Empire of Ivory Page 0,11
one annoyance after another. We glide along tolerably well when left to our own devices, but I must deal with these idiotish creatures from the admiralty. They are told, before they come, and told again, and still they will simper at me, and coo, as if I had not been a-dragonback before they were out of dresses, and then they stare if I dress them down for behaving like kiss-my-hand squires."
"I suppose they find it a difficult adjustment," Laurence said, with private sympathy. "I wonder the Admiralty should have - " and belatedly he paused, feeling he was treading on obscure and dangerous ground. One could not very well quarrel with pursuing whatever means necessary to reconcile Longwings, perhaps Britain's most deadly breed, to service, and as the beasts would accept none but female handlers, some must be offered them; Laurence was sorry for the necessity that would thrust a gently born woman out of her rightful society and into harm's way, but at least they were raised up to it. And where necessary, they had perforce to act as formation-leaders, transmitting the maneuvers to their wings; but this was a far cry from flag rank, not to say commanding the largest covert in Britain, and perhaps the most critical.
"They certainly did not like to give it to me, but they had precious little choice," Jane said. "Portland would not come from Gibraltar; Laetificat is not up to the sea-voyage anymore. So it was me or Sanderson, and he is making a cake of himself over the business; goes off into corners and weeps like a woman, as though that would help anything: a veteran of nine fleet actions, if you would credit it." Then she ran her hand through her disordered crop and sighed. "Never mind, you are not to listen to me, Laurence; I am impatient, and his Animosia does poorly."
"And Excidium?" Laurence ventured.
"Excidium is a tough old bird, and he knows how to husband his strength: has the sense to eat, even though he has no appetite. He will muddle along a good while yet, and you know, he has close on a century of service; many his age have already shot themselves of the whole business and retired to the breeding grounds." She smiled; it was not whole-hearted. "There; I have been brave. Let us to pleasanter things: you have brought me twenty dragons, and by God do I have a use for them. Let us go and see them."
"She is a handful and a half," Granby admitted lowly, as they considered the coiled serpentine length of Iskierka's body, faint threads of steam issuing from the many needle-like spikes upon her body, "and I haven't ridden herd on her, sir, I am sorry."
Iskierka had already established herself to her own satisfaction, if no one else's, by clawing out a deep pit in the clearing next to Temeraire's where she had been housed, then filling it with ash: this acquired from some two dozen young trees which she had unceremoniously uprooted and burnt up inside her pit. She had then added to the powdery grey mixture a collection of boulders, which she fired to a moderate glow before going to sleep, comfortably, in her heated nest. The bonfire and its lingering smolder were visible for some distance, even to the farmhouses nearest the covert, and a few hours past her arrival had already produced several complaints and a great deal of alarm.
"Oh, you have done enough keeping her harnessed out in the countryside, without a head of cattle to your name," Jane said, giving the drowsing Iskierka's side a pat. "They may bleat to me all they like, for a fire-breather, and you may be sure the Navy will cheer your name when they hear we have our own at last. Well done; well done indeed, and I am happy to confirm you in your rank, Captain Granby. Should you like to do the honors, Laurence?"
Most of Laurence's crew had already been employed in Iskierka's clearing, in beating out the stray embers which flew out of her pit and threatened to ignite all the covert if left unchecked. Ash-dusty and tired as they all were, they had none of them gone away, lingering consciously without the need of any announcement, and now lined up on a muttered word from young Lieutenant Ferris to watch Laurence pin the second pair of gold bars upon Granby's shoulders.
"Gentlemen," Jane said, when Laurence had done, and they gave a cheek-flushed Granby