Veerini turned and embraced her daughter Kali and grandson Ganesh.

‘I have been unfair to the both of you,’ said Veerini.

‘No you haven’t, maa,’ said Kali. ‘It was father who committed the sins. Not you.’

‘But I failed in my duty as a mother. I should have abandoned my husband when he refused to accept you.’

Kali shook her head. ‘You had your duty as a wife as well.’

‘It is not a wife’s duty to support her husband in his misdeeds. In fact, a good wife corrects her husband when he is wrong, even if she has to ram it down his throat.’

‘I don’t think he would have listened, naani,’ said Ganesh to his grandmother, ‘no matter how hard you tried. That man is...’

Veerini looked at her grandson as Ganesh checked himself from insulting his grandfather to her face. She noticed his eyes. They weren’t calm and detached, like they had been the last time she had met him. They were full of rage; repressed fury over his mother’s death.

‘Naani, if you will excuse me. I need to work on the tower.’

‘Of course, my child.’

Ganesh bent down, touched his grandmother’s feet and walked back to Tara.

‘Maa, wait for a bit and Ganesh will take you to our ship,’ said Kali. ‘You can stay there till this is over and then return with us to Panchavati. It would be so wonderful to have you in my home, even if it is a hundred years after it was meant to be. Having you with us will help us all cope with our grief and the vacuum left behind by Sati.’

Veerini smiled and embraced Kali. ‘I’ll have to wait for my next birth to live in your home, my child.’

Kali was taken aback. ‘Maa! You don’t have to be punished for that old goat’s crimes! You will not return to Devagiri!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, Kali. I’m the Queen of Meluha. When Devagiri dies, so shall I.’

‘Of course not!’ cried Kali. ‘There’s no reason...’

‘Would you leave Panchavati on the day of its destruction?’

Kali was stumped. But the Naga queen was not one who gave in easily. ‘That’s a hypothetical question, maa. What is important is that...’

‘What is important, my child,’ interrupted Veerini, ‘is the identity of the man who helped your father execute the conspiracy. Many of the conspirators have escaped, as have the assassins. They will not die here tomorrow. You need to find them. You need to punish them.’

Chapter 50: Saving a Legacy

Chapter 50

Saving a Legacy

The sun had long set across the western horizon. Kartik, Gopal and Bhagirath were stationed at the far corner of the Tamra platform. Neither the other two Devagiri platforms nor Shiva’s army encampment had a clear view of this area. It was the best place for Kartik to carry out his mission.