‘Of course she would not come herself,’ Temeraire said, contemptuously, as a great cloud of little dragons came racing forward. She had even sent in the couriers. ‘Velocita, you and all the other Anglewings, fall back to meet them, and you too, Moncey. Cantarella, when they have got them confused, you harry them forward, into the range of the ships.’

The little dragons managed to dart through and past the heavyweights, but quickly came up against the pack of Anglewings, too agile to easily be passed. Velocita and the others slashed and snapped at the little dragons, chivvying them along, breaking up the knot and dividing the dragons from one another to leave them easy prey for the pouncing Yellow Reapers. Recoiling from so many larger dragons, they were herded straight into the crossfire. ‘Temeraire, you must call Chalcedony back,’ Laurence said, sharply.

‘Where?’ Temeraire said, looking round. But he was too late. Chalcedony had pursued one little Pou-de-Ciel too far, and with a dreadful hollow thump, one of the indiscriminate cannonballs took him directly in the chest. He seemed to fold around the blow, and then fell without a sound.

The little Pou de Ciel fluttered raggedly on, managed to thread the rain of iron, and broke out again into the open sky. It did not turn back for another attempt, but flew out across the Channel, towards France.

A handful of others had also got through. A few even had collected a handful of desperate soldiers from the ground, and were straggling away over the water with them onboard. But none had got near to Napoleon The British infantry were now advancing on his position. The Guard had pulled into square around him, a mortal shield.

Lien had seen the failure, and his peril. She suddenly gave a loud shrilling call, and took to the air.

‘Oh!’ Temeraire cried, eagerly, but she did not approach, instead she turned away and fled over the fields, with a scattered handful of French dragons behind her: her honour guard of Petit Chevaliers, and a few half-blind Fleur-de-Nuits, with eyeshades. ‘Oh, oh!’ Temeraire said, jouncing in the air with indignation, ‘oh, how cowardly, she is leaving him behind—’

‘She will be going after the ships,’ Laurence said. ‘Quickly Temeraire, turn so they can see you. Allen, the signal flags, warning to ships, wing to northeast—spell out for them, Celestial; Nelson will understand—’

‘Shall we go and help them?’ Temeraire said hopefully, hovering while Allen waved the flags urgently. It still looked to him as though Lien had run away. And he was sure that if she did mean to head for the ships, it would just be a ruse: what she really wanted was to be out of the fighting. He was sure that she would flee as soon as she made some small gesture. ‘If she does mean to run away, we ought to stop her. I was worried all along that she might escape.’