Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (13 page)

Mitra now called Varuna and Vayu to the arena. Their weapon of choice was the mace. As the two of them faced off, Vayu had a big smile on his face. He shrugged his massive shoulders, warming up as he watched his adversary. Varuna just stood, face expressionless, mace at the ready; his dark eyes were inscrutable as he stared at his opponent.

Indra was now outside the courtyard as he heard the maces clash together, announcing the beginning of the next duel. He let the tears of disappointment flow down his cheeks. He could not believe how he had walked into that one. He'd had his opponent right where he wanted him, and then he had handed over the victory on a platter.

While all these thoughts were racing through his mind, he heard movement nearby. He turned sharply in the direction of the sound and hurriedly wiped his face. He realised that it was coming from the shrubbery that fenced Mitra's courtyard. He rushed towards it, reached in and dragged out a screaming, protesting girl.

'Sachi! What are you doing here?'

The girl was beautiful, with delicate features and skin the colour of pale ivory. Her long, black hair fell straight and cascaded down to her hips. She turned to him, her dark eyes flashing.

'I am the regent's daughter. I go where I please.'

As Indra let go of her, his tone became gentler.

'You cannot be here. If Mitra sees you, you will be in a lot of trouble. What do you want anyway?'

'I came to see the champion of the next Spardha in action, and I have to say, things don't look too good,' she laughed.

Indra was about to protest angrily when he looked at her and realised she was teasing him.

'Oh, be quiet. Go home. You have no place here among warriors.'

He turned and walked away with her laughter ringing in the background. Sachi was the girl who was to be his bride. Mitra had named her Indrani and fixed the alliance when she was born. Sachi was the name her family had given her, the name she would use till the day she married him. They had been playmates since childhood and although at times she talked too much, Indra loved to spend time with her. But now, with the trials so close, it would not do for Mitra and his companions to see him hanging around with a girl. He made his way back to the courtyard and quietly took his place by the side as he watched his two friends in action.

Varuna, unruffled, was stalking a tired-looking Vayu, staying close to his bigger opponent and not giving him an opportunity to swing his mace. He had not even broken into a sweat. When he was able to get close enough, Varuna used a series of quick jabs and short swings to knock his bigger and stronger opponent off balance. Vayu's armour was dented in several places and his shoulders were bruised. His breathing was ragged as he staggered and fell.

Varuna hung back and waited for him to get up, Vayu rose and immediately swung his mace. Varuna deftly sidestepped the blow. Vayu cursed under his breath as he went after him, aiming one massive blow after another at his elusive opponent till finally, exhausted, he stood there gasping for breath. Varuna moved forward and goaded his opponent with his weapon, taunting him. With a huge grunt, Vayu raised his mace and swung it. Varuna stepped back as the blow landed in front of him and then quickly moved in. He stepped on the shaft of Vayu's mace as it hit the ground. Vayu lost his grip on the weapon; Varuna struck a light blow on his back causing him to fall over. The duel was over.

Varuna offered his fallen opponent his hand to help him get to his feet. Vayu laughed as he grabbed it in an arm lock and wrestled Varuna to the ground. The two of them then got to their feet and made their way back to their seats, smiling.

Agni rushed to the combat area even before Mitra could call him. He was mortified to hear that he and Soma would be wrestling. He started to protest.

'But Master, I cannot wrestle this runt--it won't be a contest.'

Mitra smiled.

'If you concentrate a little, you might defeat him.'

Agni laughed loudly.

'Defeat him! Hah! I will teach him a lesson he will not forget.'

Soma, lean and muscular, built like a whiplash, was already in preparation for the bout. He anointed his arms and legs with animal fat and watched his opponent quietly. Agni got more and more impatient as he waited.

'Oh, come on Soma. This fight is not going to last as long as your preparations.'

Soma now stretched his limbs and took his time; he knew this would irritate Agni further.

Finally, after what seemed to Agni like an eternity, Mitra announced for the fight to begin. Agni rushed in. He hoped to use his superior height and build to good effect. Soma was prepared; he crouched low and did not allow Agni to get his arms around his lean frame. Agni tried to grab his shoulders, but Soma wriggled away--the grease on his body making it difficult for Agni to get a grip. The two of them circled around for a while, prompting Vayu to shout, 'Come on ladies, this is a duel, not a dance.'

Agni paused to catch his breath and gave Vayu a dirty look. Soma darted in and pushed him, causing him to lose his balance. Vayu hooted with laughter.

Agni's temper came to the fore. He hissed, 'I'll get you, you little weasel.'

He rushed forward, arms raised. Soma stayed low and slapped his hands away. Agni tried again, only to get the same result. The slaps served to infuriate him further. Soma noticed that his friend's face was going red and almost matched the colour of his fiery hair.

Agni bent his head and charged at Soma, who showed superb agility; he leapt in the air and, using Agni's head as leverage, vaulted neatly over him. Agni's charge nearly carried him into the spectators, who laughed at him. Even Indra, in spite of his surly mood, had a big smile on his face. The laughter of his companions drove Agni into a blind rage, he turned and charged again.

Soma was revelling in the moment and did not expect the same move again. He was a little late to step aside, and one flailing arm caught him with enough force to knock him off his feet. With a growl of triumph, Agni leapt on to his fallen opponent. Soma saw him coming and raised his legs in the air. His feet caught Agni on his chest and Soma used the momentum of the bigger boy against him and threw him over his head.

Agni did a somersault in the air and landed hard on his back. The impact knocked the wind out of his sails. In a flash, Soma was on him. He used his knees to pin the shoulders of his opponent to the ground. Mitra called the end of the fight and Soma was lifted off his feet and carried by a jubilant Indra for a lap of honour. It was not often that the slightly built Soma prevailed in a one-on-one encounter with his friends.

Vayu continued to taunt Agni as he helped him to his feet. Agni took it in his stride and smiled as he dusted himself and called out to the victor.

'One of these days I'm going to knock that crafty little head right off your shoulders with my mace.'

Indra went to Paras and clasped his shoulder.

'You fought well, my friend. Please forgive my behaviour. I should learn to be more graceful in defeat.'

Paras smiled. 'Don't worry, my prince. The way you fight, you will not have to worry too much about defeat.'

Mitra called for their attention.

'You have acquitted yourself well, my boys, and as a reward I would like to inform you that Mahisi has arranged a grand feast tonight. So enjoy yourselves and don't stay up too late as I expect you here at dawn for your riding lesson.'

The announcement was followed with hoots of appreciation. In the last seven years of training and study, they had been forced to get used to Mitra's cooking. Though their teacher was extremely skilled in a lot of disciplines, culinary science wasn't one of them.

Just as they were gathering their things and preparing to leave, Mitra made one final announcement.

'Just so the ones who lost don't feel they got away scot free, they can carry the victors on their backs to the feast.'

A groan escaped from Indra's lips, at the thought of hauling Paras all the way to Mahisi's farm.

***

Mitra sat down and lit his hemp pipe as he listened to the sound of excited voices recede into the background. For the last seven years, he and Paras had trained these boys and honed their martial skills. Indra's companions had been handpicked from Mahisi's orphanage, their fathers had fought and died with Daeyus at the Pass of the Wolves. These boys had now sworn a blood oath of allegiance to Indra. Their fate was now inseparably bound to his.

The boys had their own distinct personalities, yet they seemed to get along very well together. Now, in a week, their skills would be put to the ultimate test. It was time for the Spardha.

For a tribe that had been at peace for several years--something quite unusual given the way of the Devas--the Spardha assumed great significance, allowing young warriors to assess their true potential in combat and win some glory.

The rules for the tournament were simple. The best young warriors were chosen to represent their groups or dals. These groups were pitted against each other in the various disciplines of skill and combat. The top two dals would compete for the trophy. They would also nominate one warrior from their group for the ultimate face-off to decide who would be the individual champion. This was the prize that Indra wanted above everything else.

The natural thing for Indra to do would have been to join his father's dal, the Lions, but Mitra had advised against it. The Lions were now led and trained by Pusan, Vasu's son. Pusan was the reigning champion of the Spardha and the foremost warrior amongst the Devas. He had his own ideas as to who should be the leader of the tribe, and it did not include Indra.

Mitra knew how important this victory was for his young ward's future, and he'd made the decision to start a new dal. Their symbol was the swooping falcon, which was emblazoned in silver on a purple banner that now fluttered proudly on a pole in Mitra's yard.

While the older dals, like the Lions, the Bears and the Wolves had a faithful following, a large alumnus and a number of candidates to choose from, the Falcons had a pool of only five young warriors. But Mitra was not just training them for a competition, but for a life of war. He did not want these boys to just win the Spardha. He was training them to conquer the world.

There was great anticipation in the clan regarding this Spardha. During Daeyus' time, it had been an annual affair. But now, in times of peace, it had been three years since the last tournament. The enthusiasts and the punters hung around the training areas, trying to assess the potential of each of the dals. While there was enough information available on the other dals and the candidates they were likely to field, the Falcons were a mystery as they trained and lived away from the settlement at Mitra's hermitage. They had not participated in the last tournament, preferring to watch from the sidelines as Pusan and his Lions took the prize.

In the Lions' training yard, Pusan had just finished putting his wards through the wringer. They stood before him, led by his protege Atreya. Pusan gripped his shoulder proudly.

'Well done, my champion. Once again the Lions will devour the opposition in this Spardha.'

Atreya, his muscular frame covered with sweat, raised his training sword high in the air and led the boys in their war cry.

'Victory to the Lions!'

Just then a messenger rushed in and bowed low.

'Greetings, Captain Pusan. The regent has asked for you to meet him in the Sabha as soon as possible.'

Pusan dismissed his squad and hurried to meet his father.

***

At Mahisi's residence, the Falcons were treated to a feast far beyond their expectations. After the intensive training session, the boys fell upon the food like a pack of ravenous wolves. There was venison stew served with unleavened bread, succulent catfish caught fresh from the river and grilled on coals, quail eggs and thick cream cheese. In keeping with their current standing as young warriors, they were also served a portion of watered-down wine along with the food. By the end of the feast, the boys were ready to pass out. They were escorted to their old dormitory where they had lived as children.

Paras waited for them to fall sleep before he quietly made his way back to Mahisi's hut. Unlike Mitra, who seemed comfortable with his celibacy, Paras had needs. Both he and Mahisi had this discreet arrangement that worked well for both parties.

***

It was still an hour before dawn when five horsemen led by Pusan made their way southwards from Aryavarta. Though still a few months short of his twentieth birthday, Pusan had developed a formidable reputation as a warrior. It was why his father had entrusted him with this task.

For the last few months, a lion had terrorised farmers in the southern lands. It had taken several horses and cattle and recently killed a young farmer and his wife. The people had named him Baldar, the strong one. Pusan had vowed that he would bring back the lion's skin and sit on it to watch the Spardha.