‘The rumours are all true, horrifyingly so.’

The soldiers knew the Dandak forests were to the South of the Narmada, the border mandated by Lord Manu. The border that was never to be crossed. Not only were they violating Lord Manu’s orders, but they were also entering the terrifying Dandakaranya. None of them wanted to push their luck further by being adventurous in these cursed jungles. Kali’s words only sealed their convictions.

‘Only Ganesh, Vishwadyumna and I know the path through this death trap. If you want to stay alive, follow our orders and do as we tell you. In turn, I give you my word that you will all reach Panchavati alive.’

The soldiers nodded vigorously.

‘For the rest of the day, rest on your ships, eat your fill and get some sleep. We leave tomorrow morning at sunrise. Nobody is to go exploring into the Sundarban by himself tonight. He may discover that these forests are more vicious than beautiful.’

Kali climbed down the mast to find Shiva and Sati below.

‘How far is the Dandak forest from here?’ asked Sati.

Kali looked around and then back at Sati. ‘We are travelling in a large convoy. Normally, the distance should take a month. But I suspect we will take two or three. I don’t mind that though. I would rather be slow than dead.’

‘You have a way with words, sister.’

Kali smiled with unholy glee.

‘Is Panchavati at the centre of the Dandak forest?’ asked Shiva.

‘No, Shiva. It is more towards the western end.’

‘A long way.’

‘That’s why I said it would take a long time. Once in the Dandakaranya, it will take another six months to reach Panchavati.’

‘Hmm,’ said Shiva. ‘We should carry enough food from the ships.’

‘No need, Shiva,’ said Kali. ‘Excess baggage will slow us down. The forests are replete with all the food we need. We just have to be careful that we don’t eat something that we shouldn’t.’

‘But food isn’t the only problem. We’ll be spending nine months in the forest. There are many other threats.’

Kali eyes lit up. ‘Not if you are with me.’

Dinner had been served on the deck of the main ship. Shiva had decided to honour the Naga custom of community eating, where many people ate from one humongous plate stitched together from many banana tree leaves.

Shiva, Sati, Kali, Ganesh, Kartik, Parvateshwar, Anandmayi, Bhagirath, Ayurvati, Parshuram, Nandi, Veerbhadra and Krittika sat around the massive plate. Parvateshwar found the custom odd and unhygienic, but as always, followed Shiva’s orders.

‘What is the reason behind this custom, Your Highness?’ asked Bhagirath to Kali.

‘We Nagas believe Devi Annapurna, the goddess of food, is one of our collective mothers. After all, doesn’t she keep us all alive? What this custom does is that it makes us all receive her blessings together. We eat all our meals, while travelling, in this manner. We are brothers and sisters now. We share the same fate on the journey.’

‘That’s true,’ said Bhagirath, simultaneously thinking that community eating was a good way to hedge against poisoning.

‘Is it really that dangerous in Dandak, Your Highness?’ asked Parvateshwar. ‘Or are these just rumours that ensure discipline?’

‘The forest can be abundant and caring like an indulgent mother if we follow her rules. But stray out of line and she can be like a demon who will strike you down. Yes, the rumours help ensure discipline. Nine months is a long time to stick to a fixed path, to not stray. But trust me, those who stray will find that the rumours are not far from hard facts.’

‘All right,’ said Shiva. ‘Enough of this. Let’s eat.’

All this while, Ayurvati had been looking at Krittika and Veerbhadra. Between bites, Veerbhadra was pointing towards Kartik and whispering to his wife. They looked at Kartik with loving eyes, almost like he was their own son.

Ayurvati smiled sadly.

‘General,’ said Veerbhadra.

Parvateshwar was clearly irritated. The two men were on the floating dock next to the lead ship, along with a hundred soldiers. At the lead were Kali and Ganesh. No road was visible. Dense bushes covered the path in every direction.

Seeing Veerbhadra, Parvateshwar calmed down. ‘Is the Lord coming?’

‘No General, just me.’

Parvateshwar nodded. ‘That’s all right.’ And then, he turned towards Kali. ‘Your Highness, I hope you do not expect my men to hack their way through these bushes all the way to Panchavati?’

‘Even if I did, I’m sure your Suryavanshi men would be able to do so very easily.’

Parvateshwar’s eyes narrowed in irritation. ‘My Lady, I am at the end of my tether. You either give me some straight answers or I take my men and sail out of here.’

‘I don’t know what to do to earn your trust, General. Have I done anything in this journey thus far to hurt your men?’ Kali pointed in a westerly direction. ‘All I need your men to do now is hack their way through these bushes for a hundred metres in that direction.’

‘That’s it?’

‘That’s it.’

Parvateshwar nodded. The soldiers immediately drew their swords and formed a line. Veerbhadra joined them. They moved forward slowly slashing through almost impenetrable bushes. Vishwadyumna and Ganesh were at the two ends of the line, swords drawn, facing outwards. It was obvious from their stance that they were protecting the men from some unknown danger.

A little while later, Veerbhadra and the soldiers were surprised to emerge from the dense undergrowth on to a pathway. It was broad enough for ten horses riding side by side.

‘Where, in Lord Ram’s name, did this come from?’ asked an astonished Parvateshwar.

‘The road to heaven,’ said Kali. ‘But it passes through hell before that.’

Parvateshwar turned back to the Naga Queen.

Kali smiled. ‘I told you so. Trust me.’

Veerbhadra walked up and stared in wonder at the road ahead. It ran straight, right into the distance. A stony path, it had been levelled reasonably well. Along the sides, running parallel to the trees, were two continuous hedges of long, thorny creepers.

‘Are they poisonous?’ asked Parvateshwar, pointing at the twin fences.

‘The inside one, on the side of the road, is made of the Nagavalli creeper,’ said Kali. ‘You can even eat the leaves if you like. But the hedge on the outside, facing the forest, is highly toxic. If you get pricked by its thorns, you will not even have time to say your last prayers.’

Parvateshwar raised his eyebrows. How did they build all this?

Veerbhadra turned towards Kali. ‘Your Highness, is that it? Is this all we have to do? Uncover this road and keep walking? And we find the city of the Nagas?’

Kali grinned. ‘If only life was that simple!’

The first prahar was just about ending. The sun glimmered over the horizon. Within a few minutes, it would be shining down in all its glory, spreading light and warmth. In the dense Sundarban however, the sun was a shadow of its fiery self. Only a few rays courageously penetrated the heavy foliage to light the pathway for Shiva’s convoy.

A company of men had been stationed at the clearing made by hacking the bushes up to the Naga road, with express instructions. Kill anything and everything emerging from the forest.