Get out of Mathura! a voice within him roared. Too late to run now. He’d had his chance, and now the Greeks were everywhere. ‘Not without Satyabhama,’ he whispered.

The man who had asked him for orders must have heard him, for he answered that she was already out of the building and had engaged the Greeks. Krishna looked at the man again and realised he was one of the soldiers Balram had assigned to him. ‘Your orders, Sir?’ the man asked again, his squad behind him waiting earnestly for Krishna’s instructions, as if he had all the answers.

Krishna shook off the shock. ‘Ask Balram to reserve the best of our soldiers, and send them only when Kalyavan enters. The Archon is too naive to leave the fighting to his men. Kill the head, the body will die. The rest of you follow me. We will join up with the War Mistress’ forces. Do you know where she is?’

The soldier nodded and pointed. All Krishna could see was a Wolf standard in the distance. That was good enough. His squad formed a protective circle around him, and one of them handed him a shield and a helm.

As he donned the helm, Krishna saw that despite his low opinion of the City Guard, it had rallied swiftly, and now marched with pointed lances to the hole in the Iron Curfew, turning it into a barbed jaw. Not that it would matter. Mathura was lost. It would not be long before the Greeks overwhelmed the meagre Mathuran forces, or found the tunnels. It would be a massacre then. Good thing the rest of his family had followed orders and had been among the first to head into the tunnel. All he needed now was enough time to fetch Satya and escape. Provided I manage to survive that long.

But if he died today, he would at least die with the satisfaction of having lost to an extremely well-played manoeuvre. Students would study this battle for ages to come. And they would remember him. No one forgot Ravan because he lost. History is not a plate reserved for victors alone. Krishna sighed at the futility of his hopes, at his own narcissism. If only he could get Kalyavan to agree to a trial by battle, Balram could take care of him. He should have proposed it earlier, but had not imagined it would come to this.