Azhwarkkadiyan and Poonguzhali sat beneath a tree at the foot of the hill.

“Girl! The task for which I came is done. Shall we depart?” asked Azhwarkkadiyan.

“Vaishnavite! If your purpose is fulfilled, you may go. But the task for which I came is not yet complete!” replied Poonguzhali.

“For what purpose have you come?”

“I came seeking the murderer who killed my aunt.”

“Haven’t you found him? Isn’t he among that band of conspirators over there?”

“He is.”

“Then what?”

“Did I come merely to see him and earn some merit by his sight? I came to repay murder with murder, to avenge blood with blood.”

“Poonguzhali! Who are we to punish those who have committed crimes? There is God for that!”

“Is there a God? Even if there is, does He punish the treacherous deeds of men? I have my doubts.”

“Let us leave God aside. In this world, the responsibility of punishing wrongdoers belongs to kings. It is the duty of the officials appointed by the rulers.”

“And if the kings and their officials do not carry out their duties properly?”

“How can we decide that they have not done so?”

“Vaishnavite! Among those criminals, one threw a spear from the upper storey and killed my aunt, who was the very embodiment of love. She could not speak, she never harbored ill-will towards anyone, she was a poor, unfortunate, simple woman all her life—yet he killed her. The Emperor, his queens, and even Chinna Pazhuvettarayar, the commander of the Thanjai fort, were all watching. Yet they let him escape…”

“Poonguzhali! Did they not make any attempt to capture Soman Sambavan?”

“All his life, the Emperor who had rejected my aunt now held her upon his lap and wept. All the others stood around, struck dumb with astonishment. When I declared, ‘I will follow the murderer,’ even Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar rose and came with me. But in the underground passage, he was forced to turn back.”

“What happened?”

“As we made our way through the tunnel, he and I, a cry rang out in the darkness. Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar leapt toward the source of the voice and seized the person lurking there. ‘Here! The murderer is caught!’ came a shout. ‘No, no! I did not commit the murder!’ came another voice. The moment Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar recognized to whom that voice belonged, he was thunderstruck. ‘Alas! Why have you come here?’ he asked. ‘I came to see if the treasure is safe,’ replied the voice from the shadows. ‘Oh, heavens! If anyone sees you here, what will they think? Will they not believe you tried to kill the Emperor?’ cried Kaalandhaka Kandar. ‘Is the Emperor dead?’ asked the beloved son-in-law of Chinna Pazhuvettaraiyar, Madurantaka Devar, with anxious urgency. ‘Foolish child! Come with me! Come, before anyone sees you!’ said Kaalandhaka Kandar, seizing his son-in-law by the hand and leading him away. Afterwards, I alone continued to follow the murderer. Now, after coming all this way with such effort, do you ask me to turn back without fulfilling my purpose?” said Poonguzhali.

“Girl! You should have been born a son. Had you been, you would have ruled a vast empire as its supreme authority. But let that be. Now listen, and tell me your judgment! If a man intends to kill one person, but by accident kills another, can he be accused of murder?”

“I do not understand your question. Whoever kills is guilty of murder, is he not?”

“How can you say that? You must have heard the Ramayana. Dasaratha, thinking it was an elephant drinking water, shot his arrow. It struck a rishi’s son. Was Dasaratha punished for the murder of the rishi’s son? No! Now, take this Soman Sambavan whom you have been following. He hurled the spear intending to kill the Emperor. But the Emperor is alive. Your aunt intervened, received the blow, and gave up her life. Was that not suicide? Then how can Soman Sambavan be charged with murder?”

“Vaishnavite! Your sense of justice is truly astonishing…”

“It is not only my sense of justice that is lacking. Even the justice of the Lord of all worlds, the very incarnation of Narayana Himself, seems strange indeed. In this world, those who commit sins live in prosperity, while the good—those pure of soul—struggle and die in misery. Surely, there must be some divine reason behind all this?”

“You and your Narayana can go your own way. I will see that the justice I know is fulfilled before I return.”

“Poonguzhali! I am not speaking of this for your sake alone. Look there, in that mountain cave, two people are present. One among them is the man who killed Aditya Karikalan. But he did not kill the prince with intent. The knife he threw, meant for another, struck the prince by chance and killed him. Can you call him a murderer?”

“Vaishnavite! Do not try to confuse my mind. Who are those inside the mountain cave?”

“The rightful heir of the Chola Empire, the supreme authority in the Tanjore palace, the valiant among the valiant who has fought in twenty-four battles and bears sixty-four scars upon his noble body. The god decreed by fate, the great leader of the assembly of minor kings. The husband of Nandini Devi—the great Periya Pazhuvettarayar sits enthroned in that mountain cave…!”

Thus spoke Azhwarkadiyan, his voice booming as if proclaiming a royal edict. At that very moment, Ravidasan, Revathasan, Parameswaran, Soman Sambavan, and others came running in with a clatter. Poonguzhali swiftly stepped aside. Ravidasan held a short staff in his hand, which he raised as he shouted, “Hey, you masquerading Vaishnavite! Spy of Aniruddha! At last, you have fallen into our hands? Of the three attempts we made, we succeeded in only one. We failed in the other two. We no longer care about those failures. After searching for you for three years, have we not finally caught you? This time, you will not escape us!”

Immediately, Azhwarkadiyan, in a voice