pounded him from the back. As he fell, Nandi saw a knife buried deep in the Chandravanshi’s
back. Looking up, he saw Shiva’s left arm continue down in a smooth arc from the release of
the dagger. With his right hand, Shiva brought his sword up to block a vicious cut from
Vishwadyumna. As Nandi stumbled back to his feet, Shiva reached behind to pull his shield in
front again.
The hooded figure knew they were taking too long. The other Arishtanemi would be back
soon. He tried to go behind Sati, to club her on the back of the head and knock her unconscious
but she was too quick. She moved swifdy to the left to face her enemy again. Taking a knife
out of her angvastram folds with her left hand, she slashed outwards to cut deep across the
hooded figure’s immense stomach. The knife sliced through the robe but its effect was broken
by the armour.
And then with a resounding roar, Bhabravya and the other Arishtanemi rushed back to fight
alongside their mates.
Seeing themselves vastly outnumbered, the hooded figure had no choice. He ordered his
soldiers to retreat. Shiva stopped Bhabravya from chasing the Chandravanshis once again.
‘Let them go, brave Bhabravya,’ said Shiva. ‘We will have other chances to get them. Right
now the primary objective is to protect the royal family’
Bhabravya looked at Shiva with admiration for the way this foreigner fought, not the blue
throat of which he was unaware. He nodded politely. ‘It makes sense, foreigner.’
Bhabravya quickly formed the Arishtanemi soldiers into a tight perimeter and pulled the
wounded within. Dead bodies were not touched. At least three Arishtanemi lost their lives while
nine Chandravanshi bodies lay in the clearing. The last one had taken his own life since he was
too wounded to escape. Better to meet one’s maker rather than fall alive in enemy hands and
reveal secrets. Bhabravya ordered his soldiers to stay low and keep their shields in front for
protection against any arrows. And they waited so till the rescue party arrived.
‘My God,’ cried an anxious Daksha as he hugged Sati tight.
The rescue party of five hundred soldiers had reached by the fourth hour of the second
prahar. Daksha, Brahaspati and Kanakhala had accompanied the caravan despite
Parvateshwar ’s warnings of the risks. Releasing Sati from his grip, Daksha whispered as a
small tear escaped his eyes, ‘You are not injured, are you?’
‘I am alright father,’ said Sati self-consciously. ‘Just a few cuts. Nothing serious.’
‘She fought very bravely,’ said Veerini, as she beamed with pride.
‘I think that is a mother ’s bias,’ said Sati, as her serious expression was restored. Turning
towards Shiva, she continued, ‘It was Shiva who saved the day, father. He figured out the real
plan of the Chandravanshis and rallied everyone at the crucial moment. It was because of him
that we beat them back.’
‘Oh, I think she’s too generous,’ said Shiva.
She’s impressed. Finally!!
‘She isn’t being generous at all, my Lord,’ said a visibly grateful Daksha. ‘You have started
your magic already. We have actually beaten back a terrorist attack. You don’t know how
significant this is for us!’