He put his beak back on her chest, and pressed down. It disappeared inside her, and when it came back out, his mouth was empty. "I guess that's one way to have a guy steal your heart away."<br/><br/>He raised his head. "A good magician never reveals his tricks, but I can tell you it's ancient Mezo American battle magic. That condor explained. Warriors would magic their hearts out of their bodies and hide them safely away, so no matter how they were injured they would survive. Some would dedicate them on an altar to the gods to get great strength or favour. Of course, later generations forgot the magic but remembered that you cut people's hearts out to get favours from the gods."<br/><br/>He looked her up and down. "Are you ready? Do you want to go in face up or face down?"