‘But it wasn’t a terrorist attack, your Highness’ said Shiva. ‘It was an attempt to kidnap the
princess.’
‘Kidnap?’ asked Daksha.
‘That hooded man certainly wanted her alive and unharmed.’
‘What hooded man?!’ cried Daksha, alarmed.
‘That was the Naga, your Highness,’ said Shiva, surprised at Daksha’s hysterical response.
‘I have seen that man fight. He is an excellent warrior. A little slow in his movements, but
excellent all the same. But while fighting Sati he was trying his best not to hurt her.’
The colour drained completely from Daksha’s face. Veerini glared at her husband with a
strange mixture of fear and anger. The expressions on their faces made Shiva feel
uncomfortable, as if he was intruding on a private family moment.
‘Father?’ asked a worried Sati. ‘Are you alright?’
Hearing no response from Daksha, Shiva turned to Sati and said, ‘Perhaps it’s best if you
speak to your family alone. If you don’t mind, I will go check if Nandi and the other soldiers are
alright.’
Parvateshwar was walking around his men, checking on the injured and ensuring that they
received medical help, with Bhabravya two steps behind. He came up to the Chandravanshi
who had been killed by Shiva while protecting Nandi. He roared in horror, ‘This man has been
stabbed in the back!’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ said Bhabravya with his head bowed.
‘Who did this? Who broke the sacred rules of combat?’
‘I think it was the foreigner, my Lord. But I heard that he was trying to protect Captain Nandi
who had been attacked by this Chandravanshi. And the Chandravanshi himself was not
following the combat rules having attacked Nandi below the waist.’
Parvateshwar turned with a withering look at Bhabravya, causing him to cower in fear.
‘Rules are rules,’ he growled. ‘They are meant to be followed even if your enemy ignores them.’
‘Yes, my Lord.’
‘Go make sure that the dead get proper cremations. Including the Chandravanshis.’
‘My Lord?’ asked a surprised Bhabravya. ‘But they are terrorists.’
‘They may be terrorists,’ snarled Parvateshwar. ‘But we are Suryavanshis. We are the
followers of Lord Ram. There are norms that we follow even towards our enemies. The
Chandravanshis will get proper cremations. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, my Lord.’
‘Why do you call the foreigner “Your Lord”?’ asked an injured Arishtanemi lying next to
Nandi.
Shiva had just departed after spending half an hour with Nandi and the other injured soldiers.
If one saw the injured at this point, it would be impossible to believe that they had fought a