Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (19 page)

Asura, the son of Diti, had not moved from his seat. Through the carnage, he had not taken his eyes off Menaka's face. She looked at him and smiled. Asura stood up and walked over to his stepbrother. Kasyapa watched, a mute spectator, as his favourite son drew his sword and plunged it into Deva's back. Asura then seized Menaka by the waist and carried her off on his horse towards the distant lands in the south.

Outside, the clansmen heard of the terrible event that had occurred within the palace. They abandoned their celebrations, drew their weapons and fell upon each other. By now the gods had decided that Kasyapa had learnt his lesson. A mist descended from the sky, enveloping the warring clansmen. They dropped their weapons and fell to the ground, unconscious.

When the fog lifted, they came to their senses and huddled together. They had no memory of the terrible events that had just come to pass. Kasyapa came out to address them; his heart was broken yet he kept his voice firm. He told them to leave these lands forever and never return. They meekly gathered their belongings and branched out in different directions.

Nura, who had been a hapless spectator until now, turned to Kasyapa angrily.

'How could you let this happen, Arya? Is this the legacy you promised your sons? You said their children would one day rule the world. Today you have left them with nothing. With no land, no tribe and no future.' The once proud warrior fell to his knees and tore at his hair as he wept uncontrollably.

Kasyapa turned to him, his eyes blazing with a feverish light, and he spoke in a deep voice that Nura had never heard before.

'The gods have punished me for going against them. They have taken from me what I valued most of all, my sons. But fear not Nura, the promise I made will stand good. One day a prince from one of these tribes will unite the sons of Aditi and he will sow the seeds of an empire that will rule the world.'

The words of the Arya had a calming effect on Nura, but he had one more question.

'What of Asura, your other son?'

Kasyapa's eyes took on a terrible glint.

'It is against his children that the four tribes will unite. They will pay a heavy price for their father's betrayal.'

Nura watched as the Arya turned and walked away towards the mountains to the east, never to be seen again.

***

Mitra opened his eyes as he came awake with a start. His mind was in a whirl with a million thoughts. The origins of their tribes had always been shrouded in mystery. Now he realised why. He tried to sit up and that's when exhaustion overtook every fibre of his being. He fell back on his bed in a deep sleep. For days he locked himself in his hut and did not see anybody while he recovered his strength. Then one day, he left the settlement quietly and made his way to the mountains in the north.

***

On Indra's eighteenth birthday, Mahisi announced a huge feast to which she invited all the prominent families of Aryavarta. She and her army of women slaved long and hard over the preparations. The feast was like no other Aryavarta had witnessed; the festivities and wine flowed long through the day and well into the night.

The highlight of the evening was a musical recital by Sachi. She had sat with the bards and composed a ballad on the slaying of Baldar. She strummed on a harp and as she sang, her melodious voice transported her listeners to the scene in the great swamp. So great was the impact of her recital that, for a full minute after it was over, there was dead silence in the hall. Then the audience broke into rapturous applause. They hailed the bravery of Indra and praised his father for the gift of such an heir.

Once the guests had left, Indra and the boys made their way to their living quarters. All of them, with the exception of Soma, were a little drunk from the wine. Agni suggested they continue the revelry at Nira's Tavern. Both Varuna and Vayu received his suggestion enthusiastically; only Indra and Soma were hesitant.

Nira's Tavern was located in the slave quarters and had started as a place for the slaves to unwind after a hard day's work. It provided alcohol, women and a fair amount of discretion at a price. While it was forbidden for members of the tribe to patronise this establishment, the authorities usually turned a blind eye to indiscretions.

The establishment was run by its namesake, an Egyptian slave once renowned for her beauty. Nira was a tough-as-nails woman who had only two rules: spend money availing of the services, and take whatever disagreements one had outside the establishment. Non-adherence to these rules usually resulted in a rapid eviction from the premises.

The boys were escorted to a room and the women were presented to them. Agni, Vayu and Varuna wasted no time making their choices. Indra opted for a quart of their finest liquor, while Soma politely declined both liquor and women. The dancing and revelry went on well into the night and soon the crowing of the roosters brought them back to reality. Soma was the first to wake and he called out to the others. Indra had spent most part of the night asleep. He shook himself awake as they paid up and prepared to leave.

The boys were still in a buoyant mood as they made their way out of the slave quarters. Vayu and Agni sang one of the bawdy songs from the tavern and ignored Soma's pleas for silence. They turned a corner around one of the shacks and ran full tilt into a night patrol led by Atreya.

One of those in the patrol was Khara, still smarting from his defeat in the Spardha four years back. He was an ardent supporter of Pusan and now saw an opportunity for revenge. He and the guards outnumbered Indra and his friends two to one. The Falcons were also unarmed and this lulled Khara into a sense of false security.

'Well, well, well! What have we here? It is our champion, Indra. Come out to do a bit of whoring, have you? Do you think he would be ready for a fight? Perhaps not! It is likely that the whores of Nira have blunted his spear.'

Varuna felt his friend's temper rise and he grabbed Indra by the arm. 'It's not worth it, my friend. One must choose one's battles. Come, let's walk away.'

Indra nodded; he shut his eyes and took a deep breath as Mitra had taught him. Feeling more in control, he and his friends made their way past the patrol towards Mahisi's.

Their inaction seemed to encourage Khara. He called out to them loudly. 'What do you think Sachi would say when she finds out about this?'

As if on cue one of the guards quipped. 'Finds out about what, my lord?'

'When she finds out that her future husband is a whore chaser.'

Indra stopped and turned around. His companions did not notice the darkness that clouded his eyes. They did not restrain him because they expected him only to rebut Khara's remark.

But Khara was not finished.

'A whore chaser just like his father.'

Indra looked around and spotted a stone that lay on the ground. Before the others could stop him, he had picked it up and flung it at Khara. The missile was the size of an orange and thrown with unerring accuracy. It struck Khara bang in the middle of his forehead and he hit the ground with a thud. There was a moment of stunned silence. Soma was the first to react, shouting, 'Run!'

The Falcons raced away, making towards the woods to the south of the settlement. They did not stop until they had put a few miles between the patrol and themselves. They sat down under a pine tree and tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Their situation was dire, to say the least. Indra was well-versed with the laws of the tribe; he had killed one of the night guards on duty. The penalty for that was death without a trial. His current standing would have no bearing in this matter; the rule was the same for nobility and commoner alike. He turned to his friends.

'This is not your problem. Go back home and leave me to take care of this.'

'We have sworn to serve you to the death if need be,' Varuna said, speaking for everyone. 'Would you have us go back on that vow? Whatever happens we are in this together.'

Indra smiled. 'With you'll by my side, what need do I have for a tribe or an army. We have no time to lose: Soma and Agni, hurry back and bring our horses and weapons. Varuna, Vayu and I will backtrack and cover our trail. Meet us at the dead tree on the south road as soon as you can.'

It was noon by the time they finally spotted Agni and Soma. They came at a rapid pace and, as they drew near, Indra saw the reason for their urgency. Twenty horsemen led by Pusan and Atreya were in hot pursuit. The three of them mounted their horses in full flight as arrows whizzed by their heads.

'Make for the swamps,' Indra said as he took the lead. The Falcons rode like the wind and soon the reed beds of the great swamp were in sight.

'Let us stay and fight. Those boys seem to have forgotten the hiding we gave them in the Spardha,' said Vayu.

'No. To kill anyone else will only make it worse for us. Follow me in a single file, and whatever you do, do not step off the trail.'

Indra led them into the marshy wetland and the reeds soon swallowed them up.

Behind them, Pusan had brought his horse to a halt at the edge of the swamp. 'Let them go,' he called out. 'Just make sure they do not track back into our lands again. Spread the word to all the farms in the area--anyone found aiding the outlaw Indra will share his fate. They will not survive one night in that swamp.'

Leaving Atreya in charge of patrolling the area, Pusan made his way back to Aryavarta.

***

Indra's knowledge of the swamp was the only thing the Falcons had going for them in that hostile terrain. He led them through a narrow path among the reed beds, carefully avoiding the shallow pools of water that teemed with giant crocodiles.

It was almost dusk by the time they came to the spot under the tree that was once the lair of Baldar. A few bleached bones of his prey were the only signs left of the great beast. Indra thought it would be a safe place to spend the night. Soma made good use of his skill with the throwing stick and brought down a few quail. They roasted them over a fire and spent their first night as outlaws under the starry sky.

It was three whole days before the Falcons reached the end of the wetlands. They had followed the upstream course of the river Mittani which cut through the swamp on its way west. As they stepped out of the reeds, the panoramic view that unfolded before their eyes took their breath away. As far as the eye could see was a lush green meadow full of beautiful wild flowers of various hues.

Herds of ibex and antelope grazed, completely unfazed by the appearance of men on horseback. Indra and his friends leapt off their horses, stripped away their clothes and jumped into the river. Without the black mud and dead vegetation, the waters of the Mittani were a clear icy blue here.

They did not say a word to each other as they washed off all traces of the swamp from their bodies. Then they swam around to get the circulation back into their limbs before hunger drove them reluctantly out of the water.

Too exhausted to hunt, they fed the horses and tethered them close to the fire. Then after eating their rations of dried meat, they used their saddlebags as pillows and stretched out on the open plain, staring up into the star-filled sky.

7

It was two months before Mitra returned to Aryavarta. Almost immediately, he realised something was amiss. He made his way to Mahisi's farm, where a relieved Paras met him. Mitra listened in silence as Paras narrated the series of events that had occurred since his departure. The gravity of Indra's predicament did not escape the seer. He requested Paras to ride ahead and inform Vasu that he would like an audience. Mitra then went to the river to wash the dust of the trail off his body and to contemplate his future course of action.

It was dark by the time Mitra reached the Sabha for his meeting with the regent. As he approached the hall, he saw the Lions in full battle regalia assembled outside the building. Atreya, who avoided Mitra's gaze as he entered the hall, led them.

As Vasu rose to greet him, Mitra noticed that the old warrior was unsteady on his feet and his eyes betrayed his intoxicated state.

'Greetings Master! My heart is gladdened by your return to Aryavarta.'

Mitra's reply was curt. 'Greetings, my lord regent. I wish I could tell you the feeling was mutual, but I'm saddened to hear what has befallen Prince Indra.'

Before Vasu could reply, another voice was heard.

'The person you call a prince is a fugitive from justice. He has killed a member of the night guard on duty. The punishment is death under Deva law--something you might be unfamiliar with as you are not of our clan.'

It was Pusan, sitting amongst the younger members of the Sabha. Mitra looked around the hall. A few of the older members were conspicuous by their absence. Vasu sighed and sank back in his chair wearily.