the immortal of maluha
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Sati laughed heartily. Shiva joined in. His first spirited laugh in over two months. He<br />
embraced Sati, feeling <strong>the</strong> negative energy dissipate from his being. ‘I love you, Sati.’<br />
‘I love you too,’ she whispered.<br />
Shiva raised <strong>the</strong> curtain to come out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tent that Sati was ensconced in. Krittika and<br />
Ayurvati were with her. A retinue <strong>of</strong> nurses attended to her every need. Shiva had been<br />
obsessive about <strong>the</strong> health <strong>of</strong> his unborn child, questioning Ayurvati incessantly about every<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> Sati’s well-being for <strong>the</strong> last two months <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> march to Swadweep.<br />
The Suryavanshis had moved valiantly for nearly three months. The path had been much<br />
more challenging than expected. The forest had reclaimed its original habitat with alarming<br />
ferocity. The army was invaded by wild animals and disease at every turn. They had lost two<br />
thousand men. And not one to <strong>the</strong> enemy. After weeks <strong>of</strong> hacking and marching, <strong>the</strong> scouts had<br />
finally managed to lead <strong>the</strong> Suryavanshi army to <strong>the</strong> Chandravanshis.<br />
The Chandravanshis were camped on a sweeping plain called Dharmakhet. Their choice<br />
was clever. A substantial and uncluttered field, it had enough room to allow <strong>the</strong> Chandravanshis<br />
to manoeuvre <strong>the</strong>ir million strong army. The full weight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir numerical superiority would come<br />
into play. The Suryavanshi army had tried to wait out <strong>the</strong> Chandravanshis, to test if <strong>the</strong>y would<br />
lose patience and attack in a less advantageous area. But <strong>the</strong> Chandravanshis had held firm.<br />
Finally, <strong>the</strong> Suryavanshis moved camp to an easily defensible valley close to Dharmakhet.<br />
Shiva looked up at <strong>the</strong> clear sky. A lone eagle flew overhead, circling <strong>the</strong> royal camp, while<br />
five pigeons flew lower, unafraid <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> eagle. A strange sign. His Guna shaman would have<br />
probably said that it’s a bad time for batde, for <strong>the</strong> pigeons clearly have a hidden advantage.<br />
Don’t think about it. It is all nonsense in any case.<br />
Breathing in <strong>the</strong> fresh morning air deeply, he turned right, towards Emperor Daksha’s tent.<br />
Nandi was walking towards him.<br />
‘What is it Nandi?’<br />
‘I was just coming towards your tent, my Lord. The Emperor requests your presence.<br />
There’s been a troubling development’<br />
Shiva and Nandi hurried towards Daksha’s tastefully appointed royal tent. They entered to<br />
find Daksha and Parvateshwar engrossed in a discussion. Vraka, Mayashrenik and Drapaku<br />
sat at a distance. Drapaku was a little fur<strong>the</strong>r away from <strong>the</strong> rest.<br />
‘This is a disaster,’ groaned Daksha.<br />
‘Your Highness?’ asked Shiva.<br />
‘My Lord! I’m glad you’re here. We face complete disaster.’<br />
‘Let’s not use words like that, your Highness,’ said Shiva. Turning towards Parvateshwar, he<br />
asked, ‘So your suspicions were correct?’<br />
‘Yes,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘The scouts just returned a few minutes ago. There was a reason<br />
<strong>the</strong> Chandravanshis were refusing to mobilise. They have despatched a hundred thousand<br />
soldiers in a great arc around our position. They will enter our valley by tomorrow morning. We<br />
will be sandwiched between <strong>the</strong>ir main force ahead <strong>of</strong> us and ano<strong>the</strong>r hundred thousand at <strong>the</strong><br />
back.’<br />
‘We can’t fight on two fronts, my Lord,’ cried Daksha.