The bank was equally willing; indeed, after all the hundred dragons of their force had followed suit, a representative was even sent to pay a visit to their camp. That young gentleman plainly entered the field-covert in a spirit of calm desperation, and as he hailed from the Frankfurt branch, his command of English was imperfect, which increased his miseries: the dragons—who had awaited his advent with a fervor rather like idolatry—kept putting their heads down to hear him more closely. But when no one had devoured him after an hour, he began by degrees to be less anxious, and to speak more fluidly of markets and shares to the enraptured attention of his audience, who by the time he left had all begun a lively debate on the merits of putting their money into the Funds as compared with speculating in currency or investing in shipping ventures.

Still, Laurence could not rejoice at his success. There was something low in this method of bringing dragons to heel, something nearly ignoble. He could not fault Poole’s silent but visible indignation; even Granby looked a little distressed during the regular conferences which the dragons demanded, where Laurence announced each division. The entire enterprise had a quality of interference in it, thrusting himself between captain and dragon, which Laurence knew very well was anathema in the Corps. But even Poole could scarcely make a complaint that his commander was keeping his dragon in good order, against his will.

Nevertheless, he seethed visibly, and many of the other captains were more discreetly resentful, when they ought to have been in alt. Blücher had marched into Dresden and Leipzig nearly unopposed, and still Napoleon’s growing army had not stirred out of Mainz: the campaign would begin well into the territory France had formerly conquered, and in every other part of the army, confidence brimmed over, with an eagerness for battle; meanwhile in the field-covert, his officers were sullen and silent, and performed their duties grudgingly.

—

“It seems to me I ought to get another share, for carrying her about,” Requiescat said, squinting at the rolls. He and Iskierka had come by Temeraire’s clearing to look them over and argue their divisions, yet again. “No-one else is lugging about another dragon on their back, and she ain’t much like a feather anymore, either.”

“I don’t see why that should mean you get anything more. She hasn’t done anything of use, herself, so it is not as though you are doing anyone a service by bringing her.” Iskierka snorted a bit of flame disapprovingly.

“Certainly I am being of use,” Ning said, popping her head up from the other end of the clearing. “Simply because you cannot yet see the Chinese legions does not mean they are not coming, and they are coming because I am here. And you must all hope they arrive,” she added, “because otherwise, you will lose.”

Temeraire flattened his ruff in some annoyance at this dismal interjection. “We will not lose,” he said, “although naturally the legions will come, and be of great use, but that is not the same as saying we will lose, if they do not.”

“Well, you will,” Ning said. “I have been stretching my wings, while you all lie in camp all day—”

“And why are some of us tired, and you not, I’d like to know,” Requiescat interjected.

“—and I have met any number of ferals, in these parts. Their conversation has been most illuminating. However, I do not mean to quarrel,” she added, “and I am sure I wish you all every success.”

“Then you might as well do your part, when we next fight,” Temeraire said. “That fire you can make would have been very handy indeed in Berlin, if only you had bothered to exert yourself a little. I am sure if you did, Laurence would be perfectly pleased to award you a suitable share of the prize-money,” he added.

“And what about me, hey?” Requiescat said.

“Perhaps Ning ought to then make over some of her share to you,” Temeraire said, “for your services in ferrying her: that would be perfectly suitable.”

“I must beg your pardon,” Ning said, with some asperity, sitting up on her haunches, “but before you have quite concluded making these arrangements on my behalf, I must demur. I am doing my part, to preserve the alliance with China, and with that you must content yourselves.”

“Doing her part not to take any side, until she knows who is going to win,” Iskierka said, with a sniff, and Temeraire could not disagree.

“I know you are not cowardly,” Temeraire said to Ning, after Iskierka and Requiescat had both gone away still arguing, “as you have been perfectly willing to defend yourself, when necessary.” There had been more than one occasion when dragons new to their camp had tried to deny Ning precedence—she was still small, although nearing the size of a light-weight by now—and she had firmly though politely made plain she would not stand for it; three or four dragons still sported a badly scorched toe, or tail-tip. “So I cannot see why you would not like to do your share, and earn your share thereby. Surely you must see it gives a very strange appearance for you to be nowhere on the rolls, at all: you have not a single shilling to your name!”

Ning did cast a quick, wistful glance over at the rolls, but she only answered, “It is very well to count shillings and pounds. What is a shilling? It is the money that here, to-day, will buy you a rabbit. But in London, before we left, it would buy you two.”

“Rabbits are harder to come by here than in London,” Temeraire said.

“Just so,” Ning said. “Because there is a war, and an army tramping through the fields, so there are fewer rabbits, and more mouths to eat them. Therefore, if the war were not occurring, there would be more rabbits, and perhaps you might even buy three rabbits, with your same shilling. Why therefore should I content myself to gather pounds and shillings, when I might instead command their value?”

“But so long as I have more pounds and shillings than another dragon, I may buy more rabbits, no matter what they are worth,” Temeraire said. “And so long as you have no shillings, you can buy none, no matter how many there are.”

“A consideration which would occupy my attention a great deal, if I did not have the prospect of becoming companion to a wealthy and powerful sovereign,” Ning said firmly.

“Yes, but which sovereign,” Temeraire muttered to himself, when she had curled herself back up to sleep. He did not mean to say so, but it made him feel a little uneasy that Ning did not care to join their side properly, just yet. Ning might talk of rabbits all she liked, but no dragon could really wish to be left out of anything so nice as prize-money, so she was only refraining because she really did think they might lose. She was wrong, naturally, but he would have liked to inquire a little further as to why, if he could have done so without suggesting he meant to believe her.