"Commendable. Has there been further news of Nirriti's movements?"
"His vessels move nearer the large ports than was their wont in the past," said Tak. "There appear to be more of them, also. Beyond this, nothing. It would seem the gods fear him, for they do not destroy him."
"Yes," said Kubera, "for now he is an unknown. I'm inclined to think of him as Ganesha's mistake. It was he who permitted him to leave Heaven unmolested, and to take what equipment he did with him. I think Ganesha wanted someone available as an enemy of Heaven, should the need for one ever arise in a hurry. He must never have dreamed a nontechnical could have put the equipment to the uses he did, and build up the forces he now commands."
"There is logic in what you say," said Ratri. "Even I have heard that Ganesha often moves in such a manner. What will he do now?"
"Give Nirriti the first city he attacks, to observe his means of offense and assess his strength-if he can persuade Brahma to hold back. Then strike at Nirriti. Mahartha must fall, and we must stand near. It would be interesting even to watch."
"But you feel we will do more than watch?" asked Tak.
"Indeed. Sam knows we must be on hand to make more pieces of the pieces, and then to pick some up. We will have to move as soon as someone else does, Tak, which may be soon."
"At last," said Tak. "I have always wanted to go to battle at the side of the Binder."
"In the weeks to come, I am certain that almost as many wishes will be granted as broken."
"More soma? More fruit?"
"Thank you, Ratri."
"And you, Tak?"
"A banana, perhaps."
Within the shadow of the forest, at the peak of a high hill, Brahma sat, like a statue of a god mounted upon a gargoyle, staring downward into Mahartha.
"They defile the Temple."
"Yes," answered Ganesha. "The Black One's feelings have not changed over the years."
"In a way, it is a pity. In another way, it is frightening. His troops had rifles and sidearms."
"Yes. They are very strong. Let us return to the gondola."
"In a moment."
"I fear, Lord . . . they may be too strong-at this point."
"What do you suggest?"
"They cannot sail up the river. If they would attack Lananda they must go overland."
"True. Unless he has sufficient sky vessels."
"And if they would attack Khaipur they must go even farther."
"Aye! And if they would attack Kilbar they must go farther yet! Get to your point! What are you trying to say?"
"The farther they go, the greater their logistic problems, the more vulnerable they become to guerrilla tactics along the way - "
"Are you proposing I do nothing but harass them? That I let them march across the land, taking city after city? They will dig in until reinforcements come to hold what they have gained, then they will move on. Only a fool would do otherwise. If we wait-"
"Look down below!"
"What? What is it?"
"They are preparing to move out."
"Impossible!"
"Brahma, you forget that Nirriti is a fanatic, a madman. He doesn't want Mahartha, or Lananda or Khaipur either. He wants to destroy our Temples and ourselves. The only other things he cares about in those cities are souls, not bodies. He will move across the land destroying every symbol of our religion that he comes upon, until we choose to carry the fight to him. If we do nothing, he will probably then send in missionaries."
"Well, we must do something!"
"Then weaken him as he moves. When he is weak enough, strike! Give him Lananda. Khaipur, too, if necessary. Even Kilbar and Hamsa. When he is weak enough, smash him. We can spare the cities. How many have we destroyed ourselves? You cannot even remember!"
"Thirty-six," said Brahma. "Let us return to Heaven while I consider this thing. If I follow your advice and he withdraws before he becomes too weakened, then we have lost much."
"I'm willing to gamble that he won't."
"The dice are not yours to cast, Ganesha, but mine. And see, he has those cursed Rakasha with him! Let us depart quickly, before they detect us."
"Yes, quickly!"
They turned their slizzards back toward the forest.
Krishna put aside his pipes when the messenger was brought to him.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Mahartha has fallen . . ."
Krishna stood.
"And Nirriti prepares to march upon Lananda."
"What have the gods done in defense?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Come with me. The Lokapalas are about to confer."
Krishna left his pipes upon the table.
That night, Sam stood upon the highest balcony of Ratri's palace. The rains fell about him, coming like cold nails through the wind. Upon his left hand, an iron ring glowed with an emerald radiance.
The lightning fell and fell and fell, and remained.
He raised his hand and the thunders roared and roared, like the death cries of all the dragons who might ever have lived, sometime, somewhere. . . .
The night fell back as the fire elementals stood before the Palace of Kama.
Sam raised both hands together, and they climbed into the air as one and hovered high in the night.
He gestured and they moved above Khaipur, passing from one end of the city to the other.
Then they circled.
Then they split apart and danced within the storm.
He lowered his hands.
They returned and stood once more before him.
He did not move. He waited.
After a hundred heartbeats, it came and spoke to him out of the night:
"Who are you, to command the slaves of the Rakasha?"
"Bring me Taraka," said Sam.
"I take orders from no mortal."
"Then look upon the flames of my true being, ere I bind you to yon metal flagpole for so long as it shall stand."
"Binder! You live!"
"Bring me Taraka," he repeated.
"Yes, Siddhartha. Thy will be done."
Sam clapped his hands and the elementals leapt skyward and the night was dark about him once more.
The Lord of Hellwell took upon him a manlike form and entered the room where Sam sat alone.
"The last ever I saw of you was upon the day of the Great Battle," he stated. "Later, I heard that they had found a way of destroying you."
"As you can see, they did not."
"How came you into the world again?"
"Lord Yama fetched me back-the One in Red."
"His power is indeed great."
"It proved sufficient. How go things with the Rakasha these days?"
"Well. We continue your fight."
"Really? In what ways?"
"We aid your old ally-the Black One, Lord Nirriti-in his campaign against the gods."
"I suspected this. It is the reason I have contacted you."
"You wish to ride with him?"
"I have thought it over carefully, and despite my comrades' objections I do wish to ride with him-provided he will make an agreement with us. I want you to carry my message to him."
"What is the message, Siddhartha?"
"The message is that the Lokapalas-these being Yama, Krishna, Kubera and myself-will ride to battle with him against the gods, bringing all our supporters, powers, and machineries to bear upon them, if he will agree not to war against the followers of either Buddhism or Hinduism as they exist in the world, for purposes of converting them to his persuasion-and further, that he will not seek to suppress Accelerationism, as the gods have done, should we prove victorious. Look upon his flames as he speaks his answer, and tell me whether he speaks it true."
"Do you think he will agree to this, Sam?"
"I do. He knows that, if the gods were no longer present to enforce Hinduism as they do, then he would gain converts. He can see this from what I managed to do with Buddhism, despite their opposition. He feels that his way is the only right way and that it is destined to prevail in the face of competition. I think he would agree to fair competition for this reason. Take him this message and bring me his answer. All right?"
Taraka wavered. His face and left arm became smoke.
"Sam . . ."
"What?"
"Which one is the right way?"
"Huh? You're asking me that? How should I know?"
"Mortals call you Buddha."
"That is only because they are afflicted with language and ignorance."
"No. I have looked upon your flames and name you Lord of Light. You bind them as you bound us, you loose them as you loosed us. Yours was the power to lay a belief upon them. You are what you claimed to be."
"I lied. I never believed in it myself, and I still don't. I could just as easily have chosen another way-say, Nirriti's religion-only crucifixion hurts. I might have chosen one called Islam, only I know too well how it mixes with Hinduism. My choice was based upon calculation, not inspiration, and I am nothing."
"You are the Lord of Light."
"Go deliver my message now. We can discuss religion another day."
"The Lokapalas, you say, are Yama, Krishna, Kubera and yourself?"
"Yes."
"Then he does live. Tell me, Sam, before I go . . . could you defeat Lord Yama in battle?"
"I do not know. I don't think so, though. I don't think anybody could."
"But could he defeat you?"
"Probably, in a fair fight. Whenever we met as enemies in the past, I was sometimes lucky and sometimes I managed to trick him. I've fenced with him recently and he is without peer. He is too versatile in the ways of destruction."