Victory of Eagles

Chapter 1

The breeding grounds were called Pen Y Fan, after the hard, jagged slash of the mountain at their heart, like an ax-blade, rimed with ice along its edge and rising barren over the moorlands: a cold, wet Welsh autumn already, coming on towards winter, and the other dragons sleepy and remote, uninterested in anything but their meals. There were a few hundred of them scattered throughout the grounds, mostly established in caves or on rocky ledges, wherever they could fit themselves; nothing of comfort or even order provided for them, except the feedings, and the mowed-bare strip of dirt around the borders, where torches were lit at night to mark the lines past which they might not go, with the town-lights glimmering in the distance, cheerful and forbidden.

Temeraire had hunted out and cleared a large cavern, on his arrival, to sleep in; but it would be damp, no matter what he did in the way of lining it with grass, or flapping his wings to move the air, which in any case did not suit his instinctive notions of dignity: much better to endure every unpleasantness with stoic patience, although that was not very satisfying when no-one would appreciate the effort. The other dragons certainly did not.

He was quite sure he and Laurence had done as they ought, in taking the cure to France, and no-one sensible could disagree; but just in case, Temeraire had steeled himself to meet with either disapproval or contempt, and he had worked out several very fine arguments in his defense. Most importantly, of course, it was just a cowardly, sneaking way of fighting: if the Government wished to beat Napoleon, they ought to fight him directly, and not make his dragons sick to try and make him easy to defeat; as if British dragons could not beat French dragons, without cheating. And not only that, he added, but it would not be only the French dragons who died: our friends from Prussia who are imprisoned in their breeding grounds would also have got sick, and

Naomi Novik

Praise for His Majesty s Dragon and the Temeraire series

These are beautifully written novels not only fresh, original, and fast paced, but full of wonderful characters with real heart. [The Temeraire series] is a terrific meld of two genres that I particularly love fantasy and historical epic. Peter Jackson
 
A terrifically entertaining fantasy novel . . . Is it hard to imagine a cross between Susanna Clarke, of Norrell and Strange fame, and the late Patrick O Brian? Not if you ve read this wonderful, arresting novel. Stephen King
 
A splendid series . . . Not only is it a new way to utilize dragons, it s a very clever one and fits neatly into the historical niche this author has used. Anne McCaffrey
 
Just when you think you ve seen every variation possible on the dragon story, along comes Naomi Novik. Her wonderful Temeraire is a dragon for the ages. Terry Brooks
 
Enthralling reading it s like Jane Austen playing Dungeons & Dragons with Eragon s Christopher Paolini. Time
 
A completely authentic tale, brimming with all the detail and richness one looks for . . . as well as the impossible wonder of gilded fantasy. Entertainment Weekly (Editor s Choice, Grade: A)
 
Novik has accomplished something singular with her Temeraire series. . . . At its heart, it s a story about friendship that transcends not only time and class, but species. NPR

[Naomi Novik] is soaring on the wings of a dragon. The New York Times
 
A thrilling fantasy . . . All hail Naomi Novik. The Washington Post Book World
 
An amazing performance . . . [I] was immediately hooked by the writing, the research and the sheer courage of the whole enterprise. Chicago Tribune
 
Novik s influences run the gamut from Jane Austen to