Temeraire/1806 cont.

* Desert
* Topkapi
* Map

### Appearance

glossy black hide with opalescent blue and pale grey markings on the edges of his wings

## Military

### Status

* Alive
* Exiled from Britain
* Active

## Book Appearances

### Books

* *His Majesty's Dragon*
* *Throne of Jade*
* *Black Powder War*
* *Empire of Ivory*
* *Victory of Eagles*
* *Tongues of Serpents*
* *Crucible of Gold*
* *Blood of Tyrants*
* *League of Dragons*

### Macao Harbor

While becalmed in the Macao Harbor, one of the cooks that Laurence hires to prepare meals for Temeraire accidently (presumably) starts a fire aboard the ship and in returns dies in it.  The ship is severely damaged and repairs will take months. But Laurence receives orders to take Temeriaire immediately to Istanbul to retrieve three eggs that the British bought from Turkey.

Their only option is to go over land.  Laurence hires the guide Tharkay.

### Macao to Istanbul

#### Taklamakan Desert

Just prior to starting out across the desert, they buy 30 camels and each camel carries two great casks full of water skins, enough for a day for Temeraire only. Then he eats the camel. During the day Laurence and Temeraire fly and rest somewhere in the shade, while the rest of the crew lead the camels. Four days into their trek, a great sandstorm hits them. They had enough warning to put up the tents and to secure and shelter the camels. The Sandstorm blew for two days. When it was over, they discover one of the tents for the camels is gone along with half of the camels and the water they carry. They could find no trace of them in the desert.

When they find their way to an oasis, there is a pool of clear cool water within a small building that they enlarge the opening so Temeraire can reach it and drink his fill, after several days of short supply. Tharkay has good news for them, that they would reach the city in four days so there was no longer need to ration their water and food so carefully.

They bedded down at the oasis for the night, but after full dark horsemen drive their horses through the middle of the camp, scattering the fire and spooking the camels. They are on a raiding run to get the camels and supplies. They were only able to get a few supplies before the crew and Temeraire drove them away.

Four days later they reached the town of Yutien which is hospitable to dragons, with dragons living and working among the humans. From Yutien they have only four days of travel to get to Kashgar, then through the Pamir Mountains before reaching Istanbul.

#### Pamir Mountains

When they are very high in the mountains a band of feral dragons fly down to their campsite, with three of them landing in front of Temeraire and acting like they are challenging him. Temeraire lets out a small roar with just an edge of the Divine wind to it and it echoes throughout the mountains. The snow and ice fall away from the peak and the avalanche sweeps down through the camp, catching a couple of the ferals and almost all of the crew.

After rescuing the two ferals and taking care of the wounds on one of them and rescuing all of his crew, with one death (Lt. Baylesworth), the ferals lead them to a cave for shelter.

Temeraire is annoyed when Tharkay offers the ferals all of the pigs that were killed in the avalanche.   But Laurence soothes Temeraire and explains that if they were asking to share their cave then they must offer something in return and pointed out how the ferals look half starved. Temeraire gave in and spoke to them in their own language explains about the pigs.

While talking with Temeraire in their own tongue, Arkady, the leader of the ferals tells him that another dragon just like him, but white all over and with red eyes had come through the pass and had given them 2 cows.

### Istanbul

Temeraire tries to explain to the Turkey Dragons that there are other ways to be treated, such as Dragons should be paid for their work, the way they are in China. He also finds out that the Kazilik egg that they are to retrieve, was the egg from the pair of Dragons that was sharing his courtyard the most often. From them he learned that the eggs are being kept in the Harem, near the baths.

#### Escape

As soon as they retrieved the eggs, but while boarding Temeraire, he sprang off for flight a fraction of a moment before they had finished securing all of the eggs. As the Turkish guards gave chase and Temeraire's sudden take off, the silk around one of the eggs was caught on the ground still and the egg started to fall, in a effort to save the egg Digby releases his harness and grabs for the egg, they both fall to their deaths.

Temeraire and his entire crew are shocked and grieving but they didn't have time to mourn as the Kazilik's are on their tail as they dash and Temeraire's top spead to the Austrian boarder.

When they finally cross the boarder and land at one of the forts, Temeraire is very exhausted and depressed. They only stay a day and a night, then leave again immediately for Austria.

### Prussia

Once they arrive in Prussia they are denied safe passage across the country and are held accountable for the promised 20 British dragons that never showed up. They are assigned to Prince Louis Ferdinand, commander of the advance guard. Temeraire is eager for battle but dismayed at the tight formation flying that the Prussian dragons expect him to comply with. He sees so many problems and vulnerabilities with their maneuvers but is unable to make the Prussians take his warnings seriously.

#### Battle of Saalfeld

*October 10, 1806*

Soon after their arrival in Saalfeld, Laurence hears the Prussian officers laughing about Napoleon making a Dragon an officer. When asked it is confirmed that the dragon is all white, Lien is there and in charge of the Aerial Forces.

Prince Louis advance guard is to hold the bridge at Saalfeld for the rest of the Prussian forces, which never come.

*Further information: Battle of Saalfeld*

##### Aerial Battle

A band of small dragons with no effort at formation flying harry Erocia’s formation madding the dragons with small cuts and wounds. When finally, Captain Dyhern gives the signal for the formation to break up and fight the small harrying dragons individually, the French troops break from the forest. Temeraire is the first to see them and the only one in a position to do any good, he dives down and lets loose the Devine Wind before the French reaches the Prussians. Right after his assault, the rest of the French forces rush out of the forest and engages directly with the Prussians, overwhelming them and Prince Louis is killed.

Erocia’s formation and Temeraire are ordered to collect their ground crews and retreat to Jena.

##### Aftermath

Temeraire at first was despondent on not making the Prussian dragons listen to him about the problems with their formation, until Laurence sooths him with the fact that they had to see for themselves that there were problems and he should instead figure out slight changes that wouldn’t make it so they had to learn totally new formations. Temreaire eagerly redesigns the formations and Laurence take the new plans to Dyhern. Dyhern agrees to try it and chivies all of the other Captains to go along with it.

Other dragons came to watch along with their captains and when Dyhern’s formation lands they are swamped with questions, soon the other dragons are flying the modified maneuvers. There is a new sense of excitement that dispels the depression of defeat.

#### Battle of Jena-Auerstedt

*October 14, 1806*

It is during this battle that Temeraire calls Laurence’s attention to an oddity that the horse he is eating is wearing. It is hood with blinders and herbal scents around the noise. The purpose is so the horse wont scent or see the dragons and the Calvary can fight closer to the dragons then before.

*Further information: Battle of Jena-Auerstadt*
##### Aerial Battle

The small light French dragons harassed the Prussian dragons while the French heavy weights rest and eat. When the battle looks like it is turning in the Prussian favor the French heavy weights launch, but the smaller dragons keep fouling the view of the Prussian dragons and their crews so no one can see what the French are up to. When the Prussian dragons meet the French the heavy weights are in a wedge formation, but instead of giving battle to individual dragons they sweep by them and the middle weights which make up the middle of the wedge, crammed with extra crew, surround the Prussian dragons while their boarding parties jump over. Every Prussian heavy weight dragon, leaders of their formation are captured this way.

Temeraire is also harassed but his quickness saves him from being captured even though he has a small boarding party land on him. The boarding party lands near Laurence and young Badenhaur throws himself on top of Laurence and takes a knife wound. Granby sees the boarders and throws off his harness to make haste to Laurence’s rescue, but two of the boarders grab Granby and throw him off, Temeraire immediately dives after Granby and saves him within his talons before it is too late.

##### Aftermath

The King has gone to Sömmerda, which is the fall-back location. As soon as Laurence gets the word they fly their themselves taking in as many of the lost dragons ground crews and supplies as they can manage.

#### Iskierka

Laurence finally decides to quit the field and head for England, fleeing North as fast as Temeraire can carry them. Temeraire flies to exhaustion each day while trying to avoid Napoleon’s dragons, then hide at night while hunting for supplies to feed Temeraire and themselves and for Temeraire to get the rest he needs. While holed up in a derelict Castle Iskierka is born.

As the egg cracks and the hatchling is born, Temeraire instantly looses his protective instincts and is very upset that Granby will harness Ishierka. Temeraire suggests Ensign Allen could more easily be spared, not Granby and his food. There are four French dragons right outside the Castle waiting for them, so they are in a rush to get aboard and to leap into action. Ishierka is ready to fly and fight the enemy, but Temeraire just picks her up with his mouth and sets her on his back, while Granby scrambles aboard so he can strap her down.

They continue their flight towards the Baltic Sea and the British Ships waiting there, but have to sit down for more food for Ishierka, so when they spy a heard of cattle, Laurence decides that they will help themselves. This results in a conversation between Temeraire and Laurence concerning stealing and not stealing. As soon as they land, Ishierka jumps on one of the cows and starts gnawing it, trying to break through it's hide. The only thing this did is set the cow off making a big enough racked to wake up the entire farmhouse. Temeraire sweeps down and picks up Ishierka and her cow in one claw and another cow in his other claw, while Laurence throws down some gold coins to cover the cost.

A French patrol soon finds them as they continue their journey north and follows close behind them the entire time until they reach Danzig.

#### Siege of Danzig

*November 6 - 20, 1806*

Fleeing before the French across Prussia, Temeraire and Laurence are forced to set down at Danzig. All hope of surviving the Siege is lost until Thackery arrive with the 20 feral dragons  Arkady’s band.

It is Temeraire’s idea to make the type of fastenings that they use in China for Dragon transports and take the Prussian troops with them when they flee Danzig. The British transports are waiting just a few miles away, waiting for Russian troops that will never come.

While waiting for night to fall to start transporting the Prussians, Temeraire is despondent over loosing to Napoleon as it means that the British will be at war much longer so waiting to improve the lives of the Dragons will have to wait. But Laurence has changed his opinion and now agrees that improvements must be made now as Napoleon has shown how it strengthens a nation that seeks for a better relationship between humans and dragons.

Making a desperate gamble, Temeraire and the feral dragons transport nearly all of the 15,000 Prussian troops out to the British transport ships waiting just off shore in the Baltic Sea.

They nearly succeed in escaping when the French realize what is happening and Lien goes after Temeraire, but once again he escapes her.
{{further|Siege of Danzig

## References

1. ↑ Novik, Naomi. Black Powder War: A Novel of Temeraire (pp. 180-181). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.