'She is,' Bradan said. 'The real Dhraji is held in the dungeons below Kollchi.'
'And Bhim? Is he a Rakshasa as well?'
'I do not know,' Bradan said. 'I have not seen him alter into any other form, so I think he is human.'
Rajaraja grunted, exchanged glances with Rani Panchavan and continued. 'And she and Bhim combined to defeat the forces I sent to reduce Kollchi?'
Bradan nodded. 'Bhim was the strategic brains behind both the Thiruzha victories. Dhraji changed into a monster to help sink your Majesty's vessels.'
'I can do nothing about these possible other rakshasas,' Rajaraja said. 'If they come, then they come. I don't like Dhraji or the threat Thiruzha poses on my western border.'
'We could help, your Majesty,' Melcorka said. 'Bradan knows the layout of Dhraji's lair at Kollchi, plus the defences at Rajgana and I am a bit of a warrior.'
'Indeed?' Rani Panchavan made a rare contribution to the conversation. 'Then I am lucky you did not choose to reveal your skills when I danced to your man.' Her smile broke any tension. 'It is all right, Melcorka nic Bearnas. I have no designs on Bradan, or on anybody else.'
'I am glad to hear that, Your Majesty,' Melcorka said. 'Nor do I have any designs on Rajaraja.' When she met Rani Panchavan's smile with one of her own, both women looked at each other in perfect understanding.
'I'll call together my commanders and devise a plan,' Rajaraja said. 'We are experienced in war. We know how to gain a victory.'
'You are experienced in a war against mortal enemies,' Melcorka said. 'War against the rakshasas is different.'
'War is war,' Rajaraja said. 'One may require different tactics and weapons than the other, but they all require striving against an enemy who is as determined to defeat us as we are to defeat them.'
'Your Majesty is wise,' Bradan said.
'My Majesty does not need to be flattered,' Rajaraja said.
Bradan salaamed, hiding his smile. Rajaraja was not like Dhraji.
'We will call for you if we need you,' Rajaraja said. 'In the meantime, you are free to wander around my city, Bradan and Melcorka.'
'My sword…' Melcorka began.
'You are my guests,' Rajaraja said. 'And as such are under my protection. You will not need a sword in Thanjavur. Besides,' Rajaraja's smile was of sad humour, 'if you had your sword, you might feel tempted to ensure that Panchavan did not dance to Bradan again!'
'As you wish, Your Majesty.' Melcorka marvelled to find a king with a sense of humour.
'If you need anything,' Rajaraja said, 'say my name and it will be provided. View the great temple of Shiva, I have been told that travellers admire it, and watch for Kulothunga, my champion warrior. His skill is known far beyond my boundaries.'
'We will do that, Your Majesty,' Melcorka said.
Chapter Sixteen
'So this is the great temple of Shiva?' Melcorka leaned back to admire the architecture. The building was larger than any religious building they had seen before, a massively elaborate temple with the exterior a montage of sculptures of gods. There was the four-headed god Brahma, Ganesha the elephant god and Hanuman, the long-tailed monkey god. As expected, Shiva dominated all. 'Somebody has gone to great trouble to build this.'
'These Cholas are a very religious people,' Bradan said.
'We think we are civilised,' Melcorka said. 'This surpasses anything we can build, or have ever built.' She stepped back to further admire the building. 'We have a long way to go yet.'
'We'll get there,' Bradan said.
The temple was set within an exterior wall that also enclosed a large garden containing fountains and smaller temples and other buildings. Melcorka looked around her in awe, never having seen anything on this scale before.
'Do you like it?' Although the warrior had an immense spread of shoulders, his height made him appear rangy rather than muscular, and he sported a magnificent moustache that curled across his cheeks nearly to his ears. The long sword that hung from his belt was only a finger's width from the ground.
'It is a most impressive building,' Bradan said.
'What?' The warrior looked confused for a moment and then shook his head. 'Not the temple. A temple is just a temple. One is much like another, bigger or smaller but all full of statues. I meant the sword. You must have come here to inspect Vijayalaya's sword.'
Melcorka did not wish to admit that she had never heard of Vijayalaya, let alone his sword. 'Vijayalaya was a feared warrior, was he not?'
The moustached warrior puffed out his chest and struck a pose that showed his profile. Melcorka guessed that same pose had impressed a string of women. 'Vijayalaya was the founder of the Chola Empire. He was one of the greatest warriors the world had ever known. Vijayalaya was greater than Sekundar, as great as Rajaraja and perhaps as great as me!'
'He must have been a magnificent warrior to be as great as you.' Melcorka hid her smile. 'Everybody knows your name. Why, even in Alba people speak about you.'
'Of course.' The warrior struck another pose that showed the depth of his chest. 'The name of Kulothunga is known from the Andaman Islands to the lands of the Chin and from the Ganges to Persia.'
Melcorka glanced at Bradan, who kept his face straight. 'Were you at the latest battle against Rajgana Fort?'
Kulothunga shrugged. 'That was no battle. That was a skirmish, hardly worthy of my attention.'
'Ah,' Melcorka said. 'If you had been there, would the outcome have been any different?'
'If I had been there,' Kulothunga said, 'we would have won. The King sent one battalion and a few auxiliaries to take the Thiruzha's border fort. Bhim's pirates humiliated them.' He strutted past the fountain, head up and shoulders back. 'I heard that the pirates killed all the survivors and nobody is sure what happened.'
'I saw the battle,' Bradan spoke quietly. 'I saw the Chola attack with great courage and the Thiruzhas fend them off with archers and catapults, fire and elephants.'
Kulothunga preened his moustache. 'You are a foreigner,' he said, with one hand on the hilt of his sword. 'Yet you do not look like a Chinese or an Arab trader. Are you a mercenary who fought for the Thiruzha?'
'I am Bradan the Wanderer. I am not a fighting man at all.'
Kulothunga's interest waned. 'If you are no warrior, you cannot tell me about the battle tactics.'
'I am interested in Vijayalaya's sword,' Melcorka said.
'You are only a woman.' Kulothunga dismissed Melcorka with a shrug. 'Why would you be interested in a sword?'
'I have been called a swordswoman,' Melcorka said.
Kulothunga looked her up and down. 'Yet you carry no weapon.'
'We are guests in the Empire.' Bradan put a hand on Melcorka's arm to hold her back. 'Your king requested that Melcorka should hand in her sword before we met him.'
Kulothunga's eyes flickered from Melcorka's feet to her head. 'You are very skinny for a warrior.'
'Melcorka has not been well,' Bradan defended her.
Reaching forward, Kulothunga felt the muscle in Melcorka's bicep. 'There is no strength in you at all. You would not last five seconds in a fight with me.'
'If I had my sword,' Melcorka exploded, 'I would show you how I fight, you swaggering buffoon!'
Kulothunga laughed. 'You have fire, my pale Lady Foreigner with the decorated face. I like fire in a woman.' He faced Bradan. 'When you have finished with her, I would like to try her out.'
Once again, Bradan prevented Melcorka from launching herself at Kulothunga. 'She is too much of a woman for you. You would not last the pace. Now, my brave warrior, where is this famous sword you speak of?'
For a moment, Melcorka thought that Kulothunga would draw his sword and kill them both. Instead, he laughed again. 'You evidently have not heard that I have as much skill with women as I do in battle. I will forgive you, as you are only foreigners.'
'And I will forgive you,' Melcorka smiled through gritted teeth, 'as you evidently have never met a woman from Alba before.'
Vijayalaya'
s sword sat in a special case, within a small building in the grounds of the temple. Protected from the elements by glass screens, the sword was long, with a slight curve to lend weight to the business end, and a green grip on the hilt.
'When I am old and done,' Kulothunga said, 'I will seek one last battle and die with my face to a hundred foes. Men will venerate my sword as they do Vijayalaya's. Our swords will be displayed side by side and people will come to talk about my exploits.'
Bradan winked at Melcorka. 'Men already talk of your martial exploits,' he said. 'And women talk in wonder of your prowess in other areas.'
'That is true,' Kulothunga said, without a hint of irony. He puffed out his chest again. 'These markings on your woman's face; what do they mean?'
'Ask her,' Bradan said.
'What do they mean, Lady Swordswoman without a sword?'
Melcorka touched the tattoo on her left cheek. 'They are the symbols of my people,' she said.
'Are they sacred? Are they sacred to your gods?' Kulothunga continued, before Melcorka could reply. 'This temple is sacred but so is the fountain.' He was smiling again, proud to reveal his knowledge. 'Did you know that, foreign woman with the unpronounceable name?'
'I knew the temple was sacred,' Melcorka said. 'I did not know about the fountain.'
'Follow me!' Kulothunga walked to the fountain that tinkled and splashed in the centre of the garden. 'The water in this fountain is from the Ganges,' he said. 'The Ganges is our sacred river, many weeks' march to the north.'Dipping his hand in the water, Kulothunga touched it to his forehead. 'Rajaraja sent an expedition north with barrels and containers and brought back the sacred water.' He spoke with genuine awe in his voice.
For the first time, Melcorka felt some liking for Kulothunga. 'Does the water have special powers? When the holy men in our religion bless water, it has holy powers.'
'The Ganges is always holy,' Kulothunga said. 'Wherever I go, I carry some Ganges water with me.' He showed a small bottle. 'If I fall, then carrying holy water will ensure that I ascend to the next level of creation,' he smiled, 'or at least that I do not descend to a lower level. Could you imagine me as a farmer or a sweeper?' He laughed at the very idea.
'I could not imagine that.' Melcorka kept her voice serious. 'Not a warrior such as you.'
Kulothunga accepted Melcorka's praise as his due. 'Before I die,' he said, 'I wish to lead a Chola expedition to the Ganges. Could you imagine?' He lowered his voice in awe. 'Could you imagine elephants from Chola dipping their trunks in the Sacred River?'
Melcorka nodded. 'If such a thing happens, I know that you will be there.'
Kulothunga touched the hilt of his sword. 'If I were to be even part of such an expedition, I would die happy. I would have achieved deeds that no Chola warrior, not even the great Vijayalaya, has ever achieved in the past.' He puffed out his chest again, stroking his moustache and rattling the earrings that all Chola warriors seemed to affect. 'Do you wish to see me fight?'
'I would like that very much,' Melcorka said.
'Come then.' Kulothunga put his hand on Melcorka's shoulder. 'It is something that all women should see. After only a single demonstration of my skills, you will forget this peace-loving wandering fellow and wish to bed a warrior.'
Melcorka kept her expression solemn. 'In that case, perhaps I had better not come. Bradan and I have been through many adventures together. It would be a shame to turn my back on him now.'
'It is such a shapely back.' Kulothunga ran his gaze over her. 'I am sure he will admire the view as you walk away from him and towards me.'
Melcorka changed the subject. 'Show me your skills.'
Between the temple and the palace stretched a parade ground on which a company of Chola infantry were marching and counter-marching. Kulothunga approached the officer in charge, an impressively authoritarian man with the ubiquitous moustache of the Chola military.
'I wish to demonstrate my fighting skills to these foreigners,' Kulothunga said. 'Give me five of your best fighters.'
'Only five?' The officer did not seem to be joking. 'You are surely feeling weak today, Kulothunga.'
'Give me seven, then.' Kulothunga glanced at Melcorka to make sure she was listening. 'Form the rest of your men into a hollow square so they can all watch, and have the pale foreigners come inside as well.' He laughed, gripping the hilt of his sword.
Wishing she had Defender, Melcorka stepped inside the square, as Kulothunga stood with his head up and one leg forward and bent in a dramatic pose.
The officer selected seven men. They stepped forward willingly.
'Handy-looking bunch,' Bradan said.
Melcorka agreed. The soldiers were well-disciplined and fit, each man equipped with a spear, sword and shield. 'If appearances are anything to go by, these warriors would trouble any army in the world.'
'First two soldiers,' Kulothunga said. Two men stepped forward. The first soldier poised and threw his spear, which Kulothunga sidestepped with ease, and the second advanced at a run, thrusting his spear in front of him. Kulothunga slipped sideways, grabbed the shaft of the spear, pulled it past him and tripped the soldier with one fluid movement. As Melcorka watched, Kulothunga reversed the spear and pressed the point to the soldier's chest.
'That was neatly done,' Bradan said.
Melcorka watched through narrowed eyes. 'There's nothing new there,' she said. 'Children at play do that.'
Kulothunga glanced over to Melcorka to ensure she was still watching. 'Next two!' he shouted, unsheathing his sword.
Two men approached with swords out, and circular shields held on their left arms. Without a word, they broke into a run. Kulothunga adopted a half crouch, holding his much longer sword one-handed. He parried the blow of the man on his right, locked his opponent's blade with his own and turned aside, so his opponent's body shielded him from the second man. Laughing, Kulothunga twisted away from the first man's sword and stabbed across his body to slightly nick the second soldier on the chest.
'You're both dead!' Kulothunga shouted and returned his sword to its scabbard.
'Well done!' Melcorka clapped her hands. 'That was as neat a piece of swordplay as I have seen.'
Kulothunga smiled.
'Three men this time.' Kulothunga unbuckled his sword and spread his arms out. 'No weapons.'
'That's unusual.' Melcorka watched closely as the three soldiers dropped their weapons and advanced. Rather than waiting and counterattacking as he had done on his two previous encounters, Kulothunga ran towards his opponents. He avoided the grappling move of the first and jabbed at the chest of the man with straight fingers, sending him to the ground. When the second grabbed Kulothunga in a headlock, Kulothunga lifted his arms above his head, slid free and again jabbed with his straight fingers. The man gasped and fell, still conscious but apparently paralysed. Seeing his companions disabled, the third man shouted and threw himself on Kulothunga, to be treated in precisely the same manner.
'Now, that was very impressive,' Melcorka allowed. 'I've never seen anything like that before.'
Kulothunga smiled at her, aware of her admiration. 'Do you want me to show you how I did that?'
'I do,' Melcorka said.
'I shall show you in private.' Kulothunga replaced his sword belt and smoothed a finger over his moustache. 'Where there are no witnesses to learn my skills and use them against me.'
'As long as I have Defender.' Melcorka was reluctant to be unprotected and alone with this dangerous man.
'You will not need your sword for a wrestling match,' Kulothunga said, as the officer took his company of soldiers on a complicated manoeuvre that involved both spear and shield exercises.
'I will trust you.' Melcorka decided.
'Come this way.' Kulothunga smoothed his moustache again. 'Your wandering friend may come as well, although my skills will not be any use to a man such as he.'
Kulothunga brought Melcorka to an enclosed space between a copse of trees and a small temple. 'Here,' he said,
'is where I practice my swordplay and my wrestling.'
'I have never done any wrestling,' Melcorka said.
'Never?' Kulothunga smiled. 'Have you never wrestled with your brothers, or that strange fellow over there?' He nodded to Bradan, who sat on the stump of a fallen tree, watching.
'I have no brothers,' Melcorka said.
'I have seven,' Kulothunga said. 'And three sisters.' His smile widened. 'I wrestled with them all. They never bested me. Not once. Come!'
Melcorka advanced cautiously. Within a minute, she was pinned and helpless on the ground. 'We'll try again,' she said, only to experience the same result.
'You are not as good as I am,' Kulothunga shrugged. 'Nobody is.'
'Teach me,' Melcorka ordered and listened intently as Kulothunga explained each move, step by step. After half an hour, Melcorka had the basics of one movement. After an hour, she had the gist of another, which meant that their bouts lasted longer, although invariably with the same result.
'Now show me how you put these soldier lads to sleep.' Melcorka knew she could practice wrestling with Bradan whenever she wished, while her time with Kulothunga would inevitably be limited.
'Stand up,' Kulothunga said. 'Attack me again.'
Melcorka did so, using every trick she had learned that day, and nearly succeeded in putting Kulothunga on the ground before he knocked her down with a bare touch with the tip of his finger. Kulothunga threw himself down, and they lay on the ground, panting. Melcorka grinned across to Kulothunga. 'You are very good at that.'
'It is called Varmam.' Kulothunga ensured that his moustache was as neat as ever. 'It is a fighting method that we Tamils have developed over the centuries.' When he was talking seriously, Kulothunga revealed his intelligence, and Melcorka realised that she liked the man. He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. 'It is also a method of medical treatment, although I create employment for doctors rather than doctoring the sick myself.'
'How does it work?' Melcorka asked.
'I don't know how it works,' Kulothunga admitted, 'but I can tell you what I do know.'
'Please do so,' Melcorka said.
Melcorka Of Alba Page 21