`` mr. fellowes , mr. keynes , i trust you will make the safety of the eggs your first concern , '' laurence called down , locking his carabiners onto the harness just in time : temeraire was already launching himself aloft , and the only answer laurence got was their waving hands , any words inaudible in the rush of wingbeats as they drove towards the front lines of the battlefield , to engage the oncoming french advance guard .