Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (41 page)

'I do not recollect the name.'

Indra decided to allay his fears a bit.

'We are friends and have ridden many miles with Timon.'

The man's eyes flashed to a corner for a brief moment. Indra turned and saw a group of men at a table there; they were engrossed in their supper.

'Stay and have a drink. Perhaps I might remember something.'

Indra's friends had already knocked back their first drinks and were ready for another round. Indra sipped his drink slowly and kept his eyes on the tavern keeper. He noticed the man walk across to the corner table and whisper something. There were a few curious glances in their direction, and then one of the men got up and left the tavern.

The evening went on and a lot of wine was consumed. Soon the mistress of the house, a buxom woman with a temperament as surly as her husband's, came to them and asked them to drink up and leave. Indra noticed that they were one of the last ones left at the establishment. The owner was nowhere to be seen. Agni and Vayu protested loudly and had to be dragged out by the others.

They staggered through the lonely streets, loudly singing bawdy songs. Even the roughnecks of Ashkavan steered well clear of them and they soon found themselves on the outskirts of the settlement. Their camp was just beyond a grove of acacia trees. As they made their way through the vegetation, a voice came out of the trees.

'Are you the friends of Timon of Ashkavan?'

Indra answered in the affirmative. A man stepped out of the trees, his face concealed by the shadows. He seemed to be nervous as he scanned the darkness behind them for any signs of movement.

'I am Aghar. Timon was my brother. Come! We will go somewhere we can talk.'

Aghar led them to a little tent that had been pitched in a clearing a little way away. He offered them some wine and lit up a hookah and passed it around. Indra introduced himself and informed him about the death of Timon. Aghar bowed his head and said a prayer in his native tongue for the soul of his dead brother. Although there was no real resemblance between the two, they both had that lean yet tough-as-nails appearance characteristic of the desert nomad.

'Now tell me what I can do for my brother's friends.'

'We are looking for a guide to take us across the desert.'

Aghar had a big smile on his face as he stood up and took a bow.

'Let me offer you my services then. My favourite wife belongs to a tribe that lives across the Um Bakher. Love has made me cross that hell many times. I will be glad to take you across.'

Then he cleared his throat and said, 'For a price, of course.'

'Name your price. You will find us more than generous.'

Aghar asked for twenty horses and a substantial amount of gold. It was a small fortune, especially in these parts. He also insisted that he be paid in full before the trip. He said the journey was fraught with danger, and he could not let his wives and children starve if he did not make it back. With no real choice in the matter, Indra accepted his offer and asked him to meet them at the camp the next morning. As they left, Aghar had one last word of caution for them.

'My lord, it is not my business to ask why you intend to take an army across the desert. But there is great interest in your movements from the people back east. As your faithful servant, it is my duty to tell you that every move of yours is being watched and reported. I suggest you limit your movements through the settlement and keep a watchful eye on your food and drink. If there is anything you require, I will be glad to get it for you.

***

Aghar was as good as his word, ensuring that they were well stocked and prepared for the perilous journey ahead. Soon Indra and his army were off across the desert towards Harappa. They marched through the night and spent the hottest parts of the day resting their horses and getting some much-needed sleep. The days went by quickly, and slowly the little scrub vegetation gave way to hard salt flats that extended for miles across the horizon. Their water supplies began to rapidly diminish. Aghar reassured them that water was close at hand, but soon every man was down to half rations and there were still no signs of water.

Finally Aghar took a couple of scouts and set out to look for water. For three days Indra and his men awaited his return, till their water rations were down to a couple of mouthfuls during the day. Indra realised that to turn back towards Ashkavan would be suicidal. Their only chance was to press forward and hope they find water. He turned to Varuna, who regretfully informed him that he could only control the element, not create it. Just then the Ashvanis arrived, leading a few horses.

'These horses were born and bred in the desert. We've kept them without water for a few days. If there is water around, they will surely find it.'

One of the twins went to the dominant member of the herd, a young male stallion. He placed his forehead against that of the horse and whispered to it before he let it go. The stallion led them out of the camp. The men watched as the animal sniffed the air and then took off in a south-easterly direction. Indra and Varuna joined the Ashvanis on fresh horses and followed the herd. Periodically the stallion stopped to smell the air before he took off again. The men followed at a safe distance.

A short while later, the horses disappeared from sight right before their eyes. As the astonished men reached the spot, they saw a gaping hole in the ground, as if someone had split open the earth with a giant axe. Unless one knew about the place, it was impossible to find against the stark landscape of the salt flats. The horse tracks lead straight into it. The Ashvanis spoke gently to their mounts and coaxed them down the steep incline.

As they reached the bottom, they realised they were at the entrance of a massive subterranean cave complex. Within, they saw the deep blue waters of a giant pool. As the horses drank, Indra noticed fresh tracks there--he wondered if Aghar and the scouts had made it to the cave.

The water was cool and refreshing, sheltered from the heat of the desert sun by the overhang. Their thirst quenched, they returned to fetch the others. It was then that they noticed the circling vultures. The birds led them straight to a spot where Indra found his scouts lying dead. The Ashvanis swept the area for tracks and soon found a place where they could tell that five men had lain in wait. Aghar had led the scouts straight into an ambush; they had not stood a chance. The twins informed Indra that Aghar and his men had proceeded eastwards after the attack, which meant they were ahead of them. Indra hoped that he could catch up with him and repay him for his treachery.

The army, now refreshed, pushed on east through the murderous saltpans. They stopped for rest only for a few hours during the hottest part of the day. The heat was so oppressive that the men had to tie strips of cloth over their eyes to prevent their pupils from being scorched by the sun reflecting off the blazing sands.

At long last they came across more hospitable terrain comprising sparse patches of grass and bushes. They also saw, much to their delight, herds of ibex dotting the landscape. Excited at the prospect of fresh meat, Indra and Aryaman led a team of hunters and brought down many of the beasts. The men had a great feast and rested that night under the brilliantly-lit desert sky. They tended to the horses and, for the first time during the journey, their songs could be heard for miles across the sands.

Days went by, their water resources dipped, and they were soon confronted with the same situation again. To find a watering hole this time was not a problem though; they had to just follow the animal tracks that led them directly to it. However, many of their horses, especially the old ones from the original northern stock, could not handle the searing heat and dehydration. They collapsed one by one in the hard unforgiving sands.

Soon, in the distance, they saw the tops of many palm trees. Some of the men let out a whoop of joy and urged their tired mounts to move faster. The horses smelt water and began to pick up the pace.

When Indra made his way through the palm trees, he was surprised at the grim silence near the watering hole. As he approached the water, the reek of rotting flesh made him step back in disgust. In the middle of the pool there floated several carcasses of ibex and antelope. The water had a thick, dirty layer of sediment floating over it. He let out a roar of anger: he could not believe anyone would do this in the middle of the desert. They had rendered the only water available for miles impossible to drink. He saw the arrows that stuck out of the bodies of the slain creatures and recognised it as the work of Aghar and his men. These men were born of the desert; they should have known better.

Indra promised himself that they would pay a terrible price when he caught up with them. Then he realised that there was a likelihood that he might not live long enough to fulfil the promise. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Varuna.

'Ready your bow.'

Indra did not hesitate; he quickly strung his bow and notched an arrow to it. Varuna asked everybody to step back and away from the pool. He closed his eyes and mentally chanted a mantra. Then he slowly raised his hands up and away from each other. Indra watched in fascination as the waters of the pool began to whirl faster and faster like a vortex with a gaping hole in the centre. Without opening his eyes, Varuna asked Indra to shoot an arrow into the centre. Indra drew back his bow and let fly the shaft. The arrow went deep into the earth and from its bowels a spring of water leapt out like a fountain. The force of it flushed away the carrion and foul waters of the pool into the dry sands of the desert. Then, as Varuna lowered his hands, the fountain settled down and filled the pool with fresh, crystal-clear water.

Varuna's feat did wonders for the men's morale. Over several months, rumours had abounded in the camp about Indra and Soma's divinity. Now after witnessing Varuna's powers, the men were convinced that they were in the presence of gods.

Over the next few days, with their bellies and water-skins filled with the water, the men braved the scorching sands and dry, hot winds and marched merrily on. Soon, the first signs that they would leave the desert behind began to emerge. They could smell flowers in the easterly breeze. They saw shapes of aquatic birds and sure enough, in the distance, they could see the silvery blue ribbon of a river beyond which was the dry, brown foliage of a jungle that awaited the rains.

Full of hope, the men marched on. And then, as they neared the river, they saw lined up on the opposite bank two thousand men armed with short, heavy stabbing spears and rawhide shields. They had long, curly hair and dark faces painted with ochre stripes that gave them a fearsome appearance. Their ebony bodies were thick and heavily muscled. They shuffled from side to side and made whooping noises that seemed to come from their throats. They beat their spears against their shields as they eagerly waited for action.

***

Ugra stood at his vantage point on the hill and surveyed the scene that was unfolding in the distance. He saw Indra's army across the river, but there was something wrong. This did not seem to be an army dying of thirst. They did not make a beeline for the river as he had expected. Instead they lined up in orderly fashion well out of range of his frontline archers. The Malavas, a warrior tribe from the south of Harappa, had volunteered to be the first line of defence. Ugra noted with a smile that the Malava Crocodile was in position and no army had ever escaped its jaws.

The Crocodile was a battle formation that had been perfected by the Malavas. Six thousand of their spearmen were hidden in the jungle in a V-like formation. A smaller force would engage the enemy and slowly give ground during the battle. The enemy would gradually but surely be drawn into the jungle, into the jaws of the crocodile. Once they were in the kill zone, the two lines of spearmen would quickly close in, snapping the jaws shut. The enemy forces would be surrounded and crushed. It was a manoeuvre that Ugra had never seen fail. Now the trap was ready, but the enemy had not yet taken the bait.

Yadu went to Indra and requested permission to cross the river and engage the enemy. Indra saw the restlessness in the enemy ranks; this was exactly what they expected him to do. He was not ready to oblige them.

'Patience, Prince Yadu. I will make them come to you.'

He turned to Agni and Vayu and spoke briefly with them. Soma came with the chalice and handed it to the two warriors in turn. Their pupils dilated as the drug began to take effect. Deep in concentration, Agni and Vayu stepped forward. In his hand, Agni held some dry wood shavings. Vayu used a couple of flint stones and created a spark in them.

Agni cradled the little fire in his palm, chanted a mantra and began to move his arms in circles around the fire that now started to burn in midair. He opened his arms and continued to move them in a circular motion working the ball of fire. It started to get bigger and bigger until it hung in front of them like a fiery orange globe. Agni used his powers to contain the heat within the cloud so it would not harm any of his men. Then Vayu chanted a mantra and took a deep breath. He slowly exhaled and the globe of fire started to roll through the air towards the enemy.