Darsa's hysterical laughter pealed through the lake air. He was standing by the edge of the lake, doubling over in bellows, while Nasatya and a few of his men behind him waded out of the lake. It was another one of his irksome japes that Darsa loved to play on Nasatya, and this time Nasatya's men paid the price too.
Their traveling party rode out at the first light, and Nasatya led the convoy the way he always did. He had only begun to canter through the greenwood when dirt and leaves under his hooves parted, and he went hurtling down into lake water. It was too late to warn the men behind him.
Nasatya emerged out of the lake in his human form, wet leaves and moss stuck all over him. Darsa was still sniggering, sitting across his horse. He traveled in his human form, unlike Nasatya.
"When will you grow up?" Nasatya berated his brother for hiding the lake with a blanket of foliage, "One of these days, your japes would cost you your life." He shook the water off his long, silvery hair.
Darsa dismounted his ride and sauntered up to his brother.
"But you would save me, would you not, dear brother?" Darsa's words dripped with honey to soothe Nasatya's displeasure. He picked a leaf from Nasatya's hair with a slender hand. Nasatya slapped it away and strode over to where a carriage was waiting with his belongings.
They left Ashwinapur the same day Sage Parasu's party left for Trisurajya. The Ashwin twins and their men were traveling for two weeks, and they were fast approaching the eastern border of the Malaya kingdom, the land of the men. Nasatya drew back the curtain and peeked out of the carriage window.
"We will be there in minutes," Nasatya noted.
Lord Manu agreed. He was sitting across him in the carriage, tall and straight, dignified as ever. It was not usual for them to bring Lord Manu on their trips. But this was a critical mission, and Lord Manu's human birth could prove invaluable in the land of the men, especially after the fallout he had with Saudipta on his last visit. Nasatya peered once more into the distance. The Malayan sentries were stationed at the border, prepared to stop any intruder, especially those who were not humans.
"Halt the convoy," Nasatya called out to the carriage driver, and then turned to Manu. "I will join the outriders."
"Ashwin Darsa is already with them."
"Which is why I am needed."
Nasatya stepped out of the carriage. He swung up on top of a horse that was readied and saddled for him and spurred it into motion. He passed by ten Ashwin knights, atop their mounts, all awaiting further commands, and went over to where Darsa was reined up.
"I wonder if they are waiting for us with rose petals or iron chains," Darsa wondered aloud.
"It is time we find out."
Nasatya put his heels to his mount, setting it into motion, and the rest of the riders followed him. They drove their horses to a hard trot, their rearing stallion flag snapping in the wind, and soon reached the scatter of the Malay soldiers guarding the border. The Malay men wore a red cotton tunic with belts strapped across the chest in a cross and horned iron helmets meant to strike terror in the heart of the enemies. Their red flags with the white conch shell sigil were flying high, marking the start of the Malay territory.
The convoy pulled up before the line of the sentries. Lord Santana, a young, keen outrider, walked up to them.
"This is a royal convoy from the City of Ashwinapur," he announced, "The Ashwin twins must travel to the western ghats for a noble expedition, and they seek passage through your land."
The border guard standing nearest to them studied the royal entourage carefully and then shrugged. "We have orders to not let in trespassers."
The men had always deemed the immortals untrustworthy. Ages ago, the Malay kingdom was ruled by a tyrant God who hounded and oppressed the mortals. The men rebelled, and in a stunning show of willpower, they overthrew the tyrant God king. But tyranny begets tyranny. After the first few benevolent human kings, the malevolent ones came, and they unleashed cruelty on the immortals. Some were persecuted; others were banished from the land.
After thousands of years, at last, the kingdom had found its peace and prosperity, yet, the prejudice remained in the hearts of the men. Small wonder, they seem less than thrilled to see the convoy of horsemen knocking at their door.
The young Ashwin outrider, unsure of the response, glanced back at the Ashwin twins.
Darsa urged his stallion forward. "King Saudipta and we are the closest of allies," he reassured the border guard, "unless you want to risk his wrath, you would be wise to let us pass."
The guard was ready to reject his threats, but sharp words cut in. "Let them in." Nasatya sighed in relief when he heard the familiar voice of his cousin.
Ashwin Rebha was a spirited mare of eighty years, young by Ashwin's standards. She was the fastest horse Nasatya had known, faster than any destrier. Quick and agile, she had quickly risen the ranks of the Ashwin army when she suddenly decided to leave all that for the land of the men. She had the rare coloring of clear gold with a white tail and mane that caught the eye from a distance and, presently, moved towards them in a smooth, languid gait. She walked past the line of the guards and finally stopped before the group of travelers.
"You are late by a day," Ashwin Rebha noted as her form began to change. Her silvery mane changed to long, smooth hair; her trunk morphed into an elegant, shapely form, and her muzzled became a long, thin face with a sharp chin.
"Circumstances did not let us leave sooner," explained Nasatya. He swung off his horse and walked over to Rebha. The embrace he received from her was long and fierce. He clumsily closed his arms around her waist.
"No matter," she muttered against his ear, "you are here now."
"How unjust, dear cousin!" Darsa's rich voice floated in from behind.
Medha unlocked herself from Nasatya and waited for the younger twin.
"You said I was your favorite," Darsa continued to complain, padding up to Rebha, "yet, you forget all about me in a year."
Rebha playfully slapped Darsa on the arm and then pulled him into a hug. Darsa squealed from the hard smack. "If you don't behave in the court, there will be more to come."
"You must ride with me," Darsa demanded and pulled Rebha over to his mount. "I have too much to share and not enough time."
When all were back up on their saddles, they set off for the capital of Malaya kingdom, Avanti. That took them two days. It was a relief to have Rebha on the journey with them, which kept Darsa occupied. They received long, strange looks from the people of the kingdom. A roving band of horsemen, godlings, and asuras made for a fascinating spectacle.
The land of the men was not very apart from the land of the horsemen, except here, there was no sign of magic. Most could not wield Tantra, and those who could usually left to train at the Tantric Guild in Amravati.
Instead, the Malayan men focused on hard labor and equipment built of metals and gears. Machines, they called them. In the villages, they used thick metal tubes to draw water from the underground. Horizontal wooden poles levered heavy rocks and bundles from one place to another. The same levers even carried water to irrigate their lands.
Nasatya's party rode along the sturdy metal and rope bridges to cross the river and then galloped down the smooth tarmac road entering the City of Avanti. The streets were all paved and clean, houses tall and painted, and the shops well-stocked and festooned. Nasatya was captivated by how much the city prospered each time he visited. When a man passed by their convoy on a vehicle with wheels that he moved with his own feet, all the horsemen watched agape and full of wonder.
"Perhaps we should invite the men to our city, and they can build those for us," Darsa remarked.
"They are the builders," said Rebha, seated on Darsa's horse behind him, "King Saudipta is a generous patron. He encourages their work, even pays them to build more machines."
"Watch out, brother dear," Darsa teased Nasatya, "make sure you don't offend the king this time. I don't want him to wage war on us with one of those machines."
Nasatya gave his brother a silent stern look but moved along. In the distance, he could spot the crown of the royal palace, its white marble looking gray in the dusk light. It was too late for an audience with the king. Nasatya now had the entire night to deliberate how he would seek forgiveness from King Saudipta.