Outside, he scanned the surroundings for the angry mob and did a double take back at the nearest corpse. His eyes locked on the fibrous rope around the dead man's waist. He untied it and pulled at one end until the man's weight shifted and it came free. When the corpse rolled back into its original position Juan noticed a silver bracelet on the man's wrist. He leaned over and spun it around on his arm, examining it, but being careful not to touch the clammy brown skin. Juan searched the bodies until he found another section of rope and removed it. Sword in hand, he quickly made a small buttonhole incision in each of the four corners of the rugs and laced the ropes through, increasing the capacity of each of the bags. He listened carefully for the crowd, they were quieter now. He bent over the first corpse, removed the bracelet and put it in the nearest bag without taking his eye off the necklace on the 3rd woman over. He removed the necklace and stepped carefully to the next woman for her gold collar.

Juan was about halfway through the bodies when he heard a woman's shrill scream behind him. He turned suddenly and lost his balance, almost falling into the bodies at his feet. It was Teszin, looking up to the cliffs above the village.

Bando stood at the edge of the bluff, his black figure silhouetted against the blue sky. His shirt was torn off and blood ran from his head onto his shoulders and chest. The wind atop the cliff whipped at his frayed trousers. He didn't respond to Teszin's shouting but instead stared directly at Juan who held a large silver necklace still partially draped around an old woman's neck. Juan threw his head straight back and squinted against the bright blue background to return Bando's stare. He smiled up at Bando.

"Are you ready?" Juan asked in a soft tone only strong enough to echo up to him.

Bando closed his eyes and pitched forward on his perch. He stayed aloft only for an instant, but he looked graceful and confident, as if he knew he could fly all along, and had waited patiently to demonstrate his unique skill. Juan saw him fly only for that graceful instant. He closed his eyes tight as Bando started his decent. Teszin let out a scream that echoed well past the impact. It took longer than Juan though it should have for Bando to land; perhaps he really had flown in that instant of grace.

1 Antonio de Mendoza was indeed the Viceroy of New Spain at the time of this letter. The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Genaro García, Alfred Percival Maudslay 1967