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An i her down upon the stone, stunned and easy prey for finishing, and Laurence could not see how she was to avoid it, save by throwing herself so wide she would fall out of the courtyard’s bounds And then as the Copacati ca in a frenzy froround with hireater; in an instant he was alongside, and hissing struck, but she jerked her head aside and lashed hiain: both dragons had to , to keep fro cloud of stea haze illu, both peeled away to either side and circled at their opposite ends, to catch their breath and look for so had time to take full measure of one another now
And the Copacati had taken Iskierka’s, certainly He settled hi his tail idly in a ested he was prepared to so reth of time; he watched Iskierka, and his jaere parted, but he made no move towards her "Oh, damn him," Granby said
This time he did not even have to offer his belly to entice her in Iskierka, having circled half-a-dozen tirown tired of the inaction, and snorted her ie, and began another pass at the Copacati He coin another, which would have left hi out of the pattern just in tis twice and shot forith surprising speed, opening his jaide
His head drew back on its neck, momentarily like a cobra ready to strike, and he spat: but even as he did, Iskierka co to meet him opened her os, and her flame boiled up out of her throat and seared the air between theht and scorched, with a stench so powerful it reached the ground; an acrid black cloud rose up, and the dragons both wheeled back fro ahile giving small cries of distress, black scorch-marks streaked over his face and forequarters, stark upon the silver scales Iskierka did not give quarter, but circled back and pressed hard upon hiout of flame from which he flinched sideways, and then another; and suddenly all the dragons were roaring once again, for the Copacati’s shadow had slipped out of the courtyard, and fallen into the running streaain, inclining his head in compliment while Iskierka preened; Manca Copacati was huddled sulking at the far end of the courtyard, with a handful of attendants washing down his hurts ater fro some sort of ointment
"After all, he did not know that she could breathe fire; it seehtly ramshackle sort of trick to use, to win At least, it is not as impressive as if he had known--" Temeraire said; or rather, wanted to say; but in the end, he could not justify it to hi before Laurence Instead he grudgingly said, "That was nicely fought," to Iskierka, in congratulations, and privately determined to hihting, he would shohat he could do
"Yes," Iskierka said complacently, "and I suppose they will know better than to challenge overnor ould like to know the way to take Taruca back to his hoe roasts were being brought out at thaton the ground as they were carried in by young ht, and two extremely nice ones were delivered to Iskierka, who fell upon thehtfully, when they had eaten--it was ly flavored wood, which was very pleasant to have upon the tongue when the ive hi so, as an excuse"
"Whyever would we have h Iskierka--or any of us--ht with us"
Hualpa shrugged oneabout one thing or another," an accusation which Temeraire did not think justified, and in any case, he was Chinese, "but if you really do not want hiht as well remain here I would be pleased to take hi an old man halfway across the empire just to leave him somewhere else"
"Indeed, Captain," Haestion, "you reat deal of sense in what he says: and it is plain to see they have no notion of slavery, at least in the Western mode; there is surely no cruelty or abuse--"
"Sir," Laurence said, cutting hientleman if he prefers to remain here, or be taken to his first-proposed destination?" and Hahed even before he had put the question; Taruca had no hesitation in affir his wish to be taken ho belief in its chances of being accomplished
When Temeraire had made clear that they were quite firhed "Well, as that is the grounds on which you accepted the challenge, I suppose the law is noith you," he said "I will give you right of passage to Titicaca, then; and as long as you are there, you may as well continue on to Cusco, and see what the Sapa Inca will make of you: I have heard there are some Europeans to be welcomed there, presently, so perhaps it will be permitted"
"Is Cusco the capital, then?" Temeraire said "Is it very far fro, I would call it," Hualpa said
"Oh," Haun to make to Laurence abruptly fell silent
"I wonder he should be so doubtful, e have been laying ourselves all-out for his sake," Granby said, perhaps with a shade of resentone all over Iskierka’s head hi certain not a drop of venoht later roll into a nostril or an eye-socket or her jaws "You would think he rateful; but I have been stolen fourteen ti his scarred face, when the question had been put to hio home; if you can take me"
His latest cause for doubt was athey had put together would not do for very er Shipley and all the sailors with any skill at needlework had been at it daily, but by noas inal h country would certainly be past its li to their deaths upon the jagged mountain-sides of the Andes But they had no supply Hualpa had been generous enough to , but while there were enough llaons to their satisfaction, there was no such easy source of leather: they had not even a single leatherworker left, of their ground crews, and the nearest thing was one old round-bellied sailor who vaguely remembered a childhood’s apprenticeship to a tanner, of a few months’ duration