Chapter 3

Halifax Covert, Nova Scotia

December 1811

Way paused outside the door to the officer's mess gesturing to Barclay that he'd be with him shortly. The warm air and glow of firelight emerging from the doorway was welcoming but he had one last duty to perform before he could head inside. Way's third lieutenant Hedges was one of the few men left in the landing ground, he was making his way across to the officer's mess from the infirmary which was situated in a large cabin near to the lake's shore. His face was grim and Way steeled himself to hear his news.

"Sir, the other captains took their own roll call upon landing, they lost a combined nine men, mostly from musket fire. There's another six in the infirmary". Way nodded in response, nine men across six dragons was better than he'd feared but it was the next part he was dreading.

"Our own losses were more severe, Lieutenant Daniels perished fighting during the boarding action along with marines Cross, Low and Jackson. Griggs and Thompson from the topmen and Clarke from the bellmen were killed by musket fire along with Private Jones from the marines. Private Goss is in the infirmary also with a gashed leg but no other wounded." The news hit Way like a blow, eight men from his crew of thirty two. He'd have to spend the evening writing letters to the families of those who had perished and despite the capture of so great a prize morale would take weeks to recover. That latter was something he could try and bring on immediately though despite feeling like doing nothing of the sort. Hedges was his youngest lieutenant and this had been his first action. The young man looked up at Way sadly.

"Thank you Hedges, you've done well. Now and during combat. Losing Daniels is hard, he was a good officer but you'll need to step up now and help me keep the crew's heads up. Whilst it doesn't feel like a great victory at the moment it's a rare event to capture a French beast of such stature. Have you informed Achilles of the men we lost yet?"

"No sir, I thought it best to let you know first" Hedges responded with a sad look towards the lake where Achilles bulk could still be made out in the fading light.

"Good, I'll see what this French captain has to say and then I will inform him myself".

"Will he take it hard sir?" Hedges was looking at him intently now, Way was quietly pleased to see the young officer so concerned for the dragon so gave an honest answer.

"Yes, he always does. We've served for thirteen years in Europe, India, Egypt and now America and every scratch, dent and scar on that great hide of his is the memento of a battle and we lost men in almost all of them. Achilles could list every man of his crew that's been lost if someone cared to ask." Hedges smiled sadly in return and Way let him go on his way before turning for the door. Hedges had only been assigned to Achilles upon their posting to Canada but likely he'd be beginning to understand the crew's loyalty and devotion to their dragon already.

Barclay took his seat opposite the French captain who had named himself Courtois and waited for Way to join him. The officer's mess was quiet, taking a prize like the Petit-Chevalier was a rare moment of success in what would usually have been a bleak and uneventful posting but for now the officers were too tired and still coming to terms with the loss of their comrades to celebrate. The officers sat huddled along the room's two long tables drinking tea or eating. Barclay and Courtois sat apart on a smaller table, Barclay wouldn't have objected to Courtois' officers dining with them but none had survived Imperalus' boarding and capture. The Frenchman himself sat subdued, he was an older man likely of a similar age to Barclay. His brown hair had turned mostly to grey and was tied behind his head and rather poorly for a gentlemen he looked like he hadn't shaved for several days. His uniform looked decidedly untidy but his manners had been impeccable as he thanked Barclay for seeing to his men and allowing his dragon the comfort of the shore beside the warm lake. There was a brief clatter at the door as Way entered, a rush of cold air flooded into the room and he moved quickly to slam the door shut again before removing his coat and making his way to the table. Courtois stirred himself quickly as Way sat.

"Sir, I must offer my gratitude for allowing Imperalus to land and offer my sympathy for the men you lost in our capture. I regret greatly that we offered you battle for what must seem no purpose".

"Thank you captain, I'd offer the same for your own crew too. I must confess though to being more than curious as to why a French heavyweight has strayed into our territory at all and especially from across the American border".

Courtois began to look anxious now and didn't immediately offer a response. His face though seemed to betray some internal battle as if he didn't quite know how to respond. Barclay was happy to wait and looking at Way it seemed that despite the rather intense cast to his gaze he was happy to wait also.

"Sirs please forgive my hesitancy, I'm rather at battle with my own sense of honour and quite unsure of exactly what course I've chosen here". Now Barclay and Way both leaned in. Barclay had expected the officer to be reticent about his purpose and unwilling to divulge any information that could threaten his nation's interests but it would seem he clearly wanted to tell them something.

"I should tell you a bit about myself I suppose, my family are rather an old and distinguished family" Courtois began to explain "Or were so anyway. As such I could only describe myself as a royalist and I've therefore been at a bit of a loose end since Bonaparte's revolution". Barclay listened to this last part with some interest, he'd wondered at the time of the revolution what would be become of the captains loyal to the deposed regime.

"Do you mean Sir that you came across our border as an émigré fleeing Bonaparte's tyranny? If so then coming across with a formation in tow and engaging us in battle is rather a strange way to signal your change of loyalties" this outburst came from Way and the heat in the words caused some of the other aviators to glance over in interest. Barclays glare swiftly diverted them back to their own business though.

"No sir". Courtois continued and seemed to focus and lose some of his fluster at Way's challenge adopting a more confident aire.

"Whether loyal to Bonaparte or not I could not question my loyalty to France and I would not turn my coat like some others. But equally I could not sit by idly whilst Imperalus was sent to this damned continent to be used as breeding stock". Both British captains faces evidently betrayed their shock at this statement for he carried on without prompt.

"Myself and several other captains who were similarly former royalists and all who captained heavyweight Petit-Chevaliers or Chanson-de-Guerres were sent here with the expertise of France's most experienced breeders". Courtois paused and looked at the two British captain's faces awaiting response. Barclay's head was spinning, he still couldn't fathom why this French officer had flown North but the illusion that Achilles was the only heavyweight either side of the border had just been shattered. He'd have to inform the admiralty as soon as possible but he'd need the full story first. Hesitantly he found his voice.

"Bonaparte has sent dragons to help the Americans establish their own heavyweight breeds?"

"Yes and they've succeeded in creating two distinct breeds, the Marbled Patriot and the Eastern Knight. Though I do not think they have more than a few of each and those are still young".

Barclay cringed inwardly at the names, he could guess from which French breeds the two would have derived. He knew that the American's had a plethora of light and middleweight dragons available to them and had begun to harness and crew them in the European style in contrast to the native americans whose dragons would only permit their captain aboard in battle. But the lack of a heavyweight had been their gaping weakness and if the French had bridged that gap in their forces for them...He shared a worried glance with Way to his left. If the Americans had introduced native dragon blood to these new breeds it was possible as well that they'd be well enough adapted to fight through the Canadian winter when the British dragons would be grounded around the lake due to the extreme cold and Britain forced to rely on their native allies and the efforts the Canadian militia had made with crewing a few middleweights resistant to the weather in the Toronto covert. With some effort Barclay tried to put his thoughts in order, he'd have to write to the admiralty of course, but there was the more immediate matter of the French captain's fate first.

"Captain Courtois, it would be churlish for us not to thank you for this intelligence but I must ask if you're not turning your back on France then why are you here and why are you divulging information vital to one of France's enemies?".

"In all honesty Sir I cannot justify my actions to you anymore than I can to myself. I knew only that I could not go on serving Bonaparte and I could not sit out Imperalus' prime years watching him used like a prize stud by the Americans." Courtois' eyes looked pained and he spoke softly. Captain Way however did not seem sympathetic as he responded.

"Captain as vital as your information might be I still fail to see what purpose crossing the border under arms and engaging with our forces served. Good men from both our crews perished in the skirmish for no reason!". Courtois sank further into his seat at this rebuke but was quick to explain himself.

"Sir when Imperalus took off I still had no notion of what action we were to carry out and if I speak truthfully then I do not see that my crew would have agreed to meekly surrendering to you regardless of my own feelings. No doubt they would believe I've committed treason but I strongly believe that Napoleon Bonaparte will drive France to the brink of oblivion and I hope my actions can be seen as a blow against his ambition and will to use the Americans rather than against my nation itself."

"I believe we've heard enough now Captain, regardless of your motives I am sure that Imperalus will be spending the next years of his life in our own breeding grounds whether it's those in Newfoundland or their equivalent back in Britain. No effort will be made to force his use as 'breeding stock' though and should you act honourably during your incarceration you both may pass the rest of the war in relative comfort. I would not like to guess what will happen to you following the conclusion to the current conflict though. Regardless of victor". Barclay spoke the last coldly and without sympathy, Courtois would likely find no welcome in France whether Bonaparte ruled or not if France lost the war and a French victory over Britain didn't bear thinking about. Despite this his heart rebelled too strongly to the notion of treason to offer any sympathy regardless of how vital Courtois' acts could be to British Canada. Courtois only nodded in acknowledgement, evidently these thoughts already weighed on his mind.

"Lieutenant Davies, please escort Captain Courtois to the quarters set aside from him and see that a guard is placed on the door". Davies rose from the table nearest their own and Courtois reluctantly followed him out of the room through a door leading deeper into the building. Barclay turned to Way and both men looked at each other glumly for several moments until finally Way broke the silence.

"John, if the American's can field their own heavyweights…"

Way left the rest unsaid, Barclay knew he'd willingly back Achilles against any other like sized beast but he couldn't fight two or three heavyweights and he couldn't defend the whole border by himself either.

"I know Arthur, the middleweights in the Upper Canada covert couldn't hold against a heavyweight and if what Courtois says is true, and we've no reason to ignore what he says then Achilles could be overwhelmed here in any case. There's also the rather worrying thought that they've crossbred them with natives. This will be your first winter in Canada Arthur, when the winter is upon us fully then the formation will not be able to fly. British dragons can put up with the cold if they need to but you won't be able to fly in it."

Way had no doubt been informed of this before, but his frustration was obvious, no doubt he envisaged Achilles grounded at the covert whilst the American's pushed Britain's forces back from the border unchallenged in the air.

"Have our own breeders accomplished no successes of our own?"

"We have a dozen or so Yellow Reaper crosses at the covert near Toronto in Upper Canada, they've shown some promise and can fly in the coldest weather but we've no heavyweights Arthur. Achilles is the first heavyweight to be posted here since...Serratus. And before that we've had nothing here since the revolution thirty years ago. Certainly the breeding grounds haven't received anything other than retired Reapers and lightweights." Barclay felt the familiar pang when mentioning Serratus but he ignored Way's sympathetic look and carried on.

"There will be a courier in a week, we will have to request more heavyweights for the warmer months and I'll write to General Brock at York, he's no fool. Whilst anyone can see the U.S has grown more hostile over the last few years he's about the only man who has been doing anything about it. I will see if we can get artillery support for the covert."

"John, Brock has a single regiment of regulars and the border's hundreds of miles long. If our aerial support has been negated surely the situation is hopeless?"

Barclay smiled.

"We'll do our duty Arthur, and hope to God that the admiralty see fit to send us enough men and guns to get through the winter and enough dragons to press the Americans in the summer". The fact that every man, beast and gun was desperately needed in Europe went unsaid.