Parvateshwar remained silent. So Bhrigu is the true leader. He was the one who had sent the joint Meluha-Ayodhya fleet to attack Lord Shiva’s convoy by stealth outside Panchavati. Parvateshwar’s respect for Bhrigu went down a notch. The great sage was human after all.

‘You already know what you have to do,’ said Bhrigu. ‘I know that you will not support the fraud Neelkanth in attacking your beloved motherland.’

Parvateshwar bristled with anger. ‘Lord Shiva is not a fraud! He’s the finest man to have walked the earth since Lord Ram!’

Bhrigu stepped back, astonished. ‘Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you do not love Meluha as much as I thought you did.’

‘Lord Bhrigu, I would die for Meluha,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘For it is my duty to do so. But please don’t make the mistake of thinking that I despise the Lord Neelkanth. He is my living God.’

Bhrigu frowned, even more surprised. He looked into Parvateshwar’s eyes. The normally restrained sage’s mouth fell open ever so slightly. He realised that he was looking at a rare man who spoke exactly what he thought. Bhrigu’s tenor changed and became respectful. ‘My apologies, great General. I can see that your reputation does you justice. I misunderstood you. Sometimes the hypocritical nature of the world makes us immune to a rare sincere man.’

Parvateshwar remained silent.

‘Will you fight for Meluha?’ asked Bhrigu.

‘To my last breath,’ whispered Parvateshwar. ‘But I will fight according to Lord Ram’s laws.’

‘Of course.’

‘We will not break the rules of war.’

Bhrigu nodded silently.

‘I suggest, Maharishiji,’ said Parvateshwar, ‘that you return to Meluha. I will follow in a few weeks.’

‘It would not be wise to remain here, General,’ said Bhrigu. ‘If anything were to happen to you, the consequences for Meluha would be disastrous. Your army needs a good leader.’

‘I cannot leave without taking my Lord’s permission.’

Bhrigu thought he hadn’t heard right. ‘Excuse me? Did you say that you wanted to take permission from the Neelkanth before leaving?’

He was careful not to say ‘fraud Neelkanth’.

‘Yes,’ answered Parvateshwar.

‘But why would he allow you to leave?’

‘I don’t know if he will. But I know I cannot leave without his permission.’

Bhrigu spoke carefully. ‘Uhhh, Lord Parvateshwar, I don’t think that you realise the gravity of the situation. If you tell the Neelkanth that you are going to lead his enemies, he will kill you.’

‘No, he won’t. But, if he chooses to do so, then that will be my fate.’

‘My apologies for sounding rude, but this is foolhardy.’

‘No, it’s not. This is what a devotee does if he chooses to leave his Lord.’

‘But...’