Chandra Charitam [The Moonchild Series | Part I]

~*~|| The Death Machine ||~*~

Abhimanyu, finally had to come to the inevitable conclusion that he was trapped. 

Acharya Drona had very cleverly laid an elaborate trap to defeat the Pandavas. The wily master of the Kurus had constructed the world's deadliest battle formation, the chakravyuha, while the deplorable suicide squad of the Kaurava army - the Samsaptakas had lured away the only warrior from the Pandava side who could break it. 

Without Arjun, the Pandavas had been crippled at the face of such a conniving strategy and had it not been for Abhimanyu, they would have truly lost the war today. 

The mere thought of losing, sent a shiver of disquiet down the young warrior's battered body.

Abhimanyu didn't much care for glory but losing the Great War would be tantamount to sacrilege. The purpose of fighting it for establishing the rule of Dharma would have been routed by the very evil that they were battling to eradicate. 

That shame would have killed them all anyways. 

So, even if Arjun's youngest son knew that he was essentially entering into the veritable jaws of death, he plundered on unafraid, determined to seize today's battle somehow. 

What no one had factored in, was Sindhuraja Jayadratha's ignominious use of the boon he had been granted by Lord Shiva. 

So, here he was - the eighteen year old warrior prince surrounded by enemy ranks on all fronts, having broken every rule of a fair battle, attacking him together with every weapon in their possession. 

His valiant uncles and their allies were all held at bay by Jayadratha alone, invincible at battle today. 

He could hear their screams of despair and wrath and their loud proclamations for him to run back out. 

Abhimanyu's chariot was broken, his horses dead and his bow split into two. He was bleeding like a slaughtered animal, wounds littered innumerable all over his body, his armour cracked open by Drona's instruction. 

He knew, it was all a matter of time. If only he could stretch his death till near to sundown, then his work will be done. The Pandavas and their allies would get time to regroup and recuperate. 

"Kill the wretch Karna! What are you waiting for?", Duryodhana's near demented yell to his bosom friend made Abhimanyu quirk his lips in a half smile. His so called uncle had been furious since the former had killed his son, Lakshmana Kumar some minutes ago. 

Honestly he was starting to feel a little bad for the Kauravas. Their repeated attempts of defeating him prior to attacking him simultaneously had been almost pathetically hilarious to look at. 

"So, none of you possess the honour of fighting with me one to one? You had to break my bow from the back, Maharathi Karn?", he had shouted incorrigibly cheerful at Karna who had looked so red in the face that he was resembling sandstone. 

It could have been rage or shame or a mix of both. 

"We cannot fight you one to one and win, brave warrior. The rule of war needs to be broken. For victory in battle triumphs over any law."

Ashwatthama, the Acharya's son had shouted back at him, as his bow kept showering incessant arrows towards the incapacitated son of Subhadra. There was a distinct note of respect and admiration in the voice of the ruler of Ahicchatra, which had almost trounced the annoyance in it. 

"You all, so called masters of war and warriors supreme, cannot even defeat the cub in straight battle and you hope to fight the lion! You make me laugh!"

Abhimanyu's mocking words seemed to only increase the frustration and wrath in the warriors surrounding him as his subtle jab on Karna didn't go unnoticed which only served to anger the latter even more.