They did not have enough to go round: there were less than eighty cows in the pen, and all the harnessed dragons to be fed also. ‘Then you must make soup, and roast and crack the bones to make it tastier, and so we can eat those more easily; you might put some grain in it too, and some vegetables,’ Temeraire added, to the rather perplexed looking herdsmen. ‘Laurence, where has Gong Su gone to?’

‘I do not know,’ Laurence said. ‘He was privately hired, not an official member of the crew, and my affairs have been in no kind of order. I have not been able to carry on any sort of correspondence, nor meet my obligations. I expect he must have sought other employment. I hope he was successful.’

‘I did not think all my crew would be taken away in this fashion,’ Temeraire said, feeling rather displeased, ‘or I would have brought everyone with us to France; except then I suppose they would all have been called traitors too, and perhaps some of them would not have liked to go.’

‘No,’ Laurence said. ‘But I thank you for the reminder; I must make arrangements, while I can. I must make inquiries after Gong Su, and make good my other debts.’

‘There will be a great deal of time, after tomorrow,’ Temeraire pointed out.

Laurence paused and then said, ‘Best to clear away such things before a battle, my dear.’

The soup that the herdsmen managed, at length, to make was not very good: the meat and vegetables sunken congealed lumps at the bottom, squashy and flavourless, but they were all hungry enough to eat it. Only Gentius was pleased. He ate twice his usual amount, and pronounced it excellent, truly excellent; he would have managed another serving if there were any left.

‘Not much like proper food,’ Requiescat said unenthusiastically.

‘Well, tomorrow when we have won, we will go and get our own herd. And perhaps by then, Laurence will have found of Gong Su again,’ Temeraire said. ‘He will make us a feast to celebrate, something very nice, perhaps a dish they cook in the Imperial Palace.’

‘I will be happy enough with a proper cow, fresh,’ Requiescat said, and then sat up abruptly, throwing back his shoulders, as with a great thump Maximus came down in the clearing before them and rattled all the trees nearby.

‘Hm,’ Maximus said, and drew himself up on his haunches too.

‘You are here!’ Temeraire cried, joyfully. ‘Is Lily with you also? Are you well?’

‘Right as rain,’ Maximus said absently, without looking away from Requiescat. Both heavyweights were prickling their spines and staring at one another directly in the eyes.

‘Where is—Maximus?’ Temeraire said, puzzled. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Laurence!’ a voice yelled faintly from outside the camp, and Laurence looked up from where he was sitting and writing. ‘Laurence, get that damned lump of mine out of that camp, you have another Regal there!’