'That was well done,' Kosala said, as the three elephants raised their trunks, trumpeted loudly and barged into each other. Bhim's beast ran through the cordon of soldiers and began to wreak mayhem among the crowd, just as another catapult-fired boulder crashed into the buildings on the north side of the square, bringing down a shower of masonry.
Dhraji slid from her elephant to land on her feet and motioned for the others to follow. They stood side by side, with Bhim still on the left and the mysterious hooded one in the centre.
Melcorka advanced, swinging Defender. 'Fight me,' she said.
The three rakshasas stood side by side. 'Depart!' Dhraji shouted. Her voice resonated above the screams of the crowd and the squealing of the elephants. 'Get back to your posts, soldiers! Go home, the rest.'
The double crash of falling rocks helped speed up the process. The crowd fled, the noise diminished and within minutes, Melcorka, Bradan and Kosala faced the three rakshasas across the empty square, with only the dead mahouts to remind them that the elephants had ever been there.
'This is familiar,' Bradan said, as Melcorka handed him his staff. 'My own staff again.' He ran his thumb over Columba's Cross and tapped the staff on the ground.
'I killed you an hour or two ago,' Melcorka told him.
'Oh? How did you do it?'
'I cut your head off.' Melcorka smiled at him. 'It was a rakshasa that looked exactly like you. Ugly-looking brute it was, too.'
'I didn't feel a thing.' Bradan said. 'Did you know it wasn't me?'
'I was fairly sure.'
'Next time, make wholly sure, please,' Bradan said. 'I would hate you to make a mistake. You'd never forgive yourself.'
'What are you two doing?' Kosala asked. 'We're meant to be fighting the rakshasas!'
'Oh, they can wait,' Bradan said. 'Some things are more important than fighting evil.'
'May I join in?' Kulothunga strolled casually into the square. 'Or is this a private quarrel?' He was dressed in his usual finery, with his face clean and freshly shaved except for his curling moustache.
'You are always welcome,' Melcorka said. 'After all, you are the best warrior there ever has been.'
'You haven't forgotten me, then.' Drawing his sword, Kulothunga kissed the blade in a gesture as melodramatic as anything Melcorka had ever seen.
'How can anybody ever forget you?' Melcorka asked.
'That is true.'
'Are we going to fight?' Kosala asked.
'You are very impatient to die,' Dhraji said. 'For that, I shall kill your friends first and save you to the last.'
The mysterious one stepped back and lifted its hand. Immediately, a circle of mirrors appeared around the square.
'What is that for?' Kosala wondered.
'Don't you wish to watch your friends die from a hundred different angles?' Dhraji asked.
'I wish to kill you,' Melcorka said. 'And I shall kill you.'
Dhraji laughed. 'Vanity, vanity.' She smiled. 'You will fight and die in ignorance.'
Vanity! The weakness of the rakshasa!
Melcorka shook her head. 'Fight me, Dhraji. We have affairs to settle, you and I. Bradan, Kosala and I are ready for you.'
'You have forgotten me,' Kulothunga said. 'Don't you remember who I am?' He stood in front of the mirror with his back to Melcorka, grooming his moustache.
'I know you are not Kulothunga,' Melcorka told him. 'I rescued the real Kulothunga from the dungeons not an hour ago. You are another rakshasa.'
'I have all Kulothunga's skills and memories.' The rakshasa did not seem surprised to be discovered. 'I know he has defeated you already in swordplay, archery and wrestling.' He preened himself. 'I also have Kulothunga's clothes and sword.'
'Try and defeat me again,' Melcorka stepped back. 'Fight me.'
The rakshasa lifted its sword and advanced, with Kulothunga's smile on its face and Kulothunga's sword in its hand. Melcorka parried its swing, felt it twist its sword in an attempt to disarm her and thrust suddenly forward. As the rakshasa pulled back, Melcorka swung Defender, only to find Kulothunga had parried in turn.
'I am the best there has ever been,' the rakshasa that looked like Kulothunga said.
'You are good.' Melcorka advanced again, using her figure-of-eight attack.
When the rakshasa tried to push aside Defender, Melcorka parried, pressing on, knowing that she was stronger and fitter than she had been during their previous bouts. 'Is that your best, Kulothunga? I thought you were good.'
The words stung Kulothunga, as Melcorka had intended. He locked his blade with Defender and held Melcorka, muscle for muscle, with his eyes staring into hers.
'You cannot defeat me, Melcorka.'
Melcorka felt herself pushed backward. Defender slipped in her grasp. 'You are strong,' she said.
'I am,' Kulothunga agreed.
Melcorka tried to twist Defender to disarm Kulothunga. He shifted with her twist, countering her move.
'You are very good,' Melcorka gasped, giving ground. 'I think you are better than me.'
Kulothunga laughed. 'I am the best,' he said.
'You are my master with the sword.' Melcorka slipped and fell to the ground, with Kulothunga standing proud over her. 'I cannot fight any more.' She heard Bradan's shout of despair.
Kulothunga loomed over her, preening his moustache. As he did so, Melcorka rolled to the side and thrust upward into Kulothunga's groin.
Kulothunga stared at her with his face contorted in agony.
'Die, you thing!' Melcorka shoved Defender further up, twisting to enlarge the wound. Kulothunga gasped, dropped his sword and stood rigid above her as his blood flowed up the blade of Melcorka's sword.
Kosala stared, open-mouthed. 'You defeated Kulothunga!'
'The creature was good,' Melcorka said, 'but I knew its weakness. It combined the vanity of Kulothunga with the vanity of the rakshasas.'
'I hope you got the right man,' Bradan said, as Melcorka tore Defender free and the rakshasa crumpled to the ground. 'That looked and sounded very like Kulothunga to me.'
'I hope so, too,' Melcorka said. 'Trust nobody. 'Here they come now.'
Four; there are four rakshasas; the copies of Bhim, Kulothunga and Dhraji as well as the Mysterious One. How can I defeat four of them?
There was no more pretence. The rakshasa
