Before the dragon had fully turned for his next run, Amelia leveled her rifle and took aim, blasting off what seemed to be a limb from one of the remaining creatures. A second shot dispatched it, and Temeraire roared once more. The captain managed a third shot at close range, but instinctively snatched the harness before her as the dragon abruptly rolled to bring his passengers within close range.

Amelia herself was lacking any pole arms, and though the spectral rifle possessed a bayonet it wasn't long enough to quite reach the targets. She settled for adjusting herself to lie flat against Temeraire, one arm looped through the harness as she aimed once more. It was merely extra security; she did not wish to go falling off should the shredded harness fail.