The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi Read Free Book Online

These people are my property. Get out of the way.’
    The Naga did not respond to the royal brat.
    He turned around to see one of the most magnificent sights he had ever seen. The mother lay almost unconscious behind his soldiers. Her eyes closing due to the tremendous loss of blood. Her body shivering desperately. Too terrified to even whimper.
    And yet, she stubbornly refused to give up her son. Her left hand still wrapped tight around him. Her body protectively positioned in front of her child.
    What a mother!
    The Naga turned around. His eyes blazing with rage. His body tense. His fists clenched tight. He whispered in a voice that was eerily calm, ‘You want to hurt a mother because she is protecting her child?’
    Sheer menace dripped from that soft voice. It even managed to get through to a person lost in royal ego. But Ugrasen could not back down in front of his fawning courtiers. Some crazy Branga with an unseasonal holi mask was not going to deprive him of his prize catch. ‘This is my kingdom. I can hurt whoever I want. So if you want to save your sorry hide, get out of here. You don’t know the power of...’
    ‘YOU WANT TO HURT A MOTHER BECAUSE SHE IS PROTECTING HER CHILD?’
    Ugrasen fell silent as terror finally broke through his thick head. He turned to see his followers. They too felt the dread that the Naga’s voice emanated.
    A shocked Vishwadyumna stared at his Lord. He had never heard his Lord raise his voice so loud. Never. The Naga’s breathing was heavy, going intermittently through gritted teeth. His body stiff with fury.
    And then Vishwadyumna heard the Naga’s breathing return slowly to normal. He knew it instantly. His Lord had made a decision.
    The Naga reached to his side and drew his long sword. Holding it away from his body. Ready for the charge. And then he whispered his orders. ‘No mercy.’
    ‘NO MERCY!’ screamed the loyal Branga soldiers. They charged after their Lord. They fell upon the hapless Magadhans. There was no mercy.

 
    Chapter 3
    The Pandit of Magadh
     
    It was early morning when Shiva left the guesthouse for the Narsimha temple. He was accompanied by Bhagirath, Drapaku, Siamantak, Nandi and Veerbhadra.
    Magadh was a far smaller town than Ayodhya. Not having suffered due to commercial or military success and the resultant mass immigration, it remained a pretty town with leafy avenues. While it did not have the awesome organisation of Devagiri or the soaring architecture of Ayodhya, it was not bogged down by the boring standardisation of the Meluhan capital or the grand chaos of the Swadweepan capital.
    It did not take Shiva and his entourage more than just half–an–hour to get across to the far side of the city where the magnificent Narsimha temple stood. Shiva entered the compound of the grand shrine. His men waited outside as per his instructions, but only after scoping the temple for suspects.
    The temple was surrounded by a massive square garden, a style from Lord Rudra’s land, far beyond the western borders of India. The garden had an ingeniously designed gargantuan fountain at its heart and rows of intricate waterways, flowerbeds and grass spread out from the centre in simple, yet stunning symmetry. At the far end stood the Narsimha temple. Built of pure white marble, it had a giant staircase leading up to its main platform, a spire that shot up at least seventy metres and had ornately carved statues of gods and goddesses all across its face. Shiva was sure this awe-inspiring and obviously expensive temple had been built at a time when Magadh had the resources of the entire Swadweep confederacy at its command.
    He took off his sandals at the staircase, climbed up the steps and entered the main temple. At the far end was the main sanctum of the temple, with the statue of its god, Lord Narsimha, on a majestic throne. Lord Narsimha had lived many thousands of years ago, before even Lord Rudra’s time. Shiva mused that if the Lord’s idol was life size, then