‘Go ahead. Kill us all. We will not raise our hands. We will not fight against our own army. But I swear by the great Lord Ram, we will not move!’

Vraka snorted in anger. By not fighting with him, the citizens were not giving him a legal reason to attack them. He had been stymied.

Slowly regaining consciousness, Vidyunmali saw that he was lying on a cart that was ambling along on the riverside road. He raised his head. The fresh stitches on his stomach hurt.

‘Lie back down, My Lord,’ said the soldier. ‘You need to rest.’

‘Is that traitor dead?’ asked Vidyunmali.

‘Yes,’ said the soldier.

Vidyunmali and his platoon had raced down the riverside road leading from Devagiri to Lothal. They had managed to waylay Kanakhala’s servant, who was rushing to Lothal to warn Shiva of the planned perfidy at Devagiri. The servant had been killed, but not before he had managed to stab Vidyunmali viciously in his stomach.

‘How far are we from Devagiri?’ asked Vidyunmali.

‘At the pace we’re going, another five days, My Lord.’

‘That’s too long...’

‘You cannot ride a horse, My Lord. The stitches may burst open. You have to travel by bullock cart.’

Vidyunmali cursed under his breath.

Chapter 44: A Princess Returns

Chapter 44

A Princess Returns

Sati and her entourage surveyed the scene from the docked ship in Devagiri. They had commandeered a fast merchant ship and sailed up the Saraswati speedily to reach in time for the peace conference.

Nandi stood beside Sati and gestured at the sky.

‘Look,’ he said, pointing to a small bird winging its way overhead. ‘Another homing pigeon.’

It was not the first that they had spotted. Sati’s warriors had seen more than a few pigeons flying in the direction of Devagiri.

‘Lord Ganesh believes that eavesdropping can give us good intelligence on the enemy’s plan,’ said Nandi. ‘Shall we shoot one of them and see what is being discussed?’

Sati shook her head. ‘We will obey the laws Lord Ram set for us, Nandi, and negotiate in good faith. Lord Ram said that there is no such thing as a small wrong. Understanding your opponent’s strategy prior to peace negotiations, through the use of subterfuge, will give us only a small advantage. But to behave without honour is against Lord Ram’s way.’

Nandi bowed his head in Sati’s direction. ‘I’m Lord Ram’s servant, Princess.’

Sati turned away, and Nandi glanced one last time at the tiny speck of a bird disappearing into Devagiri.