Golden Age and Other Stories Read online

  GoldenAgeandOtherStories

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  Volly’sCow

  PlantingSeason

  DawnofBattle

  GoldenAge

  Succession

  DragonsandDecorum

  Drabbles

  Vol y’sCow

  (artbyCaryShien)

  TEMERAIREWASREALLYquitefondofVolly—noonecouldhelpbeingso,hefelt,unlesstheywere

  ofaparticularlyunsympatheticnature—buttherewasnodenyingthatnothingcouldclaimashareofthe little dragon’s attention whenever there was a cow in the offing, which he could reasonably have laid claimto,andsometimesunreasonably.

  Itwasrathermortifyingonthisoccasion,becauseTemerairewasnotaloneatall—hehadbrought Gaudion with him. This dragon was an acquaintance of Perscitia’s originally from the eastern breeding grounds—anexperimentalcrossbetweenaYellowReaperandaRegalCopper,whohadcomeoutwith boththewrongsizeandthewrongcolor,atleastifyouaskedtheBritishbreeders.Hewasasinclinedto be jealous of his consequence as a Regal, and yet wistful for company as a Reaper, an unfortunate conjunctionoftraitswhichhadseenhimgivenuptothebreedinggroundswithouttoomuchregretbythe Corps,andtherequitelonely,untilPerscitiahaddiscoveredhiminhereffortstofindlikelycandidatesto standforthenextelection.

  Gaudionwasverymuchinclinedtomakeapartofwhateverpartywouldhavehim,whichTemeraire wasnotcertainmademuchofarecommendation,butwhichPerscitiaconsideredofthefirstimportance

  —“We will never make much headway unless we vote as one,” she always said. “We must make ourselvesareliablesetofvotes,sothat anygovernmentthatmighttakepowershallwanttomakeitself agreeabletous.”Besidesthis,hewasalsoreasonablyclever,andsensiblewhenanyonewasnotmaking himfeelsmallerthanhethoughthimself,atleastaccordingtoPerscitia.Temerairehadneveryetseenit, himself,asevidentlyhismerepresencewasenoughtoputGaudion’sbackup.

  “And if nothing else, he can squeeze his head inside the building through the skylight, which you can’t,andhe lookslikeaRegalCopper,whichwillcertainlyhaveagoodeffect,”Perscitiasaid.

  “Hedoes notlooklikeaRegalCopper!”Temerairesaid.“Noonecouldpossiblymistakehim.”

  “No sensible person could, but I assure you there are any number of members of Parliament who can,”Perscitiasaidfirmly.

  Soitwasdesirabletohavehimelected,andinanycaseitwascertainlymoredesirablethanhaving no dragon elected for the seat at all. The lines of the borough had been drawn in a very awkward way indeed,carefullyskirtingtheedgeoftheeasternbreedinggrounds,avoidingDoverentirely,andPerscitia hadbeenatsomepainstofindanysuitablecandidateatallwithintheirbounds.OnlybecauseGaudion hadslippedawayfromthebreedinggroundsandestablishedhimselfinasmallcaveintheSouthDowns, aftertoomanyaffrontstohispride,couldhequalify,andnowtheymustsomehowfindatleastafewvotes forhim.

  Which had brought them here: Captain James and Volly had only lately been stationed at Bodiam Castle,wheretheymightserveasalonger-distancerelayforWinchesterscarryingmessagesfromeither LondonorDover,andwerejustinsidetheborders.VollycertainlydidnotcareanythingaboutParliament ortheelection,ofcourse,buthehadasmuchrighttocastavoteasanyotherdragon,andTemerairewas surehewouldbewillingtooblige,ifonlyhecouldbemadetounderstandwhathehadtodo.

  AndifonlyTemerairecouldwinhisattentionforlongenoughtoexplainit.Buttherewasthecow, justtheothersideofthetallfence,chewingitscudmeditatively.Ithadbeenhoodedlikeacavalrymount, a technique the herd masters had lately adopted which kept the cattle a good deal fatter and more complacentwhentheyhadtoberaisedneardragons.Temerairehadquiteapproved—itwasaChinese practice, which Laurence had passed along to the Corps through Jane Roland—until this particular moment,wherethecowhadquiteofitsownvolitionwanderedrightuptotheedgeofthepen,wheresat Vollydirectlyopposite,staringatitinunblinkingandtotalfocus.

  “I am sure they will give it to you for dinner tonight,” Temeraire tried again, “or at the latest tomorrow;youaresuretohaveanicehaunchofitverysoon,”buttherewasnousetalkingtohimatall; Volly’sheaddidnottwitchawayintheslightest.Andtheelectionwasthisveryday—Temerairehadnot thoughtitwisetotryandinstructVollyinadvance,andrelyuponhismemory—andthevotingshouldhave endedlongbeforefeedingtime.

  ThenGaudionmadethingsworsebysaying,stiffly,“That isahandsomecow,andverylargeforsuch asmallbeast;Idon’tseewhyheshouldhaveitalltohimself,whenthereareotherdragonsabout,who haveajustclaimtoashare,”andVollycertainlyheard that.Heflattenedhiswingsagainsthisbackand hissedatGaudion,whodrewhisheadbackindignantly.HewasnothinglikeaRegalCopper,buthe was much bigger than Volly, of course, who was a courier-beast and closer in size to the very cow he was eyeing.

  But of course, Volly was a working-dragon, and the cow was in his own feeding pen, and well withinhisrights.“Mycow,”hesaid,intonesofclearoutrage.

  “Certainlyitisyourcow!”Temeraireinterjectedhurriedly.“Youhavebeenflyingagreatdeallately, Ihear,andyouhaveearnedit; I, for one, would never dream of encroaching.” He fired a stern look at Gaudion,whoscowledbackathimsullenly,notrecommendinghimselfinanywaywhatsoever.

  Then inspiration struck, and Temeraire leaned over towards Volly and whispered, “But I am sure that dragon might well try to be quarrelsome about it: shall I get him away again, before the feeders shouldgetroundtothebutchering?He isamiddle-weight,afterall,andifheisherewhentheyserveit out,hecouldcertainlymakesomenoiseaboutit.Praycomeandcastyourvoteforhimintheelection, quickly,andhewillhavetocomeawaywithmeatonce.”

  PlantingSeason

  (artbyHughEbdy)

  Author’s Note: While Hugh’s gorgeous picture depicts Laurence and a new-

  hatched Temeraire, for me it immediately evoked Boston Harbor, and so I’ve

  written about a very different character who hails from that region of the

  Temeraireuniverse:theAmericandragonJohnWampanoag,introducedin Blood

  ofTyrants .Thisstorytakesplaceaconsiderabletimebeforethatappearance.

  THESMELLSOFBostonharborwereprettyextraordinarytoayoungdragon’snose,thetarespecially, andJohnshookhisheadattheenormoussprawlsoffishbeingheavedontothedocksintheirnets,mostof whichalreadysmelledold.Buthemarchedonwardanyway.Thesailorswhonoticedhimclearedoutof hiswayallright,andaNarragansettmanoffoneofthewhalerscalledhimagreetingandofferedhima tastythicksliceofblubber,whichyoucouldn’tcallanythingbutnice,evenif
itwasn’t perfectlyfresh.

  “Do you know where I can find Mr. Devereux?” John asked him, and was pointed to the right warehouse: it had James & Devereux charmingly painted in gold across the façade in the crisp letters which John had been studying carefully with Father Duquet since his hatching. He couldn’t have got throughthefrontdoor,buttherewasalargeroneintheback,whereawagonhadbeendrawnuptobe loaded, and a cleared spot round the corner where the horses couldn’t see, with the marks of dragon clawsontheground.Johnsettledtowaituntilthewagonanditsbigdrafthorseshadclearedout,andthen hewentinsideandspoketothelargemanwhohadbeendirectingtheloading.

  “I’mfromMashpee:willyoupleaseaskMr.Devereuxifhewillspeaktome?Ihavealetterforhim frommychief.”Themenwerelookingallroundhimandevenpeeringunderhisbelly,likehewashiding aridersomewhere,soheputouthisrightforelegandwavedittoshowtheleathersatchelboundsecurely aroundit.

  “How do you do,” Mr. Devereux said when he came out, very loudly and slowly, as though that would’vedoneanygoodifJohnhadn’tlearnedEnglishintheshell.

  “Iamdoingprettywell,thankyou,”Johnsaid,andintroducedhimselfasJohnWampanoag,sincethe colonistsgotfussedifyoudidn’tusealastname,“andIwouldlikeacargo,ifyouhaveonelookingfor transport.”

  Devereuxsoonbeganspeakinginamoreordinaryandsensibleway,althoughitwasclearhewas

  perplexedbecauseJohndidnothaveariderwithhim.Johndidn’tcaretoexplain,though,soheonlysaid, quitesimply,thathedidnothaveone.

  “Anyway,”Johnsaid,“IcancarrymoreifIdon’thaveapersonweighingmedown.Ihaveflownas farasNewYork,andcomebackwithoutanytrouble,”andhandedovertheletterfromthesachemwhich expressed her confidence in his reliability, and more importantly an offer to guarantee two hundred dollars’worthofhiscargo.Hehadproposedthathimself:anamountjudiciouslychosensoitslosswould nothurtMashpeetoomuch,butenoughnottobethrowntriviallyaway.

  “Hm,Isee,”Devereuxsaid,whenhehadreadit.

  Johnadded,“Iamnoheavy-weight,ofcourse,butperhapsyouhaveasmallercargowhichneedsto gorightaway,orcanfindone.”

  Devereuxeyedhimnarrowly,andthensaid,“Well,letmeseewhatIcando.Willyoucomeback

  tomorrowmorning?”

  Johnspenttheafternoonpleasantly,fishingforhissupperinthewatersofftheharbor—nostalefish forhim,thankyou—andtomakeaniceomenofgoodfortune,inthelateafternoonhespottedawhalerin thedistancehavingafightwithaspermwhaleabittoobigforthem.Heflewoutandofferedtohelpin exchange for twenty barrels of whale oil out of their hold. The captain bargained him down to ten in a shoutedexchange,whichwasasmuchasJohnhadreallyhopedfor,sowhenthewhalewassecured,they partedwithmuchsatisfactionandasenseofagoodbargainonallsides.

  JohntookhistenbarrelsbacktothedocksandsleptacrossfromJames&Devereuxcurledround them—noonetroubledhimatall—andinthemorning,Mr.Devereuxofferedtobuythemfortwenty-eight dollars,whichwasnotquiteatthetopofthemarketbutafairprice.

  “Perhapsyoucouldmakeitabitmore,insharesofmycargoinsteadofcash:ifyouhavefoundone forme,andwouldbewillingtotakemeasaninvestor,”Johnsaid,beforeMr.Devereuxhadevenbrought outthebills.

  “IsupposeIcanseemywaycleartothat,”Devereuxsaid,abitbemusedly.Hehadfourtonsoftea to send. By some unlucky chance—for them—five different ships had made it into port from China that sameweek,andthepriceofteainBostonhaddroppedlowenoughthatDevereuxhaddecideditworth buyingsomeandshippingitontoNewYork.TheyagreedthatJohn’sshareshouldbeatwentiethofthe cargo,alongwithahundreddollarsforcarrierservice,whichwashandsome.Johnhadthembundlethe sacksofteaunderhisbellyandwrapitwithathickpaddingofoilskintokeepthemdry.

  ThejourneytoNewYorkwasallright:itwasn’ttoocoldanymore,andhefoundanicesheltered clearingtopassthenighthalfway.AcoupleofMohawkswithriderswhodidn’tlookmorethanaweek pastmanhoodtriedtogivehimsometroubleovertheHudsonthenextmorning,butJohnbeatupintoatall dampcloudandhidforhalfanhour.Theyshotafewbulletsidlyinhisdirection,buttheyeventuallylost interestandwentspiralingaway,sotheyhadn’tseenhehadcargo.Itwasallrighttosaytheywereone nation now, but there were plenty of folks who didn’t care to remember it when they saw you crossing theirhuntinggroundsofthelastfivecenturieswithsomethingworthhaving.

  Probablytheyhadalsoseenthathehadn’tanyrider.

  Johndivedoutofthecloudandshookthedropsfromhiswings.Hedidn’tfeeltoocoldinthechest orthebelly,thankstotheoilskin,andlookinghimselfover,itoccurredtohimthatthecoveringmadethe cargohardtoseeagainsthisdarkbrownhide.Nobodywould’veguessedhewascarryingfourthousand dollars’ worth of tea. He might get a cover made to match him even better, and harness straps, too. It wouldbeworththeinvestmenttogetbackandforthwithouttrouble:havingtostopandnegotiateatoll,or worse,fight.Personally,hehadneverunderstoodthosedragonswholikedaquarrelasmuchasagood dinner.

  Singing Bird had spoken to him and his two hatch-mates about it seriously even while they’d still beenintheshell.Fightingwasn’tanyusetothetribethesedays.Yes,oldGreenWing,whowasgettingon fortwohundred,wouldtellyouaslongasyou’dlisten,“Beforetheyellowfevercame,youcouldnotfly tenmilesalongthecoastwithoutseeingawetufromthesky,andtherewereathousandmenforeveryone ofus,”lamenting,“andtheywoulddanceandraceandduel,andshowtheirskills,andonlythebestwere allowedtoride,andwewouldgoongreatraids,andbringbackthetail-spikesofourenemies.”

  Well,thathadallbeenoveralongtimebeforeJohnhadevenbrokenshell.Thesedaystherewere lessthanahundreddragonridersleftamongtheWampanoag.Twenty-sevenhaddiedintheRevolution.

  Andtherewerealotofcolonistswithalotofguns,allofthemhungryforland.

  ThesachemPhilip,SingingBird’sgreat-grandfather,he’dtriedtochasethemoff,alittlemorethana hundred years back. He’d made alliance with the Narragansett and with the Mohegan, and together the dragon riders had run the colonists all the way back behind the long guns of Boston, and burned their farms.Butthenextspring,theirKingacrosstheseahadsentabigred-speckledegg,andayearafterthat, MassachusettsBaycolonyhadadragonbiggerthananyoftheshipsintheirharbor.WhenDominuswent aloft, he took two dozen men with him, loaded down with guns and bombs. He could smash a whole villageinfifteenminutes,andtwentydragonriderstogethercouldn’tsaymuchaboutit.SoPhiliphadto makepeace,andtheyallsatdownaroundatableanddrewsomenewlinesonsomenewmaps,andthen thecolonistswentrightbacktonibblenibblenibblingaroundtheedges,anywherethereweren’tenough Indianfolkstocatchthem,whichwaseverywhere.

  WhentheRevolutioncame,there’dbeenalotofarguingamongtheWampanoag.Somefolkswanted

  tohelptheBritish,whopromisedtokeepthecolonistsoutofIndianlands.ButSingingBirdhadstoodup andsaidthosepromisesweren’tworthanymorethantheonesthey’dgotbeforenow,andthecolonists weren’t going anywhere. Better to divide them from England with all its busy factories, and long guns, and dragons who could knock you around like a flock of chickadees. She’d already been sachem in Mashpee,sinceherfatherhaddied,buttheWampanoaghadnamedhergreatsachem,afterthat,andgave herthenameSingingBirdtomarkit.

  So the Wampanoag—and the Narragansett and the Mohegan, just about all the Iroquois, and eventuallyth
eShawnee,too—hadallgoneinwiththeRevolution,instead.Thecolonistshadmadealot ofpromises,too—Washingtoncouldn’thavemademuchheadwaywithoutanydragonsonhisside—butit hadn’tbeensoeasyforthemtogobackontheirword.NotaweekafterthesmokeclearedatYorktown, DominusflewofftoHalifax,alongwithGlorianafromNewYorkandSolarisfromRichmond.Andyoung Tecumsehwentflyingalloverthecountry:he’dcometoMashpeeandspokentoSingingBird,andbythe timetheywerereadyfortheConstitutionalConvention,he’dgonetoPhiladelphiawithprettymuchevery dragonriderleftathisback,anddemandedseatsatthetable.Nobodyhadseentheirwaycleartosending himaway.

  SonowPokanoketwasastate,andtheotherIndiannationsweretoo,andmostimportantly,ithad beenwrittenintotheConstitutionthatnobodycouldownlandinthebordersofanIndianstate,onlythe righttouseit,andtheirdescendantshadtorenewtheirland-userightswiththesachemswheneverthey inherited.

  That had stopped the worst of the dirty tricks that the colonists had been using to get their lands, gettingfolksdrunkandbribingthemtoselllandtheydidn’thavearightto.Butitwasn’tgoingtosave themforever.SingingBirdsaidtheyhadjustwonsometime:timetobecomethepeoplewhomadethe guns,andtheships,andwrotethelaws.Onlythatwouldsavethem,nottoothandclaw.Thatwaswhatshe neededthemtodo,she’dtoldallthehatchlings.Itwashardforanolddragontolearnnewways,soit wasuptothem,theyoungones,tolearnEnglish,andasmuchreadingastheycould,andputtheirbrains andbackstonewwork.

  Johnmeanttodohisbest.Hishatch-matePineCarrierhadtakenayoungmanfromCohannetasa companion,andtheyhadgoneintotimber,wheretheycouldtogetherworkfasterthananycrewoftwenty; whentheyhadproventhemselves,thevillagewouldgosharestohiretheirowncrewandequipthem,and give them logging rights in the Wampanoag woods. There was talk of a saw-mill of their own. Wave Climberhadalsotakenacompanion:ahalf-Dutch,half-French,half-Mohegan—well,somewhereinthere