Iskierka
Character Profile
| Name: | Iskierka |
| Date of Birth: | Early 1807 |
| Breed: | Kazilik |
| Captain: | John Granby |
| National Loyalty: | Britain |
| Appearance: | Red with horns; purple armor plates; yellow eyes |
| Special Abilities: | Fire breather |
| Status: | Active |
Biography
Iskierka's egg was purchased from the Turkish government along with two others. Temeraire's crew was sent to retrieve the eggs, but were denied access to them. Knowing that Iskierka's egg would soon hatch, they stole all the eggs and fled Turkey. Temeraire was given the task of "nurse-maiding" the two surviving eggs (one cracked during their flight). Iskierka emerged in the middle of another daring escape. She already knew about the hatching process (from Temeraire's teaching while she was still in the shell) and announced she would name herself. She was very feisty and not just a little bloodthirsty. She often caused trouble because she believed herself to be already a better fighter than she truly was, considering she was still just a hatchling. As she grew she had to be chained to stop her leaping into battle with full-grown dragons, and she had once even threatened Temeraire over a cow, something she quickly regretted as she was barely a day old at the time. She thoroughly enjoyed the chance to flame at several chasing dragons during the escape from Danzig.
Iskierka's parents were two Turkish dragons, named Bezaid and Sherazde, who guarded the sultan's palace.
A literal translation of 'iskierka' is 'a little spark'. In Polish, the use is rather affectionate. The song, from which the name was taken, is 'Bajka iskierki' (Little Spark's Fairytale). It is a very popular Polish lullaby. The author of the words is Janina Porazińska.
