Chandraketu looked up at the sky. He turned around and wiped away a tear. Those pearls of emotion were signs of weakness in a Kshatriya.

‘We’ll kill every single one of those bastards!’ growled Bhagirath, his knuckles whitening on his clenched fists. ‘We’ll obliterate this entire city. There will be no trace left of this place. They have hurt our living God.’

‘Prince Bhagirath,’ said Gopal, his palms open in supplication. ‘We cannot punish the entire city. We must keep a clear head. We should only punish those who’re responsible for this assassination. We should destroy the Somras factory. We must leave the rest unharmed. That is the right thing to do...’

‘Forgive me, great Vasudev,’ interrupted Chandraketu, ‘but some crimes are so terrible that the entire community must be made to pay. They have killed Lady Sati; and, in such a brutal manner.’

‘But not everyone came out to kill her. A vast majority was not even aware of what the Emperor was up to,’ argued Gopal.

‘They could have come out to stop the killing once it had begun, couldn’t they?’ asked Chandraketu. ‘Standing by and watching a sin being committed is as bad as committing it oneself. Don’t the Vasudevs say this?’

‘This is an entirely different context, King Chandraketu,’ said Gopal.

‘I disagree, Panditji,’ said Maatali, the King of Vaishali. ‘Devagiri must pay.’

‘I think Lord Gopal is right, King Maatali,’ said Chenardhwaj, the Lothal governor. ‘We cannot punish everyone in Devagiri for the sins of a few.’

‘Why am I not surprised to hear this?’ asked Maatali.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’ asked Chenardhwaj, stung to the quick.

‘You are a Meluhan,’ said Maatali. ‘You will stand up for your people. We are Chandravanshis. We are the ones who are truly loyal to the Lord Neelkanth.’

Chenardhwaj stepped up close to Maatali threateningly. ‘I rebelled against my own people, against my country’s laws, against my vows of loyalty to Meluha because I am a follower of the Neelkanth. I am loyal to Lord Shiva. And, I don’t need to prove anything to you.’

‘Calm down everyone,’ said Chandraketu, the Branga king. ‘Let’s not forget who the real enemy is.’

‘The real enemy is Devagiri,’ said Maatali. ‘They did this to Lady Sati. They must be punished. It’s as simple as that.’

‘I agree,’ said Bhagirath. ‘We should use the Pashupatiastra.’

Gopal flared with anger. ‘The Pashupatiastra is not some random arrow that can be fired without any thought, Prince Bhagirath. It will leave total death and devastation behind in this area for centuries to come.’

‘Maybe that is what this place deserves,’ said Chandraketu.

‘These are daivi astras,’ said an agitated Gopal. ‘They cannot be used casually to settle disputes among men.’

‘Lord Shiva is not just another man,’ said Bhagirath. ‘He is divine. We must use the weapon to...’

‘We cannot use the Pashupatiastra. That is final,’ said Gopal.