Surapadman, staring at it hard, his body taut with anger. ‘I don’t suppose that filthy rat has been caught?’
Surapadman was surprised at Shiva’s intense reaction. ‘No, My Lord, regrettably not. I fear he may have escaped into the rat hole he emerged from.’
Shiva handed the coin back to Surapadman. He was quiet.
Surapadman turned towards Bhagirath. ‘This is all the confirmation I needed, Prince. I will report to the King that my brother, Prince Ugrasen, died while valiantly defending Magadh from a Naga terrorist attack. I will also report that Ayodhya had nothing to do with this. I am sure even you don’t want a pointless war between the two pillars of the Chandravanshi confederacy. Especially not now, when we have suffered such a grievous loss to the Suryavanshis.’
The last comment was a jibe. Ayodhya had lost face amongst Chandravanshis due to its leadership in the disastrous war against the Meluhans at Dharmakhet.
‘Your words assuage a deep concern of mine, Prince Surapadman,’ said Bhagirath. ‘I assure you of Ayodhya’s friendly intentions towards Magadh. And please allow me to officially convey Ayodhya’s condolences on your brother’s untimely death.’
Surapadman nodded politely. He turned towards Shiva again with a low bow. ‘My Lord, I can see that you too have a bone to pick with the Nagas. I request you to call me to your service when the war with this particular demon is to be fought.’
Shiva looked at Surapadman with a surprised frown. The prince had not given an impression till now that he loved his brother or even sought vengeance.
‘My Lord, whatever he may have been like,’ said Surapadman, ‘he was my brother. I must avenge his blood.’
‘That Naga killed my brother as well, Prince Surapadman,’ said Shiva, referring to Brahaspati, the Chief Scientist of Meluha, who was like a brother to him. ‘I will call you to battle when the time is right.’
Shiva’s entourage left Magadh quietly. Unlike any other city that Shiva had been to, both in Meluha and Swadweep, there was no jamboree organised to see him off. His coming and going had been secret from most people in Magadh. Surapadman however had come to the Magadh port incognito to pay his respects to the Neelkanth before his departure.
The ships sailed in the standard Meluhan convoy formation with the main ship carrying the Neelkanth and his companions, surrounded on all four sides by a ship each. Regardless of which side an enemy cutter came from, they would have to fight through an entire battleship before reaching the Neelkanth’s craft. A crucial role in this formation was played by the lead ship. It was the speed controller for the entire convoy. It had to sail slow enough to protect the Neelkanth’s ship from the front, but be fast enough to afford enough space for Shiva’s ship to slip through and escape if need be. A Chandravanshi captain was in command of the lead ship and he was doing a spectacularly inept job. He was speeding at a maniacal pace, perhaps to show the prowess of his vessel. This kept opening up a breach between his lead boat and Shiva’s vessel. Parvateshwar had to keep blowing the ship horn to alert the lead boat Captain and slow him down.
Tired of this inefficiency, Parvateshwar had decided to travel in the lead ship to teach a thing or two to the Chandravanshi captain about the basics of naval defence formations. Considering the task at hand, Parvateshwar was distressed that Anandmayi had, for some inexplicable reason, decided to also travel on the lead ship.
‘So why are we so slow?’ asked Anandmayi.
Parvateshwar turned from the balustrade at the fore of the ship. He had not seen her tip-toe to his side. She was standing with her back to the railing, her elbows resting on it lightly with one of her heels placed on the block at the bottom of the railing. Her posture had the effect of raising her already short dhoti a fair distance up her right leg and stretching her bosom
Surapadman was surprised at Shiva’s intense reaction. ‘No, My Lord, regrettably not. I fear he may have escaped into the rat hole he emerged from.’
Shiva handed the coin back to Surapadman. He was quiet.
Surapadman turned towards Bhagirath. ‘This is all the confirmation I needed, Prince. I will report to the King that my brother, Prince Ugrasen, died while valiantly defending Magadh from a Naga terrorist attack. I will also report that Ayodhya had nothing to do with this. I am sure even you don’t want a pointless war between the two pillars of the Chandravanshi confederacy. Especially not now, when we have suffered such a grievous loss to the Suryavanshis.’
The last comment was a jibe. Ayodhya had lost face amongst Chandravanshis due to its leadership in the disastrous war against the Meluhans at Dharmakhet.
‘Your words assuage a deep concern of mine, Prince Surapadman,’ said Bhagirath. ‘I assure you of Ayodhya’s friendly intentions towards Magadh. And please allow me to officially convey Ayodhya’s condolences on your brother’s untimely death.’
Surapadman nodded politely. He turned towards Shiva again with a low bow. ‘My Lord, I can see that you too have a bone to pick with the Nagas. I request you to call me to your service when the war with this particular demon is to be fought.’
Shiva looked at Surapadman with a surprised frown. The prince had not given an impression till now that he loved his brother or even sought vengeance.
‘My Lord, whatever he may have been like,’ said Surapadman, ‘he was my brother. I must avenge his blood.’
‘That Naga killed my brother as well, Prince Surapadman,’ said Shiva, referring to Brahaspati, the Chief Scientist of Meluha, who was like a brother to him. ‘I will call you to battle when the time is right.’
Shiva’s entourage left Magadh quietly. Unlike any other city that Shiva had been to, both in Meluha and Swadweep, there was no jamboree organised to see him off. His coming and going had been secret from most people in Magadh. Surapadman however had come to the Magadh port incognito to pay his respects to the Neelkanth before his departure.
The ships sailed in the standard Meluhan convoy formation with the main ship carrying the Neelkanth and his companions, surrounded on all four sides by a ship each. Regardless of which side an enemy cutter came from, they would have to fight through an entire battleship before reaching the Neelkanth’s craft. A crucial role in this formation was played by the lead ship. It was the speed controller for the entire convoy. It had to sail slow enough to protect the Neelkanth’s ship from the front, but be fast enough to afford enough space for Shiva’s ship to slip through and escape if need be. A Chandravanshi captain was in command of the lead ship and he was doing a spectacularly inept job. He was speeding at a maniacal pace, perhaps to show the prowess of his vessel. This kept opening up a breach between his lead boat and Shiva’s vessel. Parvateshwar had to keep blowing the ship horn to alert the lead boat Captain and slow him down.
Tired of this inefficiency, Parvateshwar had decided to travel in the lead ship to teach a thing or two to the Chandravanshi captain about the basics of naval defence formations. Considering the task at hand, Parvateshwar was distressed that Anandmayi had, for some inexplicable reason, decided to also travel on the lead ship.
‘So why are we so slow?’ asked Anandmayi.
Parvateshwar turned from the balustrade at the fore of the ship. He had not seen her tip-toe to his side. She was standing with her back to the railing, her elbows resting on it lightly with one of her heels placed on the block at the bottom of the railing. Her posture had the effect of raising her already short dhoti a fair distance up her right leg and stretching her bosom
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