‘But Shiva has no faith in himself. How can you force him to be our saviour when he himself doesn’t want to do it?’
‘Sati will change that.’
‘My Lord, you are going to use your own daughter as bait?’ asked a horrified Parvateshwar. And do you really want a saviour who decides to help us just because of his lust!’
‘IT IS NOT LUST!’
Parvateshwar and Kanakhala kept quiet, shocked by Daksha’s reaction.
‘What kind of a father do you think I am?’ asked Daksha. You think I will use my daughter so? She just may find comfort and happiness with the Lord. She has suffered enough already. I want her to be happy. And if in doing so, I help my country as well, what is the harm?’
Parvateshwar was about to say something, but thought the better of it.
‘We need to destroy the Chandravanshi ideology,’ continued Daksha. ‘And the only way we can do that is if we can give the benefits of our lifestyle to the people of Swadweep. The common Swadweepans will be grateful for this, but their Chandravanshi rulers will try everything in their power to stop us. They may be able to resist us, but try as they might, they cannot stop a people led by the Neelkanth. And if Sati is with the Neelkanth, there is no way he would refuse to lead us against the Chandravanshis.’
‘But your Highness, do you really think the Lord would come to our side just because he is in love with your daughter?’ asked Kanakhala.
‘You have missed the point. The Lord does not need to be convinced to be on our side,’ said Daksha. ‘He already is. We are a great civilisation. Maybe not perfect, but great all the same. One has to be blind to not see that. What the Neelkanth needs is the motivation and belief in himself to lead us. That belief in himself will assert itself when he moves closer to Sati.’
‘And how is that going to happen, your Highness?’ asked Parvateshwar, frowning slightly.
‘You know what is the most powerful force in a man’s life?’ asked Daksha.
Kanakhala and Parvateshwar looked at Daksha nonplussed.
‘It is his intense desire to impress the person he loves most,’ expounded Daksha. ‘Look at me. I have always loved my father. My desire to impress him is what is driving me even today. Even after his death, I still want to make him proud of me. It is driving me to my destiny as the King who will re-establish the pure Suryavanshi way of life across India. And when the Neelkanth develops a deep desire to make Sati proud of him, he will rise to fulfil his destiny.’
Parvateshwar frowned, not quite agreeing with the logic, but kept quiet all the same.
‘But what if Sati seeks something different?’ asked Kanakhala. ‘Like a husband who spends all his time with her.’
‘I know my daughter,’ replied Daksha confidendy. ‘I know what it takes to impress her.’
‘That’s an interesting point of view, my Lord,’ smiled Kanakhala. ‘Just out of curiosity, what do you think is the most powerful force in a woman’s life?’
Daksha laughed out loud. ‘Why do you ask? Don’t you know?’
‘Well the most powerful force in my life is the desire to get out of the house before my mother-in-law wakes up!’
Both Daksha and Kanakhala guffawed loudly.
Parvateshwar didn’t seem to find it funny. ‘I am sorry but that is no way to speak about your mother-in-law.’
‘Oh relax, Parvateshwar,’ said Kanakhala. ‘You take everything too seriously’
‘I think,’ said Daksha smiling, ‘the most powerful force in a woman’s life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is.’
Kanakhala smiled and nodded. Her emperor truly understood human emotions.
CHAPTER 10
The Hooded Figure Returns
As the caravan emerged from the carefully chiselled passage leading out from the depths of Mount Mandar, Veerini requested that the carriage be stopped for a minute. Veerini, Sati, Shiva and Nandi went down on their knees and offered a short prayer to the mountain for its continued benefaction. Watching over them on high alert was the Arishtanemi Bhabravya, a strapping man of sixty years with an intimidating moustache and beard.
After a short while, Bhabravya came up to Veerini and said with barely concealed impatience: ‘Your Highness, perhaps it’s time to get back into the carriage.’
Veerini looked up at the captain and with a quick nod got up. Sati, Shiva and Nandi followed.
‘It’s her,’ said Vishwadyumna putting down the scope and turning towards his Lord.
The platoon was at a safe distance, concealed from the caravan. The dense and impenetrable foliage was an effective shield.
‘Yes’, said the hooded figure and let his eyes linger on Shiva’s muscular body. Even without using the scope he was in no doubt that this was the same man who had fought him at the Brahma temple some weeks ago. ‘Who is that man?’
‘I don’t know my Lord.’
‘Keep your eye on him. He was the one who foiled the last attack.’
Vishwadyumna wanted to say that the previous attempt failed because it was unplanned. The presence of the caste-unmarked man had litde role to play. Vishwadyumna could not understand the recent irrational decisions of his Lord. It was unlike him. Perhaps it was the closeness of the ultimate objective that was clouding his judgement. Vishwadyumna was, however, wise enough to keep his thoughts to himself. ‘Perhaps we could track them for around an hour before we attack, my Lord. It will be a safe distance from the Arishtanemi back-up. We can get this over with quickly and report back to the Queen that the informer was correct’
‘No, we’ll wait for a few hours more when they are at least a half day’s distance from Mount Mandar. Their new carriages have systems that can send an emergency signal immediately. We need to ensure our task is done before back-up arrives.’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ said Vishwadyumna, happy to see that his Lord’s famed tactical brilliance had not diminished.
‘And, remember, I want it done quickly,’ added the hooded figure. ‘The more time we take, the more people get hurt.’
‘Yes, my Lord.’
It was the beginning of the third prahar when the caravan stopped at the half-way clearing for lunch. Here the forest had been cut back to a distance that made a surprise attack impossible. The Queen’s maids quickly unpacked the food and started heating it in the centre of the clearing. The royal party and Shiva were sitting closer to the head of the caravan, in the direction towards Devagiri. Bhabravya stood on the higher ground in the rear, keeping an eagle eye on the surroundings. Apart from the royal party, half the Arishtanemi soldiers had also sat down to eat while the others kept watch.
Shiva was about take a second helping of rice when he heard the crack of a twig down the road. Stopping mid-way, he listened intently for another sound. There was none. His instincts told him this was a predator, who realising he had made a mistake, was now keeping still. Shiva looked over at Sati to see if she had heard the sound. She too was staring intently down the road. There was a soft crunch as the foot on the broken twig eased its pressure slightly. It would have been missed by most, except a focussed listener.
Shiva immediately put his plate down, pulled out his sword and fixed his shield on his back. Bhabravya saw Shiva across the caravan and drew his sword as well, giving quick, silent signals to his men to do the same. The Arishtanemi were battle ready in a matter of seconds. Sati and Nandi too pulled out their swords and got into traditional fighter positions.
Sati whispered to Veerini without turning, ‘Mother, please sit in the carriage and lock it. Take the maids in too. But get them to disconnect the horses from the carriage first We are not retreating and we don’t want the enemy kidnapping you either.’
‘Come with me Sati,’ pleaded Veerini as her maids rushed to pull out the holds on the carriage.
‘No, I’m staying here. Please hurry. We may not have much time.’
Veerini rushed into the carriage followed by the maids who quickly locked it from the inside.
; At a distance, Bhabravya whispered to his aide. ‘I know their tactics. I have seen these cowards on the southern border. They will send an advance suicide party, pretend to retreat and draw us into a stronghold. I don’t care about the losses. We will chase those bastards and destroy every single one of them. They have run into the Arishtanemi. They will pay for this mistake.’
Shiva, meanwhile, turned to Sati and whispered carefully, ‘I think they must be aiming for a high profile target. Nothing would be more significant than the royal family. Do you think that you too should wait in the carriage?’
Sati’s eyes darted up at Shiva in surprise. A pained look crossed her face before being replaced by a defiant glare. ‘I am going to fight...’
What’s wrong with her?! What I said is completely logical. Make the main objective of the enemy difficult to get at and they will lose the will to fight.
Shiva pushed these thoughts out of his mind to focus on the road. The rest of the caravan strained every nerve to Esten intentiy for any movement from the enemy. They were prepared for the ambush. It was the enemy’s turn to make a move. Just as they thought that it may have been a false alarm, the sound of a conch shell reverberated from down the road — from the direction of Mount Mandar. Shiva turned around but did not move. Whatever was making the noise was moving rapidly towards them.
Shiva could not recognise the cacophonic sound. However, the Arishtanemi from the southern border knew exactly what it was. That was the sound of a Nagadhvani conch. It was blown to announce the launch of a Naga attack!
Though impatient to fight, Bhabravya did not forget the standard operating procedures. He ordered an aide, who rushed to the carriage and pulled out a red box fixed at the bottom. Kicking it open, the aide pressed a button on the side. A tubular chimney-like structure extended straight up from the box for nearly twenty-five feet. The chimney ensured that the smoke signal was not lost in the dense forest and could be seen by the scouts at both Devagiri and Mount Mandar. The soldier picked a branch from the fire and pushed it into the last of the four slots on the right side of the box. Red smoke fumed out of the chimney, signifying the presence of the highest level of danger. Help was six hours away. Four, if the back-up rode hard. Bhabravya did not intend the battle to last that long. He intended to kill each of the Nagas and the Chandravanshis long before that.
Then the attack began, from the side of the road leading to Mount Mandar. A small band of ten Chandravanshi soldiers charged at the Arishtanemi. One soldier was holding the Naga conch shell and blowing hard. Another amongst them had covered his entire face and head with a cloth, except for small slits for his eyes. The Naga himself!
Shiva did not move. He could see the battle raging at the far end of the caravan. There were only ten Chandravanshis. The Arishtanemi did not need any support. He signalled to
Sati and Nandi to stay where they were. Sati agreed for she too expected this attack to be a ruse.
The battle was short and fierce. The Chandravanshi soldiers fought viciously but were outnumbered. As Bhabravya expected, they turned in no time and retreated fast.
‘After them,’ yelled Bhabravya. ‘Kill them all.’
The Arishtanemi dashed behind their captain in pursuit of the retreating Chandravanshis. Most of them did not hear Shiva cry out loud. ‘No! Stay here. Don’t chase them.’
By the time some of the Arishtanemi heard Shiva’s order, a majority had already left, chasing the Chandravanshis. Shiva was left in the clearing with Sati, Nandi and just twenty—five soldiers. Shiva turned back towards the side of the road leading to Devagiri — the direction from which the crack of the twig had come.
He turned again to look at the remaining Arishtanemi. Pointing towards his back, he spoke with a voice that was both steady and calm, ‘This is where the actual attack will come from. Get into a tight formation in fours, facing that direction. Keep the princess in the middle. We will have to hold them back for about five or ten minutes. The other Arishtanemi will return when they realise there are no Chandravanshis to fight in that direction.’
The Arishtanemi looked at Shiva and nodded. They were batde-hardened men. They liked nothing more than a clearheaded and calm leader who knew exactiy what he was doing. They quickly got into the formation ordered by Shiva and waited.
Then the real attack began. Forty Chandravanshi soldiers led by a hooded figure emerged from the trees, walking slowly towards the Suryavanshi caravan. The outnumbered
Arishtanemi remained stationary, waiting for their enemy to come to them.
‘Surrender the princess to us and we will leave,’ said the hooded figure. ‘We want no unnecessary bloodshed.’
The same joker from the Brahma temple? He ‘s got a strange costume, but he fights well.
‘We don’t want any bloodshed either,’ said Shiva. ‘Leave quietly and we promise not to kill you.’
‘You’re the one who’s looking at death in the face, barbarian,’ said the hooded figure, conveying anger through his posture rather than his voice, which remained eerily composed.
Shiva noticed the brown-turbaned officer look impatiently at the hooded figure. He clearly wanted to attack fast and get this over with.
Dissension in the ranks?
‘The only face I’m looking at is a stupid festival mask. And it’s soon going to be shoved down your pathetic little throat! Also tell that brainless lieutenant of yours that he shouldn’t give battle plans away.’
The hooded figure remained calm. Not turning to look at Vishwadyumna.
Damn! This man is good.
‘This is the last warning, barbarian,’ repeated the hooded figure. ‘Hand her over right now’
Sati suddenly turned towards the carriage as she realised something, shouting, ‘Mother! The new emergency conch shell close to the front grill. Blow it now!’
A loud plea for help emitted from the carriage. Bhabravya and his men had been summoned. The hooded figure cursed as he realised his advantage had been taken away. He had very little time to complete his operation. The other Suryavanshis would be back soon. ‘Charge!’
The Arishtanemi stayed in position.
‘Steady,’ said Shiva. ‘Wait for them. All you have to do is buy time. Keep the princess safe. Our friends will be back soon.’
As the Chandravanshis came closer, Sati suddenly broke through the cordon and attacked the hooded figure. Sati’s surprise attack slowed the charge of the Chandravanshis. The Arishtanemi had no choice. They charged at the Chandravanshis like vicious tigers.
Shiva moved quickly to protect the right flank of Sati as an advancing Vishwadyumna got dangerously close to her. Vishwadyumna swung his sword to force Shiva out of his way. However, the speed of Shiva’s advance left Vishwadyumna unbalanced. Shiva easily parried the blow and pushed Vishwadyumna back with his shield. Nandi meanwhile moved rapidly to the left of Sati to block the Chandravanshis trying to charge down that side.
In the meantime, Sati was attacking the hooded figure with fierce blows. The hooded figure, however, seemed intent to defend himself and was not striking back. He wanted her alive and unharmed.
Shiva cut Vishwadyumna savagely across the shoulder that had been exposed when he was pushed back. Grimacing, Vishwadyumna brought his shield up to fend off another attack from Shiva. With the same movement, Vishwadyumna brought his sword arm up to thrust at Shiva’s torso. Shiva quickly pulled his shield in to protect himself. But not quickly enough. Vishwadyumna was able to slash Shiva’s chest. Stepping back and jumping to his right, Shiva brought his sword swifdy down in a brutal jab. While Vishwadyumna prompdy brought his shield up to block the attack, Shiva’s unorthodox move unsettled him. He staggered back realising that Shiva was an excellent swordsman. It was going to be a hard and long duel.
Nandi had already brought down one Chandravanshi soldier who had broken a law of combat of never attacking below the waist and cut Nandi’s thigh. Bleeding profusely, Nandi was ferociously battling another soldier who had attacked him from the left. The Ch
andravanshi brought his shield down hard on Nandi’s injured leg, making him stagger and fall. The Chandravanshi thought he had his man. Raising his sword high with both his hands, he was about to bring it down to finish the job but he suddenly arched forward, as if a brutal force had pounded him from the back. As he fell, Nandi saw a knife buried deep in the Chandravanshi’s back. Looking up, he saw Shiva’s left arm continue down in a smooth arc from the release of the dagger. With his right hand, Shiva brought his sword up to block a vicious cut from Vishwadyumna. As Nandi stumbled back to his feet, Shiva reached behind to pull his shield in front again.
The hooded figure knew they were taking too long. The other Arishtanemi would be back soon. He tried to go behind Sati, to club her on the back of the head and knock her unconscious but she was too quick. She moved swifdy to the left to face her enemy again. Taking a knife out of her angvastram folds with her left hand, she slashed outwards to cut deep across the hooded figure’s immense stomach. The knife sliced through the robe but its effect was broken by the armour.
And then with a resounding roar, Bhabravya and the other Arishtanemi rushed back to fight alongside their mates.
Seeing themselves vastly outnumbered, the hooded figure had no choice. He ordered his soldiers to retreat. Shiva stopped Bhabravya from chasing the Chandravanshis once again.
‘Let them go, brave Bhabravya,’ said Shiva. ‘We will have other chances to get them. Right now the primary objective is to protect the royal family’
Bhabravya looked at Shiva with admiration for the way this foreigner fought, not the blue throat of which he was unaware. He nodded politely. ‘It makes sense, foreigner.’
Bhabravya quickly formed the Arishtanemi soldiers into a tight perimeter and pulled the wounded within. Dead bodies were not touched. At least three Arishtanemi lost their lives while nine Chandravanshi bodies lay in the clearing. The last one had taken his own life since he was too wounded to escape. Better to meet one’s maker rather than fall alive in enemy hands and reveal secrets. Bhabravya ordered his soldiers to stay low and keep their shields in front for protection against any arrows. And they waited so till the rescue party arrived.