Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (16 page)

The Lions had a disastrous outing with Atreya being the first to succumb to the pressure of chasing three perfect scores. From the other dals, only Nala of the Wolves achieved a perfect ten. He helped his group finish a creditable second. The Falcons had won the contest handsomely.

Vasu, amazed at the skill of the Falcons and Nala, remarked to his generals, 'It's heartening to see that our legacy of being the greatest archers among the northern tribes is intact. I have never seen such a brilliant display of archery in all my years.'

The generals nodded in agreement. One of them remarked, 'I agree, my lord. It is a pity we have no wars to fight to put these sublime skills to the test. Like us, they will have to live with the boredom that peace brings.'

'Yes General, but at least they can grow old like you and me and watch their sons become men.'

A loud cheer went up from the crowd as the commencement of the krida was announced. The area had been divided into two halves for this contest. Two teams of four riders each carried five-foot long wooden poles and faced off against each other. Each team was allowed to send two riders into the opponent's territory. The objective of the contest was simple: whoever made their way first across their rival's half and collected their opponent's flag would be declared the winner. Anyone who fell to the ground would be deemed disqualified.

The Lions were particularly strong in krida--their red and gold flag had not fallen into the hands of their adversaries yet. Now they needed only one more perfect defensive game against the Falcons, and victory would be theirs.

Led by Varuna and Soma, the Falcons made a foray into their opponent's half but were beaten back. Vayu and Indra managed to hold off the Lion's subsequent counterattack. Both sides fought doggedly as they fended off each rival attack. Then, the Lions made their first mistake, a crucial error in strategy. They opted to hold back their four players in a defensive line. With no offensive line to worry about, Indra made an unexpected tactical change. He and Soma made their way into the Lion's half. Mitra looked at Paras and raised his eyebrows in surprise. These two together were not part of their offensive line-up. Usually Vayu or Varuna paired with them. The two bigger boys used their strength to keep their opponents at bay, while Indra or Soma made the run for the flag.

Atreya watched the two Falcons approach steadily; he was unsure which one would make the run. The shadow from the massive sundial was nearing its mark, which would announce the end of the game.

Suddenly, Soma broke away sharply to his left and made a dash for the flag. Atreya screamed out a warning to his teammate, Khara, and the boy prepared to meet Soma's charge. Soma swung his stick at Khara, who blocked the blow. Before he could counter, Soma dragged his stick along his opponent's and struck him on his fingers.

Khara dropped his stick in pain but quickly recovered and threw himself at Soma. He hoped to sacrifice himself and take Soma down. Soma watched his opponent come at him and, at the very last second, he swerved out of the way. Khara flew harmlessly past him, hit the dust and was eliminated.

Soma turned his horse once again towards the red and gold flag that fluttered in the distance. So intent was he on his task that he failed to spot the imminent danger. Atreya swung his stick in a wide arc and it struck Soma on the back of his helmet. The force of the blow was enough to knock the young Falcon down and put him out of the contest.

Atreya turned to see Indra make his way towards the other two Lions. The two boys watched Indra as he headed straight for them. This was going to be easy. They tightened the grip on their sticks and waited for him.

As he approached the two boys, Indra's feet left the stirrups and he wrapped them around the neck of his mare. Atreya's eyes widened with shock as he realised what his rival was about to do. He pushed his steed in a wide arc to cut off Indra's path to the flag and screamed a warning to his two teammates.

'Watch out! He's going to--'

But his words came too late. As the two Lions swung their sticks at Indra, he let go of the reins and threw himself backwards till he was flat on the back of the mare, using only his feet to anchor himself to her neck. The two sticks flashed above him and the mare broke through. The crowd clapped in admiration at the horsemanship of the young Falcon.

As Indra sat up, he saw that now there was only Atreya between him and the flag. Atreya charged towards him and swung his stick ferociously at Indra's head. Indra brought his own stick up to block it, but the strength of the blow knocked the weapon out of his hands.

Atreya gave a yell of triumph and swung his stick in a backhanded arc. He hoped to take Indra by surprise, but the Falcon was ready for him. He skilfully weaved out of the way and the momentum of the strike carried Atreya forward, causing him to lose his balance for a second. Quick as a flash, Indra leapt from his horse on to Atreya, taking the Lion's captain and his own team by surprise.

As the two young warriors fell, Indra made sure his opponent's body was between him and the ground. He landed on Atreya's broad back and pinned him to the ground. With Atreya out of the contest, Indra whistled to his mare and she came around towards him at full gallop. Atreya screamed to his teammates as he realised that Indra's body had not touched the earth. The Falcon was still in the game. The two Lions had already turned their horses and they now sped towards the two fallen boys. Indra's mare reached them first. He leapt off the back of his fallen opponent and grabbed the reins of the mare and hoisted himself onto her back.

The two Lions were almost upon him. One of them swung his stick and hit Indra on the back of his neck between the helmet and his padded armour. He ignored the pain, bent his head and spurred the mare on with his heels. She responded splendidly with a burst of speed that left his two remaining opponents standing. Out of the corner of his eye, Indra could see the referee lifting the bugle to his mouth to announce the end of the krida. The pain in his neck brought tears to his eyes, but through the blur, he spotted the red and gold flag. He reached out and grabbed it. The bugle sounded a second after thunderous applause broke out from the crowd. They had done it. The Falcons had won.

***

The contestants got a well-deserved one-day break after the horse trials. Indra spent a good part of it in bed nursing his sore neck. Soma, who had taken a heavy fall, was also in pain, as were Varuna and Vayu, who had a few niggles and sprains themselves. Only Agni was relatively unscathed. He finished his training and rushed into the hut.

'You know, I think I have been underutilised the last two days.' He pointed to Soma who lay flat on his back and said, 'Look at that squirt, why did he have to go in at the end with Indra?'

Soma threw his pillow at him and groaned with the effort. 'Maybe because this little squirt is a better rider than you are, you big oaf,' he said.

Agni caught the pillow and flung it back. It was a wild throw.

'Bah! The krida is not only about riding, it is also about staying on your horse. All it took was a feather touch to knock you over.'

Varuna, who had been taking a nap, was woken by the argument.

'Shut up you two and take your quarrel outside. I can't remember when I last had a day of rest and I'd like to enjoy it.'

At the house of the regent, Pusan was still in a fit of rage over the results. Atreya bore the brunt of his ire, yet he offered no excuses and allowed his mentor to vent his fury. Finally, exhaustion and pain made Pusan fall back on his bed. Atreya went to him, head bowed.

'The Lions will win the Spardha, my lord, even if I have to give my life for it.'

Pusan grabbed him by the tunic and pulled him close. Atreya was shocked to see the venom in his eyes.

'I do not care about the Spardha any more. Swear to me that I will not have to crown that bastard Indra champion.'

Atreya nodded fearfully. He could not believe the extent of Pusan's hatred towards Indra.

'I swear, my lord.'

The next day, the action shifted back to the arena for the combat trials. Pusan, against the advice of his physicians, insisted on being present. He lay in the dugout of the Lions and directed proceedings from there. Unfortunately for Pusan, the day belonged entirely to the Falcons. Agni and Varuna were invincible with the mace and the sword. They destroyed the opposition with a stunning display of martial prowess. So dominant were they in the trials that Mitra decided to rest his best fighter, Indra.

While the Devas laid great emphasis on their cavalry training and archery, their close combat techniques left a lot to be desired. They relied heavily on physical prowess, and their skills were designed to finish off a fight in the quickest possible time. This worked well for them in battle as, more often than not, the Devas only got off their mounts to finish off an already vanquished enemy.

It was this weakness that Mitra had exploited when he trained the Falcons. He taught them breathing techniques designed to conserve energy during a fight and build stamina. Indra and the other boys were given special exercises that built strength, as well as speed and endurance. The results were now plain for all to see: the Falcons seemed one step ahead of their opponents at all times during combat.

The Lions had a disastrous outing, with all their fighters being defeated. The Wolves had fared only marginally better. The other dals were now out of the reckoning, and their supporters had now openly shifted allegiance to the Falcons. As the end of the day's proceedings was announced, the loudest cheer was reserved for the Falcons as they left the arena.

Pusan was at his wits' end that evening. Like the rest of the crowd, he had been blown away by the Falcons' performance. Like Mitra, he had gambled and rested his champion fighter. He had hoped to keep Atreya fresh for his battle in the final, but now for the first time, there was a serious danger that the Lions would not make that final. Agni had taken Khara apart, and his other fighter Puru had taken a blow to his head from Varuna's shield that had knocked him out.

The next day, more disappointment awaited Pusan and the Lions. Khara lost to Aruna of the Wolves in the spear trials. Soma did them a favour with a brilliant display of spear fighting, which saw him defeat Aruna. So far the Falcons had won everything, and far too easily.

The stage was set for the final event--the mace trials, a weapon that was very popular with the tribe. Left with no choice, Pusan entered Atreya as his fighter. The brave Lion had only one more hurdle to cross to get his dal into the final. Vayu, of the Falcons.

The two fighters circled each other warily. Vayu had had a much easier time in the trials and won all his fights easily. Atreya's journey had been much harder, the mace was not a weapon he was really comfortable with; like Indra he favoured the sword. In spite of this, he had done well so far. His natural instincts as a fighter had helped him win a close fight with the Wolves. Now a victory would get the Lions into the final and give him a chance to challenge Indra for the championship.

Vayu went on the offensive immediately, testing his opponent with a few powerful blows before he broke away. Atreya went after him, eager for a quick victory. Restraining himself from using the slam-bang method he usually adopted, Vayu hung back, circling the arena as he kept a close eye on his opponent. He darted in and out, employing a few light blows to test Atreya's defence, but focused on conserving his strength, knowing he could use it to good effect later. Atreya's earlier bouts, coupled with the unfamiliar weight of the weapon he wielded, began to take its toll and he started to grow weary of pursuing Vayu around the arena. Impatiently he approached Vayu, who blocked the blows thrown at him with ease.

Suddenly, Vayu sprang forward and his mace came down on Atreya, who raised his own weapon to block the blow. It had all of Vayu's weight behind it and Atreya was a little late in bringing up his guard. Vayu's mace crashed through his defence, struck him on the shoulder and shattered his collarbone.

Atreya dropped his mace and fell to the ground in agony as he clutched his broken shoulder. His dream of being champion was destroyed. A tremendous roar went up among the Wolves' supporters. It was Nala who would challenge Indra for the individual championship.

***

As he had promised, the Falcons and Indra were carried up and down the arena on the shoulders of their jubilant supporters. Vasu and the entire Sabha gave them a standing ovation. The Falcons had won the Spardha, with the Wolves finishing second. It was the first time in the history of the tribe that a new dal had emerged victorious in its first outing.

Sunset did not halt the proceedings on the final day of the competition. Oil lamps were lit and the announcement was made for the final challenge to determine the individual champion. Unlike the other fights, in this one the contestants were allowed to carry weapons of their choice. Indra opted for the sword and the war club, while Nala chose to go with the more conventional sword and shield.