Bhrigu sighed. He had used all the weapons that he had manufactured. The only mystery was whether they had achieved their purpose; whether the Neelkanth had been assassinated. Talking to Daksha was an exercise in futility. He seemed to be in a state of shock since the rupture of his relations with his daughter. Bhrigu had sent off another ship, manned by men drawn from Dilipa’s army, to the mouth of the Godavari to investigate the matter. But it would be months before he knew what had happened.

‘Anything else, My Lord?’ asked the attendant.

Bhrigu dismissed her with an absent-minded wave. Perhaps the job was done. Maybe the Neelkanth was no more. But it was also possible that Bhrigu’s ships had failed. Even worse, the Neelkanth may have been persuaded by the Nagas and was plotting to turn the people against the Somras. Nothing was certain till he received news of the five ships he had sent earlier to attack Shiva’s convoy. For now, much as he disliked living in Devagiri, he had no choice but to wait. He had to stay till he knew the Somras was safe. He believed India’s future was at stake.

Bhrigu took a deep breath and went back into a meditative trance.

Shiva’s convoy had covered ground quickly after crossing the Tapi and was waiting at the edge of another secret lagoon, while the Nagas prepared to set sail. Beyond the floating grove guarding this lagoon, flowed the mighty Narmada, mandated by Lord Manu as the southern border of the Sapt Sindhu, the land of the seven rivers.

‘How much farther, dada?’

‘Not too far, Kartik. Just a few more weeks,’ answered Ganesh. ‘We will sail east up the Narmada for a few days, then march on foot through the passes of the great Vindhya Mountains till we reach the Chambal River. We would then have to sail for only a few days down the Chambal to reach Ujjain.’

Sati watched the sailors pull the gangway plank towards the rudimentary dock, preparing the ship for loading.

Krittika nudged her horse so it would trot up to Sati’s. ‘I wish Queen Kali had accompanied us, My Lady.’

Sati turned to Krittika. ‘I know. But she is a queen. She has many responsibilities in Panchavati.’

Further conversation was interrupted by the ship’s gangway plank landing on the dock with a loud thud.

Parvateshwar, Anandmayi, Bhagirath and Ayurvati were dining together in the late afternoon. They had just entered the first of five clearings on the Dandakaranya road from Panchavati. The road led to the hidden lagoon on the Madhumati in Branga. Accompanied by the convoy of sixteen hundred soldiers that had set out with Shiva more than a year ago, they were marching back to Kashi to await Shiva’s return.

Bhagirath looked at the five paths in wonder. Only one of these was correct while the others were decoys that would lead trespassers to their doom. ‘These Nagas are obsessive about security.’

Anandmayi looked up. ‘Can we blame them? Do not forget that it was this attitude that saved our lives when those ships attacked us on the Godavari.’

‘True,’ said Bhagirath. ‘The Nagas will no doubt prove to be good allies. Their loyalty to the Neelkanth isn’t suspect, though the reasons might well be. When the moment of truth is upon us, all will have to answer a simple question: Will they fight the world for the Neelkanth? I know I will.’

Anandmayi’s eyes flashed as she looked at Parvateshwar and then back at Bhagirath, chiding him. ‘Get back to your food, little brother.’

Parvateshwar looked at Anandmayi with a tortured expression. ‘I don’t think the Parmatma will be so unkind to me. He could not have made me wait for more than a century to find my living God, only to force me to choose between my country and him. I’m sure the Almighty will find a way to ensure that Meluha and the Lord Neelkanth are not on opposite sides.’

Parvateshwar’s sad smile told Anandmayi he himself did not believe that. She touched her husband’s shoulder gently.

Bhagirath played with his roti absent-mindedly. He was beginning to believe they could not count on Parvateshwar. That would be a huge loss for the Neelkanth’s army. Parvateshwar’s strategic abilities had the capacity to turn the tide in any war.

Ayurvati looked at Parvateshwar with sympathy. She could identify with his inner conflict. In her case though, a decision had emerged that sat comfortably in her heart. Her emperor had committed heinous acts which dishonoured Meluha. This was no longer the country she had loved and admired all her life. She knew in her heart that Lord Ram would not have condoned the immorality that Meluha had descended into, under Daksha’s watch. Her path was clear: in a fight between Meluha and Shiva, she would choose the Neelkanth. For he would set things right in Meluha as well.

The Naga ship was anchored close to the Chambal shore. Shiva, Sati, Ganesh and Kartik climbed down rope ladders to the large boat that had been tied to the ship’s anchor line. Brahaspati, Nandi and Parshuram followed them, accompanied by ten Naga soldiers.

When everyone had disembarked, they began to row ashore. The Vasudevs being even more secretive than the Nagas, Shiva did not expect to find any sign of habitation close to the river.

Almost touching the river bank, a wall of dense foliage blocked the view beyond. Weeds had spread over the gentle Chambal waters, making rowing a back-breaking task. Ganesh navigated the boat towards a slender clearing between two immense palm trees. Shiva could sense something unnatural about the clearing, but couldn’t put his finger on it. He turned towards Kartik, who was staring at the clearing as well.

‘Baba, look at the trees behind the clearing,’ said Kartik. ‘You’ll have to bend down to my level.’

As Shiva bent low the image became clear. The trees behind the clearing were organised unnaturally, given the dense, uncontrolled growth surrounding it. Placed equidistant, they seemed to grow in height as one looked farther away. This was because the ground itself sloped upwards in a gentle gradient. It was obviously not a natural hillock. A majority of the trees behind the clearing were the Gulmohur, their flaming orange flowers suggestive of fire. Shiva blinked at what appeared to be an optical illusion. He suddenly stood up, rocking the boat as Sati and Ganesh reached out to hold him steady. The Gulmohur trees had been placed in a specific pattern that was visible from a certain distance as one placed oneself directly in front of the small clearing between the twin palms. It was in the shape of a flame; a specific symbol that Shiva recognised.

‘Fravashi,’ whispered Shiva.

Surprised, Ganesh asked, ‘How do you know that term, baba?’

Shiva looked at Ganesh and then back at the Gulmohur trees. The pattern had disappeared. Shiva sat down and turned towards Ganesh. ‘How do you know that term?’

‘It’s a Vayuputra term. It represents the feminine spirit of Lord Rudra, which has the power to assist us in doing what is right. We are free to either accept it or reject it. But the spirit never refuses to help. Never.’

Shiva smiled as he began to understand his ancient memories.

‘Who told you about Fravashi, baba?’ asked Ganesh again.

‘My uncle Manobhu,’ said Shiva. ‘It was among the many concepts and symbols that he made me learn. He said it would help me when the time came.’

‘Who was he?’

‘I thought I knew,’ said Shiva. ‘But I’m beginning to wonder if I knew him well enough.’

The conversation came to a halt as the boat hit the banks. Two Naga soldiers jumped out and pulled the boat farther up, onto dry land. Tugging hard on the line, they tied the craft to a conveniently placed tree stump. The landing party quickly disembarked. Kartik surveyed the palms that marked the clearing. He turned towards Ganesh, who was standing at the centre of the clearing.