"The treasury has been robbed!"

A guard burst in on the assembly of people. The color had deserted his face. His hands and feet were trembling. He held a sword in his right hand and his left hand cupped over a spot beneath his chest. Blood oozed from his wounds. He gasped for breath as he dragged himself in before collapsing in front of everyone.

All the people fell silent. The ministers and noblemen wiped their foreheads. They looked everywhere except right ahead where the inquisitive eyes of their new sovereign and the people were boring holes into them.

"What happened?"

Bhagiradhi's thunderous voice resounded through the silence. Her steely gaze was fixed upon them. She walked up to where they stood. Their feet were jittery. They would have dissolved into a puddle if they could.

"Who did this?"

They fumbled with their clothes. They cleared their throats, but no sounds followed.

"I call forth an emergency council meeting immediately", she announced. "The celebrations and festivities are postponed."

The people dispersed, talking among themselves and shaking their heads. Mrithyunjay and Gajendra followed Bhagiradhi as she gathered her billowing robes that fluttered in the wind and sashayed imperiously within the palace.

The ministers had gathered in the royal court. They rose up and down like an overwrought spring at the slightest sound or provocation. They had a scared and hunted look in each of their faces.They were afraid of being questioned because they didn't have the answers. Even if they knew the answers, they didn't have the solutions.

"It's the sea pirates Simhamukha and Shatadru", said one of the ministers finally growing a spine. "They have been staying in the palace since a while. We didn't pay much attention to their movements or behavior. Only they could have done this."

Mrithyunjay paced the hall up and down before he declared his determination, "Every minute we spend discussing this and finding out whose fault it is, the treasury and the bright future of our entire people is going farther and farther away from us. I will comb the seven seas. I will hound them to the ends of the earth. I will return only after I have discovered where the wealth of our people is and punish those bastards with my own hands."

Bhagiradhi had anticipated he would say this. She said, "Let preparations be made for the journey."

Gajendra advanced towards her to convince her to the contrary, "But why Bhava? Somebody else can..."

"It is not my money or yours. It our people's hard-earned money. I trust him", she said holding her palm in front. She reiterated, "I trust only him."

Mrithyunjay's eyes brimmed up with love and gratitude towards Bhagiradhi for understanding his decision and letting him go. He strode forward, his footsteps firm, and his intent murderous. He reached the mammoth doors of the court. His pace slowed down a bit and his expression softened as he turned back to catch a glimpse of his pregnant wife before leaving.

Mrithyunjay and his crew did not have time to fully prepare for the voyage. "How are we going to find them, Mrithyunjay? Simhamukha and Shatadru have already had a head start over us. They could be anywhere in this vast sea. We are already traveling on half-provisions. We won't last for many days on our existing resources", his first mate said.

"Ration out stuff wisely and equally", Mrithyunjay said. "I am just going by a hunch I have. They won't choose a route that falls under our jurisdiction or belongs to any of our allies. If they take this route, we will catch up with them near these straits."

"Uh..oh! But if they cross these straits, there are five routes ahead. It will be literally impossible to catch them after that", the first mate said clicking his tongue.

Mrithyunjay agreed, "Yes, true. This is our last chance to stop them. We either take it or we will lose them forever. Instruct the men to row at full speed. Keep rotating the men in the galleys to preserve their strength."

Mrithyunjay was looking at the chart in one hand as he calculated their current position. The ship rocked in the gentle, mild breeze. The sun's rays fell upon on the beam and then deflected into diverse dancing patterns of shadows upon the deck. They had made rapid progress.

Though they met several vessels, they hadn't come across Simhamukha's and Shatadru's ship. They were inching closer to the straits where the routes diverged when one of the sentries shouted, "I spot a vessel matching the description."

He adjusted the telescope for Mrithyunjay. He twisted and turned the screws, knobs and glasses until Mrithyunjay could see the ship clearly. Mrithyunjay bent down and sat on the wooden stool that wobbled beneath his weight. He observed the ship ahead before he handed over the cramped quarters of the post back to the sentry.

Mrithyunjay jumped and climbed the deck in two swift jumps and lunges as yelled, "Target sighted."

He gave the first mate a knowing look as he rattled orders, "Full speed ahead. All men to the action stations."

The bow of their ship turned and angled towards its target. It hurtled ahead, cutting across the pale bluish waters surrounding it. The white foam sprayed against the faces of Mrithyunjay and his sailors. Their clothes were drenched in water. They wiped their faces.

Knives and cutlasses were strapped to their arms bands and to the belts that girdled their abdomen. Each of them held a sleek rapier whose sharp and pointed edges were facing the enemy ship. The sunlight glinted off the shining steel of their blades.

They closed in on the enemy ship. When they were within the range, Mrithyunjay gave the signal, "Fire the boulders."

Simhamukha ducked to a corner of the deck while Shatadru scurried to another corner. The pirates closed their ears and cowered as the first set of boulders landed on the deck before rolling off.

"Those bastards! Shoot the arrows", yelled Simhamukha.

The bows twanged and the arrows whooshed through the air as the pirates retaliated.

Mrithyunjay pushed a crew member out of harm's way as he shouted, "Block their arrows with your shields. Keep closer to the side walls of the deck."

Both the ships maneuvered and evaded each other as they battled it out in the shallower waters of the straits. The ships had stopped rowing now. All the crew members of both the ships took part in the fighting that ensued.

Arrows were whizzing past like buzzing bees. Men were hurling spears, cutlasses, tins, boxes, barrels; anything they could lay their hands on in the frenetic frenzy. They bandied guttural abuses and curses as they locked arms with each other. The men and ship stank of blood and sweat.

The arrows were fired by both the sides. Both ships were floating very near to each other. Mrithyunjay clapped his hands and pointed towards the pirate ship. It was the signal that they were going to board the other ship.

Mrithyunjay drew a deep breath as he charged towards the pirate ship. He hurled a huge and sturdy jute rope with a metal claw. The rope affixed itself to one of the metal rods on the opposite ship. He slid down the rope and landed on the other ship. His men followed suit.

The scene was in complete disarray. There was a conflagration and parts of the ship started burning down. The men fought on unmindful of the fire blazing around them.

Mrithyunjay charged across the pirates, single-handedly taking down several of them at the same time. He shouted to a group of soldiers, "Go and see where the gold and silver from treasury has been kept. We will cover for you."

Mrithyunjay's men left while the fighting continued in the background. Shatadru got within an empty barrel and hid himself.

Simhamukha's eyes burned with red hot fury. He caught hold of two of Mrithyunjay's men by their neck and pushed them into the sea. He stood up on a plank and catapulted himself up to a higher level on the ship where Mrithyunjay was fighting.

Mrithyunjay turned making short work of the three pirates who in front of him. Simhamukha laughed, "I have heard so much of you. Glad to meet you in person."

Mrithyunjay spat out, "I am not. And nobody else will after this day."

Mrithyunjay sucked his lower lip, "The day I saw Princess Suvarnamekhala and her entire troop floating dead on those desolate waters, I felt a murderous rage for you. But I let that pass. That was my fault. If I had punished you as you deserved to be, you wouldn't have come back to kill my people and Samarth Mama. It's all a play for you, isn't it? I will show you what it is to play the game of death."

Mrithyunjay slapped Simhamukha's ears as he butted into him. He was thrown back by the sheer force. His feet strained and widened. He stretched his hands wide apart and stopped himself himself from being thrown off balance.

One of the men who had gone to search for the treasury bellowed above the din on the pirate ship, "We found the gold and silver. We are shifting it to our ship."

Simhamukha's face contorted with rage. He ground his teeth and ran towards Mrithyunjay. He heaved him down. Mrithyunjay clung to the mast of the ship. Simhamukha lunged at him with his sword. Both men hung on to the mast with one hand while they fought with the other.

The pirate ship lurched and thudded with a huge sound. The sea water started bubbling up. The barrel in which Shatadru was hiding rolled and dropped into the sea taking him to his watery grave.

The mast tore into two as both Mrithyunjay and Simhamukha viciously launched at each other with their swords. Mrithyunjay pinned him to the frame of the mast and wrapped the torn cloth of the mast around Simhamukha's throat. He stabbed Simhamukha and impaled him to his own ship.

Mrithyunjay's men hollered to him, "The treasury is safe in our ship. Come back, Mrithyunjay. This ship is sinking."

Mrithyunjay jumped into the sea and swam towards their ship. He panted for breath as he climbed up. He stood on the deck savoring the sight of Simhamukha, pinned to his own pirate ship before it went down.

Mrithyunjay turned back towards his men and proclaimed, "Our enemies are dead. Long live Mahishmati. Let's return home."