“Well, you are all very young,” Curicuillor said with a sigh. “I do not know what things can be like in your country, when hatchlings your age have already an ayllu of their own. You are of an age to be fighting, but so you should be with the army, and not responsible for others; it is no wonder to me that we hear such strange reports of your men.”
Heaving herself up, she padded down to the edge of the water. When Temeraire came up beside her, she shook her head out towards the far side of the lake, where a handsome clear white beach stood out from the trees. “I have meant to have Churki begin there with her ayllu, when a few more children are born,” she said, “for then we should command this part of the lake on all sides, and it would take a very brazen thief to make an attempt at us then. But there is no need to wait. Why do you not think better of this war of yours? You and your friends might stay: I will exchange with you, so you will have enough young women to start some proper families, and we will have new blood, so it will be good for all of us.”
“They do seem to arrange things better, here,” Kulingile said wistfully. They were sitting on the beach watching: one of the younger dragons was digging out a new terrace into the hillside with a party of a dozen young men and women, who were spreading out gravel of many shapes and dirt in layers to fill the space as he carried over loads of each. When the dragon had finished depositing the final layer, he settled to earth and a couple of the young women who had been sitting on the side climbed onto his back with a basket of large silver hoops, which they had been polishing all the morning, and put these back into place along his wings.
“I had much rather have Granby than a dozen other people, even if they were splendid about polishing jewels,” Iskierka said, “but they do seem to have heaps of treasure here; and I should not mind for Granby to have children.”
Temeraire did not say so, but he felt quite strongly that he would mind, if Laurence were to be very occupied with them.
“We shan’t stay here, of course,” Iskierka continued. “That would be great nonsense when there is a whole war going on in Europe, which we can go back to; but we might as well trade her some of the sailors for women. That seems to me very sensible: I do not see why we haven’t more women in our crews to begin with.”
“Well, I do not, either; Roland is particularly clever, and can be trusted with anything, even jewels,” Temeraire said. “But it is the sailors’ duty to remain with us and help to fight the war; and we may not trade them because they are not our property.”
“I don’t see why not,” Iskierka said, “if they want to stay; which they do, because I heard Granby telling Laurence that it would be a job to keep from losing half the men to desertion with women making calf-eyes at them, and silver cups on the dinner table.”
“But in that case the women very likely should not like to come,” Temeraire said. “In any case, I do not think Curicuillor should like us to carry them away, either. It is not much to say, she will trade them to us if we stay here, where she can see them anytime she likes: that is not really like giving them away.”
“Oh, well,” Iskierka said, giving up the scheme easily. “I suppose I will wait until we are home: then I will find some young women for my crew, and to have children for Granby.”
“You would not like to be always having children, would you, Laurence?” Temeraire asked that evening.
“I beg your pardon?” Laurence said, and when Temeraire had explained Iskierka’s plan was quick to assure him that he had no such desire. “I would hope,” he added, “that she means to consult John’s wishes before proceeding with this design; if there were any grounds for such hope.”
The men began to make ready to depart, the next morning, and Temeraire flew from their encampment in search of Curicuillor to make their farewells: she was back in her courtyard half-asleep, with a group of women around her weaving industriously: beautiful cloth in bright red and yellow, which Temeraire could not help but look over with an appreciative eye: not silk, but it looked nearly as fine.
“It was too much to expect that you should have so much sense, at your age,” Curicuillor said regretfully, when Temeraire explained they did not mean to stay. “But still, you have been very kind, and behaved much better than I would have expected when you are so young and from an uncivilized country. I will send Churki with you, to introduce you at the court.