The meeting of the chieftains was a partial success. While Aparaajitha and Nachiyar had been able to convince the rest of the clans for free passage, Vallabha Nayaka had given no assurance of that sort. He had been deliberately buying time. He hadn't opposed their plans outrightly for fear of being seen unpatriotic and opportunist.

Jangamaiyya entered after the chieftains had departed. He asked Nachiyar, "How did the meeting go?"

"As we thought. The other clans are willing to cooperate. But Vallabha Nayaka wants some more time to think and ponder", Nachiyar replied.

"He will betray all of us. You should have imprisoned him at the very least, Nachiyar", Jangamaiyya reprimanded.

"Wasn't it what we were expecting him to do all along? It would have been detrimental to our own interests to imprison or harm him. His people know that he came here. If anything happens to him now, all their suspicions would be on us. The chieftains of the other clans would have turned against us too", Nachiyar explained.

"Then how are we going to tackle him?" Jangamaiyya asked.

Aparaajitha said, "Aiyya, it is very easy to trap clever people. Let him play his game. Then we'll trap him in the web of his own cleverness."

"Yes, the princess is right", agreed Nachiyar. She turned towards Aparaajitha and asked, "Have your uncle and Bhavani left for Kunthala?"

"Yes, this morning. They will reach there in a couple of days. Bhavani will be crowned as the queen of Kunthala and my uncle will serve as her regent until she is old enough to be the queen regnant herself."

Jangamaiyya politely invited Aparaajitha to stay back in the camp for dinner to which she gracefully assented. He left to share this happy news with the other members of the camp.
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Nearly two hours had been spent over the evening meal. The children put up a small impromptu drama. Everyone had laughed, cried and had a wonderful meal. Nachiyar was getting restless but she knew she couldn't probably deny everyone the right to interact and get to know Aparaajitha. After everyone had happily retired to bed, Aparaajitha and Nachiyar left the camp. They had just got beyond earshot of the camp when a volley of arrows rained on them. It was a cleverly- laid ambush. The forms of their opponents were difficult to make out in the minimal light.

"We are very near to the camp. Let's go back", Nachiyar suggested.

As Aparaajitha swatted a couple of arrows that came her way, "No the arrows are landing at more regular intervals as we head towards the camp. The archers must have been placed nearer to the camp but far enough to prevent help and reinforcements from the camp from reaching us immediately. Let us head towards the mountains."

"Aiyya was warning me about Vallabha Nayaka. I should have heeded his advice. It must have been him", Nachiyar lamented.

Nachiyar's face suddenly turned deathly-pale. Her hands started shaking and her vision blurred. She turned towards Aparaajitha and said, "Our food has been poisoned."

"What?"

"I won't be able to be in control of myself for much longer. We have to break free from this ambush as fast as possible", Nachiyar as she gasped and panted for breath.

Aparaajitha and Nachiyar rode in the direction of the Udayagiri mountains. Nachiyar was quickly losing consciousness. Aparaajitha took control of her horse in addition to hers and guided both of them to safety. They had left their enemies far behind.

Aparaajitha got down from her horse and quickly supported Nachiyar from falling down. She dragged her to a small and dilapidated temple and laid her to rest on a small stone slab.

Aparaajitha's mind was working with furious activity. She felt Nachiyar's pulse and was relieved. It hadn't slowed down or stopped. It meant that the food wasn't poisonous but merely sleep-inducing.

Whoever had mixed this drug in the food didn't want to harm the others in the camp. But he had effectively prevented anybody from coming to their aid as everyone would be fast asleep. Their cries for help would never be heard.

She and Nachiyar were his primary targets. After incapacitating both of them like this, he had set up the ambush. But he wouldn't have known that many of these drugs didn't have any effect on her. The long years she had spent fighting off the effects of Indraneeli had made her immune to the effects of such drugs.

All fingers pointed towards the involvement of Vallabha Nayaka in the attack. Only he had the motive and reason to stage this attack. There was nothing they could currently do but to wait for the effect of the drug to wane. She judged that Nachiyar would be up by the next day afternoon. This was an unexpected setback to their campaign. They would lose a lot of valuable time, valuable time that could have been spent in war preparations or garnering support towards their cause.
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At Kanchu Kota,
The officers of the garrison were highly jittery and discomfited. They had been asked to produce all the old mining records by the captain of the Suras. He perused all of them paying attention to every single detail, "I received several reports that some of the officers in charge of the mining were pocketing the ores of Gauri Kanth and later selling them to foreign kingdoms at very high prices."

"Sir, if there was anything wrong with the way we were functioning, Maharaj Subahu would have personally questioned us when he was here a short while ago along with Maharani and Vijayamarthanda, the king of Ashwakootam", one of the officers meekly defended. "As you can see from the old records, these corruption charges are completely false."

Mrithyunjay nonchalantly replied, "Maharaj did not want to raise these issues when he came with Maharani. That is why he sent me after he left to investigate every aspect of the mining right from production to dispatch. That's why I came in unannounced initially. I did not want to give the wrongdoers a chance to escape. If any officer does not cooperate with me properly during my investigation, I will consider that the officer has a hidden agenda in doing so. Now answer my questions. Why has the mining output drastically reduced to one-tenths?"

"Because that is what the mines are actually yielding. Sir, you are free to stay back and observe", one of the officers answered.

Mrithyunjay grilled, "I understand you use children and dwarfs. Has the production remained the same even after that?"

"Yes, we have had to go deeper and deeper into the earth which has necessitated our use of children and dwarfs. Several of those tunnels are inaccessible to adults of normal height. The mining output would have been even lower if we didn't use children and dwarfs."

"I believe the next caravan to the Kalakeyan heartland leaves this night", Mrithyunjay questioned.

"Yes, Sir. Do you have any specific orders about that?"

"No, I have to check every cart personally after you have finished loading the ores of Gauri Kanth. My enquiry will be over after that", Mrithyunjay said.

The officers left Mrithyunjay alone with the records to finish the task he had assigned them. After they had left, his companion emerged him where he had remained hidden, "You lie with such consummate ease. Are you still a captain of the Suras or not?"

"No, I was removed from my post. But it takes time for news to reach from the capital to a spot like Kanchu Kota. Now we have to act quick. Tell the prisoners, children and dwarfs to leave a small torch burning in the mining tunnels and promptly exit after that. It should appear as though it was left by accident."

"We won't have much time after that. According to our plan, I will hide all of the prisoners, children and dwarfs beneath the ores of Gauri Kanth in the carts while you distract the attention of the officers in this garrison. The gates will be opened for the caravan. After we are cross the Kanchu Kota, all the mining tunnels will blast off one after the other because of the burning torches. The entire army garrison posted here will be destroyed in one stroke", his companion said.
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A few hours later,
Mrithyunjay had finished assiduously thanking the officers for their hearty and full-fledged cooperation to his inquiry, "I was ordered to escort this caravan till Peepli. I will give a clean report exonerating all of you from any blame."

The officers of the garrison thanked Mrithyunjay profusely for his assurance. The gates of the fortress were opened and the caravan trudged on it way to the Kalakeyan heartland with Mrithyunjay riding behind it.

The officers and soldiers who manned the fortress drank and celebrated. After the caravan had left, they were unexpectedly joined by an officer who had been posted in the capital. Talking about the recent events in the capital of Mahishmati, he said, "Why the other day, they discovered that one captain of the Suras was an imposter. He had cheated everyone."

"That is extremely shocking, friend. Do you recollect his name?"

"I think it was......Ah! Yes, now I remember it. His name was Mrithyunjay."

"What?"

One of the soldiers pointed out at this juncture, "I smell something burning...."

Before he could finish that sentence, the earth beneath their feet shook and rumbled. Sparks erupted and an ear-shattering noise followed. As they tried to comprehend what was happening, everything around them burst into flames. A huge stampede broke out in the attempt to escape. Many soldiers were crushed to death beneath the feet of their own companions.

The drivers who were driving the carts of the caravan momentarily stopped on hearing the series of distant blasts from the direction of Kanchu Kota trying to figure out what exactly happened. They were overpowered, bound and thrown into the wayside bushes by the prisoners who emerged from their hiding places.

The prisoners were all free. They wiggled their hands and legs gently. It felt so wonderful to be free from bondage. Years had gone by with no hope and promise of ever being free. When that moment at last came, it all felt unreal.

The thunders and rumbles that followed the destruction of Kanchu Kota were like soft music to their ears. Their tear-glazed eyes held a strange sense of vindication when they beheld Kanchu Kota burning.

They all turned towards Mrithyunjay whom they held in a spell of godlike worship. But his eyes were searching for the companion who had travelled with him so far without whom any of this would not have been possible.

"Whom are you searching? Our Senapathi garu is never going to come."

One of the prisoners broke down crying after these words.

The prisoner continued, "We were all hidden in the carts when our Senapathi garu told me that he was not coming with us. He told the original plan of leaving burning torches in the mining tunnels was too risky. They could have detonated when all of us were there. So he stayed behind. Your father sends you all the love in the world. He told me to tell you that his chest is puffed up with pride for you."

Mrithyunjay's voice cracked up, "Why didn't he ever tell me when we were together?"

"He knew who you were and why you came there. He was afraid that if you had found him, you wouldn't go so far to free us all. You would insist that he return back with you."

"He could have at least returned with all of you. There was no need to destroy Kanchu Kota if it was so risky", Mrithyunjay breaking down.

"All of us could never have escaped if Kanchu Kota was intact. We would have been hunted, pursued and captured. Its destruction was imperative for the success of your plan", the prisoner said. "Your father could never have allowed you to fail, could he Mrithyunjay?"

Mrithyunjay wanted to roll on the ground and cry like a child. He wanted to rave, rant and curse the Heavens 'Why me?' Everyone around him started shedding silent tears. But not a single drop poured out of his eyes, "Nobody cries for martyrs." He looked in the direction of Kanchu Kota and then towards the skies and said, "I am proud to be your son, father. You are my hero."
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