Lakshman had a bad feeling about this. He looked grimly at Vibhishan. If he were ever to be vocal about the way things were being done, he told himself, now was the time.

“So we throw rocks into the sea?” he asked in as measured a tone as he could manage.

“Yes my dear brother,” said Rama. He could see Sita already. “The mighty sea god Varun has assured me they will float.”

Float indeed, thought Lakshman. He could imagine his brother, himself, and bits and pieces of the vaanar sena crying out for help to each other as they floated away in different directions in the sea, all sitting on separate rocks.

“If I remember correctly, throwing rocks into the sea is exactly what we were doing a week ago,” Lakshman couldn’t help being louder than usual. Vibhishan shifted on his feet. There was no way of getting out of the tent without brushing against either of the brothers.

“I sense a lack of faith in you Lakshman,” said Rama. “Trust the devas and all will be well.”