Storm

      A week later the party was ready to leave on Atlom's Axe, the flying ship that the God-King of the Michocan had given them. Getting Usha onto the vessel ended up being just as difficult as Irene had thought it would be. Figuring out how to get Usha onto the ship had been a head scratcher, they had finally decided on a ramp that Usha could walk up to get onto the ship. Convincing Usha to walk up the ramp was another exercise in patience but in the end it all worked out in the end and everyone was ready to go. The engineers even made a shelter on the deck for Usha to stay in case of inclement weather. Irene thought it was really nice that the engineers would do that, he'd figured that the party would have to figure out something for Usha after they left the capitol. But the engineers figured it all out without even being asked. Ten rabbit had even said out loud that he'd never been prouder of his countrymen than he was when he'd seen that.

       Irene wasn't to sure about flying around everywhere but it was definitely going to be faster than going mounted. And surprise surprise, the engineers had included room for the Erch she'd been riding since she'd joined the caravan all those months ago. Irene watched as they loaded her Erch onto the deck of the ship before leading her into the stall she would stay in. It had turned out to be easy to get the beasts onto the boat, all they had needed to do was add an attachment that allowed them place a ramp at the same place the ladder that everyone used to climb aboard. The engineers even added a place next to where the ladder was to make getting the beasts on and off the ship. The engineers had actually made stalls to bring mounts and pack animals for the whole party. Even Devshi's tiger had a spot on the deck not that the tiger Somnadi was planning on staying there. It had already become clear to everyone that Somnadi was going to go anywhere she wanted and do whatever she wanted while she was there. Irene sure wasn't going to argue with the tiger and she didn't think anyone else was either.

     Irene really hoped that she wouldn't get seasick while in the air but she had made sure that she had plenty of the herb that the sailors on her first sail had taught her about. At least she didn't get as sea sick as poor Nahla and Usha did, small blessings. Irene decided to find out if the seasick herb was available here and if it was to get enough for Nahla, Usha as well if it was safe for her to take. Either way at least Irene and Nahla would be less seasick while they were in the air. Irene had heard about Nahla and Usha being sick over the side of the only boat they'd been in and felt sorry for anyone under them if it happened again.

     Not more than an hour later the ship was loaded and they were ready to leave, they were only waiting for the engineers to cast the ship loose. The ship was currently hovering in the sizable field between the two large buildings on the island when the God-King showed up with a whole entourage. When the God-King arrived Ten Rabbit shooed everyone off of Atlom's Axe. Ten Rabbit lead the party in the greeting the God-King and his party. As soon as the party was done with their greeting the priests stepped forward and quicker than Irene thought possible built a dry stone alter. As soon as it was built the priests stepped back to where the God-King was standing, forming a semi-circle behind him. The party formed another semi-circle behind the priests with the guards doing the same behind them. All around them the engineers that worked on the ship along with the guards normally stationed on the island all stood silently at the edges of the field the ship was hovering in. Fulha stayed on the ship having already done his duty as an ambassador. If Fulha said that if he'd come down to greet the God-King it would have turned into a long drawn out ambassadorial drama rather than the farewell to a Bisha that  the God-King clearly wanted.

     Above them the sky was clear for the first time in days with dark clouds scuttling across the sky away from the coast. By tomorrow the sky would be covered in black thunderhead clouds with high winds driving torrential rain falling almost sideways. The fact that it wasn't raining was the main reason that they were taking off today, it was hoped that they would be able to get past the worst of the storms that were were normal for this time of the year. Today however the winds were blowing towards the sea rather than from it, the party couldn't count on the winds staying that way for long, they never did. All around the island cold winds blew around them, tugging at their clothes making Irene wish they were back on the ship where at least they could cut the wind by being blow decks or staying in the stables.

     For the longest time Irene watched the God-King just standing before the alter then he suddenly thrust his arms into the air and started speaking in a language that she had never heard before. It sounded similar to Michocan but definitely not the same. It sounded very lyrical and musical to Irene's ear. She was concerned that something terrible was about to happen, she'd heard stories about what the Michocan did in their rituals. Suddenly Irene watched as at a shout the God-King dropped his arms to his side before drawing a long pointy object that she couldn't really see well out of somewhere in his outfit. Simultaneously the rest of the entourage did the same thing, a sudden movement at her side made Irene turn to look in startlement showed Ten Rabbit doing the same thing. What was going on here Irene thought to herself as she watched the God-King, priests, guards and Ten Rabbit all brought the object towards their open mouths. Irene watched in horror as all of them grabbed their own tongues pushed the long object completely through to the other side and then pull it the rest of the way out. Irene almost screamed at the sight but she had learned early from her father to hold any action under almost every circumstance so she didn't but it was definitely hard. Once the long pointy objects had passed through their tongues each of the participants grabbed a piece of fabric out of who knew where and placing it on their tongues not to stop the bleeding as Irene originally thought but to gather up the blood then one by one starting with the God-king and ending with Ten Rabbit each of the participants placed the bloody bundle onto the alter that the priests had built for the ceremony. As soon as everyone had placed their bundle on the alter the God-King stepped up to the alter once again and started chanting once again. Irene watched as the bundles started to smolder then burst into flame that seemed to come out of nowhere.

     Irene had a hard time keeping her eyes on the ceremony not because she had a problem with blood, she most definitely didn't. No she was having a difficult time because she was nervous that someone was going to die no matter what she had seen so far. Every sacrifice in the Michocan religion that she had ever heard about involved someone dying. Irene wasn't sure if she could handle seeing that no matter what training her father had given her. Looking up towards the deck of the vessel Irene was more than a little surprised by what she saw there. There on the deck of Atlom's Axe were three distinct heads Usha, Ryah and Somnadi. Usha and Somnadi looked over the top rail while Ryah had her head poked through the gap in the middle of the railing. What really struck Irene was the look on the three faces, Usha and Ryah both looked amused while Somnadi actually looked approving. Irene wasn't sure exactly what it was that the tiger approved of but she hoped it was that no one had died.

     During all of this Irene was looking around her surreptitiously at the rest of the party, since she was at one end of the parties line it was easier than one would think. Thanks to her being the youngest in a large family she had long ago mastered the art of looking at her siblings without seeming to. The various looks they had were interesting but not surprising. Irene studied them each in turn curious at how they reacted to what they were watching, it would tell her a lot about them and their personalities. Irene couldn't help it she'd been trained almost from birth to watch everyone and everything that happened around her. It was a lonely way to grow up but it was how she'd been raised.

     Bisha had an intense look on his face, obviously not concerned about any possible deaths that frequently occurred at Michocan rituals. It was obvious that Bisha was only interested in the ceremony itself especially when the fire appeared to light itself. The focus he had at that point was so intense that it almost made Irene afraid for him. What if he saw something that interested him that was dangerous to either himself or a party member. The realization made Irene nervous for his safety which to be honest wasn't new but this fear was much more concerning. It highlighted the fact that Bisha apparently had no self-preservation.

     Nahla for her part seemed detached from the whole thing, just her usual stoic self. There was no sign of any disgust or upset when the God-King and his entourage all pierced their tongues simultaneously. Nahla had shown no reaction at all she hadn't even blinked in fact, she could of just as easily been watching the rain or flowers waving in the breeze. Irene didn't know how Nahla could be so prosaic about what was happening before her. It was true that Nahla was a shaman and had seen many things in her short life but she was acting so blasé about everything that was happening.

     Devshi however looked almost green, she had clearly been just as nervous as Irene had been when the ceremony had started. For a moment Irene thought that Devshi might faint or worse cry out when everything started. She actually wavered where she was standing for a second before obviously pulling herself together and forcing herself to stillness. At least she hadn't said anything or tried to stop the ceremony. Irene was fairly certain that an interruption would have gone very badly, possibly fatally. Devshi's relief when all they did was pierce their tongues was almost humorous to see she almost fainted but fortunately didn't.

      When the ceremony was done everyone except Bisha immediately got back on the ship to leave. Bisha had a very emotional parting with the God-King while Irene watched from the upper deck of the Atlom's Axe. Nahla joined her on the deck once they had finally taken off and started their journey towards Haflalan. Irene and Nahla were silent while the vessel lifted off and flew slowly through the skies over Tlatlolitzli. They stood side by side not saying anything just being together silent.

     "Was it just me or was that weird," Nahla said gesturing back towards the capitol of Michocan after about half an hour of silent travel through the skies.

      "Yeah," Irene replied smiling. "It was a bit odd. For a moment there I was afraid that they were going to sacrifice someone. I'm so glad that they didn't."

      That was when Ten Rabbit came up, clearly having heard what they were saying. As large as the Atlom's Axe was it wasn't so large that someone couldn't over-hear a conversation that was held at a normal volume. Since they weren't trying to keep their thoughts secret it wasn't that big of a deal. Irene and Nahla listened as Ten Rabbit began explaining the ceremony they had watched. He told them that the only ceremonies where a person is sacrificed are those held for very specific gods and at very specific times. Those rituals were done to help the Michocan people as a whole and the sacrifices were all volunteers and honored to be chosen. Irene and Nahla shared a look obviously not believing what they were being told but Ten Rabbit continued to explain. He told them that the family's of the volunteers were taken care of for life.

     Ten Rabbit went on to explain that the reason the God-King, Teotlepetl, had used that particular ceremony was that the gods were being beseeched to aide the party alone not the Michocan people as a whole. A request of that type required a personal sacrifice from the people asking for the favor so that the gods know that the requester is serious about it. The God-King was asking for a personal favor for our protection so it required a personal blood sacrifice. The participation of the entourage was a sign of their favor of our mission so they added their prayers to the God-Kings. With a smile Ten Rabbit added that they didn't need to guess why he'd participated since he was going along on the trip.

      Two days later the party was at the border of Michocan with Oristan on their way to the Haflalan Confederation. They had traveled much faster than they would have on the ground so Irene was happy. Not that she minded riding but it had taken them the better part of a year to get this far. At this rate it would be another year or longer before they are done. Irene really liked everyone in the party, maybe even loved them in the same way that she loved her best friend. But that didn't mean she didn't miss her home and family, she even missed her overly-intense father, something she'd never thought would happen. She missed everything about home even the things that she had always hated about being home.

      So far, much to Irene's pleasure, no one had gotten seasick on the flight not even Nahla who apparently got seasick looking at boats. Nahla and Usha getting seasick so easily had been a concern for Irene, but no seasickness so she wasn't worried about it anymore. For the first time in two days Irene was just sitting on the deck enjoying herself watching the world around her. At first it was just the normal grey, rainy sky but as she watched the clouds got blacker and blacker. Before Irene knew it the winds started to pick up and blow faster and harder driving the thunderheads before them. Irene stared at the sight of the storm blowing up behind them in horror, flying in the rain had been no problem but a storm like that? there was no way they were going to survive. Irene screamed for Ten Rabbit to let him know about the storm that was barreling up behind them faster then she had thought possible.

    Ten Rabbit came running at her call and when he looked where she was pointed he cursed emphatically in his own tongue before sprinting towards the engineer that had come with them yelling in Michocan so he would understand what was happening as quickly as possible. The engineer actually spoke common but he had to translate in his head before answering. Irene wasn't sure if Ten Rabbit was speaking in his native language because it was easier for the engineer to understand or if it was fear of the storm. For her part Irene could understand the fear if that was what was why Ten Rabbit had used his one language, the storm looked like a nasty one.

     Before they could even think about landing the storm was upon them. The winds got to them first but before they could even think about trying to land the rest of the storm caught up with them. First the wind pushed the vessel before it while they tried to land. The vessel was bouncing up and down while almost flipping over side to side. Ten Rabbit and the engineer worked hard to bring the ship down without crashing. For what seemed to be forever the Atlom's Axe was flung around like a leaf in the wind. Eventually Ten Rabbit and the engineer with help from the rest of the party were able to get the
Atlom's Axe on the ground. Even when they had finally made it to the ground the storm blew them and the ship around dangerously. It had taken what felt like hours to get the Atlom's Axe onto the ground and another eternity to get it pegged to the ground so it wouldn't blow away and crash into something. Eventually the storm calmed down and everyone was able to get some rest at last.