Shishupal grabbed Eklavvya’s elbow and whispered in his ear, ‘Who is she? Why does she know who we are?’

‘Our tour guide. Of a sort,’ he added. ‘Eklavvya got her reference from a friend. She will point us to the goat trail that will help us get to our destination swiftly; where we will find our man Gajraj.’

‘Where? Who? What are you talking about?’

‘Shishupal was right. We will not find anything here. So, we’re taking a trip into the lion’s den, or rather to the cowshed…’

‘Where?’ snarled Shishupal, losing patience.

‘Why…to Mathura, of course.’

I

‘Make way!’ a Mathuran guard shouted as he rode before the litter. ‘Make way for the Princess of Hastinapur!’

She peered out of the palanquin at the column of mounted guards trotting beside her in a cloud of red dust. The Mathuran sigil of the cow stood out clearly on their blue cloaks, worn over embroidered tunics of linen. One of them glanced sharply at her, requesting her to stay shielded behind the curtains of the palanquin. Groaning in mild frustration, Draupadi fell back against the cushions.

Mathura was a strange city, Draupadi reflected. It was not as populous as she had thought it would be, for all the rumours of bustling trade she had heard. Even so, Mathura’s physicality, personality and psyche were singularly unique in the Riverlands. Despite its tiny size, one felt safe inside it. To say the city was walled was an understatement. Concentric rings of city walls called the Three Sisters, encircled Mathura, dividing it into three main districts. In her education of the place by Yudhistir, who liked to talk of cities and governance, she had come to learn more about Mathura than she knew of Kampilya. The First District that lay inside the First Sister or Iron Curfew, had the Mathuran Keep, the Senate House, and houses of Senators and their staff. The Second District lay between the Iron Curfew and the Second Sister, and had places of commerce, the houses of the nobility, wealthy merchants, and landowners, as well as gambling houses and the like. The Third District lay next to the City Wall or the Third Sister, where the poor lived.

This was the first time she had stepped beyond the Iron Curfew without one of her consorts or good-mother Kunti, and it had all been thanks to the request for an audience, by Lady Satyabhama. Draupadi had been surprised to receive her message, for ever since her arrival, Lady Satyabhama had looked daggers at her. Nevertheless, Draupadi was still excited.

Heading out had been difficult. In the house they had been graciously gifted by Krishna in the First District, everything was noise and confusion. Horses were being saddled and led from the stables, wagons were being loaded, and everyone was in an uproar to be off to Hastinapur for Arjun’s trial. Arjun himself was to travel with Yudhistir and Sahadev on the griffin Krishna had lent them. Bheem, Kunti, the Twins and Draupadi, were to travel by road, with a mighty escort. Leaving in the midst of all the preparations felt irresponsible, but a Princess must always uphold the courtesies, and Draupadi resolved to behave like one, present circumstances notwithstanding.