Vikraman was grateful that the horseman had arrived in time to save him. He replied, “Sir, I’m a trader. I took this route as a shortcut to get to Uraiyur. You came at a good time to save me from danger”.
“Are you a trader? It’s hard to believe the hands that weigh goods
can wield the sword this well. What sort of trade do you do?”
“I trade in precious gems. I trained in sword fight as well”.
“A gem trader? And you chose to travel alone along such a route at
night?”
“I was misled by the reputation of Emperor Narasimha Varman. I’ve
heard people say even in overseas countries that there is no such thing as
crime under his rule”.
“Oh, you are a foreigner! I thought you might be. Where are you
coming from?”
“I’m from Senbaga Island”.
“Senbaga Island? I have heard that it is known for precious
stones. But to sell gems, shouldn’t you have gone to Kanchi? Why did you have
to travel in such haste to Uraiyur?”
“I will tell you sir. May I know who you are?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Isn’t it natural for me to want to know who saved my life?”
“I did not save your life. You saved yourself. You dealt with
three men. Getting rid of the fourth would not have been hard for you. In any
case, I will tell you who I am. You just said you were misled by the reputation
of the Emperor. I am one of the servants of that Emperor. I am the chief of
spies. I received intelligence that you are traveling along this path. I
thought you might be in danger and came here”.
“Amazing! Is the Emperor’s spy network that efficient? If so, it
appears that I was mistaken.”
“The governance here may not be as good as in Senbaga Island,
but we try our best to avert theft and murder. Strictly speaking, I have to
arrest you for causing the death of four people, and produce you in the
Emperor’s court.”
Vikraman’s hand gripped the handle of the sword. The horseman
noticed it, and said, “No, sir, there is no need for that. I don’t intend to
arrest you. You are a foreigner. You made a mistake in coming along this route.
If people like you don’t get in trouble, people like me will have nothing to
do. There would be no need for a spy network, or a chief of spies. For now, my
job here is done. In fact, you seem quite capable of fending for yourself. Let
me get on my way”.
Vikraman was confused. He felt he had not thanked the man
properly. He thought if he befriended the man, he might be able to buy the man’s
horse. He also was a bit worried as to where to stay for the night. He said,
“It is not true. If you did not turn up, it was quite possible that I’d have
died. You certainly saved my life. I need another favor from you”.
“I always help when someone asks for help. But I don’t volunteer
help to those who don’t ask”.
“I need to get to Uraiyur in a hurry. For that you…”
“You are going to ask me for my horse. If you travel this late,
you and my horse may end up as prey for wild animals. I’m not particularly
worried about you, but I don’t want to feed my horse to tigers.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“There is a sculptor’s house nearby. If you come with me, you can
stay there overnight and leave in the morning”.
Vikraman thought for a while and said, “Let’s do that”.
They picked up the bags lying on the ground, and tied them to the
horseback. The man led the horse and entered the forest. Vikraman followed him.
Click here for the audiobook version
Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..
Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.
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