‘Wouldn’t have happened had you managed to embarrass Karna as planned. Maybe you should have given Niarkatt the task. He seems to have the knack.’

‘Thank you for that succinct summary, Calm. But the day is not yet lost.’

‘It can hardly be that difficult. You have entered both her bedchamber and the King’s council chamber with ease ever since we arrived. Trust they have in you aplenty. And the Princess isn’t needle-witted. Each night I hear her pray for a true hero to champion her… Such a soft head rarely requires intricate manipulation. You can actually fool her with a glimpse of the truth, without the dung-smell business. It takes two trips to the baths for us to get rid of the stink.’

Krishna had already considered that. ‘Naïve minds are the most dangerous to twist, Calm. For you never know who may undo your work and twist it right back. Now, make sure the concoction is ready. When I click my fingers, release it slowly into the chamber. Why am I explaining this again? You have already done it a number of times.’

‘Yes, release it whenever you utter words like lowborn, poverty or Karna. Noted.’

Krishna nodded and was about to knock on the door when Calm said, narrowing her eyes, ‘Lord Krishna, I have excellent hearing. I do hope you call to mind Lady Satyabhama’s orders if I hear anything untoward?’

Krishna smiled at the unsubtle threat and knocked on the door. He entered Draupadi’s chamber to find her crumpled at her mother’s feet, choking back her tears.

SHAKUNI thought he would choke if he did not stop laughing. He clung to the railing of the terrace, gasping. A spasm finally grew in his toeless leg that set shivers up his twisted spine. The Gods love a buffoon! The chances of Draupadi picking Karna to dance had been a million to one, but it appeared that in this particular year, the million to one chance happened eight times out of ten.

I love weddings, Shakuni mused. Such scandals. If there was anything more amusing than Karna’s fumbling dance steps, it had been King Drupad’s face upon seeing his daughter gyrate her hips against a Resht. Drupad had stormed off before the night was over, Krishna in tow. But even Drupad would have to admit Draupadi and Karna had looked like a divine couple out of some falsified tale of legend, though Shakuni in his better days could have out-danced them both. The throbbing of his leg reminded him his good old days were far behind him.