RAIN heard Storm roar Die! Die! behind her as she stabbed a boy on the ground. Onward. The Greek formation had finally broken, making it easier for her to slash with her blade. She cleaved another man like meat, opening great blood-spitting wounds. She dodged an arrow and broke a bow as a Greek tried to defend himself. There were more Greeks ahead, forming a shield-wall. She crashed into them before they could, her swing slicing open the neck of the shield bearer closest to her. Other Wolves crashed into the shield line, howling. The line finally faltered as they lurched back and fell.

Rain snarled as she swung and hacked. The fire of battle had faded, her arm was feeling sore from having held the shield for so long. Her legs shook. The Greeks retreated, turned and ran. Rain decided against chasing them.

‘You, alright?’ Storm leaned over, grinning. Rain saw she was gripping her arm, blood oozing from between her fingers.

‘Why’re you grinning like a fool?’

‘Because you’re obviously too old for a suicide charge, my love,’ retorted Storm.

Rain grunted, forcing herself to stand erect. She knew Storm was right. She was too old for this shit. She picked up her shield again. Her stubbly hair was matted with blood. Greek war cries sounded in the distance. ‘You, okay?’ she asked.

‘Ah, this...a scratch.’

‘Bleeding a lot for a scratch, no?’

‘You call this a lot? Look, they’ve started raining arrows on the centre,’ Storm grinned. ‘Come, we got to move. Try and keep up this time!’

SHISHUPAL ran after the Silver Wolves in a daze. The Wolves had blazed through the first line of Greeks. Turned out that most of the Greeks had retreated to their camps beyond the First District, with Kalyavan, as Krishna had said. Shishupal wasn’t complaining. The fewer Greeks we encounter, less likely we die here.

He turned left just in time to see a hail of arrows descend on the Greeks facing the central Mathuran detachment. The Greeks were numerous there but none had bothered to form a shield roof. At the first sight of arrows, they ran. Guess none of them wanted to just squat and get peppered with shafts.

Suddenly, detonations cracked through the night. Shishupal was jolted, as if one had burst next to him. But the Wolves hadn’t used theirs’ yet. That ought to wake the Greeks, he thought glumly as he heard more of the damn cursers explode in the distance. Too soon, he reckoned. Some Mathuran in the central detachment had probably got too jumpy. Nerves can do that to you in battle and shit on the best laid plans. Best I focus on my own road ahead. Just as he thought he had regained his balance, he stumbled over a corpse.

‘Wonderful,’ said Eklavvya.

‘Everything feels wonderful when the men you have to kill are just corpses on the road.’