Nanda Lal’s thick lips tightened. “Yes, I did. A horrible scene. Fortunately, the bodies were so badly burned that I could, in good conscience, tell Rana Sanga that there had been no signs of torture or abuse. That much relief, at least, I was able to give him.”
The Malwa empire’s chief spymaster sighed heavily. “Just bandits, Toramana. A particularly bold and daring group, to be sure. Kushans, according to the few surviving eyewitnesses. By now, I’m sorry to say, the monsters have undoubtedly found refuge with the other Kushan brigands in the Hindu Kush.”
Nanda Lal’s lips were very thin, now. “Brigands, no more. Remember that, Toramana. All who oppose Malwa are but brigands. Which we will deal with soon enough, have no doubt of it.”
Both men fell silent, watching the Rajput king leading his half-sister out of the audience chamber toward his own quarters in the palace. When all the Rajputs in the chamber were gone, Nanda Lal leaned over and whispered again.
“My best wishes on your marriage, Toramana. The emperor asked me to pass along his own, as well. We are quite sure, should it ever prove necessary, that you will do whatever is needed to protect Malwa from its enemies. All of its enemies, whomever they might be.”
Again, Toramana nodded solemnly. “You may be sure of it, Lord. I am not given to subterfuge and disguise.”
* * *
Late that night, Narses was summoned to the private chambers of Rana Sanga. The eunuch obeyed the summons, of course, though not with any pleasure. It was not that he objected to the lateness of the hour. Narses was usually awake through half the night. It was simply that the old intriguer hated to be surprised by anything, and he could think of no logical reason why the Rajput king would wish to see him.
Narses moved furtively through the dark corridors of the palace. That was simply old habit, more than anything else. Narses was not in the least bit worried of being overseen by Nanda Lal’s spies. Here, in his own territory, Narses’ webs of intrigue and espionage were far superior to those of the Malwa spymaster.
Very rarely, in times past, had Rana Sanga spoken to Narses at all, except in the presence of Lord Damodara. And those occasions had been in daytime, in military headquarters, while on campaign. To summon him for a private audience in his own chambers . . .
* * *
After Narses entered the Rajput king’s quarters, a servant led him to the private audience room and then departed. Courteously, his face showing nothing of the grief and rage which must have lain beneath, Rana Sanga invited him to sit. The Rajput was even courteous enough to offer the Roman a chair, knowing that the old eunuch’s bones did not adjust well to the Indian custom of sitting cross-legged on cushions.
After taking his own seat on some cushions nearby, Rana Sanga leaned over and spoke softly. “The news of my family’s murder has caused me to ponder great questions of philosophy, Narses. Especially the relationship of truth to illusion. That is why I requested your presence. I thought you might be of assistance to me, in my hour of sorrow. My hour of great need.”
Narses frowned. “I’m not even conversant with Greek philosophy, Rana Sanga, much less Hindu. Something to do with what you call Maya, the ‘veil of illusion,’ as I understand it. Don’t see what help I could be.”
The Rajput nodded. “So I understand. But I was not intending to ask your help with such profound questions, Narses. I had something much simpler in mind. The nature of onions, to be precise.”
“Onions?” Narses’ wrinkled face was deeply creased with puzzlement. The expression made him look even more reptilian than usual. “Onions?”
“Onions.” Sanga leaned over and picked up a thick sheaf of documents lying next to him. He held them up before Narses and waggled them a bit. “This is the official report of the ambush and killing of my family. Nanda Lal, as you may know, oversaw the investigation himself.”
The Rajput king laid the mass of documents on the carpet before him. “It is a very thorough and complete report, as you would expect from Nanda Lal and his top investigators. Exhaustive, actually. No detail was left unmentioned, except the precise nature of the wounds, insofar as they could be determined.”