‘Well, I was just around the corner and thought to visit those who respect and value me,’ Akrur responded, deflecting her offence with some skill.

‘So…’ Satyabhama asked quizzically, ‘they weren’t home, I take it?’

Akrur laughed awkwardly. ‘Lady Satyabhama, you are always yanking my chain.’

‘Dove, if I had the chain in my hand, yanking would be the least of your worries,’ said Satyabhama with a smile.

Krishna was oddly drawn to the way she emasculated such wealthy, influential men. He shook the thought away. ‘Now, about the Vachan, what do you all think?’ he asked.

Kritavarman strode to the far end of the room and sat down. ‘Aye, that could work.’

‘No, it could not!’ Akrur retorted hotly. ‘Vachans are expensive, expensive business. And have you forgotten that they are banned? Even if we find a Black Acharya to do it, they must be well adept, or else…’ his fingers flew out to denote an explosion. ‘And just the fees of the Namin priests would drive the Republic to insolvency.’

All eyes turned to Krishna again. He smiled. ‘Well, why do we have to tell the Mathurans that it isn’t a proper Vachan? Who is to tell them the one who took their Vachan was not an ordained priest but a dummy?’

‘Lie to the people!’ Balram said, appalled, almost as if Krishna had asked him to cheat on his wife. Sometimes Krishna could not help but wish he had been an only child.

‘Not lie,’ he said placatingly, ‘just…not tell them. Have a person sit in saffron robes and do the thing. Who is to know? The people’s fear of burning alive will keep them loyal. We can sprinkle a few real Vachans in as well, and bait the more wretched into revealing it to our agents. They will, of course, burn for such treachery. That will get the word around, and keep tongues still.’

‘Nothing like a good roasting to make one a good secret-keeper,’ Satyabhama agreed.

‘We don’t spend any additional coin, apart from what we already pay the Namin priests. And we will, of course, proclaim New Mathura to be a place where the Vedan Pantheon will be worshipped. That’ll keep the Namin priests happy.’

‘Say no to Unni Ehtral,’ Satyaki chanted.

‘Exactly. The Vedan priests are rather threatened by all these new cults rising on the horizon. This should take care of that.’

Akrur frowned. ‘Alright, alright. This could work.’

‘It better work my friend, for you will be in-charge of our exodus. We must be extremely careful about this, for you are right, one slip and it’s armageddon for us all.’

‘I’m in charge of this?’ Akrur was at once appalled and emboldened. ‘I agree that I never feel more alive than when I put my hand inside a lion’s jaw, but what if it snaps shut?’

‘You don’t have to worry about that Senator, for I’ll buy you the whistles you need to tame the lion,’ Krishna soothed.