‘Attack? That poor boy? No, no, I went to inquire about my brother.’ Shishupal turned a quizzical look on her. ‘But…I did not expect you to disturb yourself over him. Most city folk are not much concerned about forestfolk. You are most…’ Shishupal hunted for a word, for he could not imagine associating ‘kind’ with Lady Rasha. ‘…considerate,’ he finally managed.

‘I was concerned for you, idiot! Can’t have you killed just when Jarasandh is about to set off for Panchal. He’ll take it as another of his freaking omens and my plans will be ruined.’

‘Killed?’ Shishupal laughed. ‘Oh really, Lady Rasha, do not look at me so. You have nothing to worry about. Yes, the Valkas may be savage in their customs, but they’re soft at heart, really. And that boy…’

Lady Rasha raised her hand to silence him. That hand would have silenced thunder. ‘That boy, you ignorant man, is the Yaksha of Goverdhun!’

I

From a distance, the Three Sisters shimmered white behind a veil of heat like a mirage. But as he came closer, the Third Sister rose, sudden and sheer as a mountain cliff. I am going to miss Mathura when I leave. Mathura really worked, partly because no faction was ever powerful enough to topple it. Namin priests, Drachma counters, Ksharjan Lords, Resht unions, all competed enthusiastically in a race for the top, without realizing there was no top. They were all running in a circle like pigs, all the while pulling the others behind in an endless loop.

Krishna did not favour the term ‘Dictator’, for that had been his rallying cry when he had brought down Kans. Also, because he never told anyone what to do. He didn’t have to. Most of Krishna’s efforts had been directed towards arranging set-pieces so that the state of affairs most conducive to him, continued. Of course, there were groups who wanted him brought down, who hated him, but that was a healthy thing, necessary for a well-functioning society. After all, he’d founded most of those groups himself, using his pawns. The same pawns he used to keep these groups bickering with each other over grit and weevils while he ate the rice. Humans, he mused, were beautiful things. Once one understood how to pull the strings. He hoped Dvarka would be more of the same.

Near the Third Sister, a skeletal group of soldiers were practicing drills. The Republican Army was on one side, with a section of the City Guard behind them. The Silver Wolves were on the other side. There was a commotion underway and Krishna asked Dahanu to slow the chariot as they rounded the bend to the gates of the Third Sister.

Balram, who was observing the commotion with a jaundiced eye, walked up to a Silver Wolf who held her sword in one hand but did not possess another to hold the shield. ‘What’s your name, soldier?’

‘Misery, Lord Commander!’ she replied.