Rasha gave him a startled look. Eklavvya had that effect on people. She turned to Shishupal, who didn’t fail to notice her fingers were still treading gingerly on the crossbow trigger. ‘Shishupal and the Yaksha. As unlikely a pair as any I have seen. What brings you here…along with him? Has the Emperor finally decided to use assassins? You may be too late. Your lackeys on the Walls have got Krishna’s attention.’

‘It is not us. I am glad we ran into you. We have some questions, and seek a place to hide while we ask them.’

‘Questions?’

‘Too many questions, but for now one will do,’ Shishupal said. ‘Uhm...who has attacked Mathura?’

‘Not you?’ she asked. ‘Now that’s interesting.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s the Greek Warlord, Kalyavan. I reckoned the Emperor was working in tandem with him. You must have heard the airavats he has brought along?’

Shishupal nodded weakly. ‘So Bhagadatt has come too?’

‘I know very little so far. What I do know is that there is to be a parley on the morrow. That should clear things.’ Rasha looked up, her green eye squinting. ‘I thought he was in bed with the Magadhans. So, either Kalyavan has decided to walk this path alone...’

If Kalyavan loses his gamble of singlehandedly taking on Mathura, Jarasandh will lose his northern army, and Bhagadatt’s airavats in the bargain. Fuck! That’s bad.

‘...or the Emperor has left you to the dogs,’ Lady Rasha added. ‘Though from what I hear, there is no Lion amongst the banners.’

‘Ah the plot thickens…’ Eklavvya chimed in as he pulled Gajraj’s coin from his pocket. ‘Kalyavan wants to hog all the glory for himself,’ he grumbled.

‘Never mind him, Lady Rasha.’ Shishupal hesitated. ‘Would it be possible for you to give us safe haven, at least till we find a way to escape from Mathura?’

‘You can take my quarters,’ saying which she drew out her keys and handed them to him. ‘It is the third house on the left in the alley right beside the Keep. I don’t know what you are doing in Mathura, and I don’t really care, but my advice is to stay put. The city will be a mess by tomorrow.’

‘Where are you off to, Lady Rasha? Should you not come with us? We have much to tell you, and to ask. For example, why are you here?’ Shishupal suddenly remembered the talk about smuggling, between the Emperor and Lady Rasha a year past. They had been talking about smuggling her into Mathura, he realized.

‘Later.’ Lady Rasha’s tone brokered no argument. ‘I have work to do. Blazebane isn’t working for them as well as it should.’

Shishupal doubted that. If the holes in the Third Sister were any indication, it was working splendidly.

‘Blazebane won’t get them through the Second Sister,’ Lady Rasha said, as if reading his mind. ‘Krishna has dispatched some trickery to counter it.’

‘We should come with you, My Lady.’