Hiranya could not believe his eyes as he saw his men being forced to retreat by the wall of bronze. From his elevated position on the bow of the boat, he saw that the flanks of the Yavana line were vulnerable to a surprise attack. He hastily barked orders to his men and a few boats started to head up the river while he led the other boats downstream.
Indra was quick to spot the movement along the river. He asked Atreya and Nala to take their men and neutralise the threat. He and his archers began to move forward; they picked off the enemy's central column as the Asuras floundered clumsily in the water.
The Asuras who headed upstream immediately ran into trouble. Riktim had made a couple of fireboats and launched it at the enemy. As the burning boats floated towards them, the lead boats of the enemy veered off course to save themselves, and the ones coming behind rammed straight into them and burst into flames. Atreya and his archers made use of the time Riktim bought them and secured a position on the beach from where they rained arrows at the enemy with devastating accuracy.
On the other flank, Nala and his men were not so fortunate. By the time they got there, Hiranya had already secured the beach. The Asuras charged towards Nala and his men and gave them no chance to use their bows. With no armour or shields, Nala and his men had the odds hopelessly stacked against them, but they gamely drew their swords and prepared to face the enemy.
In the burning village, Indra and the Yavana warriors had made short work of the enemy. They turned their attention to their right flank where Hiranya had decimated Nala's division. The Yavanas now broke their line and went in to finish the enemy. Indra was amazed to see how they used their shields as an offensive weapon. They put all their weight behind it, swung them at the Asuras and broke their skulls and bones. They even used the edge to decapitate fallen victims.
Indra scanned the battlefield, cutting and slashing his way through the enemy as he looked for Hiranya. He found him close to the river as he stood over a fallen Nala, poised to cut off his head. Indra screamed out a challenge even as he flew across the sand towards the giant figure of the Asura general.
As Hiranya turned, he saw Indra in full flight fire one arrow after another at him. Two arrows struck him in the chest and knocked him back a couple of paces. His mouth opened in surprise at the speed of the attack. Before he could close his mouth, Indra was upon him. He thrust the black sword into the open mouth of the Asura till it emerged from the back of his skull. Indra twisted the blade hard. Hiranya's head separated from his neck and his heavy body fell to the ground with a thud that shook the battlefield.
Indra screamed in triumph as he raised the head of the Asura general high in the air. The battle stopped, and the few of the enemy that had survived fled into the darkness beyond the village.
From his boat, Riktim screamed at them.
'Run, you dogs! Run to your master! Tell the Grey Wolf that the people of this land will not lie down and take it up the arse any more.'
***
The victors spent the next couple of days tending to the wounded and helping the villagers rebuild their burnt homes. Indra and Yadu made sure that the dead were cremated as per the rites of their respective tribes. Just as the funeral pyres were lit, Indra received news that Nala had regained consciousness; he rushed to the infirmary to meet him.
The physicians had just finished tending to the warrior when Indra arrived. Dhanavantri looked towards Indra and shook his head. Indra looked at the ashen face of his commander. Nala was in agony but he was trying to keep a brave face as he tried to sit up to greet his king. Indra pushed him back gently on to the bed.
'You look well, old friend. In much better shape than you were last night.'
Nala looked down at the gaping wound in his belly and smiled.
'Last night, I was dead if you had not got there so quickly. You moved faster than I have ever seen any man move. It is true what the men say about you then. You have bathed in the Divine Light, you are now a god.'
Indra did not know what to say. He tried to make light of the situation.
'No, I am just a king who is not doing a very good job of looking after his men.'
Nala winced in pain as he laughed; the wound in his belly began to bleed again.
'That may be true. But it has been an honour to serve under you, my lord. Please, help me up.'
Indra helped him up to an upright position. Nala gasped as he tried to shut out the pain.
'Do it now, my king.'
Indra put one arm around his shoulder and held him in a tight embrace.
'You honour me, old friend. I will miss the trueness of your aim in the battlefield.'
He placed his forehead against Nala's and plunged the dagger he held in his other hand into the heart of the dying warrior. He then laid the body gently back on the bed and walked away.
Indra fought back his tears with difficulty. Although it was common practice among the northern tribes for a mortally wounded warrior to ask a trusted friend to end his life, Indra had never had to do it before and he prayed he would never have to do it again.
Outside the infirmary, an anxious Riktim waited to meet him.
'I have news from Aranya. I'm afraid it is not good. Sargon's son Naraka has arrived at the head of a huge army. He blames the Adityas for your escape. He has vowed to chop down every tree in the forest till he finds Aranyapura and destroys it.'
'We must go back and save them. Ask your man to leave word with Aryaman to wait for me under the giant oak tree where we met the first time. You organise a fast boat that can carry about twenty men to leave now. The rest of them can follow later.'
Riktim rushed off to do his bidding. Soma, who had just arrived, turned to his friend in disbelief.
'Twenty men! Naraka has over seven thousand men under his command. I hope you have a plan.'
'No, but I'll think up one along the way. Pick the men and meet me at the wharf.'
By noon Riktim had procured the boat and they were off. The smaller boat meant that they could use the narrow channels in the delta, which made the return to Aranya much quicker. When Indra arrived at the rendezvous, Aryaman was already there. From the north, they could hear the crashing sound of trees being felled. Indra quickly outlined their plan of action and the part that the Adityas would have to play in it.
***
Naraka, son of Sargon, stood on a small hillock and watched the destruction of Aranya with a smug smile. Below him, seven thousand Asuras armed with axes were clearing the forest at a rapid rate. Like all sons who lived under the shadow of a famous father, Naraka was constantly in search of ways to prove himself a worthy son. He had forced his father to send him on this mission. He had hoped to kill Indra, the demon whose victories against them had granted him the status of a folk hero in Sumer; he had in fact just received news of the defeat and death of Hiranya. What better way to prove to the people that he was the worthy son of a great father? Unfortunately, the Deva king had slipped out of his reach.
Naraka decided then that the Adityas would bear the brunt of his wrath. He would wipe out the men. Their beautiful women would be forced to bear the Asura seed. The Adityas as a tribe would no longer exist. Even as his mind was occupied with the horrors he planned to inflict on Aranyapura, his commander informed him that one of the river pirates had arrived with the most heartening piece of news. Indra had returned to the forests of Aranya to help the Adityas. The man told a delighted Naraka that Indra was on the river in a small boat with twenty warriors and he could lead them to him. All he wanted as reward for delivering the Deva king to them was the return of his captured boats and amnesty for his clan.
Naraka readily agreed to his terms. He asked the man how many boats he had at his disposal. The river pirate informed him that he had three medium-sized boats that could accommodate about a hundred Asuras. Naraka smiled triumphantly. A hundred warriors would be more than enough. He hoped he would be able to take Indra alive. He wanted to personally cut his body into several parts and nail it to the walls o
f every city in Sumer as a lesson to those who would dare rebel against the Asuras.
The Asura boats took to the water and set off in search of the elusive demon. As they rounded a bend in the river, they saw a boat docked on the far bank. The captain of the boat saw the Asuras arrive and panicked. He screamed at the Deva soldiers who were boarding her to hurry. Naraka's eyes lit up as he saw the handsome man with golden hair at the bow of the boat. It was Indra. He egged his rowers on, promising to cover them with gold if they caught their elusive quarry today.
A chase ensued through the waterways and wetlands of Aranya. The Asura boats were faster and soon started to narrow the gap between them. Riktim, who knew these waters like no other, steered the boat between the trees of the submerged forest. The Asura arrows and javelins began to land uncomfortably close to the boat. Naraka heard the anxious cries of the Devas and urged the boats to go faster. As the Asuras pushed forward, Riktim glanced back anxiously. Two of the boats in pursuit swept out in a wide arc--Naraka planned to surround them and take them down.
At the bow, Indra spotted a narrow channel and shouted to Riktim to steer towards it. The Asuras were forced back into single file again as they manoeuvred their bigger boats carefully into the narrow channel. Soon Naraka's boat started to close in again. The Devas watched in alarm as the Asura archers notched arrows to bows.
Before Naraka could give the order, a dead branch dropped from the trees into the water in front of them. The captain of Naraka's boat was quick to spot the danger and steered the vessel to one side, narrowly avoiding the log. The boats that came up behind him did not stand a chance: the second one crashed into the log and capsized. The third struck the second and deposited its occupants in the water. The Asuras with their heavy armour and weapons struggled to stay afloat. Then things got a lot worse for them. Even as they struggled out of their armour, arrows began to rain down on them from the trees.
Aryaman and his archers were deadly accurate, perched high on the trees as they picked off the enemy. The river pirate guiding the Asuras, his role in Indra's plan complete, leapt into the water and swam to Riktim's boat. In a matter of moments, Naraka was the only one left on his boat. The blood and the thrashing about of bodies in the water brought the big crocodiles in to feast. The Asura crown prince watched in horror as the giant reptiles played tug-of-war with the bodies of his warriors. He shut his eyes and clamped his ears shut with his hands, but he could not drown out the screams of his men as their limbs were torn from their bodies.
From the safety of his boat, Indra watched the crocodiles bring the final curtain down on the bloody drama. It had been a perfect trap. Naraka had fallen into their hands and not one of them had got hurt in the bargain.
***
The magnificent Throne Room of Assur wore a dark and desolate look. The court had long been dismissed. On his ornate gold and ivory throne, Sargon the Grey Wolf sat and stared up at his brightly frescoed ceiling. He did not wish for anyone to see his helplessness. A few barbarians and pirates had brought his great empire to its knees. News of their recent victories had spread to the distant corners of the land. This demon Indra was being lauded as a hero, and alarmingly, more and more men were flocking to his banner.
Now they had his only son, his heir, and he had just received the terms for his return. The forests of Aranya and the river delta should be freed from Asura dominion and safe passage be granted to Indra and his army through his lands. The second demand intrigued Sargon. If he demanded safe passage, did that mean Indra and his army would leave his lands forever? The thought brought him some relief as he agreed to all the terms unconditionally.
The sound of heavy footsteps brought his attention back. It was Mahisha, his brother and second-in-command. The warrior kept his gaze down as he made his report.
'The troops have begun their withdrawal from Aranya, Excellency.'
Sargon nodded and asked him to call it a night. The Grey Wolf watched him go with a sigh. He had seen the naked rage that Mahisha had tried hard to control. Sargon could empathise with his brother; he felt exactly the same. But Naraka . . . he could not forsake Naraka. He was the only fruit that had sprung from his old loins.
The Asura king was a pragmatic man. Although he was still able to keep the young wives of his harem happy, he did not think he would be able to father another child. The boy was a little spoilt and impulsive, always looking to make his father proud. But no one could take away from Naraka the fact that, in spite of his tender age, he was already a great warrior and he would make a great emperor one day.
***
Indra watched the celebrations unfurl at Aranyapura. Most of the Asura troops had left the forest, with only a small number remaining to escort Naraka back. King Savitra announced a grand sacrifice in gratitude to the gods and a feast to celebrate the victory. With the ceremony over, as it was with his people, wine had taken over the gathering.
Savitra called to the guards to bring Naraka to the hall. Aryaman tried to dissuade his father, but the old king would have none of it. Soon the Asura prince was brought into the assembly, his hands bound behind his back. Savitra and his cronies, who were now thoroughly intoxicated, began to heap insults on the young man and his father. They pelted him with food and doused him with wine.
Naraka bore it all in silence. He looked his tormentors in the face and did not flinch when they threw hot broth on him. As a guest, Indra could not intervene, but he admired how well the young man handled the humiliation. Now some of the king's cronies got bolder. One of them rushed up and knocked Naraka down. As the Asura prince struggled back to his feet, another arrived and slashed him across the chest with a knife. The wound, though superficial, started to bleed.
Brihaspati could not bear it any longer. He shouted at the men to stop, calling them cowards. He asked the guards to take the prisoner away. Savitra tried to stand up and take control, but the priest silenced him with a withering look. The king slouched back in his seat, sulking.
As he was being led away, the Asura prince shook off the grip of the guards and turned to address the gathering.
'People of Aranyapura, you have bound my father's hands with this treaty just as you have bound mine. But know this, one day I will be emperor and my hands will be free. That day, I will burn down this forest and scorch these wetlands. I will hunt each and every one of you across the far corners of this earth. Your names will be struck from the annals of history. It will be like none of this ever existed at all. I, Naraka, son of the Grey Wolf, swear this.'
There was silence in the gathering as Naraka was blindfolded and taken away from Aranyapura. Although the celebrations continued, there was a muted ring to it. Before long, Indra and Brihaspati left the hall, followed by Aryaman.
The three of them walked along one of the ethereally beautiful avenues of Aranyapura. After the way things had gone down in the hall, it was a relief to get out into the fresh air. Indra looked around at his surroundings. The full moon filtered through the leaves and bathed the city in its silvery light. It was like he had been transported to another world. Brihaspati's voice broke the surreal silence.
'Why do you wish to leave the land of your ancestors? Your father and his father before him have shed blood here.'
'That is one of the reasons why I leave. This land seems to have an endless thirst for the blood of my people.'
'Where will you go?'
'I plan to head southeast to the city of Harappa. With the gold from that city, I will build an empire to rival that of the Grey Wolf. But before that, I'm going to need horses. The Asuras do not have any--they seem more keen on eating them than taming them.'
Aryaman spat on the ground in disgust.
'We know that better than anybody else. Our herds and our horses all went into Sargon's cooking pot. But I will be honoured if you will permit me to ride alongside you.'
Indra was pleased. He had come to grow rather fond of Mitra's nephew.
'The honour will be mine, Prince.'
Brih
aspati was thoughtful.
'Perhaps I can be of some assistance in getting your horses back.'
Indra could not believe his ears.
'Get our horses back? They scattered across the distant corners of Sumer more than a year ago. How do you propose to get them back?'
'From the men who took them.'
'Men! Was that truly the work of men? I suspected it to be Asura sorcery!'
'It was the work of our cousins, many times removed, of course. The world knows them as the Ashvani twins, masters of the Ashva, the horse. They are sons of Vivasvat the wise, chief of the Ikshvaaku tribe.'
'But why would they help us? They serve the Grey Wolf.'
'The Ikshvaaku are their own masters. They honoured an old treaty with Sargon when their princes helped him against you; now their obligation to the Asuras is over. But like the Yavanas and us, they will serve the warrior who will unite the northern clans. I shall send word at once to Vivasvat.'
The next day, Aryaman informed a shocked Savitra that he and a select group of five hundred warriors would accompany Indra. All the king's threats and pleas were to no avail. To further add to the king's dismay, Brihaspati announced his decision to accompany Prince Aryaman.
Aryaman was touched and surprised by the farewell he received from the citizens of Aranyapura. In an unprecedented move, the entire city showed up at the docks to bid them farewell. King Savitra was conspicuous by his absence.
From his position on the boat, Indra turned to look upon the forests of Aranya one last time. Somewhere within its green depths, the spirit of Valli, the warrior princess, roamed free. A part of him would always remain there with her.
Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod Page 27