Parvateshwar clenched his fist. He looked down, sighing deeply. ‘Anandmayi. Please understand. Even if I want to, I can’t...’
Just then Drapaku marched up. ‘My Lord, the Lord Neelkanth requests your presence.’
Parvateshwar stood rooted to his spot. Still staring at Anandmayi.
‘My Lord...,’ repeated Drapaku.
Parvateshwar whispered. ‘Forgive me, Your Highness. I will speak with you later.’
The Meluhan General turned and marched away, followed by Drapaku.
Anandmayi hissed at Drapaku’s retreating form. ‘Impeccable timing!’
‘Do you have to go, My Lady?’ asked Krittika, gently rocking a sleeping Kartik.
Sati looked at Krittika, bemused. ‘There are innocents dying, Krittika. Do I have a choice?’
Krittika nodded before looking at Kartik.
‘My son will understand,’ said Sati. ‘He would do the same. I am a Kshatriya. It is my dharma to protect the weak. Dharma comes before anything else.’
Krittika took a deep breath and whispered, ‘I agree, My Lady.’
Sati gently ran her hand across Kartik’s face. ‘I need you to take good care of him. He is my life. I have never known the pleasures of motherhood. I never imagined there would be another person I would love as deeply as I love Shiva. But in such a short span of time, Kartik...’
Krittika looked at Sati with a smile, touching the Princess’ hand. ‘I will take care of him. He’s my life as well.’
The Naga Lord of the People was kneeling in the cold waters of the Chambal river. He scooped some water in the palm of his hands and allowed it to pour slowly, mumbling quietly. He then brushed his hands across his face.
The Queen, kneeling next to him, raised an eyebrow. ‘A prayer?’
‘I don’t know if prayers will help. I don’t think anybody up there is really interested in me.’
The Queen smiled and looked back at the river.
‘But there are times when you wouldn’t mind the help of the Almighty,’ whispered the Naga.
The Queen turned towards him and nodded. Getting up slowly, she put the mask back on her face. ‘I’ve received a report that she has left Kashi and is riding towards Icchawar.’
The Naga breathed deeply. He rose slowly and put the mask back on his face.
‘She rides with only forty soldiers.’
The Naga’s breathing picked up pace. At a distance, Vishwadyumna was sitting quietly with a hundred Branga soldiers. This could be the moment. Capturing her in a teeming city of two hundred thousand was well nigh impossible. The remoteness of Icchawar improved the odds dramatically. And they finally had the advantage of numbers. The Naga slowly brought his breathing back to normal. Trying to keep his voice calm, he whispered, ‘That is good news.’
The Queen smiled and patted the Naga gently on his shoulder. ‘Don’t be nervous, my child. You are not alone. I am with you. Every step of the way.’
The Naga nodded. His eyes narrowed.
It was just the beginning of the second prahar when Sati rode into Icchawar at the head of her platoon, with Kaavas by her side. She was shocked to see a massive pyre at the far end of the village. She rode hard, followed by her men.
A man rushed up, breathless and panic-stricken, waving. ‘Please leave! Please leave!’
Sati ignored him and kept riding up to the giant pyre.
‘You cannot ignore me! I am the Headman of Icchawar!’
Sati noticed the faces of the villagers. Every single one had terror writ large on his face.
‘Things have only gotten worse since you people came!’ shouted the Headman.
Sati noticed the Brahmin who had just finished the puja at the pyre, praying for the safety of the departed souls. He was the only one who seemed to be in control.
Sati rode up to him. ‘Where are the Kashi soldiers?’
The Brahmin pointed at the giant pyre. ‘In there.’
‘All twenty of them?’ asked a stunned Sati.
The Brahmin nodded. ‘They were killed by the lions last night. Just like our villagers here, your soldiers didn’t know what they were doing.’
Sati looked around the pyre. It was an open area, a little outside the village, which opened straight into the forest. To the far left were some blankets and the remnants of a camp fire. There was blood all over that area.
‘Did they sleep here?’ asked Sati in horror.
The Brahmin nodded.
‘This is a suicide zone with man-eating lions around! Why in Lord Ram’s name did they sleep here at night?’
The Brahmin looked at the Headman.
‘It was their decision!’ said the Headman defensively.
‘Don’t lie,’ said the Brahmin. ‘It wasn’t solely their decision.’
‘Don’t you dare call me a liar, Suryaksh!’ said the Headman. ‘I told them their presence in any house only attracts the lions and leads to deaths. The decision to not stay in any house was their own!’
‘You actually think the lions are interested only in the soldiers?’ asked Suryaksh. ‘You are wrong.’
Sati had stopped listening. She was surveying the area where the Kashi soldiers had been killed. Despite the immense amounts of blood and gore, she could clearly make out the tracks of some lions and maybe lionesses. There were at least seven distinct marks. The information they had was clearly wrong. She turned around and growled. ‘How many lions are here?’
‘Two,’ said the Headman. ‘We’ve never seen more than two lions. The third lion was killed in a trap.’
Sati ignored him and looked at Suryaksh. The Brahmin responded, ‘Judging from the tracks, at least five to seven.’
Sati nodded. Suryaksh was the only one who appeared to know what he was talking about. Turning towards the village, Sati told Suryaksh, ‘Come with me.’
Seven. That means five lionesses at least. A standard pride. But counting the one that died, there were three lions in this pride? That is strange. There is usually just one adult male in a pride. Something isn’t right!
‘He is smarter than we have been told,’ said Shiva. ‘Every ruse we have tried for weeks has failed.’
The sun was directly overhead. The ship was anchored close to a beach. Due to the heavy silt it carried, which settled and turned into natural dams, the Madhumati kept changing course all the time. The result was that there were many recently formed sandbanks along the current course of the river. These were areas clear of vegetation, which afforded enough open space for a fierce battle to be fought. Shiva had held the ship close to one such beach, firing arrows into the trees, hoping Parshuram would be goaded into coming out in the open. The plan had not succeeded so far.
‘Yes, My Lord,’ agreed Parvateshwar. ‘He will not be provoked into attacking out of blind hatred.’
Shiva stared hard at the river bank.
‘I think it is the ship,’ said Parvateshwar.
‘Yes, he cannot judge how many men we have.’
Parvateshwar agreed. ‘My Lord, we have to take more risks to lure him out.’
‘I have a plan,’ Shiva whispered softly. ‘Further ahead is another beach. I plan to go ashore with a hundred men. Once I’ve taken the soldiers deep inside the forest, the ship should turn back, giving Parshuram the impression that there is dissension in the ranks. That the vessel is deserting us and departing for Branga. I’ll continue into the jungle and flush him out onto the beach. When I have him there, I’ll send out a fire arrow as a signal.’
‘Then Bhagirath can quickly get the ship over there, pull down the cutters and land on the beach with four hundred men, overwhelming them. Just two key things to remember, My Lord. They must be with their backs to the river. So that they can’t escape when the cutters arrive. And of course, the ship must not depend only on the sails, but rowers as well. Speed will be of the essence.’
Shiva smiled. ‘Exactly. Just one more thing. It will not be us on the beach. Only me. I need you on the ship.’
‘My Lord!
’ cried Parvateshwar. ‘I cannot let you take that risk.’
‘Parvateshwar, I will lure the bastard out. But I need you watching my back. If the cutters don’t come on time, we will be slaughtered. We will be trying to capture, not kill. He will show no such restraint.’
‘But My Lord...’ said Parvateshwar.
‘I have decided, Parvateshwar. I need you on the ship. I can trust only you. Tomorrow is the day.’
‘This is where we’ll camp,’ said Sati, pointing to the school building, the only unoccupied structure in Icchawar. It had no doors and could not be barricaded against the lions. But it had a terrace, with one defendable flight of stairs leading up.
It was halfway through the third prahar. Nightfall, the favourite time for lions to attack, was just a few hours away. The villagers had all retired and barricaded themselves inside their homes. The massacre of the Kashi soldiers the night before had shaken all of them. Perhaps the Headman was right they thought. The presence of the Kashi soldiers was bad luck.
The Headman walked behind Sati, trailed by Suryaksh. ‘You must leave. The presence of the foreigners is angering the spirits.’
Sati ignored him and turned to Kaavas. ‘Station our men on the terrace. Pull the horses up as well.’
Kaavas nodded and rushed to carry out the orders.
The Headman continued, ‘Look, they were only killing animals earlier. Now they’re killing humans as well. All because of your soldiers. Just leave and the spirits will be calmed.’
Sati turned towards the Headman. ‘They have tasted human blood. There is no escape. Either you abandon the village or we have to stay here and protect you till all the lions are killed. My advice is you gather all the villagers and we leave tomorrow morning.’
‘We cannot abandon our motherland!’
‘I will not allow you to condemn your people to death. I will leave tomorrow and I am taking your people as well. What you do for yourself is up to you.’
‘My people are not going to desert Icchawar. Never!’
Suryaksh spoke up. ‘If the villagers had listened to me, we would have left a long time back! And this suffering would never have happened.’
‘If you were half the priest your father was,’ snapped the Headman, ‘you would have conjured up a puja to calm the spirits and drive the lions away.’
‘Pujas will not drive them away, you fool! Can’t you smell it? The lions have marked this land. They think our village is their territory. There are only two options now. Fight or flee. We obviously don’t want to fight. We have to flee.’
‘Enough!’ said Sati, irritated. ‘No wonder the lions got the better of you. Go home. We’ll meet tomorrow.’
Sati walked up the steps of the school. She was happy to note a large pile of kindling half-way up the steps. She jumped over it and continued climbing. As she entered the terrace, she saw a massive pile of firewood to the left.
She turned toward Kaavas. ‘Enough to last the night?’
‘Yes, My Lady.’
Sati scanned the forest and whispered, ‘Light the fire on the staircase as soon as the sun goes down.’
She stared up ahead to see a goat tied at the spot where the lions had killed the Kashi soldiers. It was a clear shot from her elevated position. She anticipated that she would be able to fire arrows upon at least a few lions. Hoping the bait would work, Sati settled down on the terrace and waited.
Chapter 14
The Battle of Madhumati
Shiva, Parvateshwar, Bhagirath, Drapaku and Divodas were seated aft on the ship. The moon was absent, cloaking the entire area in darkness. The quietness of the jungle, except for the incessant beating of crickets, automatically made them speak softly.
‘The problem is how do we make him believe that there is a rebellion and he has to fight only one hundred men, not the entire crew,’ whispered Shiva.
‘His spies would be watching us all the time,’ murmured Divodas. ‘It has to be a believable act. We can’t let our guard down for even a minute.’
Shiva suddenly started. Motioning with his hands for everyone to keep talking, he slowly rose and crawled to the rail of the ship, picking his bow quietly, stealthily placing an arrow. And then, quick as lightening, he rose above the railing and shot the arrow. There was a loud scream of pain as one of the brigand’s men, swimming towards the ship, was hit.
‘COME OUT YOU COWARD!’ yelled Shiva. ‘FIGHT LIKE A MAN!’
There was commotion in the jungle as animals shrieked at the sudden disturbance. Birds fluttered loudly. Hyenas howled, tigers roared, deer bleated. There was some splashing in the river. Someone possibly trying to rescue an injured comrade. Shiva thought he heard the sound of foliage breaking as someone or something broke through and retreated.
As his followers rushed up, Shiva whispered, ‘It wasn’t a kill wound. We need Parshuram alive. Remember. It makes our task tougher. But we need him alive.’
And then they heard a strong voice from the jungle. ‘WHY DON’T YOU GET OUT OF THE SHIP, YOU SPINELESS WIMP? AND I’LL SHOW YOU HOW A MAN FIGHTS!’
Shiva smiled. ‘This is going to be interesting.’
Sati woke up with a start. Not due to some sudden noise. But because the noise had stopped.
She looked towards the left. The flames were burning strong. Two men with swords drawn were at the top of the stairs, supervising the fire.
‘More wood,’ whispered Sati.
One of the soldiers immediately crept to the stack of firewood and dropped some more onto the raging fire in the middle of the staircase. Meanwhile, Sati tiptoed to the parapet. The goat had been bleating desperately all night. But no more.
She looked gingerly over the railing. The night had thrown a pitch-black shroud all around. But the flames of the school fire spread a bit of glow. The goat was still there. It wasn’t standing anymore. Its hind legs had collapsed. And it was shivering desperately.
‘Are they here, My Lady?’ asked Kaavas, crawling quietly to Sati.
‘Yes,’ whispered Sati.
They heard a soft, deep roar. A sound which would terrorise any living creature in the jungle. Kaavas quickly woke the rest of the platoon, who drew their swords and crawled to the doorway at the end of the staircase, to defend the one passage from where the lions could charge up. Sati kept staring at the goat. Then she heard the sound of something being dragged softly.
She strained her eyes. One. Two. Three. Four. It wasn’t their full pride. The fourth lion seemed to be dragging something.
‘Oh Lord,’ whispered Sati in horror.
The body being dragged was that of Suryaksh, the village Brahmin. His hand was moving a little. He was still alive. But barely so.
The largest lion, obviously the leader of the pack, came into full view. It was abnormally massive. The largest Sati had ever seen. And yet the mane was not dense. It was clearly an adolescent. Not more than a year old perhaps.
Then a troubling thought struck Sati. She stared at the lead animal’s skin. It had the stripes of a tiger. It wasn’t an adolescent at all! She gasped in shock. ‘Liger!’
‘What?’ whispered Kaavas.
‘A rare animal. The offspring of a lion and a tigress. It grows almost twice as big as its parents. And has many times their ferocity.’
The liger sauntered up to the goat. The goat’s front legs too buckled, as it collapsed onto the ground in terror, waiting for its imminent death. But the liger didn’t strike out. He just walked around the goat, whipping it with his tail. He was toying with the bait.
The lion dragging Suryaksh dropped the body and bent to bite into the Brahmin’s leg. Suryaksh should have screamed in pain. But his neck was bleeding profusely. He simply didn’t have the strength. The liger suddenly growled at the lion who was chewing Suryaksh’s leg. The lion growled back, but retreated. The liger clearly didn’t want Suryaksh eaten just as yet.
The liger is a recent leader. The other lion still seems to have the strength to at least protest.
Follo
wed by the lionesses, the liger walked back to the goat, lifted his hind leg and urinated around the area, marking his territory again. Then he roared. Loud and strong.
The message was clear. This was his territory. Anyone in it was fair game.
Sati reached silently for her bow. The aggression of the pride would be cut if the liger was dead. She softly loaded an arrow and aimed. Unfortunately, just as she released the arrow, the liger stumbled on Suryaksh’s body. The arrow flew past him and rammed deep into the eye of the lioness behind. She snarled in pain and ran into the forest. So did the others. But the liger turned around, baring his teeth ferociously at this intrusion, growling. He reached out with his paw and struck Suryaksh hard across the face. A fatal blow. Sati reloaded and fired again. This one hit the liger on his shoulder. The liger roared and retreated.
‘The lioness will be dead soon,’ said Sati.
‘But the liger will come back,’ said Kaavas. ‘Angrier than ever. We better leave tomorrow with the villagers.’
Sati nodded.
The sun had just broken through the night.
‘You must leave. You have no choice,’ said Sati. She couldn’t believe she had to argue with the villagers about what was blatantly obvious.
It was the beginning of the second prahar. They were standing next to the pyre consuming Suryaksh’s body. Sadly, there was nobody to say prayers for his brave soul.
‘They will not come back,’ said one villager. ‘What the Headman says is right. The lions will not come back.’
‘What nonsense!’ argued Sati. ‘The liger has marked his territory. You either kill him or leave this place. There is no third option. He cannot let you have a free run in this land. He will lose control over his pride.’
A village woman stepped up to argue. ‘The spirits have been partially appeased by the blood of Suryaksh. At the most we will have to make one more sacrifice and they will leave.’
‘One more sacrifice?’ asked a flabbergasted Sati.
‘Yes,’ said the headman. ‘The village cleaner is willing to sacrifice himself and his family for the good of the rest of the village.’
The Secret of the Nagas Page 17