‘I will take that as a compliment,’ Karna said.

Bheeshma frowned. ‘I must have said it wrong then.’

The door swung open as Shakuni limped in, carrying a scroll in his hand. It shut noiselessly behind him.

‘Reports?’ Duryodhan asked.

‘I suspect you know what you will hear, My Prince,’ said Shakuni. ‘The outskirts of the city are still on fire. Riots, protests, you name it. Everyone is irate. They still think the celebration you held for your name-day, in the Crows, was in anticipation of the unfortunate demise of your cousins. The confession from Purochana has done much to alleviate the concerns of the Hundred, but they seek to use the unrest to raise the issue of the Prince’s nuptials with, I quote, ‘pirates from a swampland at the end of the world’.

The King sighed, settling into his seat. The White Eagle said nothing, nor did the Queen. Shakuni found a seat reluctantly. Duryodhan remained standing, looking out of the window.

‘Then there is Shalya, Lord of Madra,’ continued Shakuni. Two of the sons of Pandu, who died in the fire, were his grandsons. He is threatening to move out of the Union unless we remove Anga’s Protectorate status, seize its assets, and make it a part of the Union’s dominion. Naturally, such a move, echoed by other members of the Hundred, will upset Kalinga, and the wedding on the horizon. And by extension, the Magadhan Empire.’

‘This isn’t good,’ said the Queen.

‘That’s one way of summarizing it, Sister,’ Shakuni said. ‘It’s actually a disaster. The threads inter-connecting the Union have suddenly become exposed and fragile. We know Shalya met Jarasandh in Magadh. It can be safely assumed that if Magadh decides to head North towards us, after Mathura, Madra will not be rushing in to aid us.’

Bheeshma spoke for the first time. ‘By itself, the Union can hold the Empire, but with Madra gone, it will raise tough questions. Shakuni tells me Kalyavan, whose Yavana tribes border us in the North-West, has joined Jarasandh as well. It appears that the Emperor means to create a belt of influence around the Union, which he will use to choke us. We cannot afford to lose Madra.’

‘Can we not march into Anga?’ the King asked. ‘That will keep Shalya happy. I’m sure Duryodhan could placate the Kalingans and explain to them our troubles here.’

‘We have lost the territories along the route directly connecting Hastina to Anga,’ Bheeshma reminded them. ‘The Valkas prowl those forestlands and will not take kindly to intrusion by our armies. We could route through Panchal, but I believe the King has his hands full with the wedding of his daughter.’

The swayamvar of the Panchalan Princess was all anyone could talk about these days. For some reason, Shakuni had made it a point to discuss it every time he met Karna; how the groom would be fortunate to win the daughter of the Panchalan King; how large the dowry would be. If Karna had not known better, he would have thought Shakuni secretly wished to participate in the swayamvar. Even now, Shakuni looked towards Karna in a way that made him as nervous as a maiden.