This time, the drake formation's attempted pass was far less successful; reeling from the bright light, their momentum broke into the drakes darting every which way to try and get away from it. And this time Temeraire stuck home, crashing into the ranks and knocking them aside like leaves. When he brough his forearms together, the flashing talons caught still more. Some fell, floundering and squawking, to lower altitudes where they were in range of the archers below.

There was little elegance to the maneuver; just bulldozing through with his sheer weight advantage, but it did work. He did start a bit at the explosion whistling past his head, even used to rifle volleys as he was. As the now riderless drake was drawn in by the gauntlet, it spat panicked puffs of flame that almost singed the dragon's whiskers and did scorch the gloss out of a patch of unarmored scale on his chest and made him toss his head.

"Oh, that is enough from you!" Temeraire growled, and his left forearm changed direction to catch the drake and pin it against his chest like a child's doll. Another British soldier crossed from the rigging to the drake, and Temeraire released the creature before it blew any more irritating flames.

Then his ruff prickled, the only overt sign that he had heard before his right forearm to darted out to snatch the target Kusuha indicated. Its rider was more prepared than the beast, however, and almost immediately started jabbing at the armored knuckles with a spear. It was enough to make the dragon hiss and twitch and very nearly drop the drake.