Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (20 page)

Mitra cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

'I am familiar with the laws of your tribe. Perhaps it is you who needs to familiarise yourself with the law, Pusan. For you seem to be unaware that it is forbidden to speak out of turn in the Sabha.'

He turned to Vasu.

'I had requested an audience with the regent. It was him alone that I was addressing.'

'My father is indisposed; it is only out of respect for you that he is present here today. I look after his affairs now. So if you have anything to say, I suggest you say it to me.'

Mitra looked at Vasu. The old warrior shut his eyes to avoid the sage's gaze.

'What I have to say can wait till his health is better. Goodnight to you all.'

As he turned to leave, Pusan called out to him.

'Just one more thing, my lord! This Sabha no longer requires your services. In future, if we have need of your counsel, we shall request it.'

As Mitra made his way back to his hermitage, he became aware that he was being followed. He veered off the trail into the woods and the rider behind him followed at a discreet distance. As he rounded a bend, he whispered a hurried command to his mare. Then, standing on the back of the horse, he reached out and grabbed an overhanging branch and hoisted himself onto it. The mare continued ahead on the trail, and a few moments later, the horse and rider on his tail appeared. Mitra crouched low on the branch and sprang on top of the rider.

The man was completely unprepared for the attack from above and was thrown off his horse with Mitra on top of him. The seer jabbed his forearm into the man's throat and spoke in a whisper. 'Who are you? Why are you following me? Answer quickly or die.'

The man gasped for breath and said, 'Forgive me, my lord. It is I, Atreya. I must speak with you on a matter of great importance.'

Mitra released the pressure on the young man's throat. He got to his feet and dusted his robes. 'You will get yourself killed, skulking about like this in the dark. Come with me, this is hardly the place for us to talk.'

Paras, waiting at the hermitage, was surprised to see Atreya ride alongside the sage. He did not say anything though, but busied himself in tending their horses.

Mitra offered the young man a seat.

'Now tell me. What is it that you have to say that could not wait till morning?'

Atreya bowed respectfully.

'My lord, I was part of the night patrol that intercepted Indra and his friends. We were instructed by Pusan to keep quiet at the inquiry.'

Mitra stared at the young warrior with interest.

'What are you trying to say? Speak plainly.'

Paras had just come in and he listened now with interest as Atreya continued.

'Khara provoked the attack--he insulted Indra's father.'

Mitra was thoughtful.

'Are you willing to testify if there is a trial?'

'Yes, my lord. On my honour as a soldier, I will testify.'

Mitra studied the young man's face carefully. 'You have done well by coming to me. Now go and do not speak to anyone else about this.'

As Atreya turned to leave, Paras could no longer contain himself.

'Why should we trust you? You, who are willing to betray your own dal?'

Atreya ignored Paras and looked at Mitra as he spoke. 'I am a Deva warrior first, before I am a Lion, and I believe no one is better suited to rule our tribe than Indra. Goodnight, my lord.'

Mitra watched the young warrior leave.

'Be prepared to leave at first light, Paras. We must find Indra before he gets himself into any more trouble.'

***

Varuna and Soma offered to make camp while Vayu, Agni and Indra set off after a herd of antelope. The animals saw them approach and began to take flight. Indra pointed to a frisky young stag; Vayu and Agni nodded and flanked out in either direction.

With a short burst of speed, Agni cut their quarry off from the rest of the herd. The stag was beautiful and strong; in his prime. He still did not consider these strange animals a threat. He started to pick up the pace as he led them on a chase with giant, springing strides. The three hunters let him run, careful to maintain a steady distance between them and their quarry. Then soon enough the stag began to tire and the hunters started to increase their pace as they unslung their bows.

The stag sensed them draw near and prepared for one last burst of speed. He sprang into the air and suddenly his body stopped mid-stride. Arrows smashed into his ribcage from three different directions. The stag was dead even before it hit the ground.

Indra was the first off his horse. Knife in hand he approached the kill. He knelt down, turned the carcass over and made a deep incision in its chest. He spread the skin apart and looked at the heart of the stag. All three arrows had pierced it; he looked up at the other two with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

'It's a tie.'

The three of them quickly got to work as they skinned and butchered the carcass. It was nearly sunset by the time they reached their makeshift camp near the river. Varuna and Soma had made a perimeter with the thorny bushes that grew abundantly at the edge of the swamp. It would keep lions and wolves away. Soma had found some wild potatoes, which he cleaned and put into the fire with the meat. The Falcons had a delicious meal of grilled venison and potatoes and settled down for the evening.

Well into the night, Indra sat by the fire, lost in thought. Around him his companions lay fast asleep. He had lost count of the days they had spent on the endless southern plains. He knew that their flight from Aryavarta had not been the best solution to the problem. They could not live like this forever: his companions were homesick, it was only their love for him that had kept them going through these monotonously long days.

He sighed as he looked at the beautiful night sky. Indra decided that the time had come for him to return to Aryavarta and bear the consequences of his actions. He had no regrets for what he had done. He had not cared about the insults against himself; but no man could insult the memory of his father and live to tell the tale. He added a little more wood to the fire, then lay down and shut his eyes. They had long given up keeping watch at night, relying on the fire to keep predators at bay.

The next morning, Indra announced his decision. It evoked mixed reactions among his companions. Agni, as was his wont, was the first to react.

'Well it's about time. I'm looking forward to meeting with Pusan and his Lions again.'

'I say we surrender ourselves to the judgment of the Sabha,' Soma said after a little thought. 'You killed a man who insulted your father. Surely they will see the justice in that.'

'Not if the Sabha is in the control of Pusan and his cronies,' Varuna pointed out pessimistically. 'And it may very well be so.'

Vayu had his own ideas about their next course of action.

'There are enough people in Aryavarta who support us. I say we raise an army and take the settlement by force.'

Indra had heard enough.

'I will not raise my sword against our own people. Come, let us head back to Aryavarta. As long as Vasu is regent, I will be assured of a fair trial.'

The Falcons followed the upstream course of the river Mittani as it snaked its way towards the northeast. Its waters were deep and fast flowing here and it took them nearly a day to find a place to ford it. Indra was the first across and soon all of them stood on the opposite bank in front of an imposing forest of cedar trees. Indra drew a map on the ground with a stick and indicated which way they must travel.

'Let us make camp here for the night. Tomorrow, if we make our way due northwest through this forest, we will be a day's hard ride from the eastern border of our land.'

***

Paras stoked the fire and cast his eyes uneasily about; his nerves were on edge, his mind consumed by disturbing thoughts. The night sky above was clear with a bright moon, yet the earth seemed to give off a gentle mist that rose to the sky like smoke. The light from his fire cast strange-shaped shadows and enhanced the eeriness of his surroundings.

This was their second night in the wetlands of the river Mittani; they had no idea how far the swamp extended. Next to him Mitra lay fast asleep. His breathing was gentle. Paras could not believe that the master could sleep so well in this terrible place. The two of them had left Aryavarta separately a few days ago, so as not to arouse any suspicion, and met near an oak tree at the edge of the swamp. They had not spoken much since then. The swamp, with its treacherous trails, had not afforded them the luxury of conversation.

Paras had watched in disbelief as Mitra had tracked Indra and his companions through that shifty terrain following their now month-old trail. Whenever there was no physical evidence of their presence, the seer had used his intuition. As they had made camp that evening, what little misgiving Paras had of his mentor's tracking abilities soon disappeared. He found one of Soma's abandoned throwing sticks at the edge of the path.

Mitra's voice brought him back to reality.

'Sleep now, Paras, we must break camp at dawn.'

'But it is still my watch, my lord, and you need your rest,' Paras protested.

'But your mind is not on the task at hand. I don't want to end up in the belly of some beast just because you were lost in your thoughts.'

Paras bowed his head in shame.

'Forgive me, my lord. But please let me sit with you awhile for I cannot sleep.'

The seer brushed aside the apology.

'There is nothing to forgive, my young friend. Tell me, what is it that troubles you?'

Paras thought long and hard as he tried to frame his question.

'My lord, I do not think it is wise to bring Indra back to Aryavarta on the basis of Atreya's word. He could be leading us into a trap.'

'It is for Indra to decide whether or not Atreya's word is trustworthy. After all, it is his fate that hangs in the balance. He has faced Atreya on the floor of the Spardha and he will know better than us if his honour as a soldier means enough to Atreya to betray his mentor and his dal.'

Mitra added a few sticks to the fire and sat down to keep watch. Paras, unable to argue in the face of such logic, settled down near the fire and soon fell asleep.

It was well after daybreak when Paras awoke. Mitra was nowhere to be seen. Assuming that the master had gone ahead to scout the trail, the young warrior went down to the water's edge to wash his face. He waded through the thick mud to get to the clearer water in the middle of the pool.

Just then he heard a shout. He looked up to see Mitra in the distance waving his arms. Just then a black shape leapt out of the water and a pair of giant jaws closed with clap-like thunder only inches from Paras' head. The soldier was quick to react and ran towards the bank. The thick mud made it difficult for him to move fast, while behind him, the giant crocodile cut through the water towards him.

Up ahead, Mitra picked up Paras' spear and turned towards the man and the monster.

Paras was a couple of steps from the bank when he felt the creature's jaws get hold of his leg. He reached forward, grabbed hold of the reeds growing at the edge and tried to pull himself to the shore, but the crocodile had got a good grip and it began dragging him back. The creature began its death roll. The young warrior realised that any resistance would mean the loss of his limb, so he rolled along with the beast and tried to force open its great jaws with his hands.

Mitra watched his companion and the giant crocodile thrash about in the water. He stayed low on one knee as he held the weapon ready and looked for an opening. The crocodile stopped its roll for a moment to readjust its grip. The seer wasted no time; he took aim and cast the spear. The weapon flew flat and straight and struck the crocodile in the eye. With a roar of pain, the beast opened its jaws. Paras pulled his foot free and made a run for dry land while the crocodile retreated into the depths of the pool.

Paras fell to the ground, exhausted from his efforts. Mitra knelt beside him and examined the leg. He noticed that the young man had been very lucky; the leather thongs of his sandals had prevented the creature's vicious teeth from inflicting any serious injury. But for a few minor scratches, he was all right. Mitra reached into his bag for a jar of antiseptic salve and smeared it on the injured ankle. Then he got to his feet with a smile and said, 'By my estimation we will be out of the swamp well before nightfall, so if you have finished clowning about, we can prepare to move on.'