Parvateshwar opened his eyes slowly, his breathing ragged.

‘My friend,’ whispered Shiva.

‘My Lord,’ whispered Parvateshwar, trying to get up.

‘No! Don’t!’ said Shiva, gently making Parvateshwar lie back. ‘You need to rest. You are strong-headed, but not that strong!’

Parvateshwar smiled wanly.

Shiva knew the question that would arise first in the General’s mind. ‘All the Brangas are safe. What you did was brilliant.’

‘I don’t know, My Lord. I will have to do penance. I have committed a sin.’

‘What you did saved lives. There is no need for any penance.’

Parvateshwar sighed. His head still throbbed immensely. ‘They had some ghastly ritual going on...’

‘Don’t think about it, my friend. Right now you need to relax. Ayurvati has ordered strictly that nobody is to disturb you. I will leave you alone. Try to catch some sleep.’

‘Anandmayi!’

Bhagirath tried to stop his sister. Anandmayi was rushing into the ayuralay chamber where Parvateshwar lay. She had been out of the city the whole day attending a music lesson at a nearby ashram. She ran into her brother’s arms.

‘Is he all right?’

‘Yes,’ said Bhagirath.

Anandmayi glowered. ‘Who is the bastard who did this? I hope you killed that dog!’

‘We will let Parvateshwar decide what to do.’

‘I heard he was hit on the temple. That there was blood haemorrhaging.’

‘Yes.’

‘Lord Agni be merciful. That can be fatal.’

‘Yes. But some medicines from the Brangas have saved him.’

‘Brangas? First they nearly kill him and then give medicines to save him? Is there no limit to their madness?’

‘The medicine was given by their leader, Divodas. He arrived in Kashi a few hours back and heard about this incident. He seems like a good man.’

Anandmayi was not interested in the Branga leader. ‘Has Parvateshwar woken up?’

‘Yes. The Lord Neelkanth just met him. He has gone back to sleep. He is out of danger. Don’t worry.’

Anandmayi nodded, her eyes moist.

‘And, by the way,’ said Bhagirath. ‘I’ve also recovered from my injuries.’

Anandmayi burst out laughing. ‘I’m sorry, my brother! I should have asked.’

Bhagirath made a dramatic pose. ‘Nobody can hurt your brother. He’s the greatest Chandravanshi warrior ever!’

‘Nobody hurt you because you must have been hiding behind Parvateshwar!’

Bhagirath burst out laughing and reached out playfully to chuff his sister. Anandmayi pulled her younger brother into her arms.

‘Go,’ said Bhagirath. ‘Looking at him may make you feel better.’

Anandmayi nodded. As she entered Parvateshwar’s room, Ayurvati emerged from another chamber. ‘Your Highness.’

‘Yes, Lady Ayurvati,’ said Bhagirath with a namaste.

‘The Lord Neelkanth and I would like to talk to you. Could you come with me?’

‘Of course.’

‘Where did you get the medicine from, Bhagirath?’ asked Shiva.

Bhagirath was surprised at Shiva’s tone. The Lord had always appeared kind. He now seemed cold. Angry.

‘What is the matter, My Lord?’ asked Bhagirath, worried.

‘Answer my question, Prince. Where did you get the medicine from?’

‘From the Brangas.’

Shiva stared hard into Bhagirath’s eyes. Bhagirath could gauge the Neelkanth was struggling to believe his words.

‘I’m not lying, My Lord,’ said Bhagirath. ‘And why would I? This medicine has saved the General’s life.’

Shiva continued to stare.

‘My Lord, what is the problem?’

‘The problem, Your Highness,’ said Ayurvati, ‘is that this medicine is not available in the Sapt Sindhu. I could tell that it was made from the bark of the Sanjeevani tree. But the problem with any Sanjeevani medicine is that it deteriorates rapidly. It cannot be used unless freshly taken from a live tree. This medicine was stabilised. It was a paste. We could use it.’

‘My apologies Lady Ayurvati, but I still do not understand the problem.’

‘There is only one element, the crushed wood of another specific tree, which is capable of mixing with the Sanjeevani and stabilising it. That tree does not grow in the Sapt Sindhu.’

Bhagirath frowned.

‘That tree only grows south of the Narmada river. In Naga territory.’

The prince of Ayodhya froze. He knew what the Neelkanth would be thinking. ‘My Lord, I have nothing to do with the Nagas. I got this medicine from the Branga leader Divodas. I swear on Ayodhya. I swear on my beloved sister. I have nothing to do with the Nagas.’

Shiva continued to stare at Bhagirath. ‘I want to meet Divodas.’

‘My Lord, I swear I have nothing to do with the Nagas.’

‘Get me Divodas within the next hour, Prince Bhagirath.’

Bhagirath’s heart was beating madly. ‘My Lord, please believe me...’

‘We will talk about this later, Prince Bhagirath,’ said Shiva. ‘Please get Divodas.’

‘I believe King Athithigva has already arranged for Divodas to have an audience with you tomorrow morning, My Lord.’

Shiva stared at Bhagirath, eyes narrowing a bit.

‘I will arrange for Divodas to come here right away, My Lord,’ said Bhagirath, rushing from the room.

Anandmayi sat silently on a chair next to Parvateshwar’s bed. The General was asleep, breathing slowly. The Princess ran her fingers slowly down Parvateshwar’s powerful shoulder, arm and all the way to his fingers. The General’s body seemed to shiver a bit.

Anandmayi laughed softly. ‘For all your vows, you are a man after all!’

As if driven by instinct, Parvateshwar withdrew his hand. He blabbered something in his sleep. The voice not clear enough to reach Anandmayi’s ears. She leaned forward.

‘I’ll never break my vow... father. That is my... Dashrath promise. I will never break... my vow.’

A Dashrath promise, named after a vow that Lord Ram’s father had once taken, was an open-ended word of honour that could never be broken. Anandmayi shook her head and sighed. Parvateshwar was repeating his vow of brahmacharya, or eternal celibacy, once again.

‘I’ll never break... my vow.’

Anandmayi smiled. ‘We’ll see.’

‘My Lord,’ said Divodas, immediately bending to touch the Neelkanth’s feet.

‘Ayushman bhav, Divodas,’ said Shiva, blessing the man with a long life.

‘Such an honour to meet you, My Lord. The dark days are over. You will solve all our problems. We can go home.’

‘Go home? You still want to go back?’

‘Branga is my soul, My Lord. I would never have left my homeland if it weren’t for the plague.’

Shiva frowned, before coming to the point that concerned him. ‘You are a good man, Divodas. You saved my friend’s life. Even at your own cost.’

‘It was a matter of honour, My Lord. I know all that happened. General Parvateshwar saved my tribe from certain death. We had to return the favour. And there was no cost to me.’