A Different Destiny Chapter 2
Levitas woke slowly from the opium's influence. He was clearly confused by the many pains in his sides and back. His head slowly waved back and forth as he surveyed his recently-stitched injuries. Hollin had stepped out to use the necessary, leaving Emily Roland to keep the injured Winchester company.
"How do you feel, Mister Levitas?" she asked after a few moments.
"I hurt all over," Levitas replied. "What of my captain? Is he all right?"
Emily began to answer, then stopped herself. Was it her place to deliver such bad news?
Levitas tried to stand, but winced and slumped back to the ground. "You must tell me," he said urgently. "When will my captain come to see me? Was he badly hurt? Did I fail him in some way?"
"No, sir, you didn't fail him," Emily exclaimed. She slowed down and chose her words carefully. "Everyone says you were very brave, and it's a miracle that you got your rider home. But sometimes... even a miracle ain't enough."
"No," Levitas sobbed. "No! Oh, no!" That was all he could say, over and over again, for several minutes. Emily had never seen a dragon cry before; the idea that such huge creatures could feel such weakness disturbed her. After a few seconds, she embraced the Winchester's head, which was nearly the size of her torso. He pushed back against her, which nearly knocked her over, then closed his eyes and wept uncontrollably.
Hollin rejoined them after a few minutes. "He knows?" he asked quietly.
"He knows," Emily whispered. Hollin stroked the dragon's neck and said nothing more. They let him cry it out, but the dragon was inconsolable.
At last, Levitas tried to bring himself under control. "What shall I do without my captain?" he wailed. "What shall I do?" Hollin and Emily didn't try to answer.
Instead, Hollin turned to the young cadet. "The Admiral wanted to know as soon as Levitas woke up. Run and fetch him." She nodded and ran to find Lenton. They returned, along with Jane Roland, at about the same time as the doctor came to check on his patient. Laurence also entered the area at this time, searching for his wayward ground-crew chief and his missing runner. Levitas focused on the admiral, whose gold-fringed epaulets stood out in the small crowd.
"Admiral, sir, what shall I do without my captain?" he begged.
"Levitas, there is one very important thing you can do," Lenton answered earnestly. He stood in front of the dragon so he wasn't in the way while the doctor checked the stitches. "You and your rider were hurt while you were scouting the French army's secrets. If you can tell us what you saw, then Rankin didn't die for nothing. You can give your rider's death some meaning, and gain a kind of revenge on the ones who killed him. What can you tell us of what you saw in France?"
Levitas tried to remember as he sniffled, while the others held their breath. Winchesters were not bred for intelligence. Even if he remembered anything after the physical and emotional horrors he'd just gone through, he might not be able to communicate what he'd seen in a way that meant anything to the humans.
"We saw ships," he finally said. "Lots of ships. On the land."
"Were they big ships?" Laurence cut in.
"Yes, they were much bigger than me." That wasn't very useful; even a fishing smack was bigger than a Winchester.
"Why would they build ships on land?" Hollin wondered. "Ships need water, the last time I looked."
"What else do you remember about those ships?" Lenton pressed him.
"Well... the ships weren't finished," Levitas went on. "They didn't have... those things that stand straight up."
"Masts?" Laurence exclaimed.
"I suppose so," the dragon nodded hesitantly. "They had things sticking out to the sides instead."
"That means nothing to me," Laurence admitted. "Oars, perhaps?"
"Did you notice anything else about those ships?" the admiral repeated. "Anything at all?"
"No, not really." The dragon winced in pain, then yawned. "I am terribly, terribly tired, and very sad. May I rest?"
"An injured dragon needs his rest," the doctor agreed.
"But this could be critical to the survival of England!" Lenton burst out. "We've got to find out what he saw, and what it means!"
"I really don't remember anything else," Levitas said sadly.
"Wait a moment," Jane said thoughtfully. "Levitas, did your captain say anything about those ships when he saw them?"
"No, I don't think he... no, wait a moment. He said something that didn't make any sense. He said something about 'ships and flutes.' I saw a person play a flute once, and it sounded very pretty. But there weren't any flute players near the ships."
"Ships and flutes?" Lenton echoed. "You're right, that doesn't make any sense at all."
"I think he might have said, 'Ships en flute,' " Laurence corrected him. "That means warships with their cannons removed, so they can serve as troop transports."
"Troop transports..." Lenton went pale. "Good lord, that's what Napoleon is up to! Those ships don't have any masts because they won't need them. His dragons are going to carry them right across the Channel! Our entire fleet couldn't stop him if they tried. Laurence, how many men can a warship carry?"
"It depends on the size of the ship," Laurence answered quickly. "If they're double-deckers, I'd say seven or eight hundred easily, perhaps a thousand or more if they slung hammocks. A big triple-decker could carry as many as two thousand men for a short trip."
Lenton did the numbers in his head. "He could put his entire army on our shores in a matter of hours. With artillery."
"And only our dragons can stop him," Captain Roland added. "Our badly-outnumbered dragons."
"We shall do what we can," Lenton said firmly. "Napoleon will need a south wind to make his scheme work, and the wind is out of the north today. We shall put scouts in the air at all hours to give us some warning, while the fighting dragons must be ready to fly at a moment's notice. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire should last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour.' " They scattered, except for Emily and the dragon.
"I didn't do something bad, did I?" he asked her.
"Oh, no, you did something very good," she reassured him. "It's the French who are trying to do something bad. Thanks to you, now we know what they're up to, so we can try and stop 'em."
"There will be a battle," Levitas nodded dully. "And I have no captain! How shall I fly? How shall I fight?"
She didn't tell him the doctor's prognosis; he'd had enough bad news for one day. "You're still so banged up, they won't let you fly. The best thing you can do is rest and get better."
"Yes, I suppose you are right," Levitas nodded as he lay down. "I am frightfully tired, and so very, very sad." He yawned hugely, closed his eyes, tried to get comfortable, and slowly nodded off to sleep.
"Rest, Mister Levitas," Emily said softly. "You've earned it. Chances are, you're going to need it."
Back in Admiral Lenton's office, the admiral turned to Roland and Laurence. "You win some and you lose some, I suppose. Rankin won't be missed, but he picked the worst possible time to die and take a dragon out of commission."
"What do you mean by, 'you win some?' " Jane asked him.
"I've gotten word that a Yellow Reaper egg is showing signs of hatching early," Lenton replied. "Normally, that would be the best news, but scrambling to find a suitable rider on short notice, while planning for the battle of our lives at the same time, is no easy task."
"Sir, if you want a man who will be a credit to the service, send Mr. Hollin," Laurence said suddenly. "I would vouch for him with my life."
"Your ground-crew master? I would have to send him to Chatham immediately. Can you spare the man on the eve of battle?"
Laurence did not have to think too hard about that. "My crew are well-trained and ready, sir. We can do this. If the dragon egg cannot wait, then do what you must; we will be ready to fight when the call comes."
"Very good, then. I shall issue the necessary orders. But there is one other concern: Levitas, the injured dragon. He has no captain now, and experience has shown us that a wounded dragon will heal much more rapidly when under the active care of his rider. An unsupervised dragon will nearly always try to rush the healing process, in his eagerness to return to the air, and re-injure himself. Levitas cannot afford to do this; his injuries were nearly fatal, and should he re-open those wounds, he certainly would not survive. I see that your Mr. Hollin has been caring for the beast. Who will step into that role when I send him away?"
"Well, sir, my cadet runner, Roland, has also taken an interest in Levitas' care. I think she would be happy for a temporary assignment such as this. It would certainly be a positive step for her career, and it will be good training for the day when she steps into her mother's shoes as Excidium's captain."
"You'll be short two crewmen when we're on the verge of fighting for the life of England, Laurence! Do you really think this is wise?"
"We shall be short but one crewman, sir. Emily can rejoin Temeraire's crew on short notice when summoned. She's quick."
o
The dragons returned from the Battle of Dover by ones and twos, bringing word of a great victory. All anyone could talk about was Temeraire and his newfound ability to destroy things from a distance by unleashing a special roar at them.
"Nobody knew he could do that!" Cadet Dyer exclaimed. "Not even him!"
"But he sure picked a good time to figure it out," Emily answered.
"It's a bit of a deus ex machina, eh?" Admiral Lenton chuckled.
"A what, sir?"
"There's another good reason to learn Latin, Cadet Roland. You'll be able to understand your commanding admiral when he quotes from the classics."
"Yes, sir." She turned to Laurence, unconvinced. "Sir, I ought to check on Levitas. He's been alone ever since we left to fight the battle."
Laurence nodded. "I'm sure the doctor has checked up on him, but yes, go and see him. Report back to me if you will need to stay with him for any length of time." Emily nodded and left at a run.
She returned about fifteen minutes later. "Sir, Levitas is twice as sad as before. He misses his captain, and he missed the battle, too. Can I... I mean, I think I ought to stay with him for a while."
"Is there any useful work that you need to do for him?" Laurence asked.
"Well, somebody has to bring him his food, 'cause he can't catch it by himself. And I probably should cut it up in pieces for him, 'cause he needs his forefeet to hold a dead animal down while he eats it, and he can't use his forelegs yet while his muscles are healing. And he'll need me to bring him water when he's thirsty, too. And I'll have to... you know... shovel up after him sometimes."
"It does not sound as though you're choosing soft work for yourself," he nodded. "Report back to me after Levitas has finished his meal, and tell me of his progress."
"Yes, sir. I will!" she exclaimed over her shoulder as she ran back toward where Levitas was recovering.