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stared levelly back at the man, taking his time to reply. When he did, his voice was firm. “Yes. Because dismissing such reports, however unreliable they may seem, would be immensely stupid. We all know that the Hunas and Sakas are cunning and fearsome adversaries, and we can’t have them gaining a foothold in Sindhuvarta again.”
    Shrugging his shoulders, the other man lolled back in his chair and looked lazily up at the ceiling. “I think we’re all making too much of this.”
    â€œYou may be right, Shoorasena,” Vikramaditya’s tone had undergone a subtle change as he met the challenge to his authority head-on. “But Sindhuvarta has suffered far too much under the occupation of the Hunas and Sakas. It took great sacrifices from all our kingdoms to rid our lands of the invaders. Your own father...”
    The samrat paused to point to the frail, white-haired man sitting beside Shoorasena, his shoulders stooped with age. “...the respected King Siddhasena, lost two of his brothers in battle. King Bhoomipala lost a son, Vararuchi and I lost our father... We’ve all lost a lot to win that war. By taking this lightly, we will be insulting the memory of the martyrs who fought for Sindhuvarta. That is not acceptable to me.”
    Shoorasena looked at Vikramaditya for a moment, then glanced quickly around the table, assessing the mood. On receiving hard, disapproving glares from virtually everyone, he dropped his eyes, nodded and retreated into a surly silence.
    Vetala Bhatta took the opportunity to rise from his seat. “There is another good reason to believe that the reports in Matsya are correct,” his tone was grave. “A piece of news came in from our garrison at Udaypuri just this morning. I intended giving it to the samrat later in the evening, but now I might as well share it with everyone here.”
    Quickly and without preamble, the raj-guru told the gathering about the Huna attack on the Frontier Guard outpost. As he spoke, the sense of disquiet heightened in the room, and worried looks crisscrossed in every direction.
    â€œIt’s plain that the Huna-Saka Confederacy has renewed its interest in Sindhuvarta,” the Acharya concluded. “The Sakas are scouting Matsya, whereas the Hunas are eyeing Avanti’s borders.”
    â€œThis is very distressing,” said Baanahasta, rubbing his chin through his beard anxiously, suddenly awake to the prospect of a genuine threat to his kingdom.
    â€œHow many men did we lose in the attack?” Amara Simha asked, his voice bristling.
    The raj-guru looked inquiringly at Ghatakarpara, who shrugged to indicate that the rider hadn’t made any mention of this.
    â€œThose border outposts are small, so maybe a dozen men,” the Acharya hazarded a guess.
    â€œWe need to start moving troops to the border immediately,” Vikramaditya spoke decisively. “Brother Vararuchi, please ensure that ten thousand infantry units, three thousand archers and three thousand cavalrymen of the Imperial Army are dispatched by tomorrow morning, with instructions to set up camps to the north and south of Udaypuri. And notify the commander of the Royal Engineers to start reinforcing all border defenses and secure them against attack.”
    â€œWould you want me to travel to Udaypuri as well to oversee the troop movements, samrat?”
    â€œSomeone from the palace would have to go,” Vikramaditya conceded. “Let’s consult and decide on that shortly. For now, let the troops leave immediately.”
    Vararuchi acknowledged the command, and the king turned to Kalidasa, who had been standing impassively to one side all the while, his massive arms folded across his chest. “I would like you to start preparing your
samsaptakas
for deployment at short notice.”
    â€œAll two thousand of them are fully ready for battle, samrat,” said the big man. “They only await an order from