King Saudipta turned to the older man. "What proof do you have that this man stole the deed?" His voice was deep and somber, like the drone of the ocean.
The man threw the tantric a dirty look. "Who else can it be? After all, I bought the land from his father."
The tantric scoffed. "You fooled my father into giving it to you. You cannot fool me. Where is the witness if you bought the land honorably?"
"The witness has passed away, my lord," the farmer replied, addressing the king instead of the tantric, "Where will I go? Where will my children go?" The man cried out and began to sob, dropping to his knees.
High Minister Haspal's watchful eyes found Nasatya's, and he gave the ashwin a small nod. Saudipta's father, late king Sampad, Haspal, and Nasatya, it was the three of them growing up together in the hallways of the Sky Palace. A close friend and a reliable associate, Sampad made Haspal his High Minister as soon as he ascended the throne. Since then, Haspal steadfastly served Sampad and now his son, King Saudipta.
"I have heard enough," Saudipta sounded certain. The farmer slowly raised himself to his feet. "You will leave that man's land. Without a deed, that land does not belong to you."
"My lord!" The farmer let out huge choking sobs.
"Humans and their petty squabbles," Darsa muttered from behind Nasatya.
"In its place, I will offer a piece of my land for you to live at," King Saudipta promised, and in a heartbeat, the man's sobs ended. Instead, he stared at the king in confusion and relief. "In return, you will sell your grains solely to the palace."
"Whatever you wish, my lord!" The man said with a happy gasp and kowtowed so low that his head was touching the hall's marble floor.
But King Saudipta was not done yet. He turned to the man in the black robe. "As for you, tantric, you must abide by the rules. I have no patience for magic and sorcery. If you plan to practice your sorcery, you must do it outside the limits of this kingdom." There was a touch of warning in Saudipta's voice.
The Tantric frowned, but his smile still had not left his lips. "For how long would you deny, my king, that magic lives on in this kingdom? You cannot crush what flows through us."
"Then leave this place by nightfall," Saudipta commanded. A soft murmur surged through the crowd.
There was a flick of eyes from High Minister Haspal, and two guards stepped up to the tantric, taking him by each arm. He quietly followed them out of the hall, a smugness still painting his face.
Someone cleared their throat loudly and the hall, once again, filled with a hushed silence.
King Saudipta's eyes found Rebha. "Knight Officer Rebha," he addressed her formally, "Commander Sur tells me you come before us today with a plea."
Rebha's demeanor changed as if she was not a maiden anymore, observing the court with silent curiosity, but a knight in King Saudipta's army. She marched up to the hall's center, standing before the king and the ministers.
"My lord, I stand before you with a request from my cousin brothers. They have come here bearing honor and goodwill. They seek your aid in a mission that is for the cause of the realm."
"And what mission is that?" asked Saudipta.
Rebha glanced at Nasatya with an invitation. Before the words could leave his tongue, Darsa spoke up from behind him, "Mission to find Sheshanag," he announced breezily and padded over to where Rebha stood. Nasatya had little choice but to follow his brother.
Nasatya felt the weight of eyes upon him, but nothing was more unbearable than a pair of dark, hooded eyes watching him, cold and aloof. There was no expression on King Saudipta's face, only a look that stung Nasatya. Saudipta was a great bear of man, like a mountain sitting amongst them, tall and muscled, with a massive jaw and a slightly bumped nose that ran in the family. Gold shone in his ears and neck, but he refused to wear the crown, said he did not need a crown to be the king; he needed his people.
Saudipta's two queens, Madhura and Rambha sat on each side, regarding the three ashwins with cool courtesy. Madhura was tall with a hook nose and eyes that could not be trusted, while Rambha was small and slender, rather plainfaced, with amber eyes. Saudipta had wedded them within years of each other, and in that time, they have fulfilled their wifely duties, bearing him children and attending the court as was the custom.
The hall was abuzz with excitement at the mention of Lord Shesha. It was in human nature, Nasatya had found, to be drawn to the mystic, and there was no one as mysterious as the legendary thousand-headed serpent, Sheshanag.
"Our king here may abhor the magic, but you will need it if you want to save yourself from the certain ruin that will soon be upon us," Darsa continued to speak in riddles, paying little regard to the growing stir behind him.
"What ruin are you speaking of?" Minister Haspal sounded incredulous, his thick grey brows raised to his hairline and his thin mouth open in disbelief.
Darsa gave a long, condescending sigh when Nasatya cut in. "We received a tiding from the capital. Perhaps we need to speak in private." He did not want to set the tongues wagging.
"You may speak," King Saudipta instructed him, words soaked in formality.
Nasatya gave a faint nod. "Sage Parasu, Great Master of Asura King Digvi's court, had a vision of the Mahapralay. The sage and the young asura prince have enlisted our help. While they seek a means to fend off the catastrophe, we are making a journey in search of Lord Shesha, the only being who has lived through the last apocalypse. Our scriptures indicate Lord Shesha's present dwelling is in the Great Ocean of the Sky."
"I see," was all King Saudipta offered.
"For the sake of the realm," Nasatya finished, "we pray that you allow us to pass through your kingdom."
Saudipta regarded Nasatya with eyes that said nothing. "Today, I open my borders to you. Tomorrow, an entire army of immortals will ask to enter our kingdom. I must decline your request, Ashwin Nasatya." He spoke in the same cool, stolid tone of a man who was hiding his wounds.