Shiva took the glass of milk from her. He liked his milk raw: no boiling, no jaggery, no cardamom, nothing but plain milk. Shiva drained the glass in large gulps, handed it to Sati and sank back on his chair with his feet up on the table. Sati put the glass down and sat next to him. Shiva looked across the balcony, towards the Vishnu temple. He took a deep breath and turned to Sati. ‘You’re right. Much as I respect Ganesh’s tactical thinking, this time he is wrong. Parvateshwar will not leave me.’

Sati nodded emphatically in agreement. ‘Without an inspirational leader like him, the armies of Meluha and Swadweep, though strong, will lack motivation as well as sound battle tactics.’

‘That is true. But let us hope that the people themselves will rise up in rebellion and there will be no need for war.’

‘How can we ensure that, though? If you send the proclamation banning the Somras to the kings, they will make sure that the general public will not know.’

‘That’s exactly what the Vasudevs and I discussed. My proclamation should not only reach the royalty but every citizen of India directly. The best way to ensure this is to display the proclamation in all the temples. All Indians visit temples regularly, and when they do, they will read my order.’

‘And I’m sure the people will be with you. Let’s hope that the kings listen to the will of their people.’

‘Yes, I cannot think of another way to avoid war. I expect unflinching support from only the royalty of Kashi, Panchavati and Branga. Every other king will make his choice based on selfish interests alone.’

Sati held Shiva’s hand and smiled. ‘But we have the King of Kings, the Parmatma himself with us. We will not lose.’

‘We cannot afford to lose,’ said Shiva. ‘The fate of the nation is at stake.’

‘Are you sure you can do this, Kartik?’ asked Ganesh.

Kartik looked up at his brother with eyes like still waters. ‘Of course, I can. I’m your brother.’

Ganesh smiled and stepped away from the elephant mounting platform. Kartik and another diminutive Vasudev soldier were sitting on a howdah atop one of the largest bull elephants in the Ujjain stables. The howdah had been altered from its standard structure; the roof had been removed and the side walls cut by half. This reduced the protection to the riders, but dramatically improved their ability to fire weapons. Kartik had come up with an innovative idea that used the elephant as more than just a battering ram for enemy lines; instead, it could be used as a high platform from which to fire weapons in all directions.