Temeraire had not understood what it would mean for Laurence to be called a traitor. Of course, the Government meant to execute him or imprison them, but Temeraire had thought, that with those two fates averted, all would be much the same. It had seemed so, at first; they flew together, and were given orders, but it was not really the same at all. Of course there had been no other alternative but to take over the cure; only, Temeraire had not known that treason meant Laurence should lose his life, and his crew, and his rank.

‘At least,’ he said, ‘at least, you are still my captain; and while there are many captains who have some sort of dragon, I am the only dragon who is a commodore—’ He had tried this argument out privately to himself, but it did not sound really consoling after all: puffing himself up, as though Laurence ought to be satisfied with Temeraire's consequence and have no care for of his own. It would add insult to injury: Laurence had lost his gold bars, too.

Temeraire raised his head out of the mud and said, ‘Roland, do you know Captain Fenter's neck-chain, the gold one, with the emerald? It is not official, is it? Might anyone wear its sort?’ It was a handsome piece, he and the others at Loch Laggan had remarked upon it often. The chain belonged to the captain of a smug Anglewing named Orchestia, and Temeraire thought its quality very suitable for the captain of a dragon of elevated rank, however neglectful the Corps might be of him. ‘Do you suppose that Laurence could buy something like it, here in town?’

‘I expect he could not afford it. The law suit, you know,’ she said wisely, looking up from her boots, which she was blacking.

‘What law suit?’ Temeraire said, puzzled.

‘Over those slaves,’ she said, ‘who we let loose in Africa. The slave-owners we carried back sued the captain, and I suppose he could not fight the suit very well, as he was in prison, so they have taken all his capital.’

‘Taken it?’ Temeraire kept his tail from quivering and thumping upon the ground with great difficulty. ‘Surely not all his capital,’ he said, in a strained voice.

‘I heard it was ten thousand pounds, or something like,’ Emily said.

‘Ten thousand pounds!’ Gentius exclaimed horror-struck, jerking his head from the ground. ‘Ten thousand pounds! You did not say anything about ten thousand pounds gone. Why, that is ten of those eagles, or more!’ Everyone murmured their shock; even Maximus and Lily flinched, and could not quite look at Temeraire.