Two Kings

by Neo B.

  He had heard and read about the north. He had heard that it was desolate and very few uncivilised tribes lived in those regions, which had little or no contact with the rest of the world. Dinul decided to explore the north. He decided to hide there for a while and master the arts that he had learnt at the University. When he would be ready for the world, he would come back and win it all. Dinul picked up his stuff, which consisted of nothing more than a bag that contained most of his notes and he set forth on his journey to the north.

  By this time the prince had become the king of Pataliputra after the sudden death of his father. He had visited the university once more after the engagement ceremony. Dinul had went to see him just out of curiosity and he was amazed to realise how alike they looked.

  Karkish was clean shaven and his hair was hidden by the crown he wore. Dinul had decided to sport a beard and keep his hair long. He looked like a warrior, even though he was dressed like one of the students at the university. It was easy to see that under the saffron robe he wore, there was a well-built muscular body.

  To go to the north, he had to pass through the village of the seers and Pataliputra. He realised he had to be careful because in that region the face of the king was a familiar one and someone could recognise the similarity. Even though he was sporting a beard and a long set of hair, he had decided to travel for the most part with his face covered. It might arouse suspicion among some, but it would have been better than to be mistaken for the king.

  During his stay at the university, he had made a few friends. He had chosen them carefully, because he had seen in them a feeling that the world had been unfair to them. These were students who were second best and wanted to be the best, even if the only way to do it was by destroying the one who was the best.

  Dinul had fanned their feelings and he had ensured that they remained angry at the world at large. These were people who were great at what they did, but wanted to be the greatest. Dinul required such a team to work for him and devise ways and means to create weapons that he could use against any army.

  At this time, Dinul was not sure what he was going to do. He only knew that he wanted to rule the world. It had been a burning desire in him for years. He had told all these friends that he was leaving, and he would be getting in touch with them soon and when he did they would have to come with him.

  Once Dinul had shown them his mental and physical powers, they had readily agreed. To these people, he had not yet disclosed his real motive. They just thought that he was going to create havoc among the kingdoms and they wanted to help.

  Dinul had stopped at the village of the seers where he had met some of the seers. Dinul was not sure whether he believed in them or not, but he had heard from his teachers that most men of power and influence used to visit the seers often. In fact, it was rumoured that king Kanaka never took any major decision in the kingdom without consulting the seers. Dinul decided to test the power of the seers and see for himself what they could do.

  He visited a seer who it was said could see the future. He was impressed by the crowd outside the seer’s place. Dinul quietly sat in a corner waiting his turn. He was observing the people going in and coming out and he was also listening to the conversations going on.

  The crowd was a mix of people who had come with their problems and those who had come to thank the seer for his insights in the past.

  “My neighbour could not have children for a while, but then he visited the seer and he gave him a fruit to give to his wife and soon they had a child. I have come to the seer for a similar problem,” he could hear one man saying.

  “I have a son who cannot walk, I hope the seer can help him,” said another.

  “Last year I had a very bad crop, and I have been having ill luck with my crop for the past few years, so I bought a sample of the soil to the seer. He told me that someone had buried something in the left corner of my lands and that was the root of all the trouble. I dug there and found an old bone of some animal. I took it out and now I had a great crop this season,” said a farmer.

  Dinul couldn’t wait for his turn, which came in due time.

  “What is your problem, my son?” the seer said.

  “I have no problem,” replied Dinul.

  The seer looked carefully at Dinul.

  “I see that you can take care of your problems and you will be creating problems for others,” the seer said, matter-of-factly.

  “I have come to know what lies in my future,” asked Dinul.

  “You will have a great future, but a great future can be spoilt by one mistake and an ordinary future can be made great by a life of constant discipline and hard work,” said the seer.

  “I know my actions will determine my future, but what do you see?” Dinul asked again.

  “I see darkness, not only for you but for all around you. You must change your ways. There is still hope for you,” the seer replied, “Let me focus some more.”

  The seer asked Dinul to hold his hands as he lay back on the chair, and closed his eyes. He had hardly lain back, when he got up with a jerk.

  “You have a past that I can’t see clearly. This past is linked to your future. I see darkness in your future and your past. My only advice to you is to let go of the past. Live a good life. If you choose to hold on to the past and let it affect your future, I think you are going to regret it,” the seer said.

  Dinul was surprised at what the seer had said. He was angry too, but he let go of the seer’s hand, thanked him and walked out. What the seer hadn’t told him was that he knew that Dinul was not going to let go of the past and would choose the path that would lead to darkness not only for him but for the whole region. The seer wanted to give him a ray of hope to hold on to, if he ever felt like mending his ways. By telling him there was no hope for him, he was doomed for destruction. What had also interested the seer was the uncanny resemblance between the king and Dinul, though he did not mention it.

  Dinul, too, had felt something when the seer had held his hand. He was now convinced that there was some power in the seers and he should not underestimate them. When the time came, Dinul thought, he would use them.

  31. The Men in the War

  Udaybhan’s visit had lifted Karkish’s spirit. Somehow he had managed to feel that there was hope for him and the kingdom, even though there was nothing but bad news on all sides. All the spies had not been able to gather any information about Dinul, and the only news was that war was coming.

  Karkish knew that though they were capable of fighting and winning a war like that, the costs that they would have to pay would be very heavy. Daily messages were being exchanged between Agniputra and his generals in the field and the war was about to begin. The messages were exchanged through birds which were trained to travel between any two places.

  On all the five fronts, the armies were standing face to face. There were more than 20,000 soldiers in each unit of Karkish’s army.

  Daksha was facing Govinda’s army. The toughest battle was expected on this front. Govinda had a strong army and their strength was more than 30,000. Yet Daksha had not asked for more soldiers as he was confident that he could take on the enemy’s army with what he had. Daksha was an able leader and a fearless man. The soldiers had heard tales of his bravery and they were ready to lay down their lives at his command. Daksha knew that Govinda had the superiority in numbers, but he was confident of his strategy and the skill of his men in winning the war. He wanted to make sure that the loss of lives to his unit was not as much as it would be to the enemy’s.

  Govinda on the other hand was also sure that he would be able to win his battle. When his scouts had told him that there were no more than 20,000 soldiers in Daksha’s camp, his hope had soared. He did not care who won the war, but he wanted to make sure that he did not lose the battle. It seemed like he would be able to win his end of the war easily. For the moment that is all he cared about.

  Ajaya was on the front with King Devendra. King Devendra had fewer men than Aj
aya but King Devendra had the upper hand in terms of the number of elephants they deployed in the war. Karkish’s army had long back stopped using elephants in a war. The elephants slowed them down and were difficult to manage. In Dhumarketu’s time, most of the time they were attacking other kingdoms and the attacks required speed, which was not possible with the elephants. Also, the elephants were easily scared with loud noises and sometimes they turned on their own army. King Devendra’s kingdom however had continued the use of elephants in the army because the animals were the best defence. Over time, the army had trained the beasts so that they were used to most of the tricks employed by the enemy for distracting the elephants. The well trained animals were a great asset for Devndra’s army, and gave him the confidence that he could defend his kingdom against any attack.

  Ajaya was worried about how they were going to deal with them. Ajaya knew that when elephants attacked the foot soldiers, the foot soldiers did not stand a chance. The elephants not only made it difficult for the soldiers to reach the enemy soldiers perched on the elephants, but they also provided a high point for the enemy’s archers to shoot their arrows. The elephants themselves trampled a lot of soldiers that had the misfortune to fall in the path of the elephants.

  Before leaving for the war, Ajaya had discussed this with Agniputra. Agniputra had told him that the only way to deal with the elephants was to shoot the arrows at the elephant and try to wound them as much as they could from a distance so that they were not fighting fit. Ajaya had accordingly placed his best archers in a position where they could shoot the elephants. The horse riders and the foot soldiers would only move in when enough chaos had been created by the archers. It was after all impossible to hide an elephant behind a shield. Ajaya was hoping that this ploy would work and they would not have to suffer at the hands of the elephants.

  Dhartiputra was the least aggressive of the five generals. He was not less capable than the other four generals, but he did not believe in blind aggression. He believed that more wars were won by patience than aggression. At least fewer lives were lost that way. He also believed that if possible, words should be used before weapons.

  Dhartiputra was facing Kanaka. It was quite a coincidence that both these warriors were the least aggressive of the group, they were a part of. Their armies were not evenly matched and Dhartiputra had the upper edge. Both these armies were depending heavily upon horse riders and in terms of numbers, Dhartiputra had the upper edge, but the war would be fought on Kanaka’s turf and that evened out some of the odds that were in favour of Dhartiputra due to the greater numbers. Kanaka had chosen a spot where all the fighters could not fight at the same time. This would ensure that the advantage of numbers that Dhartiputra had would be evened out.

  Angad was fighting close to Dhartiputra and he was facing King Mahendra, who was a brave and a courageous king. He had a large army, almost matching that of Govinda, even though his kingdom was half as small. Mahendra had always wanted to fight wars and annexe land. He would have attacked Kanaka sooner or later and that was his motive behind keeping a large army. He had plans to attack the other four kingdoms so that he could become the king of a greater country. He had readily agreed with Dinul’s plan to attack Pataliputra. He believed that with Pataliputra out of the picture, the balance of power in the region would be tilt in his favour.

  Angad was a fearless warrior, and that landed him in difficult situations at times. He usually forgot that courage does not mean the absence of fear. In his attempts to prove himself to be the bravest, he would sometimes attempt rash things.

  When he was studying he was once challenged by his friends to fight a leopard they had met in the jungle, with bare hands. Not one to decline a challenge, he had attempted to fight the leopard and the leopard had turned out to be a bit too much for him. In the end he was saved because the leopard had become scared of the noise Angad’s friends, watching the fight, were making. To this day, Angad maintained that he had chased the leopard away. He actually believed that, and his friends did not try to take away this illusion from him.

  His bravery was never questioned, his common sense sometimes was, but there was no denying that he was one of the most able and qualified leader in Pataliputra’s army. He was sure that he was going to win his battle. However his opponent was just as battle ready as he was. Mahendra had been dying to test his army and his battle tactics in a real war and now that he had got the chance he was eager to prove his superiority. He could not wait to win the war and march to Pataliputra. He had plans to sit on that throne after he had got rid of Dinul.

  Samvrata was face to face with Jawahar. Samvrata was a king who, in his heart, agreed with the policies of Karkish and would have loved to be his ally. But Dhumarketu, Karkish’s father, had taken away a lot of the land of his kingdom and he knew that if he became friends with Karkish, he would be seen in a bad light. Even his people would see him as a weak king and someone might try to remove him from the throne. He did not want to become the king because he thought it was a great responsibility and he wanted to lead a life free of responsibilities, where he could happily pursue his feelings. But he was the eldest son of his father and they had offered him no choice. He also knew that if someone else became the king, the life of his younger brothers would also be in danger because the new king would try to eliminate them to avoid any trouble in the future. With all these things in mind and with a very heavy heart, he had accepted to be the king and since he had become the king he had ensured that every step he took was for the betterment of his kingdom. He was as good a king as any, but he was not a warrior.

  Jawahar was of noble birth and was closely related to Karkish. Since his childhood his parents did not want him to be a soldier. He was the only son of his parents and that made him dear to them. But, it was obvious from the very beginning that he was meant to be a soldier. He grew tall and strong and everyone in his class was afraid of him. He was great with the sword and was an excellent marksman. Soon his fame as a warrior had spread across all lands. There was no way his parents could have stopped what destiny had intended for him. At last, they had to give up and accept the decision of making their son a general in the army.

  So, these ten men were standing with their respective armies, waiting for the war to begin. Each one had a different motive for fighting in the war, but each one had one aim - to win their battle and ensure that they play their part in the larger picture.

  32. The Secret Message

  Just before the war was to start, Dinul had sent a special emissary to all the five kings. He was on a horse back and he was to reach all the kings within a week. He had a secret message to deliver to the kings.

  When the kings received the message they were surprised. What Dinul wanted them to do was beyond their comprehension.

  33. The War Begins

  Karkish was glad to hear the news from all the war fronts. The armies of the five kingdoms were not faring well. It was the fifth day of the war and there had not been many casualties. It seemed that the might and the numbers of the Karkish’s army had ensured that the enemy did not stand a chance.

  They were retreating and trying to find a stronghold in the inner areas. Karkish’s army was moving forward slowly but surely. At this rate it was expected that the war would be over soon. Karkish was getting impatient and wanted to be a part of the war himself, but the reports coming in were such that he was not required at the war front. Karkish was surprised that winning the war had turned out to be easier than they had thought. But, still the question that was troubling him was: where was Dinul? Even if they won the war, and did not know where Dinul was, the war would be meaningless and all the effort would have been in vain.

  Suddenly, the herald announced, Agniputra.

  “What’s the news?” Karkish asked, expecting more good news.

  “The news is the same, our armies are marching forward, without much resistance,” Agniputra said, with a deep frown on his face and deep furrows of worry on his forehead.
/>   “That is good news, right?” said Karkish, smiling.

  “It is indeed.”

  “Your words say something, but your face conveys something else,” Karkish said, “something is bothering you, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, my lord. There is something about this that I cannot understand.”

  “What is it?” asked Karkish.

  “There is something wrong. If they had been preparing for a war, why are they giving up so easily. I feel that there is something that we are missing here. Our young generals are getting confident every day, but what if it is a trap for them?”

  “A trap? Aren’t you over thinking things? Our mighty army is a strong one and with our strong and able soldiers, their army is no match for us. They must have thought that if they attacked us all at once, our resources would be stretched out and they would be able to win. But now that they have seen the strength of our army even when we are fighting the same battle at five places, they must have been scared and are now running to save themselves,” Karkish said.

  “This is exactly my point, my king. If they were running, I would have accepted victory. They are falling backward without a fight. Every time our armies face each other, there is a skirmish with little or no casualties and the enemy falls back. They are not running, they are falling back, as if to a plan. It seems that they are trying to draw us inside while they wait for something. Individually, the generals may not be able to realise this, but sitting here and receiving the same news from all the fronts, I have a feeling that the five kings have a strategy and we have already fallen into a trap, which we might still be able to get out of,” Agniputra said.

  “You are just being paranoid Agniputra,” Karkish said, “At this rate how long before we reach their capitals?”