Friendship And Rivalry ( Part 7 )

"The barbarians love to win against the drylanders. Once you lead them in a couple of victories against us, they will certainly fall in line. But it is certainly not easy to win against the dryalanders. Mind you, Tanadhar Valley needs to be your first victory and you must leave that place as soon as you win. If you wait for Dhija to regroup, they will be able to reclaim the valley. The barbarians have a habit of camping down at the sites they won battles in and celebrate. They don't understand the difference between a battle and a war because they never conquered anything, merely raided. If you give in to them and settle in, the Dhija army will certainly be able to make a comeback."

Kush nodded continuously. "So, if I claim the Tanadhar Valley battlements and then meet you in Damayanti pass and win against you, does that mean I would've won over the barbarians by then?"

"No. Winning against me wouldn't count. The barbarians recognised your victory against Bo'Hur because he was a grown man. And you also fought the three commanders, which in itself was a miracle. Winning against me would not be recognised in comparison. They would feel like you cheated your way to victory and might even despise you for it, for they believe cheating and scheming is what mainlanders do to win."

"Great…so I'm setting myself back then!"

Vajra laughed. "Don't be so deflated. The barbarians look ferocious and they might scare you, but they're actually pretty simple minded. My prediction is, your dissenters will make themselves known after your victory against me. That would be best for you. After all, the battles on the coalition highway will not be so easy and you will need to sacrifice some troops."

"You are saying I can just sacrifice the dissenters…" Kush who fought that terrifying battle with Bo'Hur just because he didn't want to sacrifice anyone from his troops found his heart feel heavy.

"Exactly. I will provide you with intelligence all along. Not just about the forces coming to attack you, but also the situation within your army. So you can rest easy about taking decisions."

"The situation within my army?" Kush asked dubiously.

"Oh Kush, the barbarians and us are old enemies. Naturally, we have long since infiltrated their numbers."

"You mean you have spies among my men?!"

"Among the Maruts…" Vajra thought for a while, "It's difficult. I wouldn't call them spies, just temporary informers."

"Maruts too?!"

"Relax. It's no big deal. How else would I know your real identity while you're in the palace without infiltrating your people?"

"Bastard."

"You're the real bastard for keeping it from me."

"Whatever. Keep going."

"What else is there to say…I believe that by the time you crossed the coalition highway, you would have a truly elite army in your hands. An army that is like a sharp sword which can hack through any force or army out there in the mainland…" Vajra gave a pause and advised seriously. "Grass…I advise you not to face the enemies directly this time. I know you are powerful, but dryland Kshatriyas are not someone you recklessly confront, understand? I don't know how it is in the mainland, but there are several princes and princesses out here, even common clansmen who possess the divine sanction. You may even meet them in battle. You cannot under any circumstances face them directly, you hear me?"

Kush frowned. He didn't really understand.

"You met my sister Agni, didn't you?"

Kush shuddered when he remembered. It wasn't that he felt third princess Agnipriya was a powerful warrior, but she had a violent aura about her that made his heart palpitate whenever he got close to her. It was a tempest that upset his state of mind rather than anything else. The feeling was similar to when he fought with his teacher or Bhargava, but they were more sedate, more in control, more human. On the other hand, Agnipriya was wild and explosive, somewhat exactly like fire which doesn't allow you to get close to it.

"She is just a mild case of it," Vajra pointed out. "They say that the Yuvaraja of Pranaya, Yuga-dheera is truly a hero for an era, like his name says. Evidently, he burns brilliantly like the sun whenever he goes to the battlefield. He was able to blind an entire enemy cavalry once and took it down all by his own!"

"Wow…"

Vajra nodded. "That man is very powerful and absolutely dangerous. He is ambitious, cunning and stubborn. He is also very cruel to his enemies. If you see him, just run. The numbers of the Maruts won't be enough, and the barbarians' tactics will be useless against him."

"But Cactus…why don't you have any of those special powers? In your entire family, only the third princess has them. If those powers are really as common as you say, why didn't I see any in your family?"

Vajra explained to him, "Don't doubt my words. They certainly are common. Even the second queen from Dhija ruled by the Mitra clan had an unusual affinity with plants. She had flowering plants in her garden all year round! Even that tacky Heaven Room in the Crystal Arrow Palace was originally furbished by her, all the exotic plants that live there belong to her."

"But what about the people of your clan?"

"The descendants of the Aditya clan do not need special powers because none of the powers of others who have the divine sanction work on us." Vajra thought for a moment. "However, this statement might be proven wrong by someone like Lord Bhargava who already internalized that power."

"Internalize?"

"Yes…Those yogic exercises that you do to generate internal power, they give common man a level of mystic power. But to ground the exalted divine power using a mortal base requires even more understanding and enlightenment. Lord Bhargava was born with divine power but he later internalized it, so he can use it against me. It's not the same with others who also have the divine sanction. For example, my sister Agni can burn anything if she wishes for it. But she cannot burn me. She cannot burn any of my sisters or others of the Aditya clan. Similarly, the blinding effect Prince Yuga-dheera creates doesn't work on me. It's not just limited to my body either. Second Queen Mandara cannot grow plants in my yard using her powers. And the Hangi king cannot flood my nation that I rule either." Vajra elucidated. "The Hangi king is said to be born with enough powers of Varuna that he could flood an entire nation. Unfortunately, he couldn't control it, so the nation still lives in drought."

Kush was still not satisfied. "They can't use powers on you. But you can't use any on them either!"

"That remains to be seen. Some Rtadhara monarchs did awaken divine powers after they ascended."

"But I guess Martanda wouldn't be able to do that. He's just a human."

"On the contrary, Martanda is the one who'd be able to do so the most. To reach the point of godhood, his body undergoes a lot of changes as he matures."

"Whoa…So in the future, you might actually be more powerful than me?" Kush was most concerned about this point.

Vajra smiled and shook his head. He threw an arm around Kush's neck and looked at the wide, empty desert with its strange indentations. There was only a single set of footsteps to be seen. Though they were small, they were not shallow, appearing to be carrying to weight of two people. The sun's slanting rays refracted around the tiny crystals within, giving them a lovable glow.

"How can that be. You and I will always be the same."

"Really?"

"Really," Vajra promised.

"That's for the best then." Kush said matter-of-factly. "Rivals are meant to be equally matched."

"Yes." Vajra smiled.