Free The Aryavarta Chronicles Kurukshetra: Book 3 by Krishna Udayasankar

as we can. But the one thing we shall not do is go to war.’
    Govinda stood up and carefully stretched his arms above his head, at the same time stifling a yawn. ‘Don’t worry. We won’t. It is only in street corner plays and bards’ songs that wars are fought on battlefields as soon as they are declared. In reality, it takes a long time to prepare for them. Much happens before that, and that is often a war in its own right.’
    ‘What do you mean?’’
    ‘Wars cost money, Dharma. Wars take soldiers, weapons, horses and various other arrangements that you are only too familiar with. But what you might not know, given your royal birth, is that eventually men, money and materials, all come not from the royal palaces, but from among common citizens, the men and women who truly make up this realm, though they have no say in any of its matters. At the end of the day, though it may be Syoddhan Kauravya and Dharma Yudhisthir who meet each other in battle, the real war will be fought throughout the fifty-odd nations of Aryavarta. Taxes, rains and harvests, coffers that have been emptied or filled, old enmities and new ambitions…there are many, many things that will determine how things play out. No, Dharma, open war is a long way off, and I have no intention of letting things come to that.’
    ‘You finally sound more like yourself, Govinda,’ said Dharma. ‘But how can you be so sure? How can you be sure that there remains room for bargain?’
    ‘Because that is how the system of vassal allegiance works. I believe it is called Divine Order.’ Before Dharma could respond to the obvious sarcasm, Govinda was striding towards the door. He called out over his shoulder, ‘Now sleep, you look like you need it.’
    Dharma’s response was a motionless silence that could have meant acquiescence. Govinda, however, had no doubt that his last advice would go unheeded.

8
    ‘ OH-OH !’ ABHIMANYU YELPED AND JUMPED BACK AS A HARD ELBOW dug into the side of his stomach. He could not see his attacker’s face clearly in the dim light of the wick lamp, but then he did not have to. ‘What was that for?’ he hissed, his eyes gradually getting used to the near darkness of the tunnel he was in after the brightness of the room he had been peeking into through a spy-hole.
    ‘That,’ Uttara Vairati replied, ‘was for not keeping your bony knee to yourself!’
    Abhimanyu thought to argue about how it was her fault for not letting him peer through the peephole at what was going on in Dharma Yudhisthir’s room, but he decided on another ploy. ‘How do you know,’ he teased, ‘that it was my knee that you felt?’ He let the implications hang in the air, relishing what he imagined was a look of disgust on Uttara’s face.
    ‘You’d better hope it was, because this would hurt a lot more… elsewhere.’ She landed a hard kick with the heel of her foot on Abhimanyu’s left knee, making him yell as his leg buckled under.
    ‘Why you…’ He grabbed out, trying to remain standing by holding on to her, but was successful only in making her lose her balance.
    ‘The lamp! The lamp!’ Uttara warned as they both toppled over, but it was too late. The small wick lamp, chosen over a more resilient torch for its discreet light, hit the ground and immediately went out.
    ‘Oh, well done!’ Abhimanyu complained before Uttara could turn on him. She ignored him and began to feel her way to the wall to her right. ‘Stay as you are,’ she instructed. ‘If we can figure out which wall the keyhole was on, then we can align ourselves and feel our way back to the entrance. The passage is narrow, so we can…’
    Her hand landed on the bare skin of Abhimanyu’s taut abdomen, and he groaned with pretended excitement. ‘Oh, don’t stop!’ he added for effect.
    Uttara pulled her hand back, muttering indistinct words about slapping his face if only she could find it in the dark.
    ‘You’re rolling your eyes at me, aren’t you? I know you’re