‘What can I say about Meluha, My Lord? Typically disdainful.’

A nervous Dilipa ran his hands across his face. ‘Is there any news from the shipyard? Are our ships close to completion?’

Siamantak swallowed anxiously. ‘No, Your Highness. You’d asked me to pay attention to the pavement dweller issue and...’

‘I KNOW WHAT I’D ASKED YOU TO DO! JUST ANSWER MY QUESTION WITH A SIMPLE YES OR NO!’

‘I’m sorry, Your Highness. No, the ships are nowhere near completion.’

‘By when will the job be done?’

‘If we stop doing everything else then I guess we should be ready in another six to nine months.’

Dilipa seemed to breathe easier. ‘That’s not so bad. Nothing’s going to happen in the next nine months.’

‘Yes, Your Highness.’

Emperor Dilipa was with Maharishi Bhrigu at the Ayodhya shipyard. The Meluhan brigadier, Prasanjit, stood at a distance.

Declining the hospitality which awaited him on landing, Bhrigu had headed directly for the shipyard. A flustered Dilipa had perforce followed him, courtiers and all. He gestured for Siamantak and all his courtiers to maintain a distance. He knew that Bhrigu was angry and expected an earful.

‘Your Highness,’ said Bhrigu slowly, keeping his temper on a tight leash, ‘you had promised me that your ships would be ready.’

‘I know, My Lord,’ said Dilipa softly. ‘But honestly, a few months’ delay is not going to hurt us. It has been many months since our attack on Panchavati. There has been absolutely no news of the Neelkanth. I’m sure we have succeeded. We don’t really need to be nervous. I honestly think that the likelihood of a war is substantially reduced.’

Bhrigu turned to Dilipa. ‘Your Highness, may I request that you leave the thinking to me?’

Dilipa immediately fell silent.

‘Was it not your suggestion to commandeer your trade ships and refit them for war?’

‘Yes it was, My Lord,’ said Dilipa.

‘I had suggested that we are not likely to fight naval battles on the Ganga. I had told you that we will only need transport ships, for which your trade ships were good enough.’

‘Yes, you had, My Lord.’

‘Yet you had insisted that in the likelihood of there being river battles, it would be a good idea to have battleships.’

‘Yes, My Lord.’

‘And I agreed on one condition alone – that the battleships would be ready in six months. Correct?’

‘Yes, My Lord.’

‘It has been seven months now. You have stripped down the trade ships but have still not refitted them. So now, seven months later, not only do we not have any battleships, but we also don’t have any trade-transport ships.’

‘I know it looks very bad, My Lord,’ said Dilipa, wiping his brow with his fingers. ‘But the pavement-dwellers here had gone on a hunger strike.’

A confused Bhrigu raised his hands in exasperation. ‘What does that have to do with the ships?’