‘Kartik,’ said Ganesh, ‘this ground was blessed by Saptrishi Vishwamitra and Lord Ram. But its greatness has been forgotten by many. We may have to redeem the honour of this land with blood.’

Kartik took a moment to understand. ‘Do you think Surapadman might chase us?’

Ganesh smiled. ‘He will chase us. Trust me. I see the siege of Ayodhya as a bait to draw Surapadman out of Magadh. Once he is out, we will destroy his army and capture his city. We’ll be able to stop Ayodhyan ships easily with Magadh blockading the Ganga. And the battle to decide the fate of Magadh should be fought here. For this is where I would like you to attack him.’

‘I would have thought that Surapadman would prevail on his father.’

‘He is a clever man, Kartik. From what I have understood, his instinct was to support us but in the face of so much opposition, he will do what is now in his best interest. And he does have much to gain. He will win the favour of his father and his countrymen by taking revenge for his brother’s death. He will come as the saviour for Ayodhya, albeit a little late so that Ayodhya is weakened. And who knows, he may even capture the sons of the Neelkanth... Wouldn’t that make him a strong ally of Bhrigu?’ asked Ganesh with an ironic smile. ‘Yes, brother, he will attack and he will learn that clever men should always listen to their instincts.’

Kartik took a deep breath and looked up at the sky before turning back to Ganesh with resolve writ large in his eyes. ‘We will turn the river red with blood, dada.’

Bhagirath looked at Kartik with a familiar sensation of fascination and fear.

‘Why this ground, Lord Ganesh?’ asked Chandraketu.

‘Your Highness,’ answered Ganesh, ‘as you can see, this stretch is long and narrow. That will lure Surapadman into anchoring his ships along the banks, thus stretching his army thin. The forest is not too far from the shore. Which means our main army can remain hidden behind the trees. We will leave only a small contingent on the beach.’

Bhagirath smiled. ‘That will be a very juicy bait. Surapadman will probably imagine that this is a small brigade that has deserted the siege of Ayodhya. He’ll want to kill them to give his soldiers a taste of victory.’

‘Right,’ said Ganesh. ‘But the main battle will not be on land. We just have to pin him down here, which will, in all honesty, take a lot of courage, since he will have a large force. That is why I want Kartik here. But Surapadman will be defeated in the river itself.’

‘How?’ asked Chandraketu.