The Dance of Time

already carrion, but raptors are not fussy.

And who cared, anyway?

After the years of victory with Damodara, the years of battles and maneuvers in the course of which their commander had showed himself worthy of his men, who cared?

* * *

When the announcement was finally made to the entire army, the Ye-tai and kshatriya simply grunted their satisfaction.

Of course he was the emperor. Stupid of them, really, not to have realized it sooner. All that wasted time.

Still worse, the endless miles of pointless marching back and forth across central Asia-when Kausambi was so close.

* * *

That came later, however. For the moment, Damodara had more pressing business.

After Sanga was gone, thundering off, Damodara trotted over to Rao.

The grin was gone, at least.

'I am the new Emperor of Malwa. I did not start this war, I would now finish it.'

Rao nodded. 'I want the border set on the crest of the Vindhyas. And we get the crest-with the right to build forts on it.'

Damodara thought about it, for a minute.

That was reasonable, he decided. In the nature of things, it would always be northern India with its teeming population in the Ganges valley that posed a threat to the realms of southern India. Forts along the crest of the Vindhyas in the hands of Marathas could serve to defend the Deccan. There was really no way they could ever serve as invasion routes onto the Gangetic plain.

'Agreed,' he said. 'In return, I want Bharakuccha to be an open city. I will need a large seaport on the west coast.'

It was Rao's turn to consider.

'The population is mostly Maratha,' he pointed out.

'It was once. Not any longer. It's twice the size it was at the conquest, and as polyglot as any city in the world. No more than a third of the populace is Maratha, these days.'

Rao grunted. 'Still.'

'I do not insist on a Malwa garrison. But I don't want it garrisoned by Andhra, either. Or Persians.'

'On that last, we are agreed,' Rao said, scowling. 'There'll be no way to keep the greedy arrogant bastards out of the Sind, of course, thanks to you idiots. Not now. But that's as close as I want them, and closer than I imagine you do.'

'Yes. And I don't want Romans, either. They're too powerful.'

Rao scratched his jaw. 'Well, that's true. Friends now-ours, if not yours-but who knows what the future will bring?'

Damodara made the final move. 'An Axumite garrison, then, just big enough to maintain order. Axum is powerful at sea but too small to pose a military threat to any major realm of India. But not Axumite territory. An open city, with its own government-we'll thrash that out later-and neutral to all parties.'

'You understand they'll insist on the right to collect the tolls? To maintain the garrison.'

'For Axum, that matters. For us, it does not. Let them skim the trade. The trade itself flows in and out of India. North as well as south.'

Rao nodded. 'Agreed, then. That leaves the Malwa armies in the Deccan outside of the Great Country. There's still a huge garrison in Amaravati, and large ones elsewhere. Since you're the Goptri of the Deccan, they're officially under your command. What happens, now that you're the Emperor?'

Damodara shrugged. 'Ask me in a few months. If I take Kausambi and depose Skandagupta, they will obey me. I will then order them to come home. Until then, however, I'd just as soon they stayed where they are. I've never had much dealings with them, and I don't know which way they'd go so long as things are unsettled.'

* * *

Rao studied the Malwa army. It was collapsing inward, leaving units of Ye-tai and kshatriya in place while the Rajputs came in to slaughter the priests. If they weren't already slaughtered, which. .

Rao now studied the new Malwa emperor.

They probably were. If Damodara had none of the overweening ambition of Malwa's previous dynasts, Rao was quite sure he concentrated in his short person more capability than any of them-and at least as much in the way of ruthlessness.

But it was a very intelligent ruthlessness, the sort that didn't confuse means with ends and didn't prize ruthlessness for its own sake.

Rao could live with that. More importantly, his son-and his son, and his son-could live with it too. The Deccan could live with it. There would always be a great empire in northern India, that southern India would have to deal with. That being so, better to deal with an empire founded by such as Damodara.

'Done. It would take me two months anyway-at least-to march on Amaravati. But I warn you that I will, if you fail.'

'If I fail, what do I care? And if I don't, it won't be necessary.' Damodara smiled. 'Or do you think that the garrison at Amaravati will suddenly get ambitious? With me above them, and you at the gates?'

Rao returned the smile. It would be pleasant, in the years to come, to deal with this man. Not easy, of course. But. .

Yes, pleasant.

He nodded, and started to walk away.

Damodara called him back. 'Rao-one thing more.'

'Yes?'

'If I succeed, I would like your sadhu to visit Kausambi.'

'Bindusara? Why?'

The new emperor seemed to shiver a little. 'It is not enough to cut the throats of the mahaveda. For generations, now, they have been a poison in India. I think we need to consider an antidote.'

It was the only thing that happened that day that surprised Rao. He had never-not once-considered the possibility that the new emperor of Malwa might actually be wise.

'I have no objection. But I can't speak for Bindusara. He's a sadhu, you know. Stubborn, as the real ones always are.'

'Yes. Why I want him.'

Rao nodded, again, and walked away.

Much more than simply pleasant, then.

Of course, that would also make it less easy. But Rao had never expected the universe to be easy. In truth, he didn't want it to be. With too much ease, came softness; and with softness, came rot.

* * *

It took him a while, to return. First, because he had to settle down some eager and jittery units of his own army. It was always hard for soldiers to restrain themselves, seeing what appeared to be an enemy in confusion.

That was accomplished easily enough. A few shouts and gestures did the trick. Rao's position was unquestioned, after all.

It took longer to collect the weapons and armor he'd discarded. Nor was he tempted to ignore the business. In truth, he didn't even think of doing so. Legend or not, consort of an empress or not, Raghunath Rao was Maratha born and bred. Like hill people the world over, they were a thrifty lot.

* * *

Eventually, though, he made his way back to the howdah and looked up at his beloved wife.

'See?' he demanded.

'I never doubted you once, husband,' she lied.