Kali had not agreed with Shiva’s tactic of misleading the Meluhans by pretending to go to the Narmada and from there, sailing on to Pariha. She was afraid that this would give the Meluhans a clue as to the possible route to Panchavati. Shiva had dismissed her concerns, saying that Bhrigu knew that the river near Panchavati flowed from west to east, whereas the Narmada flowed east to west; clearly Panchavati was not on the Narmada itself. The Meluhans would know that, even if they sailed up the Narmada, they would have to pass the dense Dandak forests to be able to reach Panchavati. And doing so was fraught with danger without a Naga guide.

Therefore, the news of the Meluhan navy sailing towards the Narmada left Kali with only one logical conclusion: they had discovered the route to Panchavati.

‘How would they know the Narmada path to Panchavati?’ asked a bewildered Ganesh.

Kali turned on Sati. ‘Your husband did not listen to me and stupidly insisted on sailing towards the Narmada.’

‘Kali, the Meluhans are in the know of all our goings and comings on the Narmada,’ said Sati calmly. ‘It is no secret. But they would have no idea how to travel from the Narmada to Panchavati. Shiva has not given anything away.’

‘Bullshit!’ shouted Kali. ‘And it’s not just Shiva’s fault, it’s yours as well. I had told you to kill that traitor, didi. You and your misplaced sense of honour will lead to the destruction of my people!’

‘Mausi,’ said Ganesh to Kali, immediately springing to his mother’s defence. ‘I don’t think we should blame maa for this. It is entirely possible that it’s not General Parvateshwar but Lord Bhrigu who has discovered the Narmada route. After all, he did know the Godavari route, right?’

‘Of course, Ganesh,’ said Kali sarcastically. ‘It’s not General Parvateshwar. And it obviously cannot be your beloved mother’s fault, either. Why would the most devoted son in the history of mankind think that his mother could make a mistake?’

‘Kali...’ whispered Sati.

Kali continued her rant. ‘Have you forgotten that you are a Naga? That you are the Lord of the People, sworn to protect your tribe to the last drop of your blood?’

Bhagirath decided to step in before things got out of hand. ‘Queen Kali, there is no point in going on about how the Meluhans discovered the Narmada route. What we should be discussing is what are we going to do next? How do we save Panchavati?’

Kali turned to Bhagirath and snapped, ‘We don’t need to be maharishis to know what needs to be done. Fifty ships will set sail tomorrow with all the Naga warriors on it. The Meluhans will regret the day they decided to attack my people!’