The Aryavarta Chronicles Kaurava: Book 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

his adversaries. Pulling out an arrow from the quiver on his back, he set it to his bow and waited. Moments later, a tall, light-skinned man emerged through the shrubbery.
    ‘Stay where you are!’ the man barked. The frantic rustling ceased, and confused exclamations and further orders filled the air.
    ‘What happened, Asvattama?’ a regal voice asked, irritated.
    ‘We’ve found the bastard,’ the tall man replied, taking a careful step forward. Asvattama’s voice held a politeness as he addressed their quarry, though his eyes did not mirror it, ‘Don’t be scared, Devala. We won’t hurt you…too much.’
    ‘Scared, Asvattama? Of a traitor like you? Or of your pack of rats?’ Devala meaningfully aimed his arrow at the dried dregs of the liquid he had poured out earlier. ‘You know what that is. It will take the smallest impact to set it off. Quite a powerful explosion. You wouldn’t survive, nor would your friends.’
    ‘What in Rudra’s name…?’ the irritated speaker now cut his way through the undergrowth. He cut a handsome figure and held his good looks with all the arrogance that came of his nobility.
    ‘Careful now, Dhrstyadymn,’ Asvattama said as he took in Devala and his arrow. He turned to the troops clustered behind him in the undergrowth and repeated the warning, adding instructions to stay close to the line of shrubbery.
    Devala turned to the new arrivals with a mock bow. ‘My, my! Two sworn enemies side by side. This is a fortunate sight indeed! Crown prince Dhrstyadymn of Southern Panchala fights alongside Asvattama, king of Northern Panchala. And that’s not all…you’ve brought friends along, I see. Sanjaya! The Vyasa does think highly of me if he sends so many men.’
    Sanjaya Gavalagani, minister and advisor in the service of King Dhritarastra of the Kurus and faithful disciple of Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, squeezed the hilt of his sword, a gesture that suggested lack of experience rather than familiarity with the weapon. He gingerly kept his distance from the potentially explosive periphery as he made his way towards Asvattama. ‘Well? What are you waiting for? Get him!’
    ‘Muhira! Don’t be an idiot, Sanjaya!’ Asvattama snapped. ‘Do you even know what that is? It’s called a Ring of Fire – one of the most painful ways to die the Firewrights ever devised. It will take the slightest disturbance to set it off. Keep your thick feet well away from it.’
    ‘That’s right, Asvattama. See what happens when a pack of hyenas try to hunt down a lion? You never did stand a chance against me. You were dead the instant you set foot into these woods,’ Devala gloated, malicious. With a leer, he added, ‘And now that you realize what a terrible mistake you and your men have made, I have no further need to keep you alive.’ He pulled back the string of his bow, drawing a yelp of panic from Sanjaya. An impetuous Dhrstyadymn made to throw himself at Devala but held back, grimly aware of the Ring of Fire in front of him. Around them, sharp sounds of weaponry being readied filled the air as the soldiers drew their swords and raised their bows.
    It came without warning, even for those who expected it to happen sooner or later. One moment, Devala stood with the power of life and death in his hands; the next, he was bent over, screaming, his arrow-arm excruciatingly bent back, for it had been snapped at the elbow. But the Firewright turned out to be a hardier warrior than he had let on, for under the cover of his pain he turned around to confront his assailant. Using his other arm, he pulled out a menacing sword from its scabbard and swung it hard.
    ‘Watch out!’ Dhrstyadymn cautioned as he noticed the dark stain on the edge of the blade that hinted at a deadly poison. He need not have worried, for Devala’s opponent reacted with the swiftness and precision of a hunting animal, bringing up his own sword to counter Devala’s stroke even as he used the edge of his hand to land a hard