Pusan did not say anything, he just lay there with downcast eyes. Makara looked at him, his eyes flashing fire.
'But you, my boy, have a choice. Do not be a slave like your father. Wrest the leadership of this tribe from that demon Indra who will only lead the Devas to destruction. Banish the dark sorcerer Mitra from Aryavarta. Then you and I can usher in an era of prosperity such the tribe has never seen or will ever see again.'
Makara watched Pusan carefully, he knew the young warrior better than anybody else. Pusan had first come to him a troubled boy of six. It had not taken Makara long to realise that the boy craved his father's attention, which was at that time divided between Indra and the affairs of the tribe. Makara nurtured the jealousy Pusan felt for Indra, adding fuel to its fire till it grew into a full-blown hatred. Through the formative years he had been the young warrior's only true friend, philosopher and guide. Now Pusan was a puppet in his hands. He looked at Makara blankly.
'What must I do now, Master?'
Makara softened his tone.
'First you must ensure that Indra does not become the champion of this Spardha.'
***
The Falcons watched Nala and the Wolves run a perfect course. The obstacle course for the equestrian trials had been cleverly laid out. It included several wooden fences of varying heights and the final hurdle was a burning cart that the contestants had to leap over. Nala was the last of the Wolves trio on show. He expertly guided his horse over the burning cart. The Wolves' supporters roared in triumph.
It was now the turn of the Falcons. Mitra chose Soma, Vayu and Indra to run the course. The cart was set ablaze. Soma started and went through the course quickly, timing each of his jumps to perfection. He finished the last one beautifully, calming his mare and gently coaxing her to leap over the burning cart. He was faster than all the previous riders. Even some of the rival supporters cheered this display of brilliant horsemanship. Vayu followed and soon ran into trouble; his horse was a little bit of a nervous starter and he lost some time before he managed to finish the last hurdle.
Indra took the course next and moved smoothly over the first few obstacles. He finished the last water jump with feet to spare and made his way towards the final obstacle. The fire on the cart was about to die down so one of the referees threw some clarified butter into it. The flames flared up brightly. Indra's horse, a feisty young stallion, saw this and reared up. Conscious about making up the time Vayu had lost, Indra whispered encouragement to his steed and forced it forward. They raced towards the burning cart.
Just as he made the leap, Indra realised something was wrong. The stallion had panicked and jumped too early. Its front legs crashed into the burning cart and Indra was thrown over its head and through the blaze. He hit the ground hard, rolled over and got to his feet. He ran to check on his horse, his concern for the animal making him forget his own injuries.
The poor creature lay on its side and looked at him wild-eyed in terror. Its front legs had shattered on impact with the cart. Indra tried hard to hold back his tears as he drew his sword and thrust it through the heart of the mortally-wounded animal.
The Lions, who were up next, went on to finish second behind the Wolves in the event, much to the joy of their supporters.
The final events of the day were the duels. Contestants from the various dals would charge each other on horseback, armed with blunt lances and shields. The objective was to unseat one's opponent from his horse.
The Falcons gave a good account of themselves in this event: Agni and Varuna won all their duels. They were neck and neck with the Lions when Mitra did something unexpected--he did not let Indra participate in the duel but left it to Soma to fight Atreya. The diminutive Falcon was no match for Atreya's superior strength and he was knocked down from his horse. The Lions won the event.
An excited Sachi rushed home to give Pusan the news. He was elated to know that the Lions were leading the competition. As Sachi washed and dressed his wound, Pusan asked about Indra. When he heard about his mishap, he laughed.
'And that fool wants to be chief of the Devas.'
Sachi was quick to retort.
'He is going to be the chief, brother. But before that he is going to be the next champion.'
Pusan scoffed at her remark.
'You are as big a fool as he, my dear sister. Our parents have filled your head with this stupid idea that he is going to be the king and you his queen. That is never going to happen.'
Sachi was shocked at her brother's insolence.
'How can you say that? He is the son of Raja Daeyus and his legal heir. Would you go against your father and Mitra?'
Angry, Pusan tried to sit up, but was still too weak.
'I will follow the laws of our tribe--only a pure blooded clansman can lead the Devas. Not some bastard who might be the spawn of a demon. Our father is blinded by his loyalty to Raja Daeyus. As for Mitra, he has no right to an opinion in this matter--he is not of our tribe.'
Sachi could not believe what she was hearing. She tightened the bandage in anger, causing her brother to wince in pain.
'I think your injury has affected your brain, my dear brother, you sound like a madman. Do not forget that if it were not for Mitra, you would have been forced to spend the rest of your life as a cripple,' she said and left the room.
Mitra had just finished an inspection of their supply of arrows for the archery trials the next day. He asked the weapon smith to deliver the arrows to his home and was stepping out of the smithy when he met an anxious Sachi. She had with her a jar of salve.
'My lord, I know you will not let us meet, so would you please give this to him? He hurt himself at the trial this morning.'
Mitra smiled.
'His burns have been treated, my child.'
He saw her crestfallen expression and hurriedly added.
'Don't worry, when you are married you can have the sole responsibility of taking care of him. Surya knows, with the amount of trouble he gets into, you will be kept very busy. Now let him be for the next few days, he must keep his mind on the Spardha.'
'Spardha! All you people care about is the Spardha. I think it is time to put a stop to these barbaric customs,' Sachi said and walked off in a huff.
Mitra watched her leave, amusement writ large on his face. She was a feisty one; Indra would have his hands full with her. He chuckled at the thought as he made his way back home.
***
In his hut, Indra lay on his reed mat, unable to sleep. The loss of his horse had affected him far more than he had let on. He knew he alone was to blame for what had happened. He should have ensured that the horse had been trained to face a fire jump. Only Mitra had seen how badly shaken he was, and wisely decided not to put him in the jousting contest. In his state of mind, it was possible that he might have lost to Atreya, thus giving his opponent the psychological advantage in the battle for the individual championship. He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep. Tomorrow would be a decisive day for the Falcons.
The second day of the Spardha started with the archery trials. Targets of varying sizes--from that of an apple to the size of a horse's head--had been set up all around the course. This was an eagerly-awaited contest: the cavalry archers were an important, perhaps the most important part of the Deva war machine. The Devas prided themselves on their skill as archers. So the crowds had arrived early in order to get vantage positions, with the latecomers even risking seats that would put them directly in the path of arrows if they missed their targets. But it was a measure of the trust the Devas had in the skill of their archers.
The contest began with all the dals nominating three archers each. Each archer was given ten arrows, and would have to shoot down ten targets while riding his steed at full gallop. Indra was pleasantly surprised when Mitra loaned him his mare to use for the trial. She had carried Indra on her back as a child and he knew her well. The Falcons were among the first to take the field. Varuna, Agni and Indra rode with the reins gripped between
their teeth as they shot arrow after arrow at their respective targets.
Indra was the last to finish and he chose the most difficult target to end his routine. The crowd watched with bated breath as he discharged his last arrow at an apple, placed fifty paces away. The arrow sliced through the fruit and divided it into two near-perfect halves. The audience rose as a man to applaud the feat. All three archers had got a perfect score--something that had never happened in the entire history of the Spardha.
The Lions had a disastrous outing with Atreya being the first to succumb to the pressure of chasing three perfect scores. From the other dals, only Nala of the Wolves achieved a perfect ten. He helped his group finish a creditable second. The Falcons had won the contest handsomely.
Vasu, amazed at the skill of the Falcons and Nala, remarked to his generals, 'It's heartening to see that our legacy of being the greatest archers among the northern tribes is intact. I have never seen such a brilliant display of archery in all my years.'
The generals nodded in agreement. One of them remarked, 'I agree, my lord. It is a pity we have no wars to fight to put these sublime skills to the test. Like us, they will have to live with the boredom that peace brings.'
'Yes General, but at least they can grow old like you and me and watch their sons become men.'
A loud cheer went up from the crowd as the commencement of the krida was announced. The area had been divided into two halves for this contest. Two teams of four riders each carried five-foot long wooden poles and faced off against each other. Each team was allowed to send two riders into the opponent's territory. The objective of the contest was simple: whoever made their way first across their rival's half and collected their opponent's flag would be declared the winner. Anyone who fell to the ground would be deemed disqualified.
The Lions were particularly strong in krida--their red and gold flag had not fallen into the hands of their adversaries yet. Now they needed only one more perfect defensive game against the Falcons, and victory would be theirs.
Led by Varuna and Soma, the Falcons made a foray into their opponent's half but were beaten back. Vayu and Indra managed to hold off the Lion's subsequent counterattack. Both sides fought doggedly as they fended off each rival attack. Then, the Lions made their first mistake, a crucial error in strategy. They opted to hold back their four players in a defensive line. With no offensive line to worry about, Indra made an unexpected tactical change. He and Soma made their way into the Lion's half. Mitra looked at Paras and raised his eyebrows in surprise. These two together were not part of their offensive line-up. Usually Vayu or Varuna paired with them. The two bigger boys used their strength to keep their opponents at bay, while Indra or Soma made the run for the flag.
Atreya watched the two Falcons approach steadily; he was unsure which one would make the run. The shadow from the massive sundial was nearing its mark, which would announce the end of the game.
Suddenly, Soma broke away sharply to his left and made a dash for the flag. Atreya screamed out a warning to his teammate, Khara, and the boy prepared to meet Soma's charge. Soma swung his stick at Khara, who blocked the blow. Before he could counter, Soma dragged his stick along his opponent's and struck him on his fingers.
Khara dropped his stick in pain but quickly recovered and threw himself at Soma. He hoped to sacrifice himself and take Soma down. Soma watched his opponent come at him and, at the very last second, he swerved out of the way. Khara flew harmlessly past him, hit the dust and was eliminated.
Soma turned his horse once again towards the red and gold flag that fluttered in the distance. So intent was he on his task that he failed to spot the imminent danger. Atreya swung his stick in a wide arc and it struck Soma on the back of his helmet. The force of the blow was enough to knock the young Falcon down and put him out of the contest.
Atreya turned to see Indra make his way towards the other two Lions. The two boys watched Indra as he headed straight for them. This was going to be easy. They tightened the grip on their sticks and waited for him.
As he approached the two boys, Indra's feet left the stirrups and he wrapped them around the neck of his mare. Atreya's eyes widened with shock as he realised what his rival was about to do. He pushed his steed in a wide arc to cut off Indra's path to the flag and screamed a warning to his two teammates.
'Watch out! He's going to--'
But his words came too late. As the two Lions swung their sticks at Indra, he let go of the reins and threw himself backwards till he was flat on the back of the mare, using only his feet to anchor himself to her neck. The two sticks flashed above him and the mare broke through. The crowd clapped in admiration at the horsemanship of the young Falcon.
As Indra sat up, he saw that now there was only Atreya between him and the flag. Atreya charged towards him and swung his stick ferociously at Indra's head. Indra brought his own stick up to block it, but the strength of the blow knocked the weapon out of his hands.
Atreya gave a yell of triumph and swung his stick in a backhanded arc. He hoped to take Indra by surprise, but the Falcon was ready for him. He skilfully weaved out of the way and the momentum of the strike carried Atreya forward, causing him to lose his balance for a second. Quick as a flash, Indra leapt from his horse on to Atreya, taking the Lion's captain and his own team by surprise.
As the two young warriors fell, Indra made sure his opponent's body was between him and the ground. He landed on Atreya's broad back and pinned him to the ground. With Atreya out of the contest, Indra whistled to his mare and she came around towards him at full gallop. Atreya screamed to his teammates as he realised that Indra's body had not touched the earth. The Falcon was still in the game. The two Lions had already turned their horses and they now sped towards the two fallen boys. Indra's mare reached them first. He leapt off the back of his fallen opponent and grabbed the reins of the mare and hoisted himself onto her back.
The two Lions were almost upon him. One of them swung his stick and hit Indra on the back of his neck between the helmet and his padded armour. He ignored the pain, bent his head and spurred the mare on with his heels. She responded splendidly with a burst of speed that left his two remaining opponents standing. Out of the corner of his eye, Indra could see the referee lifting the bugle to his mouth to announce the end of the krida. The pain in his neck brought tears to his eyes, but through the blur, he spotted the red and gold flag. He reached out and grabbed it. The bugle sounded a second after thunderous applause broke out from the crowd. They had done it. The Falcons had won.
***
The contestants got a well-deserved one-day break after the horse trials. Indra spent a good part of it in bed nursing his sore neck. Soma, who had taken a heavy fall, was also in pain, as were Varuna and Vayu, who had a few niggles and sprains themselves. Only Agni was relatively unscathed. He finished his training and rushed into the hut.
'You know, I think I have been underutilised the last two days.' He pointed to Soma who lay flat on his back and said, 'Look at that squirt, why did he have to go in at the end with Indra?'
Soma threw his pillow at him and groaned with the effort. 'Maybe because this little squirt is a better rider than you are, you big oaf,' he said.
Agni caught the pillow and flung it back. It was a wild throw.
'Bah! The krida is not only about riding, it is also about staying on your horse. All it took was a feather touch to knock you over.'
Varuna, who had been taking a nap, was woken by the argument.
'Shut up you two and take your quarrel outside. I can't remember when I last had a day of rest and I'd like to enjoy it.'
At the house of the regent, Pusan was still in a fit of rage over the results. Atreya bore the brunt of his ire, yet he offered no excuses and allowed his mentor to vent his fury. Finally, exhaustion and pain made Pusan fall back on his bed. Atreya went to him, head bowed.
'The Lions will win the Spardha, my lord, even if I have to give my life for it.'
Pusan grabbed him by the tunic
and pulled him close. Atreya was shocked to see the venom in his eyes.
'I do not care about the Spardha any more. Swear to me that I will not have to crown that bastard Indra champion.'
Atreya nodded fearfully. He could not believe the extent of Pusan's hatred towards Indra.
'I swear, my lord.'
The next day, the action shifted back to the arena for the combat trials. Pusan, against the advice of his physicians, insisted on being present. He lay in the dugout of the Lions and directed proceedings from there. Unfortunately for Pusan, the day belonged entirely to the Falcons. Agni and Varuna were invincible with the mace and the sword. They destroyed the opposition with a stunning display of martial prowess. So dominant were they in the trials that Mitra decided to rest his best fighter, Indra.
While the Devas laid great emphasis on their cavalry training and archery, their close combat techniques left a lot to be desired. They relied heavily on physical prowess, and their skills were designed to finish off a fight in the quickest possible time. This worked well for them in battle as, more often than not, the Devas only got off their mounts to finish off an already vanquished enemy.
It was this weakness that Mitra had exploited when he trained the Falcons. He taught them breathing techniques designed to conserve energy during a fight and build stamina. Indra and the other boys were given special exercises that built strength, as well as speed and endurance. The results were now plain for all to see: the Falcons seemed one step ahead of their opponents at all times during combat.
The Lions had a disastrous outing, with all their fighters being defeated. The Wolves had fared only marginally better. The other dals were now out of the reckoning, and their supporters had now openly shifted allegiance to the Falcons. As the end of the day's proceedings was announced, the loudest cheer was reserved for the Falcons as they left the arena.
Pusan was at his wits' end that evening. Like the rest of the crowd, he had been blown away by the Falcons' performance. Like Mitra, he had gambled and rested his champion fighter. He had hoped to keep Atreya fresh for his battle in the final, but now for the first time, there was a serious danger that the Lions would not make that final. Agni had taken Khara apart, and his other fighter Puru had taken a blow to his head from Varuna's shield that had knocked him out.
Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod Page 11
