‘And you gave up?’ retorted Shiva. ‘Shouldn’t you have pressed on? Emperor Daksha is weak and can be easily influenced. He could have brought about changes in Meluha. The Vayuputra council does not govern your country.’

‘Well, there was a good reason for me to not persist with the argument.’

‘What reason?’

‘Tara, the woman I intended to marry, suddenly went missing,’ continued Brahaspati. ‘The last time I saw her, she was in Pariha. On returning to Meluha I received a letter from her telling me that she was disappointed with my tirades against the Somras. I asked Lord Bhrigu to check with his friends in Pariha. I was told that she had just disappeared.’

Shiva frowned.

‘I know it sounds lame,’ said Brahaspati. ‘But somewhere deep within, I do believe Tara was taken hostage. It was a message for me. Keep quiet or else...’

‘And you gave up?’ Shiva repeated. ‘Why would you do that if you believed you were right?’

‘I didn’t,’ continued Brahaspati defensively. ‘But by then I was losing credibility amongst the senior scientists of other realms. Had I made the issue any bigger within Meluha, I would have lost what little standing I have amongst the Suryavanshis as well. I would have lost my ability to do anything at all. Though I knew I had to do something, I also realised that the strategy of open lobbying and debate had become counter-productive. There were too many vested interests tied into the Somras. Only the Vayuputra council could have had the moral strength to stop it openly, through the institution of the Neelkanth. But they refused to believe that the Somras had turned evil.’

‘What happened thereafter?’ asked Shiva.

‘I opted for silence,’ said Brahaspati. ‘At least on the surface. But I had to do something. Maharishi Bhrigu was convinced there was nothing to fear from the Somras waste. So the manufacturing of Somras continued at the same frantic pace. The Saraswati kept getting prodigiously consumed. Somras waste was being generated in huge quantities. Since the empire now believed that cold, fresh water had worked in disposing of the toxic waste, new plans were being drawn up to use other rivers. This time the idea was to use the upper reaches of either the Indus or the Ganga.’

‘Lord Ram, be merciful,’ whispered Shiva.

‘Millions of lives would have been at risk. We were going to unleash toxic waste right through the heart of India. Almost as a message from the Parmatma, the ultimate soul, I was approached by Lord Ganesh around this time. He had formulated a plan, and I must admit his words made eminent sense. There could be only one possible solution. The destruction of Mount Mandar. Without Mount Mandar, there would be no Somras. And with the Somras gone, all these problems would disappear too.’

Shiva cast a quick look towards Sati.

‘Whatever little doubts I may have had,’ said Brahaspati, ‘disappeared when I was confronted with a new scenario. When it happened, I knew in my heart that it was time for the destruction of Evil.’

‘What new scenario?’ asked Shiva.

‘You appeared on the scene,’ answered Brahaspati. ‘Even without the Vayuputra council’s permission, perhaps even without their knowledge... The Neelkanth appeared. It was the final sign for me: the time to destroy Evil was upon us.’

Vishwadyumna quickly gave hand signals to his Branga soldiers. The hunting party went down on their knees.

Kartik, who was right behind Vishwadyumna, whistled softly as his eyes lit up. ‘Magnificent!’

Vishwadyumna turned towards Kartik. While most of Shiva’s convoy was settling itself into the visitor’s camp outside Panchavati, a few hunting parties had been sent out to gather meat for the large entourage. Kartik, having proved himself as an accomplished hunter throughout the journey to Panchavati, was the natural leader of one of the groups. Vishwadyumna had accompanied the son of the Neelkanth. He intensely admired the fierce warrior skills of Kartik.

‘It’s a rhinoceros, My Lord,’ said Vishwadyumna softly.

The rhinoceros was a massive animal, nearly four metres in length. It had bumpy brownish skin that hung over its body in multiple layers, suggestive of tough armour. Its most distinctive feature was its nasal horn, which stuck out like a fearsome offensive weapon, to a height of nearly fifty centimetres.

‘I know,’ whispered Kartik. ‘They live around Kashi as well. They’re nearly as big as a small elephant. These beasts have terrible eyesight, but they have a fantastic sense of smell and hearing.’

Vishwadyumna nodded at Kartik, impressed. ‘What do you propose, My Lord?’

The rhinoceros was a tricky beast to hunt. They were quiet animals who kept to themselves, but if threatened, they could charge wildly. Few could survive a direct blow from their massive body and terrifying horn.

Kartik reached over his shoulder and drew out the two swords sheathed on his back. In his left hand was a short twin-blade, like the one his elder brother Ganesh favoured. In his right was a heavier one with a curved blade which was certainly not appropriate for thrusting. This weapon was perfect for swinging and slashing – a style of fighting Kartik excelled at.

Kartik spoke softly, ‘Fire arrows at its back. Make as much noise as you can. I want you to drive it forward.’

Vishwadyumna’s eyes filled with terror. ‘That is not wise, My Lord.’

‘This animal is huge. Too many soldiers charging in will cramp us. All it would need to do is swing its mighty horn and it would cause several casualties.’

‘But we can fire arrows to kill it from a distance.’

Kartik raised his eyebrows. ‘Vishwadyumna, you should know better. Do you really think our arrows can actually penetrate deep enough to cause serious damage? It’s not the arrows but the noise that you will create, which will make it charge.’

Vishwadyumna continued to stare, still unsure.

‘Also, it is standing upwind and your positioning behind it would be perfect. Along with the noise, the stench of your soldiers will also drive the animal forward. It’s a good thing they haven’t bathed in two days,’ said Kartik, without any hint of a smile at the joke.

Like all warriors, Vishwadyumna admired humour in the face of danger. But he checked his smile, not sure if Kartik was joking. ‘What will you do, My Lord?’

Kartik whispered, ‘I’ll kill the beast.’

Saying this, Kartik slowly edged forward. Right on to the path that the bull would charge on, when attacked by Vishwadyumna’s soldiers. The soldiers meanwhile, moved upwind, behind the rhinoceros. Having reached his position, Kartik whistled softly.

‘NOW!’ shouted Vishwadyumna.

A volley of arrows attacked the animal as the soldiers began to scream loudly. The rhinoceros raised its head, ears twitching as the arrows bounced harmlessly off its skin. As the soldiers drew closer, some of the missiles managed to penetrate enough to agitate the beast. The animal snorted mightily and stomped the dirt, radiating strength and power as light gleamed off its tiny black eyes. It lowered its head and charged, its feet thundering against the ground.

Kartik was in position. The beast only had side vision and could not see straight ahead. Therefore, it was no surprise that it crashed into an overhanging branch in its path, which made it change its direction slightly. At which point, it saw Kartik standing to its right. The furious rhinoceros bellowed loudly, changed course back to the original path and charged straight towards the diminutive son of Shiva.