League of Dragons (47 page)

Temeraire was silent. “I would like to
visit
China again,” he said slowly, “but I do not know what there is for me to do there, if we were to remain, besides being as awkward a guest as here. And I would be sorry to leave all my friends, just when we finally have the power of seeing them anytime we like. It is only half a day's flight to Dover, and Lily and Maximus, or to Edinburgh, if I would like to see Iskierka—not that I would precisely
like
to see Iskierka,” he added quickly—there had been a certain degree of unbecoming smugness on the subject of Granby's promotion to Admiral, which had provoked a quarrel that was not yet made up, “but Granby is with her, of course, and you should like to see him sometimes, I am sure.

“It is not as comfortable here as in China, of course, and even where there are pavilions they are not nearly as nice, but I must be fair: things have come along a considerable distance. I remember when I could not go anywhere, without people running and screaming—I thought it was only something people did, like cows. And now they wave handkerchiefs at me from the hill, if I look up at them, and the steward spoke to me in a perfectly sensible way. Perscitia tells me that it is because of our work—well, she says it is mostly due to
her
work, but I know she would rather have me stay, and help her. Only, I am not sure how we would go about doing so, if we did.”

A carriage had been coming along the road as they sat together, the lanterns bobbing to show its progress through the twilight, and the well-hooded horses clopping along steadily, blissfully ignorant of Temeraire's near presence. The carriage had halted on the road, and a gentleman had come out of it; he had not been content merely to observe from afar, but had come across the field towards them, and now Temeraire raised his head, his ruff pricking up, and said, “Why, Tharkay, how elegant you look.”

“I hope you will forgive the intrusion,” Tharkay said; he was indeed dressed with unusual splendor, in magnificently polished Hessians, with a many-caped greatcoat, and a walking-stick topped in gold.

“You are very welcome, Tenzing,” Laurence said, rising to shake his hand, “if unexpected: we looked for you in Paris.”

“As enjoyable as the display of the Empress's powers must have been to observe, I was called away on my personal business,” Tharkay said. “One might have supposed a law-suit which has consumed the better part of twenty years might support a few weeks' further delay, but under the circumstances, I did not wish to hazard it.”

“You have won your case, then?” Laurence said.

“I have,” Tharkay said. “Not without several interventions on my behalf: I must thank you again for your testimony.”

“I suspect it has served you more ill than good, since I made it,” Laurence said, “but if my present fame has made it of value again, I can only be glad.”

“Oh, your star falls and rises with enough regularity that it was only a matter of time,” Tharkay said. “And Her Grace's power is at present very great.”

“So you have your estates at last!” Temeraire said jubilantly, and without delay inquired, “And pray, what is the rent-roll; do I have that right? Or the income per annum?”

“Shamefully low,” Tharkay said. “My cousins and the trustee have neglected all improvements, and plundered as much as they could; it will be some time before I have restored things to order. However, in one particular, the estate is desirable: perhaps you know about the new seats which have been set aside, for dragons?”

“Oh, yes!” Temeraire said. “Twenty of them; Perscitia wrote to me.”

“The Government has established nearly all the seats in isolate regions of the countryside, and managed to put all the population of serving-beasts and retired dragons, in the breeding grounds, into three: the boundary-lines have been quite creatively drawn. The others are peopled almost entirely by ferals, and the Government supposes them unlikely to appear for voting.”

Temeraire snorted. “We must trust them to always carry out their promises in the most scaly manner, I suppose. Well, Perscitia and I must just manage it. I will ask Ricarlee to run: I am sure Parliament deserves him.”

“I am informed,” Tharkay said, “that my own lands fall in one such empty district. As the area is entirely devoid of dragons so far as I know, I am sorry there is not much company on offer, but I have a notable forest for deer-hunting, and I should be delighted to make you free of any place you like to put up a pavilion, and make yourselves at home.”

“I am afraid we are inconvenient houseguests,” Laurence said, bemused. “Are you certain you wish to make so extended an invitation?”

“I quite look forward to figuring as a tyrant in the imagination of my tenantry,” Tharkay said, in his way. They spoke a little while longer, as the sun went down, and made arrangements to meet for breakfast the following morning, at Tharkay's hotel; then he took his leave again, with the tact that plainly meant to permit them private conversation.

“Why Laurence, I call that handsome,” Temeraire said. “Do you suppose you should like it? But perhaps you would rather we went back to our pavilion, in Australia: I know you are not fond of politics.”

For a moment, the sun rose out of the Blue Mountains and shone red-gold on the cut stone floor of the half-finished pavilion, spilled down light into the valley below and over the softly lowing herd of cattle: another memory of home, of peace and simplicity. But that could only be a flight, almost a surrender. The reward of true service, surely, was to be asked for more; and Laurence could not claim Temeraire's work was done, even if his own might have been called so.

“No, my dear,” Laurence said. “I do not think a life of quiet retirement is our lot, nor yet should be; and our valley will wait until that has changed.” He laid his hand on Temeraire's muzzle and looked north and west, towards the curve of the ocean, towards home. “Tharkay's estates are in the Peaks: I think you will like the countryside very much.”

“I am sure I will, Laurence,” Temeraire said. “And surely it will be famous, to be in Parliament.”

To Charles sine qua non

Uprooted

His Majesty's Dragon

Throne of Jade

Black Powder War

Empire of Ivory

Victory of Eagles

Tongue of Serpants

Crucible of Gold

Blood of Tyrants

League of Dragons

N
AOMI
N
OVIK
is the acclaimed author of the Temeraire series:
His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory, Victory of Eagles, Tongues of Serpents, Crucible of Gold, Blood of Tyrants,
and
League of Dragons.
She has been nominated for the Hugo Award and has won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, as well as the Locus Award for Best New Writer and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She is also the author of
Uprooted
and the graphic novel
Will Supervillains Be on the Final?

Fascinated with both history and legends, Novik is a first-generation American raised on Polish fairy tales and stories of Baba Yaga. Her own adventures include pillaging degrees in English literature and computer science from various ivory towers, designing computer games, and helping to build the Archive of Our Own for fanfiction and other fanworks. Novik is a co-founder of the Organization for Transformative Works.

She lives in New York City with her husband, Charles Ardai, the founder of Hard Case Crime, and their daughter, Evidence, surrounded by an excessive number of purring computers.

naominovik.com

Facebook.com/​naominovik

@naominovik