The Epic of Kautilya : Born To Be King

by Deepak Thomas

  Strength was all the humans cared about. But among the apes, compassion was important.

  Shamans with painted faces and ornate feathered headgear danced around. One of them leapt towards Kautilya and rubbed her forehead with ash. Groups of them wailed and screamed amidst the sound of beating drums.

  Once the procession was over, the body of the Lord Chief was placed in a grave. Each ape paid their respects by dropping a handful of mud in her grave. Soon the grave had been covered by a large mound of mud yet there was still a patient queue.

  Kautilya walked to the mound but was stopped on the way by Vani.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Vani asked. “You’re the one who caused all this.”

  Nina was infuriated. “Step aside...”

  But Kautilya stopped her. Without a word she walked back and took her former position next to Jay.

  By evening the ceremony was finished. All the apes left the burial ground and soon only Kautilya and Angad were left. Angad stood mournfully next to the mound.

  Kautilya walked up to him.

  “Your mother has gone to a better place,” Kautilya said. “She has done her duty and will be united with the gods.”

  “I know, but...” Angad looked at Kautilya with tear-filled eyes. “Even if you know your loved one is going to a better place, it still hurts to say goodbye.”

  Kautilya took him in an embrace. “I understand.”

  She let go of Angad. “You have to ensure that her people are taken care of.”

  Angad nodded. “What about our freedom?”

  “Sometimes survival is more important,” Kautilya said. The Lord Chief was dead, so the apes had no one left to rally behind. Kautilya had heard reports that many of them had deserted.

  “The first tribal council to choose the new Lord Chief did not go well,” Angad said. “A matriarch lost her life. Vani ripped her to shreds. Only an old greyhair is left to go up against her now. But she hasn’t garnered much support.”

  “Why aren’t you contesting?” she asked Angad.

  Angad chuckled. “Me? That’s a funny thought.”

  “You have all the skills,” Kautilya said, “and you understand how the new economy works better than anyone. You built the army alongside me. Why would you not run it?”

  Angad shrugged. “My authority was because of my mother. Once she passed, I became a common ape, like any other. Vani is already a much stronger fighter plus she has more sway over the apes.”

  Kautilya stared at him. Angad had garnered a lot of love from his fellow apes. But by not standing up to Vani he had also lost a lot of respect.

  “The final contest is now,” Angad said. “Let’s go.”

  Soon they were at the square. The apes had formed large circles, and in the centre stood the contestants and the tribal shaman who was leading the ceremony.

  Vani was all dressed up in elaborate headgear. She grinned at everyone. It was a marked change from her usual unsavoury self.

  Kautilya remembered the other contestant from earlier tribal council meetings. She was a quiet one but had come across as very perceptive to Kautilya. But the look on her face showed she had little hope of winning.

  “Her name is Bama,” Angad said. “She contested my mother several years ago. She was trounced but that was because my mother was so exceptional. She would be a good option to lead.”

  “But she doesn’t seem likely to win,” Kautilya said.

  “It will depend on this vote,” Angad said.

  After the necessary ceremonies, Bama walked up to speak. “My family of apes,” she began in an uninspired monotonous voice. She appealed for them to return to the safety of the hills and rebuild their forces.

  Her voice was mature. But the apes were not riled up the way Indira had always managed to make them.

  Then the stage was taken over by Vani. “Apes,” she boomed in a manner reminiscent of Indira, “we have strayed from our way of life. We have been swayed by the words of those who are not apes. We broke up our tribal structure and instead became a pale imitation of the very humans we strove to fight.”

  “Structures? Formations?” Vani said. “Our elders were reduced to mere peasants and our children to little parrots. And how has all this paid back? In our old ways, under our blessed Lord Indira we had achieved greatness. But as she was swayed by that crafty human...”

  She pointed at Kautilya. All the apes turned to look at her. “We have become weak, a pale imitation of what we used to be. Make me the Lord Chief and I promise you we will go back to our old ways. We will fight as our ancestors fought before us and...” she rested her enraged eyes on Kautilya, “we will have our vengeance on all humans.”

  Kautilya looked around at the apes. Vani’s toadies leered at her. However, most of the apes looked away guiltily. Kautilya may not have led them to victory in war but they had food in their bellies and their children were being educated. They had become better warriors and they had come close to becoming the nation they were meant to be. But if their new leader decided that Kautilya had to go then they had no choice but to obey.

  “Contestants,” the tribal shaman announced, “take your positions.”

  Vani and Bama stepped into the arena and looked around. It was evident that Bama could not take Vani in a physical fight.

  “Will anyone stand beside me?” she asked.

  She turned to her own tribe but they all bowed their heads in shame.

  Bama sighed. “Seeing that no one will fight by my side, I will back out of this contest.”

  Vani held up her arms in victory. Her stooges lifted her up on their shoulders and cheered.

  ***

  Without the apes to back Kautilya up, there was no chance of making Dhanush pay for what he had done. She had become so arrogant, she had thought herself so capable... Now she was reduced to nothing.

  “I’m leaving, Angad,” Kautilya said. “I don’t want to take any more risks with Jay around. Dhanush is sure to hunt us down. The apes don’t want me here any more either.”

  “Are you sure?” Angad said. “We need you.”

  Kautilya looked around. The apes were in disarray. She had given them false hope and brought them into the jaws of destruction. If it weren’t for her they would still have been safe in Rishyamukh.

  “I am sure,” Kautilya said. “I need to find my peace.”

  Suddenly horns sounded across the town. The gates of Vivila were being shut.

  “What’s going on?” Jay asked.

  But Kautilya did not need to hear the answer. She knew what was going on.

  Dhanush was here.

  CHAPTER 54

  Circle Of Fire

  Kautilya and Jay ran up the ramparts of Vivila. Nina was already there.

  “Where are Yama and Druma?” Kautilya asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nina said. “They left yesterday night saying they’d be back soon. We’re in big trouble, Kautilya.”

  Kautilya followed her gaze. Sure enough, a thousand horses had lined up at the other end of the battlefield.

  “Your brothers won’t give us any room to breathe,” Nina said.

  “No,” Kautilya said. Dhanush believed in relentless attack. Once the first blow was struck there would be no backing down until the enemy was completely destroyed.

  “It appears they only have cavalry this time,” Nina said.

  “Gives them more depth to attack, I suppose,” Kautilya said. “So they can launch one wave after the next. It’s not like last time where the first wave collapsed in that trap.”

  “What’s going on?” Kautilya heard Ādi ask.

  She turned to see him all patched up.

  “Dhanush is here,” Kautilya said. “He’s coming in to finish us.”

  Ādi growled.

  “Do we have a plan?” Saira asked.<
br />
  “We defend,” Kautilya said. “The apes are in no position to fight. As long as the gates are shut we’re safe. That gives us time to evacuate back to Rishyamukh.”

  “Yama!” Vani and her cohort walked onto the ramparts. “What’s the plan?”

  Angad was in her retinue, and looked away when he saw Kautilya.

  “We need to retreat to Rishyamukh,” Kautilya said. “We’re hopelessly outmatched.”

  Vani hissed at Kautilya. “I didn’t ask you, did I? Where is Yama?”

  “He’s not here,” Nina said, “Druma and he left on an urgent mission yesterday. He said he would be back soon with help.”

  “Great,” Vani said. “What did I tell you? Only an ape can care about other apes. Once we’re in danger everyone else runs. What do we do?”

  Angad looked at Kautilya helplessly and then back at Vani. “Let’s retreat to Rishyamukh. The apes are in no position to fight.”

  Vani shook her head. “I disagree. They’re energised at the prospect of an inspiring new leader. Their morale is at an all-time high.”

  Kautilya looked at the quivering apes waiting behind Vani. They seemed eager to leave Vivila behind.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Kautilya said. “Anyway, morale is not enough to defeat the humans.”

  Vani stared at Kautilya defiantly. “Well, I am the Lord Chief. I decide that we take a glorious stand against the humans.”

  “Let’s at least evacuate the children and the old,” Angad said. “It’s not right to keep them in the jaws of battle.”

  The apes around them nodded frantically.

  Vani groaned. “All right. Angad, you lead the old and the young out the back gates and into the hills. We will come to get you once we’ve taken care of these humans.”

  “But I can help,” Angad said. “I know how to lead the armies...”

  “I gave you an order,” Vani said. “Leave now. We need fighters, not beauties.”

  Angad nodded in resignation. He turned and began to walk off.

  Suddenly a strange whistling interrupted their thoughts. Kautilya’s eyes widened in fear when she recognised the sound: Agnyastra.

  The single flaming arrow struck the ground a few feet away from the walls of Vivila and exploded. Suddenly a circle of fire began to spread around the perimeter of the town.

  “Black fuel,” Kautilya said. “They put black fuel around the perimeter. We will be surrounded by a ring of fire.”

  Angad’s eyes opened wide. “But that means...”

  “There is no retreat,” Kautilya said. “We can only fight.”

  She turned to find Jay. As the fire grew larger, he began to grow pale. Whatever Dhanush had done to him had been devastating.

  “Are you okay, Jay?” Kautilya asked him.

  Jay shook his head.

  “Go and help distribute the weapons,” Kautilya said, “It’s alright.”

  Without a word, Jay went away.

  “It’s not a full circle,” Ādi said. He pointed to a large gap in the circle of fire between the front gates and Dhanush’s army.

  “But they can’t charge at us with just the cavalry,” Angad said. “They won’t be able to get through the gates.”

  “What do you mean, just cavalry?” Saira said.

  Everyone turned to her.

  “I see battering rams and siege towers,” Saira said. “They’re slowly advancing towards us.”

  Kautilya understood Dhanush’s plan. He intended to trap the apes inside using the circle of fire, then use the siege weapons to break down the front gates. And then kill every last ape trapped inside the walls of Vivila.

  “Well, let’s get them before they get us,” Vani said. “Open the gates and we’ll charge at them.”

  “What? No!” Kautilya and Angad said simultaneously.

  “You can’t open the gates, no matter what,” Kautilya said. “We use the time we get while they try to breach the defences to weaken them as much as we can.”

  Vani was slighted. She turned away.

  “Nina,” Kautilya said, “we need the archers on the castle walls, and burning oil. Flaming arrows are the best way to take down those siege rams.” She ran to a drummer who stood next Vani and reached out. “Give me the drums.”

  The ape looked at Vani for confirmation. Vani glared at Kautilya menacingly.

  “Do it, Vani,” Angad said. “She’s the one who understands this best.”

  Vani nodded curtly and the ape handed over the drums.

  Kautilya immediately began to play the drums that signalled the archers to take their position. The beats resonated through the castle walls and immediately ape archers began to line up along the ramparts.

  Kautilya turned to Saira.

  “Saira,” Kautilya said, “I need you to do something.”

  Saira nodded. “What?”

  “We need to send a message out to the bears,” Kautilya said. “We need their reinforcements. You have to fly out to them.”

  “Bears?” Vani said. “Why do we need...?”

  “I will go,” Saira said, “but what if someone is injured?”

  “We will have to manage on our own,” Kautilya said, “we need the message delivered urgently.”

  Saira nodded. She ran across the rampart and took off. Hopefully, Dhanush would not see her leaving.

  Kautilya watched in amazement the speed at which Saira flew into the sky. But she knew that the bears would take time to arrive. The apes were on their own for one day at least.

  The battering rams and siege weapons were now closing in. But the apes had responded well to their training. They were lined up along the ramparts.

  “Waiting for your signal, Kautilya,” Nina said.

  “Dip the arrows into the flames,” Kautilya said.

  The apes did so, and now their arrowheads were alight.

  “Position,” Kautilya said. She pulled out an arrow from her quiver. “Agnyastra,” she chanted. Then she shouted, “Loose!”

  Immediately the archers let loose a volley of arrows. A rain of flames fell onto the siege weapons, setting a lot of them on fire. Kautilya’s Agnyastra hit its target, a large siege tower in the middle of the line. It quivered at the explosion but managed to stay standing.

  This was not good.

  “We need to keep at it,” Kautilya said. “Dip ... position ... loose!”

  Burning arrows flew across the battlefield again. Now all the siege weapons were on fire.

  Kautilya pulled out another Agnyastra. She let it loose and hit the siege tower again. It began to lean to one side. Slowly it tilted and in a few moments it collapsed onto the siege weapons around it.

  The apes cheered.

  Kautilya sighed in relief. It would take ages for Dhanush to assemble a new set of siege weapons. In the meantime, they could work out a way to retreat.

  Suddenly, there was a sound of chains sliding.

  Kautilya looked in the direction of the main gates. They were creaking open.

  “Who’s opening the gates?” Kautilya screamed. The apes looked around in confusion. “Where is Vani?”

  “It wasn’t me,” Vani said.

  Kautilya heard an explosion from the direction of the siege weapons. Dhanush had used an astra to break open a path between them. The human cavalry had begun to charge in.

  “Nina,” Kautilya said, “keep up the archer attacks.”

  She turned to Ādi. “We need to close the gates before the cavalry reaches them.” Ādi nodded. He picked her up on his back with a groan and began to run towards the gate.

  The cabin containing the gate mechanism was in their sight now. Kautilya saw two dead apes lying on the ramparts.

  “Intruder,” Ādi said.

  “Hayan,” Kautilya said. “It has to be Hayan. He is the only one capa
ble...”

  “Princess,” Ādi said. “It’s someone else.”

  “What do you mean...” Kautilya started. Suddenly she was able to see the person rotating the crank that was opening the gates.

  He turned to meet Kautilya’s eyes.

  “How could you?” Kautilya cried. “How could you, Jay?”

  CHAPTER 55

  The Plan

  “You traitor,” Kautilya cried, leaping off Ādi’s back.

  “Kautilya,” Jay said, “I’m sorry.” He continued rotating the crank that was opening the gates to Vivila.

  Ādi readied to pounce on Jay but Kautilya held him back. “You’re needed elsewhere, Ādi.”

  She pointed at the charging human cavalry, which were being led by Bali and Sameer.

  “They’re being held off by Nina,” Kautilya said, “but if Bali and Sameer make it into the city we need you to fend them off.” She turned to Jay. “I’ll take care of him.”

  Ādi growled, “I’ll finish him in a second.” He bounded towards Jay and leapt at him. Jay flung a dagger at Ādi and Ādi pawed it away but it exploded in mid-air. The explosion flung him from the gate tower and he fell off the wall.

  Kautilya screamed and ran to see where he had fallen. He was hanging to the wall by his claws.

  “Close the gates,” Ādi said. “I will take care of myself.”

  Kautilya nodded and turned towards Jay who was concentrating on opening the gates.

  She pulled out an arrow and aimed it at him. Jay immediately leapt behind the winch. Kautilya did not have a target any more.

  She roared and ran towards Jay. But when she leapt over the winch, he wasn’t there.

  A dagger pierced her side! Kautilya screamed in agony.

  “What are you doing, Jay?” she demanded. “Have you gone mad?”

  “My loyalty,” Jay said, “has always been to Dhanush.”

  He charged at Kautilya again. She dodged and grabbed Jay’s arm. Pulling the arm over her head she flung him to the ground.

  “I thought you loved me,” Kautilya said. “Why did you step out for me at the swayamvar?”

  “Because Dhanush asked me to,” Jay said. “He is the only one I truly serve.”