An oblique approach b-1

by David Drake

  The soldiers grunted agreement.

  The adviser gazed at Belisarius, a shrewd glint in his eyes.

  “You must really come to see Axum for yourself,” he said.

  “Not without me to keep an eye on him!” exclaimed Antonina, giggling. Then, remembering their purpose, she gasped slightly and fell silent.

  Garmat immediately detected the false note. Before he could speak, Belisarius cleared his throat.

  “As a matter of fact, Garmat, that is-”

  He was interrupted by a great fanfare. The Emperor’s heralds were blaring out on their cornicens.

  Belisarius started. Cornicens were the instruments used by Roman generals to transmit orders on the battlefield. He was not accustomed to their peaceful use.

  Justinian and Theodora’s thrones were being elevated to their extreme height. Silence began to fall over the throng. It was clear that an important announcement was at hand.

  “I’m afraid I must apologize to you,” Belisarius whispered hastily to Garmat. “I became so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot the time. This announcement, well-”

  Garmat laid a hand on his arm.

  “Let us hear the announcement, General. Then we can discuss whatever needs to be discussed.”

  When the announcement was finished, Belisarius noted three things.

  First, he noted a marked change in the manner of the crowd toward both himself and the Axumites. Where before they had been ignored, they were now, it was obvious, on the verge of being mobbed by sudden well-wishers.

  Second, he noted the very sour expression on the face of Venandakatra, obvious even at a distance. And the hurried whispering among the Malwa entourage.

  Third, he noted the trifold reaction of the Axumites. Garmat, even with the long experience of a royal adviser, was finding it impossible not to look pleased. Eon, with the short experience of a young and vigorous prince, found it even more impossible not to express displeasure. And the dawazz, as always, did his job, under the watchful eyes of the sarwen.

  “We were not even informed!” snapped the Prince.

  Immediately, Ousanas slapped him atop the head.

  “Imbecile suckling! When lion invite you to share lunch, accept. Or would you rather be lunch yourself? Babbling babe!”

  The sarwen grunted approval.

  Chapter 13

  Amavarati

  Winter, 528 AD

  Her youngest brother died well. Foolishly, but well.

  Shakuntala did not hold the foolishness against the boy. He had been fourteen years old and was bound to die anyway. Better he should be cut down quickly by a Ye-tai beast than have his last moments be filled with humiliation as well as pain.

  Her brother’s hopeless charge against the Ye-tai made possible his revenge, too. The Ye-tai-an experienced warrior-had no difficulty side-stepping the boy’s clumsy sword swing. The barbarian grinned savagely as his own sword hewed into her brother’s neck, almost severing it completely. A moment later, the grin disappeared. Shakuntala’s spear-point took the Ye-tai under the armpit and penetrated right into his heart.

  The warrior began to slump, but his body was hurled aside by three other Ye-tai pouring into the princess’ chamber. The Ye-tai in the lead stumbled slightly over his dead comrade’s leg. It wasn’t much of a stumble, but it was just enough to allow Shakuntala’s spear to slide over the rim of his shield. The spear-point sank into his throat. The barbarian coughed blood and fell to his knees.

  The princess immediately jerked the spear-blade back and plunged it toward another Ye-tai. This one brought his shield up to block the thrust. But the princess had been well-taught. The thrust was a feint. The spear-tip sank into his leg just above the knee. The Ye-tai howled. Shakuntala jerked the blade out and drove it into the warrior’s open mouth.

  It was a quick, flickering, viper-like thrust-just as she had been taught. But-just as she had been warned not to do-the princess had driven the blade in much too furiously. The spear-tip jammed between two vertebrae.

  A moment later, another Ye-tai struck at the spear shaft with his sword. His sword did not-quite-succeed in cutting the spear shaft. But the blow was more than sufficient to knock the spear out of Shakuntala’s hands.

  The Ye-tai shouted triumphantly and advanced upon her, grinning widely. Shakuntala backed away toward a corner. The huge room, which had served as her reception chamber, was sparsely furnished. The princess kicked aside a large vase, giving herself still more maneuvering space. The beautiful porcelain shattered, spilling dried flowers onto the floor.

  Six more Ye-tai poured in through the shattered door. Two of them came toward the princess. The other four veered away, heading toward Shakuntala’s maidservant. The girl-Jijabai-was huddled in another corner of the room.

  Shakuntala heard Jijabai’s sobs turn into shrieks. She heard her maid’s clothing being torn and the gleeful howls of the Ye-tai who were wrestling the girl down to the floor. But she had no time to look over. The three Ye-tai who were now moving to surround her in the corner had sheathed their own swords and dropped their shields. The iron rims of the shields bounced softly on the rich carpet which covered the floor.

  The princess did not understand the phrases they were exchanging back and forth, but the leering grins on their faces made the meaning clear enough. She turned slightly, pretended to slump, cowering. One of the Ye-tai pounced on her. Her sidekick took the warrior straight in the diaphragm, knocking him flat on his back. Her fist took a second warrior in the exact same location. He coughed, began to double up-then slumped to the floor as Shakuntala’s forearm strike smashed into his jaw.

  The third Ye-tai leapt onto her back, wrapping his arms around her. She snapped her head back into his face, stamped on his instep, broke loose from his grip, and slammed her elbow into his stomach.

  The warrior staggered. Shakuntala spun and drove her foot into his groin. The Ye-tai sprawled on the floor, groaning.

  Shakuntala sprang away and raced toward the other corner, where Jijabai was being held down on the floor. The maid was half-naked now. Her arms were being held by one Ye-tai, while each of her legs were spread apart by others. The fourth Ye-tai had untied his trousers and was dropping to his knees between the screaming girl’s legs.

  His kneel turned into a headlong plunge as Shakuntala’s flying kick smashed between his shoulder blades. The princess delivered the kick perfectly, without the impetuous excess which was her usual mistake. She rebounded and landed lightly on her feet. The Ye-tai who was holding Jijabai’s right leg gaped up at her. Shakuntala kicked out his teeth. Again, the kick was perfect. The follow-on kick broke the warrior’s neck.

  But that kick was too powerful, by far. Instead of rebounding, the princess staggered and fell onto her back. Fortunately, the thick carpet softened her fall. A moment later, the Ye-tai who had been holding Jijabai’s other leg landed on top of her, grappling for her wrists. He was roaring with rage. His roars were not enough, however, to drown the sound of other Ye-tai warriors pouring into the room. Jijabai began screaming again.

  Shakuntala wrestled with her assailant furiously. For her size, she was very strong. But the Ye-tai outmassed her considerably, and was no weakling himself. Then the princess found her legs suddenly seized by other barbarians. Ye-tai howls of glee filled the room, almost deafening in their cacophony.

  The Ye-tai lying atop the princess now had her wrists firmly in his grip. He brought his legs up and straddled her chest. His face was not more than inches from hers. He began to say something to her, grinning fiercely. Shakuntala lunged her head forward and bit off the tip of his nose.

  The Ye-tai howled and jerked his head. Blood flew from his severed nose. He stared down at her, his eyes wide with rage. Shakuntala spit the tip of his nose into his face. The warrior bellowed fury. He released her left wrist, drew back his right hand, made a fist, and began to strike her in the jaw.

  The fist went flying out of sight. The warrior’s arm had been chopped off just below the
wrist. The Ye-tai gaped at the stump. Blood gushed everywhere, much of it on the princess. A moment later, Shakuntala was practically drowned in blood. The Ye-tai’s head had vanished also.

  Now, all was chaos and confusion. Shakuntala was almost blinded by the blood covering her face. Then she was blinded, by the Ye-tai’s headless body collapsing on her.

  She felt the hands holding her legs release their grip. Her lower body was suddenly covered with wetness. Blood. Not hers. Howls and shouts of fury. Clash of swords and shields. Cries of pain. Choking death coughs.

  Now a bellowing roar of command. The sounds of more warriors filling the room. Roar of command. A cessation to the sounds of fighting. Roar of command.

  Suddenly, silence. Except for Jijabai’s sobbing.

  Silence, except Outside the room, through the windows, Shakuntala could hear screams and shrieks in the distance. A vast, world-filling howl of pain and anguish.

  Amavarati was taken. The palace was captured. All was lost. All. All.

  The headless body atop her was suddenly removed. She was free again. She sat up and tried to wipe the blood from her face. Someone handed her a cloth. With it, she was able to remove enough blood to see.

  The room was now absolutely filled with warriors. A few Ye-tai were still alive, huddled in the corner next to the sobbing figure of Jijabai. More Ye-tai were lying dead, scattered here and there over the floor.

  The other warriors in the room were also Malwa enemies, but not Ye-tai. Shakuntala recognized them. Kushans. And one Mahaveda priest.

  The priest was scowling back and forth between the Ye-tai in the corner and one of the Kushans. The Kushan commander, Shakuntala guessed.

  The Kushan commander was a short man, very stocky. Barrel-chested and thick-shouldered. In his right hand he held a sword, covered with blood. Shakuntala was certain, without knowing exactly how, that that was the sword which had removed her assailant’s fist and then his head.

  But what struck her most about the Kushan was his face. It was not the features. Those were typical Kushan: coarse black hair tied back in a topknot, brown eyes, flat nose, high cheeks, thin lips, a slight fold in the corners of the eyes. No, it was the face itself. It didn’t seem made of human flesh. It looked like a mask of iron.

  The priest snarled something at the Kushan commander. The commander’s reply was curt, unyielding. He pointed to Shakuntala and said something else. The priest frowned. The Mahaveda turned toward the Ye-tai in the corner and snarled something at them. The Ye-tai began saying something-half angrily, half fearfully-but the priest shouted them down.

  The priest pointed to Jijabai, barked something; made a dismissive gesture. The Ye-tai grinned and stooped over the maid. A moment later they were spreading her legs again and unbuckling their trousers.

  Shakuntala lurched to her feet, but the Kushan commander was suddenly standing behind her. The man moved much more quickly than the princess would have thought possible. She felt him twisting her arm up behind her back. She drove her foot down, but struck only the floor, painfully. The Kushan had moved his instep aside-effortlessly, and without losing either his balance or his grip on her arm.

  Shakuntala felt her arm twisted up, immobilized. She recognized the grip, and the expertise behind it, and despaired. Still Her elbow strike was blocked almost before it began. Her head snap was met with a cuff. Not a brutal cuff, just an expert one.

  Jijabai started screaming. A blow. Screaming. Another blow. Blow. Silence. Except for coarse Ye-tai laughs.

  “There’s nothing you can do for her, girl,” whispered the Kushan commander in good Hindi. “Nothing.”

  He propelled Shakuntala toward the door. He was strong. Very strong. The other Kushans moved with him. Several moved in front. Others strode on either side, still others behind. All with swords drawn. Blood-covered swords, without exception.

  As she went through the door, Shakuntala heard Jijabai begin to wail again. Then: blow; blow; silence.

  “Nothing, girl, nothing,” whispered the Kushan.

  The trip through the palace was sheer nightmare. The princess was covered with blood and half-dazed, but could still see. And hear. The entire palace was a raging madhouse of butchery, looting, torture and gang rape. The Ye-tai barbarians were like maddened wolves. The common Malwa troops were even worse, like crazed hyenas. Completely out of control. More than once, her Kushan escort was forced to strike down Malwa soldiers lunging for the princess. (“Forced” was perhaps not the right word. The Kushans slaughtered common Malwa troops who moved toward them instantly and without compunction; Ye-tai were butchered for even looking at them the wrong way.)

  After a while, Shakuntala felt herself grow weak with horror. She tried to fight against the weakness, but it was almost impossible. Utter despair was overwhelming her.

  The iron grip holding her became, as the trip progressed, more of a comforting embrace. Some part of her mind tried to seize the opportunity, but her will was buried beneath hopelessness. And always, every minute, the voice:

  “Nothing, girl, nothing.”

  A gentle voice. If iron can ever be gentle.

  Finally, they were leaving the palace, entering the great courtyard.

  She caught a glimpse The iron hand turned her head into an iron shoulder. Guided her away.

  Shakuntala summoned the last reserve of her will.

  “No,” she said. “No. I must see.”

  Iron hesitated. An iron sigh.

  “You are certain?”

  “I must see.” A moment later: “Please. I must.”

  Iron hesitation. Another iron sigh.

  “Nothing, girl, noth-”

  “I must-please!”

  The iron grip yielded, turned her back.

  She saw. They were dead now, at least. The cluster of mahamimamsa around them were already well into the flaying. Soon enough, the skin sacks would be ready for hanging in the Malwa emperor’s great hall.

  Her father. Her mother. All of her brothers except the youngest, who had died in her room. His body would be brought down soon, for the flayers.

  The iron grip turned her away again. She did not resist. A minute later, she began to shake. Then, seconds later, weep.

  “Nothing, girl, nothing.”

  She did not speak for three hours. Not until the last faint screams of Amaravati died away, lost in the distance. The Kushans pushed their horses hard, and the Rajput cavalry troop which escorted them did not object.

  For three hours, she was lost in anguished memories of Andhra. Great Andhra, destroyed Andhra. For five centuries, under the Satavahana dynasty, Andhra had ruled central India. And ruled it well. Themselves Telugu speakers of Dravidian stock, the Satavahana had shielded Dravidia from the depredations of the northern Aryan conquerors; shielded Dravidia, while at the same time absorbing and transmitting throughout the Deccan all the genuine glories of Vedic culture. The very name satavahana referred to the seven-horse chariot of Vishnu. The name had been adopted by the dynasty upon its conversion to Hinduism- adopted, by choice, not by force.

  So had the Satavahanas ruled. They had never shied from war, but had always preferred gentler methods of conquest and rule. Few, if any, of their subject peoples had found their overlordship oppressive. Even the stiff-necked and quarrelsome Marathas, after a time, had become reconciled to Andhra rule. Reconciled, and then, become Andhra’s strong right arm.

  Under the Satavahanas, Andhra had become one of the major trade centers of the world. Trade with Rome to the west, Ceylon to the south, Champa and Funan to the east. The great city Amavarati, now in flames, had been the most prosperous and peaceful city in all India.

  With peace, prosperity and trade, had come knowledge, wisdom, and art. Encouraged and patronized by the Satavahanas, scholars and mystics and artists had flocked to Amavarati.

  The bhakti movement had grown under Andhra’s tolerance, revitalizing Hinduism. Buddhists and Jains, often persecuted in other Hindu realms, were unmolested in Andhra. Even the great r
ock-cut temples had been allowed to incorporate images of the Buddha.

  Shakuntala remembered the beauty of those temples, and the monastic viharas, and the chaitya prayer halls, and the stupas. She fought back the tears. Then she remembered the glorious frescoes at the viharas at Ajanta, and could fight them back no longer.

  Gone. All gone. Destroyed forever.

  Her first words were: “Why not me?”

  The Kushan commander explained. Gently. As gently, at least, as the truth allowed.

  She spit on the ground. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the commander’s face had developed a crack. A flaw in the iron, perhaps.

  Her next words were:

  “Raghunath Rao?”

  The Kushan commander explained. This time, the voice was not gentle. There was no need to be. Then, the commander predicted. Now, gentle again; insofar as iron can be gentle.

  Shakuntala laughed. Flaming glory burst through her soul, like a river washing out all hopelessness and despair.

  The princess spoke her last word, on that day of destruction:

  “Fools.”

  When night fell, the Kushans and Rajputs made camp. Guards were set up all around, within and without the camp perimeter. The Rajputs guarded the camp from outside attack. The Kushans guarded the camp from Shakuntala.

  It was an odd sort of guard. The Kushans kept their distance from her. Regaled each other-in Hindi, which she could understand-with tales of startled Ye-tai. Girl-startled Ye-tai, with a spear-blade in their armpits and throats and legs and mouths; with a foot in their guts and their teeth and their necks. They particularly relished the tale of a Ye-tai nose.

  Beyond, in the flickering light of the campfires, haughty Rajput beards were seen to move. Smiles, perhaps, brought on by charming tales.

  That same night, in a pond not far from the palace at Amavarati, a frog croaked and jumped aside. As if startled by a sudden motion nearby.

  An alert guard might have spotted the slow, crawling figure which eased its way out of the reeds and onto the bank. But there were no alert guards at Amavarati that night. The Malwa army had disintegrated completely in its triumph. There was nothing at Amavarati that night but a horde of drunken, butchering thieves and rapists, and what few of their victims still survived. And a cluster of mahamimamsa, overseen by priests, who, though sober and on duty, were much too preoccupied with the task of properly flaying a fourteen-year-old boy to be watching any ponds.