‘I don’t understand,’ said Satyabhama. ‘That means Kalyavan is not stalling for help. They have made only one attempt to scale the Curfew. They are just crowding inside those houses—’ Satyabhama froze. ‘Krishna, pass me the eyeglass!’ He handed it to her but could not see what had snared her attention.

‘Why question blessings, War Mistress?’ Akrur asked, pouring himself another glass of wine.

‘Misfortunes often don the mask of blessings, Senator,’ Satyabhama said without turning. ‘Why are they carrying shovels into the houses?’ She pressed the eyeglass closer to her eye, as if that would make things clearer. ‘See there, and even there. Is a shovel needed in any way to create their catapults or siege towers?’

‘Axes, perhaps,’ Krishna said. ‘Can’t think why they would need shovels. And our sorties will never let them build a siege tower.’

‘What if he is not trying to climb over our walls?’ She turned so quickly towards Krishna that for a moment his head spun. He met her eyes, and like lovers in a dance they read each other’s mind. Under the walls.

Krishna’s jaw dropped. ‘Yami’s mercy! They are digging!’ They are mining under the Iron Curfew! Everyone, leave the Keep now!’

As he turned to leave, he saw Ugrasen, still standing by the window. ‘Lord Ugrasen! We must leave now!’ he called urgently.

Ugrasen turned, a weak old man, a tired smile on his lined face as he nodded. That was the last thing Krishna remembered before the world plummeted around him.

I

The wind on the terrace was blessedly cool, and only faintly reeked of smoke. A stool and a cot were the only furniture on the roof in Lady Rasha’s quarters. Shishupal fidgeted nervously, watching the monkeylike clambering of the soldiers on the Iron Curfew. He was grateful for this exquisite, albeit accidental unobstructed view of the Iron Curfew, as well as the Keep.

‘The fighting seems to have stopped,’ Shishupal said. ‘Should we go out to check if we can smuggle into the tunnels? Are you listening?’

Eklavvya exhaled a sigh, wiggling his toes beneath a threadbare sheet. ‘Thanks to your unkind prodding, blissful dreams have indeed released Eklavvya from their ample bosoms into the frigid arms of undisturbed reality.’

‘What do you mean undisturbed?’ Shishupal frowned.

‘There may not be any fighting but we still cannot escape.’ Eklavvya rose wearily and stretched his back. ‘Not until the tunnel’s entrance is choked with cityfolk. Only then will we be able to slip in unnoticed. Though now that you have woken Eklavvya, he does wonder why do all sturdy things have to be so ugly. For all its strength, the Curfew is fucking hideous.’