THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (51 page)

Vasudev shook his head, the sudden pain in his head beginning to cloud his thoughts.
War is so useless; it makes beasts out of men
, he reflected.

‘I wish you were fighting on our side, my friend,’ he mumbled, the ache in his voice evident.

‘I wish so too. But I am not!’

‘I am willing to give you a chance to save your life if you agree to share your knowledge of the other assassin units with us,’ Vasudev said quietly. Ghora shook his head, ‘I am afraid I can’t do that,’ Vasudev sighed, ‘Then you leave me with no choice.’

‘I ask you for one favour,’ Ghora said softly. ‘When I left home, I told someone that I would not return till I had either completed my mission, or had my head cut off trying.’

Vasudev nodded in understanding. Ghora smiled at him acknowledging the favour his enemy was doing him. He bent his head, his last thoughts dedicated to the man back home who had given him the love of a father during what were destined to be the last days of his life. Some part of his mind was steeped in regret at what could have been and was not. But the larger part of his consciousness was thankful that he was leaving this land forever, to begin a new journey elsewhere…

Ghora’s soul had already commenced its passage into the after world when Vasudev’s sword granted him the one favour he had asked of him.

Vasudev and the surviving members of the task force started their victorious journey back to Madhuvan. Three hundred and fifty men remained of the five hundred they had started out with. But they had destroyed more than a thousand asura assassins holed up in Hastinapur. Vasudev had dispatched a man to Dhritarashtra’s court, informing him of the battle at Bhairava Van, and the annihilation of the asuras hiding there. In his letter, he had also made a plea to Dhritarashtra to set up their own task force that could prevent fresh infusion of assassins into their land and could also be used to help neighbouring countries. He had no doubt that the regent of Hastinapur would do what he had requested.

Airawat and Tantra had brought Vasudev up to date on what had happened after they had gone their separate ways. While Airawat’s group had razed down one asura camp, Tantra and his battalion had not encountered any encampment. The two battalions had met up on the way, and had taken the only route they thought might have been taken by Vasudev and his men. Fortunately, they had been right and they had reached just in time.

While Tantra dropped back to ride with his men, Airawat rode besides Vasudev at the head of the combined task force. He had not failed to notice the despondent mood the prince was in since they left the Bhairava Van. Vasudev had not once spoken about his fight with the fearsome warrior; nor had he shown any joy in their victory. While they had lost a hundred and fifty of their men, Airawat had thought Vasudev might show at least some satisfaction at what they had achieved. But there was none. Vasudev rode on; his face cast in stone.

They had left Hastinapur far behind and were now halfway back to Madhuvan when they saw a cloud of dust in the distance. Airawat moved to unsheathe his sword, but relaxed as he saw it was a messenger approaching. The man was attired in the traditional clothes of Bateshwar. Vasudev recognized him immediately.

‘What news from Bateshwar, Ojus?’ he asked the messenger. Ojus saluted smartly, ‘My Lord, Commander-in-Chief Sini Yadav sends his greetings.’ The messenger handed a scroll to Vasudev.

Vasudev quickly broke the seal and extracted a letter written in Sini Yadav’s typical laconic style. He read the message with mixed feelings and put the letter back in the scroll.

‘Thank you, Ojus. Tell Sini that I am grateful for the news, and let him know I am thrilled at what his team and he have achieved. Tell him I will send him a more detailed letter once I reach Madhuvan.’

Ojus nodded his understanding. And then he smiled. ‘My Lord, all of us at Bateshwar wanted to wish you and Princess Devki the best for your impending marriage. May the gods bless this union.’

Vasudev allowed himself the first smile that day. ‘Thank you Ojus. Devki and I are grateful for the sentiments of the people of Bateshwar. And both the princess and I are looking forward to coming back after the marriage is solemnized.’

Ojus grinned. Vasudev’s marriage to Devki was the most looked forward to event at Bateshwar these days. He gave a smart salute to both Vasudev and Airawat and galloped away.

Airawat was glad to see Vasudev smiling finally. ‘All well at Bateshwar, My Lord?’

Vasudev nodded. ‘Sini Yadav and his team discovered a hideout of about six hundred assassins, a little outside Bateshwar. They have wiped them out.’

Airawat looked perspicaciously at the prince. ‘There seems to be more than that,’ he said hesitantly.

‘Yes, there is,’ Vasudev replied grimly, his mood again becoming sullen and withdrawn. ‘Sini also sends news that signs of chaos and lawlessness have started increasing all over the land. Several kingdoms have reported unprecedented incidents of murder, vandalism and in-fighting within their cities.’

‘So it has started!’ Airawat exclaimed softly.

‘Yes, it has. And the more assassin units we hunt down and destroy, the more they are going to get provoked,’ Vasudev said grimly.

They rode quietly for a while, before Vasudev exploded. ‘I wish Kansa had returned. It would have been so much easier.’

Airawat did not respond. He had always been a vocal admirer of Kansa; which is why he couldn’t understand why the mention of the prince made him so uncomfortable at this moment.

grasena and Surasena waited for the royal pandit (court priest) to announce the exact date for the vivah sanskar (marriage ceremony). The pandit seemed to be taking his own time in calculating an auspicious time for the event. He knew this was perhaps the only time when two of the most influential kings in Mrityulok waited for him to speak. Surasena winked at Ugrasena, exhorting him to maintain his calm at the delay. He hadn’t failed to notice that his friend was unnaturally edgy. While the king of Madhuvan seemed happy about the wedding, the rift between Kansa and him had taken away the joie de vivre out of his existence. Surasena understood this but he carefully refrained from initiating any discussion about the prince.

The pandit looked up at last and smiled. ‘The moon stands in Magha at the moment,’ he said. ‘In three days, when the moon passes through Uttaraphalguni, the vivah sanskar will take place.’

Surasena sighed in relief. The guests had already been informed about the tentative day for the wedding, but it was necessary to have the precise date for the actual ceremony. He was glad the final date fixed by the pandit was not too off the mark. The guests wouldn’t have to wait after their arrival.

Ugrasena, too, seemed satisfied with the announcement. He nodded to the pandit. ‘Thank you, Ritvick. Prepare for the ceremony. The guests will begin to arrive in two days’ time.’

As the pandit left, Surasena looked at Ugrasena. He didn’t want to talk to him about Kansa but he was still concerned about the immense change in his friend’s disposition since his last visit to Madhuvan. ‘You seem troubled, old friend. Is something bothering you?’ he asked gently.

Ugrasena was silent for a while. Then his voice quavering, he whispered, ‘I have lost my son, Sura. I have lost Kansa forever.’

Surasena shook his head, his friend’s obvious grief considerably diluting his own exuberance. ‘We don’t easily lose the people we love Ugrasena. If he truly cares for you—and I think he does—he will return to you.’

Ugrasena looked at his oldest friend, a faint glimmer of hope reflected in his eyes. ‘Are you sure that he will come back to me, to Madhuvan?’

Surasena nodded vigorously. ‘He will. And when he does, welcome him with open arms. Don’t grudge him whatever has happened between the two of you in the past.’

Ugrasena smiled for the first time in days. ‘May Vishnu let this be true!’ he said with fresh enthusiasm. ‘Come then, we have work to do.’

The two old warriors slapped each other’s backs, and laughed the way they used to when they were younger and didn’t have the weight of kingly responsibilities upon their mortal shoulders.

Madhuvan resembled a celestial kingdom on this particular day. The entire city was covered with lamps of various sizes and shapes. The citizens had turned out in their finest attire, and the bright colours of their clothes vied with the dazzling hues of the lamps. Since the actual wedding would be privately held within the precincts of the palace, the regular citizens would not get an opportunity to witness the ceremony. Not wanting them to feel left out, Ugrasena had provided for their entertainment too. Circus owners from all over the land had been invited to Madhuvan and they had pitched up their tents just outside the city so that the people of Madhuvan could have their share of revelry. Infants and even adolescents shrieked in glee as they witnessed fire-eaters and lion trainers in action. Surasena had declared that the Bateshwar treasury would bear the expense on food and sweets that were to be circulated as gifts to every citizen of Madhuvan. Ugrasena had already sent an endowment of fifty gold coins to every household in the city. The coins carried images of Devki and Vasudev on either side and were intended as souvenirs that the citizens could keep with them as a memoir of the royal wedding.

The festive atmosphere reached gargantuan proportions with the arrival of Kansa on the eve of the wedding day. Crowds screamed their welcome to the prince of Madhuvan and the more exuberant amongst the children actually ran alongside his horse, cheering for him. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, none of them noticed the subtle changes in Kansa.

Kansa went directly to the palace and bowed to the king, seeking his blessings in full view of the entire court. The courtiers cheered the arrival of the prince. Ugrasena made a gallant effort to keep his emotions in check as he blessed his son. He was so elated at Kansa’s sudden arrival that he too failed to notice the transformation in the prince. Kansa took his place on the right-hand side of Ugrasena and he nodded tersely at Vasudev as he caught his old friend staring at him from the other side of the large hall.

Vasudev sat next to Surasena, in a place reserved for the most honoured guests. Seated amongst them were the various kings and royalty from the most powerful countries in Mrityulok. Dhritarashtra from Hastinapur was accompanied by the Kuru grandsire, Bheeshma. Drupada was present from the powerful country of Panchala. Sakuni represented the land of Gandhar. The other notable royals present had come from Salva, Kekaya, Chedi, Avanti, Kosala, Kalinga, Madra, Sindhu and Virata, among others.