In Subahu's personal chamber,
Subahu was pondering over his recent losses. Everything had been going against him. He stared at the dregs of wine in his glass. He swirled the glass twice before he had emptied the last few drops down his throat, "There goes the last drop. Empty like my life."

The dancing girl smiled provocatively. She lingered and hovered around him trying to tempt him into paying some attention towards her beauty and dance. He paid as much interest towards her as he would to a saree draped around a moving pole. Tiring of his disinterest, she too withdrew.

The wick of the lamp near his bedside started burning out from both edges. His index finger teased and flicked backwards and forwards playing with the flame. The smoke and ash coated his finger black. The fiery tongue of the flame did not burn as it licked his finger. A numbness and apathy settled itself over his senses. His eyes drooped and drifted into darkness.
-
-
-
In the prison cell,
Narasimha examined every minute detail about his prison cell. The ventilator faced into a narrow and winding corridor. It was so small that its purpose even for ventilation appeared dubious. It appeared to be fitted more for the convenience of the guards to peek into the cell without opening its mammoth doors every time they wanted to check on the inmate.

A tall wooden stick lay in a corner of the cell. It had most probably been used by the guards to cane the previous prisoner of this chamber. It was bespattered with dried blood. Narasimha considered all possible uses it could be put into. He imagined luring the guards into the cell with some excuse and wielding it upon them. He mentally pitted the pathetic stick against the sharp and pointed sword each guard held. It would not hold out even for a minute. He dismissed the foolish notion with a careless shrug of his shoulders.

He allowed it to drop before a very different kind of idea with the stick suddenly struck him. When the coast was clear, he tapped and sounded every single inch of the floor, the side walls and the ceiling. One of the stones of a side wall appeared wobbly. There was a possibility that this portion of the wall could be chipped away with a bit of effort. He began prodding and digging with his nails around the loose stone. After working for nearly an hour in brief, intermittent spells, he succeeded in removing the stone and a bit of the side wall around it.

He cautiously peeked into the other side of the wall and called out, "Is anybody there?"

There was a bit of shuffling and scrambling on the other side of the wall. Another voice filtered through the opening, "Hey! Did you call me?"

Narasimha's face expressed tremendous relief, "Of course! My name is Narasimha. What's your name?"

"Why? You're the Prince?" The prisoner on the other side said, shaking his head in utter disbelief.

Narasimha said, "Yes. And you?"

"My name is Vinayak. I am a spy. I work here in Mahishmati on behalf of Princess Bhagiradhi. I got caught loitering in the restricted section of palace trying to gather more information about you.

"That's unlucky!" Narasimha clicked his tongue sympathetically. "How are you going to get out of here?"

"I've been pretending to be a blockhead and numskull. I am hoping the guards will believe it and let me go in a day or two."

"What if they don't? Do you have any back up plan?" Narasimha asked.

"If I knew the approximate location we're in, I would send my mates a message to come and rescue us."

"We are in the dungeon about three thousand feet to the south of the North East Dome. But how will you send that message without getting caught? Any carrier pigeons are sure to be shot down."

"My carrier is a rat. His name is Mooshak."

Vinayak wrote the message on a black piece of cloth with vanishing ink and tied it to Mooshak's feet. Narasimha and Vinayak watch as the intrepid rat scurried away right beneath the noses of the guards.

After the guards had turned round the corner, Vinayak remarked, "The food they serve here in the dungeons is real bad. Just one solid lump."

Narasimha replied, "Haven't had the good fortune of tasting it yet? I have been subsisting on air lately."

"I could give a portion of my food if you don't mind", Vinayak offered.

"That is very generous of you. I won't say 'No'", Narasimha joked. "My dear father has been extremely kind enough to starve me. He would mind though."
-
-
-
On a ship bound to the Malava Islands,
The fleeting coastline of Mahishmati dangled before Mrithyunjay's eyes like a tantalizing vision as he stood upon the deck of his ship along with General Samarth. Noticing his companion's preoccupation, Samarth shook him.

Mrithyunjay's eyes refused to leave the rocky coastline occasionally dotted with thick rows of trees. The longing in his eyes was unmistakable. His breaths came in shorts bursts and starts. They occasionally hitched in his throat as though something had got stuck within it.

He searched for the right words to voice his decision to his companion in many naval adventures, "Our Prince Gajendra Baahubali is in imprisonment. Bhagiradhi is still very angry with him regarding the outcome of the previous war. She does not want me to go."

The older man patted his back sympathetically and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"The opposite", he replied fiddling with the knot of one of the ropes that sustained the mast of the ship. "Should I listen to my wife or to my heart?"

Mrithyunjay plonked down on a nearby bench looking confused. His eyes beseeched the older man's for guidance. Samarth sat down beside him and said, "Listen to your heart then. This voyage isn't a matter of life and death. I can anyway stand in for you."

Mrithyunjay's face brightened up with Samarth's reassurance. He asked once again, "Are you sure?"

The General inclined his head in the affirmative, "There is no time to loose if you have to go ashore. We have to act now."

The boats with provisions were lowered for Mrithyunjay and a few of his companions. They pushed their sleeves up and started rowing. Their strong arms strained against the direction of the wind which had suddenly turned a bit contrary. They sweated as their boats sneaked ashore into a tiny and calm bay. Mrithyunjay cautioned his men,"Quietly before anyone notices. Hide the boats among those trees and unload the sacks with the provisions."

Once the boats were safely ashore, the ship resumed on its onward journey. Its wooden oars whirred back to life  and the lights from it had receded far into the background. None of the sentry watch had noticed that dark shadow creeping from its leeward side.
-
-
-
In the Royal Court of Vijayapuri,
Shodasi Devi was listening to the various cases that had come up for hearing. One particular case was brought by a merchant in the main market. He rested his case, "Maharani I have been utterly ruined. My complaint is against the businessmen from Persia. Five of my fellow merchants have already sold their businesses here. If this monopoly continues, we will all be forced to leave."

Shodasi Devi's eyes narrowed down on hearing this. She knitted the fingers of her right hand with her left as she questioned him further, "Can you explain further? Business means competition. How have a few traders from Persia intimidated you and your fellow merchants so much?"

"The tactics they follow are very unsettling. They first start selling their wares at a loss. People start buying only from them. Our local merchants end up in severe losses. And when we quit the field, they hike the prices of things exorbitantly. In some cases, ten times more than their actual price."

Shodasi Devi's brows were furrowed with ridges. Her face was careworn. She sent the merchant home telling him, "I'll inquire into this matter. We'll devise a system that will plug these loopholes."

After the merchant left, Nachiyar expressed her views, "I have heard similar reports in other markets. The situation needs to be analyzed."

Shodasi Devi nodded her head in acquiescence to the remark. The court then proceeded to discuss other affairs. They were interrupted by a messenger who announced, "Aslam Khan, the royal emissary of King Sharyar is awaiting your permission."

"Escort him within with due respect", Shodasi ordered.

Aslam Khan made a deep bow and held his palm to his face, "Please accept my respects, Queen Shodasi Devi."

"Let arrangement be made for the entertainment and stay of our royal guest", she said.

Shodasi Devi showed him a comfortable seat and requested him to be seated, "What brings you here, Aslam Khan? Can we be of any help to Emperor Sharyar?"

Aslam Khan gave a scroll addressed to the queen, "I carry a sealed message from Emperor Sharyar. Even I am not aware of what it holds. I will await your answer to this message."

Shodasi Devi gracefully received the scroll. She read through the message. The color departed from her face on reading it. She composed herself with effort. She cleared her voice and asked the attendants to show Aslam Khan to his quarters. After he left, Nachiyar asked, "What was there in that message?"

"Emperor Sharyar wants us to provide a fighting force of seven thousand infantry soldiers to accompany Aslam Khan. He calls it give and take. He provided us with elite fighting regiments when we needed them. Now he wants the same from our side", Shodasi Devi explained.

"What are we going to do, Maharani?" Nachiyar asked. "Are we going to raise the regiments?"

Shodasi Devi said, "Yes, we have to in agreement of our alliance. Even though it is a bit inconvenient for us now."

"We should never have involved foreigners in our struggle. This was our fight. We should have battled it out", said Nachiyar expressing her doubts and dissensions about the alliance. "First, they began crippling our businesses. Now this. It will place a tremendous strain on us and our existing resources."

Shodasi Devi did not reply to Nachiyar's statement. But her clouded expression revealed that she was thinking along the same lines as Nachiyar.