Chapter 1 - Omens of the Night

It was to be a night of storms. Lightning pierced the sky, forcing the stars and
the moon to hide behind its flash. Man and beast alike sought shelter from the
downpour that never seemed to end. The earth was made into mud, turning once rel
iable roads now treacherously slippery.
In the midst of this torrent from the heavens, four horsemen slowly marched thro
ugh the night. Their pace was slow and even, keeping a wary eye in the darkness.
Wearing makeshift leather coverings, they tried holding off the rain from soaki
ng through. The two of them rode in the middle while the other two held position
s at the front and back like two ends of a spear. The rider at the front pointed
ahead.
There! I can see the city lights!
Another rider kicked his horse into a trot to catch up with the leader. A flash
of lightning lit up the sky and the silhouette of Hastinapur s outer walls began t
aking shape.
The four riders sped up despite their horses protests of running in such uneven f
ooting. The lights and sounds of the city soon became more visible, making the r
iders urge their horses faster.
The gate sentries saw the four shadows emerging and raised the barriers, stoppin
g the riders in their tracks.
The sentry in charge shouted to make himself heard over the rain, Who are you? Wh
at business do you have in Hastinapur? He could make out the shapes of battle arm
or underneath those leather coverings and that meant these travelers were likely
armed. The gate sentries became wary of the four travelers and aimed their spea
rs and arrows towards them.
The leader of the travelers slowly raised an arm in a familiar salute and lifted
up his shoulder s covering to reveal the symbol of a blazing sun. The gate guardi
an recognized it as the standard of the allied Kingdom of Anga and motioned his
men to stand down from alert.
A voice spoke from beneath the hood, We are soldiers from Anga, bearing Prince La
xmana, son of Prince Duryodhana. On cue, one of the riders flashed a ring bearing
the symbol of the Kuru clan.
An alarm rose through the sentries and they all bowed, opening the gates to the
palace. The gate captain stuttered and could not find the words to apologize, Er We
lcome back, Prince Laxaman. Please forgive us, my lord. We did not see a chariot
so we assumed the worst.
The leader ignored the cowering sentry before him and beckoned for refreshments.
The smallest of them removed his coverings to reveal a teenager, laden with gol
den armor and a diadem across his forehead, marking him as the prince. He raised
an eyebrow towards the bowed sentries and spoke imperiously, It is all right, ca
ptain. You were doing your duty. Tell me, is there any new news since I have bee
n gone?
The gate captain nodded, No, Prince. All is well in Hastinapur. Crown Prince Dury
odhana and Prince Dushasana just returned from Indraprasta a few days ago after
attending the Rajsuya Yagya there.
It was then that the tallest of the four turned and shed his own covering. He ap
peared to be a decade older than the rest, with a radiance of his own visible in
molten yellow eyes. He wore a simple armor of iron and leather, armed with a bo
w etched with glowing runes. The other two travelers followed his lead and shed
their own coverings to reveal similarly aged young men, barely younger than the
leader. They shared that peculiar radiance with him, albeit armed with a mace an

d swords between them. Thick cords of muscle popped at their necks with a grace
in their movements, marking them as lethal warriors. It was no wonder to the cap
tain that they had not lifted a finger at his challenge. These three could have
wiped out his men in an instant without breaking a sweat.
The leader spoke, No, captain. All is not well in Hastinapur. Grave omens surroun
d us. You should remain vigilant.
You will have to excuse my elder, captain. He has a flair for the dramatic. You r
eally should have joined a group of Gandharvas than the army, Brother. One of the
younger warriors laughed while the other slapped his leader on the shoulder.
This sudden outburst broke the tension in the room and everyone relaxed.
And you two would be well off to read the signs of fate. There is a bigger storm
yet to come The elder said in an ominous tone to his brothers and turned to the p
rince, We should be back at the palace within the hour, sire.
The travelers asked the sentries for fresh mounts and a chariot. Decorum demande
d that a prince of the royal family return home in a chariot. The three riders r
ode ahead, clearing the streets for the chariot as they made their way to the ro
yal palace.
A lady awaited them at the palace steps along with an honor guard of the palace
soldiers. Garbed in fine silks and jewels, she was the very image of royalty. Sh
e rushed forward to embrace the prince as soon as he got down from the chariot.
Prince Laxman paid his respects and the princess spoke, You have been away too lo
ng, son. It is good to have you back She turned to the three escorts, Thank you al
l for bringing back my son safely.
The brothers stood behind the prince, bowed and paying their obeisance. The lead
er chose to speak for all three, "Prince Laxman was our guest in Anga. It was ou
r duty and honor to see him safely back to his family. It was certainly no servi
ce that needs to be thanked for, Lady Bhanumati. If you would give us leave, we
must return as well.
The princess nodded with a smile, By all means. Do give my regards to your grandp
arents and your mother. Tell her she is greatly missed here.
I will, noble lady. We take our leave.
mounts.

They made a final bow and returned to their

And so, the three eldest sons of Karna made their way to their own little home i
n Champanagri, where a mother awaited them as well with eager eyes.