Melcorka Of Alba

by Malcolm Archibald

  Chaturi indicated Melcorka. 'If the world were in balance, the curse would have had little or no effect on your friend there. The power of Melcorka's sword would have protected her.'

  Bradan nodded. 'So why is the world not in balance?'

  'The nine Siddhars are not on Sathuragiri.' Chaturi said. 'There are only seven on the mystic mountain. Until all nine are there, the power of evil will gradually take control, rakshasas will enter our world and eventually, we will live solely in evil and violence when people will either suffer or enjoy the suffering of others.'

  Bradan stiffened. 'I have heard Kosala mentioning the rakshasas.'

  'Kosala is a pragmatic warrior, not a man of deep thought, yet he understands the principle of good and evil. He recognises a demon for what it is.'

  Bradan felt a cold shiver run from the base of his spine to the nape of his neck. 'These rakshasas, are they ugly creatures with many arms and a beak of a mouth?'

  'That is one shape they can take.' Chaturi was not smiling. 'You already know the answer. I have been inside your head, remember?'

  'I remember,' Bradan said.

  'You saw it attack the Chola ship.' Chaturi spoke quietly. 'Did the Thiruzha remark on it?'

  'No.' Bradan shook his head. 'They were too scared even to mention it. The sight of the monster… the demon… must have been too much for them.'

  'They were too scared,' Chaturi agreed, 'and they were right to be afraid, for the demon lived among them. You knew it as Dhraji. That thing is a rakshasa, one of the more malignant demons.' She touched his arm. 'You already knew this.'

  Bradan closed his eyes. 'Yes, I lived with a rakshasa.'

  Chaturi nodded slowly. 'You lived with and loved with a rakshasa in human form and your friend there, Melcorka the Swordswoman, fought it when it took its demonic form.'

  Bradan took a deep breath. 'How can we get the nine Siddhars back onto Sathuragiri?'

  'Seven are already there,' Chaturi reminded him. 'Two are not. We know where the eighth is, but nobody can reach him, and the ninth is missing.'

  'Where is the eighth? Nobody can reach him? By the love of God, I will reach him for Melcorka's sake.'

  'The rakshasa you knew as Dhraji captured one of the Siddhars. His name is Machaendranathar,' Chaturi said. 'Dhraji suspended him in an iron cage from her border fortress of Rajgana.'

  Rajgana! The armies of Chola and Thiruzha are marching to Rajgana. If we are to free this Machaendranathar, we will have to get there before the fighting starts.

  'Can't we save him?'

  'We hope to,' Chaturi said. 'My Singhalese people, the people who presently live in this village, are not warriors, although they carry swords and spears. Only Kosala is a genuine fighting man. The others are fishermen and divers. Your rakshasa, Dhraji, enslaved us to dive for her pearls.'

  'Dhraji loves her pearls,' Bradan agreed.

  'Some of the rakshasas do.' Chaturi frowned. 'They are a vain breed. My pearl-divers cannot fight the Thiruzha army. We need soldiers for that – warriors to face warriors.'

  'You might have some soon,' Bradan said. 'Dhraji and Bhim spoke of a two-pronged Chola attack on Thiruzha. The Chola navy was defeated, but their army will be attacking Rajgana within the next few days. If they are successful, we can free this Machaendranathar fellow.'

  'Rajgana is impregnable,' Chaturi said.

  'Nowhere is impregnable,' Bradan said. 'Let's go to Rajgana and see if we can help. Your divers may not be the fiercest warriors in the world, but they seem a handy enough bunch to me, while Kosala would fit into anybody's army.'

  Chaturi shook her head. 'If only it were that easy. Have you ever been to the Western Ghats? Have you seen the Rajgana frontier fortress?'

  'I have seen fortresses before,' Bradan said. 'They can be assaulted, they can be undermined, or they can be stormed or starved into submission.'

  'I admire your optimism.' Chaturi gave a sad smile. 'I hope you feel the same after you have seen Rajgana.'

  Rajgana. For some reason, the name chilled Bradan, as if somebody had walked across his grave. 'I will carry Melcorka with us.' He lifted his chin, expecting Chaturi to object. 'I won't leave her alone.'

  Instead, Chaturi smiled. 'We'll help.'

  'Thank you,' Bradan said. 'Now, I have one more question. I have only seen Dhraji nervous on one occasion, and that was when she heard that a cavalry patrol was nearing the Rajgana Pass. I have been told that she is scared of one man.'

  'That is so,' Chaturi said. 'Rakshasas should live forever, yet there is a legend that says that one warrior will kill Dhraji.'

  'Who is this warrior?' Bradan asked.

  'The legend says that he will be the greatest warrior there has ever been.' Chaturi said. 'That is all that I know.'

  Bradan nodded. 'I hope he comes soon. Dhraji is a source of great evil.'

  'No.' Chaturi's expression altered. 'The rakshasa we call Dhraji is not a source of great evil. It is the living personification of evil!' When she looked up, Bradan saw the dark shadows of fear in her eyes.

  Chapter Ten

  With Bradan and a smiling diver carrying the swinging litter that held Melcorka, the Singhalese left their hill-top camp for the Ghats. They travelled warily, alert for Thiruzha warriors as they jogged along a succession of narrow forest tracks, avoiding villages in case spies reported them to Dhraji. Twice, they passed crossroads decorated with the twisted bodies of men and women, executed in various hideous ways.

  'Dhraji's work,' Chaturi said. 'These people are better off dead than under her power.'

  Ignoring the colourful snakes and hordes of biting and crawling insects, the Singhalese made good progress. After two days, Kosala lifted a hand and signalled them to stop. He pointed ahead, unsmiling but evidently pleased.

  'There,' Chaturi said. 'We are on the foothills of the Western Ghats.'

  Close to, the mountains were even more impressive. Higher than any hills Bradan knew in Alba, they were also lusher, covered in dense vegetation that would provide a formidable barrier to any army.

  'There is only one pass into Thiruzha that is suitable for an army,' Chaturi said. 'Even so, the troops would have to squeeze between two steep peaks, neither of which has ever been climbed, and which are only a stone's throw apart. A fort sits on top of a spur of each mountain, with a slender bridge connecting them. Each fort has a large garrison, and the whole defensive complex has the name Rajgana.'

  'So if the Cholas take the forts, this Rajgana, they can enter Thiruzha,' Bradan said.

  'Neither of the forts has ever been captured,' Chaturi said. 'You will see why in an hour. An attacker needs to capture both, for any one of them could make passage into Thiruzha impossible.'

  They rested in a clearing partway up a steep ridge, with the Ghat range reaching as far as they could see, until it faded into the northern distance. Behind them, the forest tops spread to the distant blue haze of the sea.

  'How large is this Bharata Khanda?' Bradan asked.

  Chaturi shrugged. 'As far as one can travel and even then you will still not reach the end. To the far north, there is the sacred river Ganges and beyond that is the great Himalaya mountain range, that makes our little Ghats appear like pimples on a teenage girl's bottom.' Chaturi smiled. 'There is a mysterious kingdom in the Himalayas, and the lands of the Chin lie to the east of that. To the northwest are wild, terrible mountains and beyond that are vast steppes that extend to the birth of the wind.'

  'Once Melcorka is herself again, we may visit these places.' Bradan said. 'Show me these fortresses of Rajgana.'

  'Follow,' Chaturi said and strode on with a speed that belied her years. 'It's not far.' The others trailed in her wake.

  Chaturi led them to a steep, wooded slope with extensive views to the east. 'This is as good a place as any. Any further and we might meet Thiruzha patrols.'

  'We are sufficiently close,' Bradan said. 'That is indeed an impressive fortress.'

  The pass rose steeply from the forested plains on t
he eastern side of the Ghat Mountains and threaded through a defile so narrow that only a single wagon, two packhorses or four men abreast could advance together. At some time in the distant past, an engineer had carved this path from the living rock. Later, or perhaps at the same time, an architect with a genius for the dramatic had designed the twin forts of Rajgana.

  Bradan looked upward, following the sheer cliff on either side of the pass. In places, trees, creepers and other vegetation clung to cracks in the cliff; elsewhere, the rock seemed smooth as ice. Three hundred feet above the pass, the walls of the fortress looked like a vertical extension of the cliff. They were sheer, tall and impossible to scale, with a series of overhangs provided with a hundred dark holes through which objects could be dropped on anybody negotiating the pass.

  An arched bridge connected the two halves of Rajgana Fort. Stone-built and perhaps sufficiently broad to hold two men walking side by side, the bridge was again pierced with holes and arrow slits, so that the defenders could drop unpleasant objects onto any force passing beneath. No army could force the pass without suffering horrendous casualties.

  'Whoever controls Rajgana controls the pass,' Chaturi said.

  'What is that?' Bradan pointed to an iron cage that slowly swung thirty feet beneath the bridge, at least three hundred feet above the pass. Even from this distance, Bradan could see somebody sitting within the cage.

  'That is the prison where Dhraji holds Machaendranathar,' Chaturi said. 'As you see, the Siddhar has no shelter, no floor except iron bars and no way out.'

  Bradan whistled. 'I see why nobody can free him.'

  'Why is that man in a cage?' Melcorka waved her hand.

  'He is a prisoner there,' Bradan told her.

  'Why is he a prisoner there?' Melcorka waved again. 'He doesn't like it there. He wants to be free.'

  'A bad woman put him there,' Bradan said.

  'Can't somebody let him go?' Melcorka frowned. 'He's miserable. I can feel his sadness.'

  'We're going to try and let him go,' Bradan said.

  'Good.' Melcorka nodded. 'He's a good man.'

  'You are right, Melcorka,' Chaturi said. 'He is a very good man.'

  Bradan sighed, desperately wishing that Melcorka was herself again. 'How strong is the garrison of the fort?'

  Kosala answered. 'We estimate that they have about two hundred and fifty men on each individual fort.' He held up a hand. 'Listen!'

  The sound was clear; the regular tramp of marching feet accompanied by the heavier tread of animals. A trumpet blared, followed immediately by the blast of horns and the high squealing of elephants.

  'There's an army approaching.' Bradan said. 'From the west. Thiruzhas.'

  'Melt into the trees,' Kosala said. 'There are too few of us to face an army, especially with Rajgana so close.' When he fingered the hilt of his sword, Bradan knew the Singhalese warrior longed to throw himself into a fight with the Thiruzhas. Melcorka had that same look whenever she grasped Defender.

  The Singhalese took cover in the forest, burrowing behind the trees and bushes until they had virtually vanished. The sound of marching increased; small pebbles rattled on the ground and alarmed birds exploded from the trees. Monkeys shrieked and gibbered as they gathered in curious clusters in the topmost branches.

  'There they are.' Kosala pointed to the west.

  Dhraji had come in style. Perched in her howdah, she led an array of twenty war elephants with spikes around their legs, iron on their tusks and archers sitting on their backs. Behind the elephants rode troop after troop of cavalry, followed by five companies of archers and spearmen, fresh from their successful defence of Kollchi.

  'That is a formidable force,' Bradan said.

  'The Chola army will have to fight hard to force the pass.' Kosala's fist wrapped around the hilt of his sword. 'If only I had more men. With just fifty, I could create a diversion on this side of Rajgana.'

  'You and Melcorka will get along famously,' Bradan said. 'Once she is better.'

  Kosala looked at Melcorka who lay smiling at the monkeys, grunted and shook his head. 'A simpleton will not be any use in a battle.'

  'She's no simpleton.' Bradan looked up at the Siddhar swinging in his cage and wondered how he could possibly get him free. As long as the Thiruzha held Rajgana, Machaendranathar was doomed to captivity. Everything depended on the skill of the Chola commander.

  Bradan watched as Bhim made his dispositions. He set his spearmen in solid phalanxes along the road and among the woodland on either side, with blocks of archers positioned amongst them. He sent another company of archers to the Chola side of the pass, together with the bulk of his horsemen, presumably so they could skirmish with any Chola army or disrupt their advance.

  The marchers' dust settled. The Thiruzha army settled in its positions, with some playing musical instruments, others singing or cooking. Flies clouded around while hunting birds circled above, waiting for the dead they sensed would come.

  It was Kosala who first felt the approach of the Chola army. 'Here they come,' he said. 'It's two hours past noon, about four hours to sunset. That leaves time for a short battle.'

  'Let's hope for a decisive Chola victory,' Bradan said.

  'It's in Shiva's hands,' Chaturi said.

  From the Singhalese position halfway up the hillside, Bradan could see both sides of the pass and the rolling cloud of dust that marked the advance of the Chola army. Bhim was equally alert and sent two squadrons of cavalry forward, the men yelling shrilly and waving swords and lances in their excitement.

  'Shiva, grant success to the Chola,' Chaturi prayed.

  'They're coming fast.' Kosala gripped his sword. A few moments later, they heard the cries and screams above the hammer of marching feet.

  'They've made contact.' Bradan held Melcorka's hand.

  'Now we wait and hope,' Chaturi said. 'If the Chola win, then we can rescue Machaendranathar and begin to restore some balance. If Bhim's Thiruzha win, then may Shiva and all the gods help us.'

  'The Chola have halted,' Bradan said, as the trembling stopped and the dust created by thousands of marching feet settled down. As the air cleared, Bradan could see what was happening on the further side of the pass.

  The Thiruzha cavalry returned, some wounded, and with a dozen empty saddles. They were laughing as if satisfied with a good job done.

  'Oh, dear Lord.' Bradan gripped Melcorka's hand tighter.

  The Chola had halted five hundred yards short of Rajgana. For every man that Bhim had, the Chola Empire had ten, with fifty war elephants standing in line amidst regiments of cavalry and infantry. The reflection of the sun on spear-points and swords, helmets and shields dazzled the watchers.

  'What force can stand against so many?' Bradan asked. 'It makes the armies of Alba and the Norse seem puny in comparison.'

  'Our hope is constant in Chola,' Chaturi said.

  A horn blared out, and then another and another, echoing back and forth from the surrounding hills. War drums began their insistent rap-a-tap-tap, driving men to battle as flags fluttered and snapped above the dust and the helmets of thousands of warriors. In response, the defenders of Rajgana hoisted the yellow leopard of Thiruzha.

  'The Cholas are advancing,' Bradan said.

  'And Bhim's men are retreating.' Chaturi did not sound elated as the Thiruzha forward force withdrew through the narrows beside the fort.

  The Chola general sent in his elephants first, massive battering rams to try and force the pass. They moved ponderously, great grey monsters with spiked trunks and steel-reinforced tusks, offensive weapons whose feet clumped down slowly, steadily, inexorably toward the western side of the pass. At first, nothing happened, and then the defenders of Rajgana began to fire. A torrent of arrows poured down from both forts, so the elephants soon resembled grey hedgehogs with the number of arrows that were embedded in their thick hides.

  'It's not stopping them,' Kosala said. 'They're still coming on!'

  The archers altered their target
s, aiming at the howdahs from which the Chola warriors were firing back. Now the arrows whistled down on them, wiping out the archers and the mahouts on all three of the leading elephants in minutes. With the mahouts dead, there was nobody to guide the animals; they veered from side to side, slowing the advance.

  Bhim shouted an order, the horns blared, and a company of infantry rushed out from the western side of the pass, thrusting long spears at the elephants. Trumpeting in pain and fear, the beasts reared up, with Thiruzha spear-points penetrating their mouths and the tender underside of their trunks.

  'Bhim knows his stuff,' Bradan said.

  The Chola commander proved he also had some military skill when he ordered his archers to scatter Bhim's spearmen, then sent his cavalry to destroy the fugitives. The Chola cavalry covered the withdrawal of their elephants as the remaining Thiruzha spearmen scurried back to their own side of the pass. Following his small advantage, the Chola commander ordered his spearmen to advance, with shields over their heads as protection against the arrows.

  'They look like human tortoises.' Kosala was watching the battle closely.

  'It's like a game of chess,' Bradan said, 'with human lives as pawns.' For one betraying moment, he was with Dhraji, smiling over the chess pieces as she displayed her splendid body. Why do I still think of that creature?

  Bradan did not see from where the rock came. He only saw it land in the middle of the human tortoise. Another rock followed, and then another, scattering the men under the shields. Presented with this easy target, the Rajgana archers fired again, joined by others in hidden locations on the flanks of the hill.

  'The Thiruzha have catapults, too,' Bradan said, as he saw the scores of Chola casualties left by the abortive attack.

  Now they had started, the Rajgana defenders followed up with volleys of rocks that clattered and crashed onto the Chola army, forcing them to retreat out of range and leaving an elephant wounded and squealing on the road.

  'First day to the Thiruzha,' Kosala said. 'Time is drawing on. The Chola won't wish to fight in the night.'

  However, Kosala underestimated the determination of the Chola commander, who tried another advance under cover of darkness. Bradan heard hoarse shouts first and then the screams and yells of the wounded. The defenders dropped kegs of burning oil from the battlements onto the pass, where some exploded into pools of flame and others rolled and bounced toward the advancing Chola army. As the flames flickered upward, Bhim sent his cavalry forward to harass the Cholas, chopping at the infantry and clashing with the Chola horsemen.