Reading Diet: Novella excerpt part 1
An epic fantasy novella by Anil Bahuman loosely based on the Ramayana epic
Chapter 1 Queen Kai
India 1100 BC (using a modern narration)
The capital of Kingdom Koshla, Ayodhya, was the talk of the sovereigns once more. After an agonizing exile and a daring rescue, the royal couple Sita Janaki and Raghav Ram were back at last. Sita—the one responsible for Ravan’s demise along with her husband who rescued her just a few weeks earlier—was leading an event in the city. Her kidnapper, King Ravan, was now dead and cremated, deep down in the South, on the island of Lanka. The legendary city was rejoicing in the return of their revered king and queen with several festive events.
Traveling to cover these events was Naradh, an informer and storyteller to the Gods. For a million kubers, he wouldn’t have passed up an opportunity like this. He had his best ochre robe on, taking on the garb of other Himalayan monks, complete with a taut chain of spiky rudraksh beads holding his stylish hair back. However he was no starving, parochial native monk; he was an elite; with access …