Disclaimers: The characters from the Queen of Swords are copyright to Fireworks Productions. No infringement of copyright is intended or revenue expected from their use. The story plot and other original characters are copyright to the authors, JoLayne and Margie.

ALMAS MALDITA
(Cursed Soul)

By JoLayne and Margie

Part One of Five

Prologue

SANTA Elena

Helm walked down the steps of Montoya's headquarters with his medicine bag in hand, then paused at the bottom. Surveying the ambience before him, he saw a few of the residents of Santa Elena going about their daily business, streaming in and out of the buildings that comprised the town square, stopping to gossip with each other. A mother was scolding her children for making her chase after them. Helm was pleased to see that besides the Colonel's sore throat, there had not been any other medical emergencies on the horizon. He had just spent the last three days birthing the Marcos baby and was looking forward to some relaxation. What Helm needed now was some fresh air.

Helm decided that a ride in the country would be a nice diversion. The air was actually crisp, cool--a nice change from the dry blanket of heat that normally covered this part of the world. There were unusual cloud formations to the west, which could only signal the onset of rain. It would be more than a welcome sight for everyone in Santa Elena. It had been a while since they had received a drop of rain in at least a month. It was the last day of October, so it was about time they got some change in weather. Rain would not deter him from enjoying a nice ride. He walked towards his office to drop off his medical bag as he bowed his head and smiled. From a distance , he heard a loud voice coming from the direction of the cantina, "Just look at how he carries himself."

He saw Señora Vera Hidalgo leaning on a cantina table, speaking to Maria Teresa Alvarado. Maria Teresa looked casually and modestly at Helm as he veered toward them, but Vera projected the opposite. To Helm's estimation, it seemed that Vera had wanted him to hear her. As the Señora watched him approach, she spoke again, "He has such deep green eyes, have you noticed Tessa?"

Even though Señorita Alvarado had turned away from Helm's watchful gaze, he heard her reply, "Green? I thought they were brown."

"No," Vera replied, as she smiled and blatantly stared at Helm walking towards them. "You must look closer, Tessa. They are indeed very green. Deep green. Just like the color of seaweed found floating in the ocean."

"Ladies," Helm said, bowing his head to them. Tessa smiled and lowered her eyes. He didn't know if the reaction she displayed was real or not and, if she knew that he had overheard them talking. In those brief moments, Helm realized that he didn't know very much about the inheritor of the Alvarado fortune. Her interests weren't as obvious as her luncheon companion.

Vera maintained her lovely smile and stood, offering her hand. "Doctor Helm, you must join us for coffee or tea. We were just about to order dessert."

"Yes, please join us, if you are not too busy," Tessa added, a bit guardedly.

Whether the latter part of the request was an invitation, or a way out, Helm couldn't tell. It was the sound of her voice that caught him at a disadvantage. It became a mute point when suddenly his attention was diverted to a lone rider who rode swiftly into town. Dust swirled in the air around the hooves of the horse as the man came to a sudden halt near them and called out, directing his attention to one person in particular. "Doctor Helm, you must come right away!"

"Manuel? What is wrong, where?" Helm asked, as both women stood with concern on their faces.

"It is Don Ricardo! Please come with me."

Tessa asked with concerned, "Don Ricardo, what has happened to him?"

"He has fallen down some stairs and is laying unconscious. He is not moving."

Tessa's and Vera's hands flew to their mouths. "How awful," Vera responded.

Tessa descended the steps of the cantina veranda. Standing near Helm she informed him, "I would like to offer you my wagon as transportation, Doctor."

"Thank you." Helm tossed his bag in the back and climbed up onto the seat. "I will return it to you later."

"That will not be necessary," Tessa said. "I am going with you."

"Please hurry, Doctor Helm," Manuel said as he kneed his horse to start it moving again.

Tessa was ready to go before Helm could even help her down from the wagon. Sitting beside her, he took the reins from her hands. "I will drive."

~~~~~
ACT ONE, SCENE ONE
RICARDO HACIENDA

Helm and Tessa arrived at the Ricardo Hacienda and were immediately escorted inside. Don Ricardo had regained consciousness and to Helm's dismay, the Don had been moved. He was now laying on a sofa in the drawing room. After looking him over briefly, Helm told Doña Louisa, who was standing guard near her husband, "You should not have moved him. He could have twisted or broken any bones from the fall."

Florina, the maid, spoke nervously, "He was complaining that he was not comfortable, but we were careful when we moved him."

Helm couldn't help but notice a small pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase. Judging from the gash on the Don's forehead, he must have hit an item when he fell down the stairs.

"Please stand back, Señora," Helm said gently as he exchanged places with the tear stained Doña. Tessa approached the sobbing woman and patted her shoulder to provide the Doña with some comfort and support. Helm saw Tessa's gesture and realized she could help. He asked Tessa, "Señorita Alvarado, would you take the Señora into the kitchen for a cup of tea?"

Tessa immediately reacted to his request and escorted the Doña and her maid in the direction of the kitchen. "Louisa, let us leave the doctor to do his work. Call if you need any assistance, doctor."

Helm saw Tessa take charge and returned his attention to the Don. He examined the wound and lifted a finger before the Don's face, moving it slowly from side to side to side, and asking the Don, "Follow my finger."

The Don's eyes easily followed it and said, "This is so unnecessary, Doctor Helm. All this fuss."

"Do not be concerned about that. You have quite a cut here."

After cleaning the cut with a wet cloth, he stitched the wound closed and bandaged the area. The Don was thankful to Helm, but was in fact quite embarrassed by the attention. News of the incident must have spread among his workers as they had gathered at various windows and one man stood in the open doorway. Don Ricardo had noticed him and announced, "It is all right, Pedro. You and the others may go about your business."

Helm aided Don Ricardo to his feet as his wife and Tessa returned. Doña Louisa reclaimed command and ordered a few of the staff to assist him into the bedroom. The Don insisted that he was fine, but eventually relented. Watching the Don leave, Tessa bid him her good wishes for a speedy recovery. Helm informed Louisa that he would check in on them tomorrow. Concluding his house call, Helm grabbed his medical bag and walked towards the main entrance as Tessa said her good-byes to Doña Louisa. He pulled open the front door, then stepped aside to allow Tessa to exit first.

When they were alone on the porch, Tessa told him, "It could have been so much worse. Louisa said that he fell from the top of the stairs."

"It is a good thing he has such a hard head." Helm realized his outspoken remark. After he said that, he wondered how Tessa would react. She smiled good-naturedly and walked towards the wagon. Helm stared up at the sky. The ominous clouds were looming closer. His first thought was to wait out the impending storm at the Ricardo hacienda, but he wanted a carefree evening in which he did not have to live up to any social protocol. Noticing the wagon was open to the elements, they would have to hurry to get back to Santa Elena. He offered a hand to Tessa to help her step up to the seat and hurriedly sat down beside her.

Continued in Part two