameriz's body, stopped, turned back around and said to Grisham, "Let this be a lesson to any man who will violate my Vera."

He turned and quickly left the stable. The Queen and Grisham stared at each other, then she said, "You heard the man."

Grisham began mumbling something. She reached over and removed his gag from his mouth. "Thank God you got here when you did," he gasped.

She smiled and said, "Yes, another five minutes and we would be picking up the pieces."

"Very funny. Now, how about untying me."

She bent over and retrieved her main gauche from her left boot, stood back up and waved it at him. "I don't know. Maybe Gaspar was on to something."

He said, "You’re kidding me, aren’t you?"

With a slight laugh, she said, "Yeah, I am. Besides, I need you in one piece to deliver a message back to the Colonel."

Continue to Part Five

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