‘And what if I said the island is already bought and paid for, without any expense to the Senate? What if, Lord Gobba, you lived in that mansion over there, looking out to the sea as you woke next to your Missus every morning? What if, in exchange for your cramped place in the Noble Quarter, Lady Asmai, you could live there, with your own rooftop garden?’

‘That…would be wonderful!’ she agreed dreamily.

‘It would be marvellous!’ Hiriam added, grateful Krishna had the legal answers he did not.

‘It will certainly solve my…I mean, many problems,’ Gobba nodded.

The other Senators quickly screeched their assent, lest they be left out of such a generous redistribution of assets. Only Balram eyed Krishna suspiciously, but thankfully he did not share his reservations aloud. For the next hour, they discussed the merits of relocation, debating the tariffs they would impose, the societal rules they would relax. By midnight, each of the Senators there had turned into a city planner, each with their own vision of a New Mathura.

‘What do you say then, Senators? Do we vote on this now? Seal it on this momentous day? Seize our lives and say No more! to tyrants?’ Ugrasen cried in a voice so thunderous that Krishna feared the old man’s lungs would collapse, along with his plan.

‘No more!’ many voices cried.

‘What do you mean, Chief?’ Kritavarman asked, hushing the others. He was suddenly sober. The cheers faded as he pulled off his mask. ‘I thought we were just discussing the what-ifs of life.’

The Chief stepped in with aplomb. ‘My son’s faults were many…’ Ugrasen said, wiping a tear from his eye. ‘I can never undo the damage he did to Mathura or the War he brought upon us. I…have sold all my assets, all my jewellery, everything I owned…to buy this island for Mathurans to carry on my legacy. This was the surprise Lord Krishna desired to show you, on my behalf.’ He walked into the midst of the Senators, who cleared a circle around him. ‘This island is yours, bought and paid for.’

The information dropped in front of their mousey little minds like a lump of cheese. There was no bigger trap in the world than a free gift.

‘Aye!’ the Senators cried and cheered. Many more bowed before Ugrasen, thanking him profusely. ‘Let’s vote! Let’s do this now!’’

Naturally there were temperate voices that cautioned against such haste, led by the now clear-headed Kritavarman. ‘Sounds rather daring to me, you know,’ he said. ‘I mean... while not wishing to question this grand idea, it does mean the redrawing of maps…’ His voice trailed off.

‘Yes,’ said Akrur. ‘That is er…the Ksharjas’ domain. Changing of territory can only be brought about by conquest, and there has been an embargo on that by the Citadel of Meru for the last decade or so.’