Parvateshwar, still shame-faced at the dishonour brought upon his empire, said quietly, ‘The Meluhan code enjoins upon us to follow the rules, My Lord. Our rules bid us to carry out our king’s orders. In the hands of a lesser king, this can lead to a lot of wrong.’

‘Emperor Daksha may have issued the orders, Parvateshwar,’ said Shiva. ‘But he didn’t dream them up. There is a master who has brought the royalty of Meluha and Swadweep together. Someone who also managed to procure the feared daivi astras. Heaven alone knows if he has any more divine weapons. It was a brilliant plan. By Lord Ram’s grace, we were saved by the skin of our teeth. It cannot be Emperor Daksha or Emperor Dilipa. This is someone of far greater importance, intelligence and resource. And, one who is clever enough to conceal his identity.’

‘Return to Meluha?!’ asked Veerbhadra.

Veerbhadra and Krittika were in Shiva’s private chambers. Kali and Sati were also present.

‘Yes, Bhadra,’ said Shiva. ‘It was the Meluhans and the Ayodhyans who attacked us together.’

‘Are you sure Meluha is involved?’ asked Veerbhadra.

‘Parvateshwar has himself confirmed it.’

‘And now you are worried about our people.’

‘Yes,’ said Shiva. ‘I’m worried the Gunas will be arrested and held hostage as leverage over us. Before they do so, I want you to slip into Meluha quietly and take our people to Kashi. I will meet you there.’

‘My scouts will guide Krittika and you through a secret route,’ said Kali. ‘Using our fastest horses and speediest boats, my people can get you close to Maika in two weeks. After that, you are on your own.’

‘Meluha is a safe country to travel in,’ said Krittika. ‘We can hire fast horses up to the mouth of the Saraswati. After that we can travel on boats plying on the river. It’s an easy route. With luck, we will reach Devagiri in another two weeks. The Gunas are in a small village not far from there.’

‘Perfect,’ said Shiva. ‘Time is of the essence. Go now.’

‘Yes Shiva,’ said Veerbhadra as he turned to leave with his wife.

‘And Bhadra...’ said Shiva.

Veerbhadra and Krittika turned around.

‘Don’t try to be brave,’ said Shiva. ‘If the Gunas have been arrested already, leave Meluha quickly and wait for me at Kashi.’

Veerbhadra’s mother was with the Gunas. Shiva knew Veerbhadra would not abandon her to her fate so easily.

‘Shiva...’ whispered Veerbhadra.

Shiva got up and held Veerbhadra’s shoulder. ‘Bhadra, promise me.’

Veerbhadra remained quiet.

‘If you try to release them by yourself, you will be killed. You will be of no use to your mother if you are dead, Bhadra.’

Veerbhadra stayed silent.

‘I promise you, nothing will happen to the Gunas. If you cannot get them out, I will. But do not do anything rash. Promise me.’

Veerbhadra placed his hand on Shiva’s shoulder. ‘There is something you aren’t telling me. What have you discovered here? Why are you so afraid suddenly? Is there going to be a war? Is Meluha going to become our enemy?’