The impact Temeraire was expecting...never materialized. The much smaller drakes seemed to eel away before his talons could strike, the ranks dividing in the center and darting to both sides. Arrows bounced off of his armor in places, but struck home in others--punching holes into his wings and between the armored joints of armor on his side. None were mrtal or even serious, but they were all red-hot and painful pinpricks.

The dragon roared again in frustration, even as he whipped his long tail to the side--altering his course, but also smacking one of the unlucky drakes backwards to where he could seize it in his teeth. The unfortunate creature shrieked as the much larger dragon dragged it backwards in the air by its tail and hind leg. The instant it was close enough, several soldiers lunged from the belly rigging onto the drake's back. Temeraire released the creature to its fate, and charged onwards to the next. He would have doubled back on himself like a snake, to engage the tail end of that formation--but he had to keep himself steady. A firing platform.

The beam of light tearing out from his back reminded him just why he had to fight the temptation. The magic seemed to startle the drakes with its brightness; even Temeraire had to squint his own for a moment. But the sound of startled squalling was enough to guide him on its own, and his forearms and talons spread wide as if in an embrace to seize the next drake.