And so, the weeks turned, and husbands came and went, leaving wounds in the ashes between her legs that soon became scabs. Scabs faded into memory, and even memory was forgotten, when the week that had given it birth, came again.

‘Were you present at the Battle of Thunder, Storm?’ Draupadi asked, eyelids half closed in a desperate bid to forget the dagger lodged in her soul. The Silver Wolf had been given the honour of riding in the palanquin with her, though Draupadi feared the soldier did not consider it much of an honour. She had been Krishna’s escort at Panchal, but Draupadi had not had a chance to speak with her then.

‘No, I was but two summers, My Lady.’

Draupadi’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Two summers… that made Storm nineteen…just three summers older than she was herself. A scar ran down Storm’s arm to her elbow, and the mottled pink flesh still looked unhealed. Her face was coated with dust, and even at this young age, lines ornamented the corners of her eyes. Her hair was cut short, like most of the women soldiers Draupadi had seen. ‘A soldier at nineteen?’ she asked curiously.

‘The Silver Wolves is a gang of misfits, My Lady.’

‘I thought it was a squad of women fighters.’

‘Same thing.’ Storm hesitated. ‘I’m comfortable with silence, My Lady. You do not have to converse with me.’

‘Oh, but it is not a formality. I am genuinely curious. So, tell me, does Lady Satyabhama recruit the Wolves herself?’

‘I don’t mean to offend, My Lady, but I am not here inside this palanquin of my own free will. I prefer the saddle to all this silk. But I have been tasked to protect you. I ain’t going to be able to do that if a damned dirk comes flying in while I am busy prattling with you, now, can I?’

Draupadi hugged her knees, feeling suddenly cold. ‘You do not have to be so hateful, soldier. I just wanted to know about the Wolves.’

Storm’s fierce eyes glared at her. ‘What for? So, you can feel sorry for us? Girls forced to wield swords at an early age…oh the tragedy! My hands should have been used to stitch robes and rub men? You think women are all about finding their handsome Princes and looking fine in sarees, and birthing crying monsters?’ She laid the point of her longsword under Draupadi’s ear. Draupadi could feel the sharpness of the steel.