The Guardians of the Halahala

by Shatrujeet Nath

  Vararuchi nodded. “I think that’s all – unless more bodies are found in some new location.”

  “Let’s not forget that the lake is still being trawled,” said the Acharya. “More bodies might be fished out.”

  The samrat sighed and returned his gaze to the leaves. “Nearly three hundred and forty dead across the city, more than a hundred of them at the palace gates alone.” He shook his head. “So far, we’ve lost a thousand and three hundred lives in the three attacks on Avanti.”

  A gloomy silence enveloped the council chamber. Outside, a pale forenoon sun shone through the vestiges of the previous day’s rainclouds, though even these were scattering quickly on account of a balmy breeze blowing from the east. The morning had been spent attending to a terrified populace and taking stock of the night’s damage, and the councilors had just returned to the palace to give their king a report.

  “People are in a state of shock,” said Kshapanaka. “There’s nothing but fear out there.”

  “Those who have somewhere else to go have started leaving the city,” Varahamihira added. “One helper in my workshop has left a message saying he’s going away and doesn’t intend coming back to Ujjayini.”

  Vikramaditya bit his lip and looked down at his clasped hands, saying nothing. Yet, his eyes spoke eloquently of the torture he was undergoing on hearing the plight of his people.

  “It could have been much worse, had we not managed driving them away,” the physician remarked, in a bid to get everyone to see the brighter side of things.

  “That’s true,” the king’s face glowed with pride and gratitude. “You fought like lions for your city.”

  “I still can’t believe I made that leap,” Vararuchi rubbed the stubble on his chin in wonder. “Nothing I have trained in could have equipped me to do what I did.”

  “If what the soldiers are saying is true, you leaped halfway across that market square to bring down that asura,” said Dhanavantri.

  “That would be an exaggeration, I suppose,” shrugged Vararuchi. “But not by much.”

  “I’m also very intrigued at what happened to the asura who broke down the palace gates,” said Vetala Bhatta. “You say its armor disintegrated all of a sudden?”

  “Yes Acharya,” Varahamihira spoke emphatically. “Right before our eyes, for no conceivable reason. We tried everything to stop the beast, but nothing had worked. Then Kshapanaka shoots one arrow and its armor just falls apart.”

  “Was there anything unique about that arrow?” Vikramaditya looked at Kshapanaka.

  “Nothing at all. It was part of a set made in the royal guild, just like everyone else’s. In fact, the arrows I used before that one belonged to the same set. But yes...” Kshapanaka paused. “The arrow that I used after the first one also seemed to affect the rakshasa’s armor. The armor simply shattered.”

  “Fascinating,” the raj-guru observed.

  “If that is fascinating, what do you make of what happened to Shanku?” the samrat pointed out, looking at the girl sitting quietly with a bandage around her head.

  “Indeed,” exclaimed Varahamihira, turning to Shanku in bafflement. “How did you end up outside the northern gate?”

  “I don’t know, your honor,” Shanku shook her head, wincing a little. “I recall nothing.”

  “The soldiers who were with her say they saw her disappear moments before the demon’s foot could crush her,” Kalidasa shook his head in incomprehension. More than wonder, Vikramaditya sensed relief in Kalidasa’s voice.

  “You didn’t do too badly yourself, my friend,” said the king. “These asuras were plainly strong brutes, but you broke one’s armor with your bare hands and wrestled it into the lake.”

  “There’s nothing to be amazed in that,” Dhanavantri gave a lighthearted chuckle. “That was just Kalidasa being himself. One shouldn’t be surprised when he and Amara Simha do these things.”

  “Any news from him?” the king inquired. Seeing the others shake their heads, he frowned. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s unlike Amara Simha not to send regular updates in times like this.”

  “Maybe there’s nothing to update us about,” said the physician, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Funny how Amara Simha went to the frontier with battle in mind; since the day he left, we’ve had our hands full of battle, while he’s probably swatting flies in the garrison of Udaypuri.”

  The mood lifted at the thought of their fellow councilor’s predicament, but the significance of what the Acharya said next ushered the solemnity back.

  “I think it might be a good idea to call Amara Simha back. He will be of better use here – at least until we hear some concrete news of Huna and Saka movements from the frontier.”

  Vikramaditya gazed down at his knuckles in silence.

  “You know they will return, my king. That’s why you thought it best to journey into the Borderworld last night. That’s why you’ve brought the Mother Oracle to the palace.” The Acharya paused as something stirred in his memory – a warning! – but in a flash it was gone. “Ujjayini needs as many men as possible to defend it, and Amara Simha is as good as twenty of the best.”

  The samrat nodded. “You’re right, raj-guru. I was only wondering if it was a good idea leaving Ghatakarpara unsupervised. He is still young...”

  “At his age, you were fighting the Hunas and the Sakas,” Vetala Bhatta reminded. “And he’s not alone. He is in the company of Atulyateja, and from everything Amara Simha tells us, Atulyateja is a capable commander. I think we should trust Ghatakarpara a lot more.”

  “We will do as you suggest,” the king inclined his head and turned to Vararuchi. “Please send news to Udaypuri summoning Amara Simha back.”

  With Vararuchi’s departure, the assembly began breaking up. As the councilors rose to their feet, Varahamihira addressed at the king. “In all this confusion I forgot to ask you about Vishakha. My apologies... How is she?”

  “She is well, though there’s been no further improvement in her since yesterday,” replied Vikramaditya. “I fear the evacuation to the Labyrinth might have affected her. Which reminds me – I haven’t seen the Healer since last evening...” Worry creased his brow as he looked at the councilors. “I hope he’s still in the palace and is safe. Send word for him.”

  Varahamihira stole a sidelong glance at Dhanavantri. The physician had lost his cheer, and as he followed the others out of the chamber, he cut a sorry, forlorn figure. Varahamihira wished he hadn’t brought up the matter of Vishakha’s condition.

  As he hobbled out on his crutch, Varahamihira cursed the Healer under his breath.

  ***

  The jacaranda tree was located at the northeastern end of the promenade surrounding the lake. Set apart from the palace thoroughfares and hidden by an overgrowth of ornamental bamboo, it afforded Shukracharya solitude and concealment – both of which he had sought all morning. He had a lot weighing on his mind and didn’t want to be disturbed.

  Seated under the jacaranda, the head priest wondered at the manner in which the Maruts had abandoned their quest for the Halahala. They had departed so suddenly and unexpectedly – barely minutes after he had cast the Regeneration Spell over Ujjayini – that he had briefly worried they had got what they had come for.

  Their defeat pleased Shukracharya no end, of course, even though it had put an abrupt stop to his own plan of stealing the dagger. But he really didn’t mind that; he had the more elaborate scheme involving Vishakha to fall back upon. What he enjoyed was the slap the humans had dealt Indra’s bloated ego.

  Still, the capitulation by Diti’s sons was incomprehensible, more so when all his calculations had ruled out a human victory. Moreover, the head priest had learned that Vikramaditya himself had not been involved in any of the battles – where had the king been during the attacks? – which meant that it was his councilors who had repulsed the formidable attack.

  And there were the rumors that he had caught flying around. The king’s half-brother had leaped an
impossible leap to attack one of the Maruts... The giant had fought and thrown another Marut into the palace lake... The young girl had vanished from under the feet of a third... Shukracharya intuitively understood that his spell had played a part in the rout. He just didn’t know how the pieces fitted together.

  The other thing that was bothering him was how he would go about convincing the king and his council that the asuras had had no hand in the nocturnal attack. For things to go according to plan, it was imperative that the humans viewed the asuras favorably; but now, thanks to the Maruts, the asuras had ended up being projected in an unflattering light.

  Yet, he couldn’t just walk up to the council and tell them the Maruts had come to Ujjayini on Indra’s bidding...

  The head priest rose from the wrought-iron bench to return to the palace. He needed answers. He needed to consult the bones over everything that had transpired last night.

  ***

  From where he stood, high on a turret at the pinnacle of his palace, Indra could take in the sweep of Amaravati, twinkling like a sequined bedspread in the light of the westerly sun. But the deva was in no mood for beauty, his brooding gaze fixed at a point high above the city, his mind full of dark thoughts and horrible deeds.

  He had been that way ever since Narada had barged in upon him, as he watched Urvashi and two other apsaras disrobe one another, their exquisite and promising foreplay interrupted and spoiled by the news of the debacle in Avanti. Hearing Narada recount the fate that the Maruts had suffered, the lord of Devaloka had dismissed the nubile apsaras and broken a dozen swords in rage and frustration – before withdrawing into seclusion to plot his next move.

  Vikramaditya. The Wielder of the Hellfires.

  How he hated the sound of the human king’s name. The king who had shamed him twice already. The king who had stubbornly denied the Brotherhood of the Ashvins and the Maruts their victories... who wouldn’t yield him the dagger...

  Such stubbornness had to be punished. With death.

  Drawing a deep breath, Indra made up his mind. He would make the trip to Alaka to meet Kubera, lord of the magical yakshas. The idea wasn’t in the least bit palatable, but he would swallow his pride and pay the loathsome and pompous yaksha king a visit.

  Kubera’s assistance would be crucial for the vengeance Indra had in mind for Vikramaditya.

  End of Book 1

  Glossary of Indian Terms

  (In alphabetical order)

  alankara embellishment techniques in the context of Indian classical music

  apsara beautiful, supernatural female beings in Hinduism

  ashwagandha a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine

  badi-maa elder mother; a form of address

  ber jujube; Indian plum

  bhoota ghost

  chakram a throwing weapon, circular in shape

  chaturanga ancient Indian strategy game; ancestor of chess

  chhoti-maa younger mother; a form of address

  damaru a small two-headed drum, symbolic of Lord Shiva

  danava mythical race in Hinduism

  Dasa-Mahavidyas wisdom goddesses; the ten aspects of the Divine Mother Kali

  garuda large mythical humanoid bird in Hinduism

  ghat steps leading down to a body of water like a holy river

  guggul a herb used in Ayurvedic medicine

  gurudev master or teacher; also a form of address

  jamun black plum; Java plum

  katari a fist dagger

  Mahadeva great God; another name for Lord Shiva

  mahaguru grandmaster or teacher; also a form of address

  mahashilakantaka a trebuchet or catapult

  mandala a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism representing the universe

  pishachas mythical flesh eating demon in Hinduism

  raga melodic mode used in Indian classical music

  rajasuya yajna ritual sacrifice performed by ancient Indian kings before being anointed emperor

  raj-guru royal tutor; also a form of address

  rakshasa mythical humanoid being in Hinduism

  rudra veena a large plucked string instrument

  rudraksh prayer bead

  sambrani a balsamic resin used as incense

  samrat emperor or overlord

  samsaptaka a tribe of mythical warriors

  soma Vedic ritual drink

  suryayantra sun-device; heliotrope

  tambulam paan; a betel leaf and areca nut preparation

  tilaka mark worn on the forehead in Hinduism

  urumi a longsword with a flexible whip-like blade

  yogi ascetic

  Coming Soon…

  The rampaging hordes from Devaloka and Patala have been successfully repelled – but the attacks have brought Avanti to its knees. Ujjayini has been battered, its citizens are scared, and morale is badly shaken. Elsewhere, cracks are emerging between the allied kingdoms of Sindhuvarta, even as the threat of the Hunas and the Sakas mounts – and Magadha rises as a power to the east.

  The only silver lining is that the Halahala is safe. For now.

  But Indra and Shukracharya will not rest till they get their hands on the poison – they are already scheming their own ways to destroy Vikramaditya’s resolve. And Narada might have the trick that not just breaks the king’s resistance, but spells the doom of the Guardians...