Rajaraja conferred with Panchavan for a moment, with both glancing over to Bradan and Melcorka. Eventually, Rajaraja raised a finger and a man equally as large as the guard on the door approached. Apart from Rajaraja, he was the only armed man in that room, so Melcorka guessed he was Rajaraja's personal bodyguard. 'Take the strangers to the private Durbar room,' Rajaraja ordered. 'Search them thoroughly and wait there with them.'
The large man nodded and gestured that Melcorka and Bradan should follow him. 'If you give Rajaraja any trouble,' he said in a deep bass, 'I will tear off your heads.'
'We will not give Rajaraja any trouble,' Bradan promised. 'I'm rather attached to my head.'
The private Durbar room was one level higher than the public Durbar chamber and was more luxuriously appointed with carpets and silken divans, with the expected carved statues and incense wafting from a tall candle. As in the public Durbar room, a statue of Shiva dominated.
'Strip,' the deep-voiced man said. 'Both of you. Down to your skin.'
Melcorka sighed. 'How often have men said that to me?' She looked at Bradan, hoping for a glimmer of humour.
'Best do as he says, Mel.'
The guard ran his gaze up and down both. 'Turn!' he ordered, prodded at both and grunted. He inspected their clothes for hidden weapons and then ordered them to dress again. 'Wait here,' he said, then took up a position between the two windows and stood with his massive arms folded and the sword naked at his waist.
'We'll wait here.' Melcorka sat on one of the divans and watched Bradan pace the room, looking out of the windows as his right hand sought the staff he no longer possessed.
'Settle down, Bradan. You'll wear yourself out.'
'The longer this takes, the more trouble there might be.' Bradan paced back and forward.
'And the more weary you are, the less sense you'll make when you talk to Rajaraja.' Melcorka leaned back on the couch. 'This thing is very comfortable.'
'You have not seen the cruelty of these rakshasas,' Bradan said. 'If Dhraji is an example of them, and there are indeed others, things could get very bloody indeed.'
'All the more reason for you to conserve your energy,' Melcorka said.
Sighing, Bradan perched on the edge of one of the divans, only to bounce up when the door opened and Rajaraja stepped in, flanked by Rani Panchavan on one side and his bodyguard on the other. The herald stepped in front of them, with the horn-blower at his side.
'All praise Arulmozhi Thevar, son of Parantaka Sundara Chola, Rajaraja Chola…'
'Enough of that nonsense,' Rajaraja said. 'Thank you, Herald, but I am sure shouting my praises once a day is sufficient for you.'
Stopped in mid-sentence, the herald looked slightly disappointed.
'These light-skinned people from Alba already know who I am,' Rajaraja said. 'You already told them, remember? I am sure they will remember from a couple of hours ago. You do your job very well.'
The herald now looked confused, unsure whether to feel pleased or insulted.
'Go and have a rest,' Rajaraja said. 'Spare your lungs for tomorrow's public Durbar.'
Salaaming, the herald withdrew, taking the horn-blower with him.
'Now then.' Rajaraja was immediately businesslike. 'What's all this about a threat to my empire?' He listened without interruption as Bradan told his story. 'You say that Dhraji of Thiruzha is a rakshasa?'
'She is,' Bradan said. 'The real Dhraji is held in the dungeons below Kollchi.'
'And Bhim? Is he a Rakshasa as well?'
'I do not know,' Bradan said. 'I have not seen him alter into any other form, so I think he is human.'
Rajaraja grunted, exchanged glances with Rani Panchavan and continued. 'And she and Bhim combined to defeat the forces I sent to reduce Kollchi?'
Bradan nodded. 'Bhim was the strategic brains behind both the Thiruzha victories. Dhraji changed into a monster to help sink your Majesty's vessels.'
'I can do nothing about these possible other rakshasas,' Rajaraja said. 'If they come, then they come. I don't like Dhraji or the threat Thiruzha poses on my western border.'
'We could help, your Majesty,' Melcorka said. 'Bradan knows the layout of Dhraji's lair at Kollchi, plus the defences at Rajgana and I am a bit of a warrior.'
'Indeed?' Rani Panchavan made a rare contribution to the conversation. 'Then I am lucky you did not choose to reveal your skills when I danced to your man.' Her smile broke any tension. 'It is all right, Melcorka nic Bearnas. I have no designs on Bradan, or on anybody else.'
'I am glad to hear that, Your Majesty,' Melcorka said. 'Nor do I have any designs on Rajaraja.' When she met Rani Panchavan's smile with one of her own, both women looked at each other in perfect understanding.
'I'll call together my commanders and devise a plan,' Rajaraja said. 'We are experienced in war. We know how to gain a victory.'
'You are experienced in a war against mortal enemies,' Melcorka said. 'War against the rakshasas is different.'
'War is war,' Rajaraja said. 'One may require different tactics and weapons than the other, but they all require striving against an enemy who is as determined to defeat us as we are to defeat them.'
'Your Majesty is wise,' Bradan said.
'My Majesty does not need to be flattered,' Rajaraja said.
Bradan salaamed, hiding his smile. Rajaraja was not like Dhraji.
'We will call for you if we need you,' Rajaraja said. 'In the meantime, you are free to wander around my city, Bradan and Melcorka.'
'My sword…' Melcorka began.
'You are my guests,' Rajaraja said. 'And as such are under my protection. You will not need a sword in Thanjavur. Besides,' Rajaraja's smile was of sad humour, 'if you had your sword, you might feel tempted to ensure that Panchavan did not dance to Bradan again!'
'As you wish, Your Majesty.' Melcorka marvelled to find a king with a sense of humour.
'If you need anything,' Rajaraja said, 'say my name and it will be provided. View the great temple of Shiva, I have been told that travellers admire it, and watch
