‘I’ll move back from Ayodhya and ram his ships from the front,’ said Ganesh. ‘I’ve also asked King Maatali to wait in the Sharda River along with thirty ships. The Sharda meets the Sarayu downriver. The Vaishali fleet will sail up the Sarayu once Surapadman’s ships have passed, placing them behind the Magadhans. My contingent will attack from in front while the Vaishali forces will hit them from behind. Kartik has to hold Surapadman in position for long enough to make his fleet of ships immobile.’

‘He will be sandwiched between King Maatali’s ships and yours,’ said Chandraketu. ‘He won’t stand a chance.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Sounds like a good plan,’ said Bhagirath.

‘The success of the battle hinges on two points,’ said Ganesh. ‘Firstly, Kartik has to entice Surapadman to anchor his ships and attack our soldiers on shore. In the absence of that he will keep moving, and his larger boats will ram through my smaller ships and possibly turn the tide in his favour. Our ships are light, manoeuvrable and built for speed. The Magadhan ships are bigger and have been built for strength. If Kartik fails to lure Surapadman ashore, my side of our fleet may face heavy casualties. I must be in command to take care of that possibility.’

‘And the second point?’ asked Bhagirath.

‘King Maatali must be positioned to block Surapadman’s escape back to Magadh. That will close the pincer trap.’

Chandraketu doubted neither Kartik’s courage nor his strategic mind. His words to the young warrior bespoke respect. ‘You’re on your own, Kartik. It’s all up to you now.’

Kartik narrowed his eyes, his hand on his sword hilt. ‘I’ll draw him in, King Chandraketu. And once I do, I assure you I’ll obliterate his entire army myself. Our ships won’t even be required to join the battle.’

Ganesh smiled at his brother.

Ganesh reached for another document from the stack on the desk and began to read, then paused to rub his tired eyes. He was seated in his private cabin, surrounded by messages from his informants about the progress of the assault. There were dozens of missives telling him every aspect from the mood of the Ayodhyan populace to the progress of the armourers in meeting the archers’ demand for arrows. He had hardly slept in the weeks since the battle had begun and his body ached for rest, but these reports could not wait. It appeared that Ayodhya stood poised on the brink of surrender, and any misstep now could spell disaster. Kartik and Chandraketu sat patiently by his side, assisting Ganesh with the endless stream of messages. The three sat together in silence as they awaited Bhagirath’s return, to hear news of his mission.