Parvateshwar. ‘General, their cavalry is moving out. They would aim to flank us and attack the
archers. Our cavalry needs to meet them midfield.’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘I had expected this move from the Chandravanshis.
That’s why I had positioned two cavalries, comprising the Arishtanemi, led by Mayashrenik and
Vidyunmali, on the flanks.’
‘Perfect! But General, our cavalry must not move too far ahead or our arrows will injure our
own men. Nor must they retreat. They have to hold their position. At least for another five
minutes.’
‘I agree. Our archers need that much time to finish their job.’
Parvateshwar turned to his flag bearer with detailed instructions. Two couriers set off
rapidly to the left and right. Within moments, the eastern and western Arishtanemi, led by
Mayashrenik and Vidyunmali respectively, thundered out to meet the Chandravanshi counter-
attack.
Meanwhile, the disarray in the second legion of the Chandravanshi army only increased as
the unrelenting and ruthless wall of arrows pounded down on them. The Suryavanshi archers,
unmindful of their tiring limbs or bleeding hands, bravely continued their unremitted assault. The
second legion line started breaking as the Chandravanshis tried desperately to escape the
ruthless carnage.
‘Higher range, my Lord?’ asked Parvateshwar, pre-empting Shiva’s words. Shiva nodded in
reply.
Meanwhile the Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi cavalries were engaged in fierce combat on
the eastern and western ends of the batdefield. The Chandravanshis knew they had to break
through. A few more minutes of the Suryavanshi archers’ assault and the batde would be all but
lost. They fought desperately, like wounded tigers. Swords cut through flesh and bone. Spears
pierced body armour. Soldiers, with limbs hanging half-severed, continued to battle away.
Horses, with their riders missing, attacked as if their own kves depended on it. The
Chandravanshis were throwing all their might into breaking through the line that protected the
archers. But to their misfortune, they had run into the fiercest brigadiers amongst the
Suryavanshis. Mayashrenik and Vidyunmali fought ferociously, holding the mammoth
Chandravanshi force at bay.
The archers meanwhile had begun their onslaught on the third legion of the Chandravanshis.
Their legions were bleeding to death or deserting in great numbers. Some of them, however,
grimly and courageously, held on. When their shields were not strong enough to block the
arrows, they used the bodies of their dead comrades. But they held the line.
‘Do we stop now and charge, my Lord?’ asked Parvateshwar.
‘No. I want the third legion devastated as well. Let it go on for a few more minutes.’
‘Yes, my Lord. We should also let half the archers raise their range a bit more. We can get
the weaker sections in the fourth legion as well. If their lines are also broken, confusion would
rein right into the heart of their troops.’
‘You are right, Parvateshwar. Let’s do that.’
Meanwhile, the Chandravanshi cavalry on the western flank, sensing the hopelessness of
their charge, began to retreat. Some Arishtanemi riders moved to give chase but Vidyunmali
stopped them. As the Chandravanshis retreated, Vidyunmali ordered his troops to wait at their
present positions, lest the Chandravanshis launch a counter-attack. Seeing their enemy ride
rapidly back to their lines, Vidyunmali ordered a withdrawal to their initial position on the flank of
singke
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