In the flash of lightning, Pazhuvettarayar took a moment to observe and recognize the two men who stood there conversing. One of them, Ravidasan, he had seen a couple of times before, right within his own palace. Nandini had once told him that this man was well-versed in magical arts. His own younger brother, Kaalandhaka Kandan, had harbored suspicions about this sorcerer and had warned him accordingly. The other man was Devaralan, who had performed the Velanattam ritual at the Kadambur palace. Was this truly the first time he was seeing him? What was his real name?… Could it be possible? Was he, perhaps, Parameswaran, who had been dismissed from royal service by Pazhuvettarayar himself long ago?… Let it be; let’s listen to what more they are saying.

“Ravidasan! You have been saying this for so long now. Always muttering, ‘The day is near,’ ‘Yama is approaching.’ Yama comes and takes away whomever he pleases! But for three years now, Sundara Chozhan has been lying bedridden, and yet Yama has not come for him. As for his sons, even Yama himself seems to fear approaching them. How many times have we both tried in Eezham?…”

“That is no fault of ours, father! Yama Dharmaraja is cleverer than both you and me! He has been waiting all this time to take all three of them on the same day. That day is coming tomorrow. By good fortune, you too have arrived here! You are the true messenger of Yama! Why do you tremble so? Did you get caught in the Kollidam flood? You have brought the boat and kept it ready, haven’t you?”

“I have. But it was a great struggle to keep the boat from being swept away by the flood and the wind! And searching for you everywhere all this time… Ravidasan! You asked why my body is trembling, didn’t you? Just a short while ago, I saw Yama Dharmaraja face to face. No, no; I saw Yama’s elder brother. That truly frightened me for a moment…”

“Parameswaran! What nonsense are you babbling? Yama, or his elder brother? Why should you fear them? Shouldn’t they be the ones to fear you?”

The moment Ravidasan addressed the other as ‘Parameswaran,’ Pazhuvettarayar was startled. His suspicion was confirmed! And when he referred to Yama’s elder brother, he meant Pazhuvettarayar himself—this too he understood. Instantly, he moved closer to them… His heart and hands ached to seize him by the throat and strangle him then and there. Yet, the desire to hear more of their conversation made him restrain himself with patience. They had not yet begun to speak of Nandini. What was the meaning behind the sorcerer’s words that Yama himself would come for Sundara Chozhar’s family tomorrow? Was he truly prophesying by reading the stars? Was everything Nandini had said about this man’s magical powers true? What if, as he claimed, events unfolded by divine will? Then, his own purpose would be easily fulfilled! There would be no need to divide the Chola empire! But this Parameswaran—what concern did he have in this matter? Yes, yes, was he not the very man who, twenty years ago, swore an oath that he would destroy the Chola dynasty? Ah! He is speaking about himself! Let me listen to what he has to say!

“As you instructed, I came here this morning. But you were nowhere to be found. I wandered all around, searching, thinking perhaps you had taken shelter nearby from the wind and rain. Near the breach in the Kollidam, there is a small temple. It seemed as if someone was lying inside. Thinking it might be you, fallen asleep in exhaustion, I went closer to look… Guess whom I saw? None other than Periya Pazhuvetarayar himself!”

The sorcerer let out a loud “Ha ha ha!” The birds of the forest, startled, shrieked in chorus—“Kee-reech! Kee-reech!”—while the dumb herons grunted in alarm.

“Did you see Pazhuvetarayar? Or did you see his ghost?” asked Ravidasan.

“No, not a ghost. I touched the man who was lying face down, turned him over, and looked closely at his face. Ravidasan! Can Yama have two elder brothers? Is it possible for another man to exist with the very same face, the same moustache, the same scars as Pazhuvetarayar?”

“The one you saw must have been Pazhuvetarayar himself! There is no doubt. Yesterday evening, Pazhuvetarayar crossed the Kollidam by boat. When the boat neared the shore, the wind overturned it. His attendants, who managed to escape and reach the bank, are still searching along the Kollidam’s edge for Pazhuvetarayar. They suspect he may have drowned and perished in the flood. I overheard them speaking as they returned after searching up to the breach. So, the man you saw could very well have been Pazhuvetarayar. Or perhaps you saw his corpse—who knows!”

“No, no. If he were dead, would his eyelids be visible? The eyes of the man I turned over were tightly shut. He looked as if he were simply exhausted and had fallen asleep…”

“Fool! What have you done! Did you just leave him there quietly? Couldn’t you have lifted a stone and smashed it down on his head?”

“You don’t know about the head of Pazhuvetaraiyar. If you dropped a stone on his head, it’s the stone that would shatter to dust!”

“In that case, at least you could have dragged him into the Kollidam’s floodwaters and let him be swept away?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The moment I saw him, it was as if I had seen Yama’s elder brother himself. Even at Kadambur, when he performed the spear dance before me, my heart kept pounding ‘thik, thik’ in fear. If he had recognized me…”

“Why do you tremble now, just thinking of it?”

“As long as he lives, I will always feel a little fear. I am anxious that we did not do as you said, that we left without rolling him into the floodwaters…”

“Do not worry. In one way, it