The two men stared at the map in silence for a bit longer. Then, heaving a sigh, Rana Sanga spoke almost in a whisper.
“I used to dream, sometimes—long ago, when I was still young and foolish—of meeting him again in single combat on the field of honor.”
Damodara tried to salvage something out of the ruins. “And so you shall!”
Heavily, Sanga shook his head. “No, Lord. As you say, the orders carried no leeway. Once we cross the Narmada, we will be under Lord Venandakatra’s command. Politically, at least, since he is the Goptri of the Deccan. You know as well as I do that he is not called the Vile One for no reason.”
Again, the heavy sigh. “There will be no honor for us in the Great Country, Lord Damodara. Not a shred.”
Damodara said nothing. There was nothing to say.
* * *
Shortly thereafter, Rana Sanga left the tent and returned to his own. There, for two hours, he paced back and forth in silence. His Rajput officers stayed well clear of the tent. Sanga spoke not a word, but black anger emanated from him like an asura in captive fury.
Even the guards standing outside the entrance moved as far away from it as possible. Their presence at the tent was a formality, in any event. Rana Sanga was universally—by friend and foe alike—considered the greatest living Rajput warrior as well as Rajputana’s finest general. “Guarding” him was a bit on the order of setting cubs to guard a tiger.
Late in the afternoon, a Ye-tai appeared before the tent and requested permission to pass. Toramana, that was, an officer whom Damodara had recently promoted to the status of general. Of the thousands of Ye-tai soldiers in Damodara’s army, Toramana was now ranked the highest.
The Rajput guards eyed him uncertainly.
They did so, in part, because Toramana was the kind of man who, armed and armored as he was, would cause any soldier to pause. Toramana was himself considered a mighty warrior, as well as a canny general. He was big, even for a Ye-tai, and not yet thirty years old. His taut and well-muscled body was evidence of the rigorous regimen he had maintained since boyhood—a boyhood which had itself been spent in the harsh environment of the Hindu Kush. His face, bony and angular in the Ye-tai way, was quite unreadable—which was not common in that breed of men.
For the most part, however, the Rajput guards hesitated because they knew the purpose of Toramana’s visit. He had come to receive the answer to a question, a question which all the Rajputs in Damodara’s army had been discussing and debating privately for days. And, for most, had settled on the same answer as the two guards standing in front of Rana Sanga’s tent.
“It is not a good time, General Toramana,” said one of the guards quietly. “Rana Sanga is in a rage. Best you return tomorrow, when the answer is more likely to be the one you desire.”
The big Ye-tai officer studied the guard, for a moment. Then, shrugging: “If the answer is the one I desire, then I will have to deal with Rana Sanga for years to come. Do you think this is the last day Rajputana’s greatest king will have cause for fury? Best I get the answer in his worst moment. That alone will be a promise greater than any words.”
The guards returned his calm gaze by looking away. The truth of the statement could not, after all, be denied.
“Enter then, General,” said one.
“Our wishes go with you,” murmured the other.
Toramana nodded. “My thanks. Things will be as they will be.” He pushed aside the tent flap and entered.
* * *
Hearing someone come into his pavilion, Sanga ceased his restless pacing and spun around. His hand did not fly to the sword belted at his waist, but his mouth opened, ready to hurl words of angry dismissal. Then, seeing who it was, he froze.
For a moment, the two big men stared at each other. The light shed by the lamps in the tent caused both of their faces to be highlighted, making them seem ever harder than usual. Warrior faces, as if cast in bronze. Sanga was taller than Toramana—the Rajput king was taller than almost anyone—and even broader in the shoulders. But the smaller Ye-tai did not seem in the least intimidated.