‘Princess!’ Rain stood sharply to attention. ‘How may we be of service?’ The other Wolves stopped what they were doing and gathered round.

‘I cannot be of any service; I am tired,’ Storm moaned.

‘Storm!’ Rain hissed. ‘Stand up! And where is your squad? Assemble those loafers. The Wolf Whistle has been blown.’

‘I heard, I ain’t deaf.’ Storm looked at Rain sheepishly. ‘My squad will be a little...delayed. They’ve all gotten the squats.’

‘What! All of them? Did you cook again, Storm?’ Vial asked.

Storm shrugged. ‘If the War Mistress has decided to assemble an army of cowards with weak bellies, there is nothing I can do. The fish was fine.’

‘Fish?’ asked Piety, astonished. ‘Where did you catch fish? The Yamuna is in spate.’

‘I didn’t catch it. I brought it with me…bought from a trader who paid it as a bribe to be allowed to take his chances on a boat.’

Rain stared at Storm, at a loss for words. Draupadi could not help but giggle. ‘See, Rain, even the Princess agrees.’

‘Pray do not let me be a hindrance,’ Draupadi said quickly. ‘I came merely to wish you safe travels.’

Rain nodded. ‘My thanks, Princess. Some of us will be with you in the tunnel. The others you will see once they too, are all out of the tunnel safely, Yama willing.’

‘I can’t believe we are running away from the battle!’ Misery complained. ‘Why were we put through all the phalanx training then?’

‘It isn’t running away,’ Storm drawled. ‘It’s called withdrawing in good order. We are a patrol squad for Yama’s sake!’

Storm gestured to Draupadi to sit down. ‘Don’t mind, Misery. She just thirsts for blood. They’re all losing their minds with this waiting. But these are exciting times, eh? The Third Sister has been breached! The Second Sister opened! That hasn’t happened in ten summers. And Lady Satyabhama is out there on a sortie, taking a stab at saving those poor fellows who could not run fast enough to the Curfew. Just between us, I don’t understand why she has to be so heroic all the time. Heroic stands usually end with no one standing.’

‘I’m sure she will be fine, Storm. Bheem told me the Greeks are losing most of their bouts with the Mathurans. A promising sign. Even Krishna is smiling.’

‘A fat lot of good that will do him. He just misses his griffin, though I don’t see why. It’s useless anyway. Why can’t he use a drakon?’

‘Because drakons aren’t found here, Storm,’ Calm said in the voice of one talking to a child. ‘And I’ve heard tell of that Greek Warlord. Has some prophecy around him that no Man can beat him. It gets him hard.’