Secret of the Himalayan Treasure

by Divyansh Mundra

  ​ “Aarav. Stop it. Now”, Rehann finally raised his voice.

  ​ “Oh what, have you changed sides now that you have a crush on the pretty lady?”

  ​ Rehann was left with his mouth open. He knew how ignorant and mad Aarav got when he didn’t have what he wished. But he had never lost his calm on Rehann before.

  ​ “Oh my god”, Aanya looked questioningly at Rehann before shifting her gaze with disgust. “You know what. Thank you for your help so far. I’ll continue the quest from here myself.”

  ​ “Oh really? Don’t cry later when you are unable to solve even a simple Caesar’s cipher, assuming that you even know what it is. It will ruin your thousand-dollar makeup”, Aarav continued spewing venom.

  ​ “Right! I found this book. If it wasn’t for me you’d still be pulling down that light with a lasso right now”, she barked at him.

  ​ “Oh that again. I didn’t have the necessary information at hand to solve the puzzle. And if I had not decoded the first note that you brought to me, you’d still have no idea about the very legacy you are bragging about.”

  ​ “I have heard enough from you. I don’t ever want to see your face again Mr. Kohrrathi.”

  ​ “Oh I hope the very same Miss Vashishtha. I wish you luck on your pretty treasure hunt ahead. You are a strong and independent woman after all. I hope I don’t have to see you holding a press conference soon too.”

  ​ “AARAV!” Rehann shouted at him. “Apologize to her. Now.”

  ​ Aarav’s gaze met the moist eyes of Aanya and he realized for a moment that he had crossed a line. But his ego made him simply pass an irritated stare towards Rehann, making him excuse himself and walking away.

  Chapter 4: First Blood

  Aarav woke up in the afternoon the next day when the doorbell blasted through his ears. He held his head and woke up irritably before cursing the day and slowly waddling his way down to the main door of his bungalow. He saw the silhouette of a tall, lean man through the glass and knew at once who he was.

  ​ “Opening your own door? That’s a first”, Rehann spoke as he moved his lean body inside Aarav’s house and scratched his beard as he saw the condition of his friend.

  ​ Aarav took a deep yawn before finally speaking. “Parents went back to Ratlam. Cousin’s wedding.”

  ​ “And you weren’t invited?”

  ​ “Was. But there would be too many relatives with too many questions. My shyness and awkwardness achieves a whole new level when I am around them”, Aarav spoke as he continued waddling back and yawning loudly; his eyes still half closed and crashed on a couch in the drawing room.

  ​ “I have called you more than ten times since the morning”, Rehann spoke still disappointed with Aarav’s behavior from the previous night.

  ​ “And then you came to check in on me. You are not my girlfriend Rehann. People might start getting wrong ideas.”

  ​ “Right! Because you don’t have a girlfriend.”

  ​ Aarav opened his eyes and stared at Rehann before turning the other way and retiring back to sleep.

  ​ “It is one in the afternoon. How can you still be sleeping?”

  ​ “I had a rough night. Got in a messy fight with a pretty girl. She broke my heart.”

  ​ Rehann settled down on the opposite couch and turned on the TV. He started flipping through the channels and continued the suit for about ten minutes as none of them spoke to each other.

  ​ “You can put on cartoons you know. They keep on showing the reruns of Pokemon and Shin Chan.”

  ​ “You and your love of cartoons. When will you grow up Aarav?”

  ​ “Some of the cartoons have much better plots and storylines than the biggest of blockbusters. And they do provide quite a high entertainment value. Half the adults won’t mind turning to cartoon shows when there is nobody in the room I tell you.”

  ​ “Are you done?” Rehann finally decided to bring up the topic of discussion.

  ​ “Done with what?”

  ​ “Your drama. Are we going to speak about what happened last night?”

  ​ “I don’t feel well you know. How about we first prepare a cup of coffee?”

  ​ “You crossed the line Aarav. You crossed the line and you were offensive and disgraceful.”

  ​ “Circumstances can change a person …”

  ​ “You insulted her”, Rehann raised his voice. “You insulted her. And you hurt her. And the things you said about her father? I have seen you through some of your worst behaviors Aarav. I know about your anger issues, and self-obsession and your ego the size of a mountain. But I always thought that there was a limit to it. That there is only so much you can fall.”

  ​ Aarav looked up to meet Rehann’s stare and sulked.

  ​ “You insulted her Aarav. And I know that you have your own issues when you try to talk to women, but I have never seen you go down to this level to humiliate someone.”

  ​ “I’m sorry.” Aarav uttered in the lowest of voices. Rehann still stared at him as he gazed at his feet, admitting his fallacy, both of them staying silent for a while and only the sound from some news channel echoing in the hall.

  ​ “You are brilliant. You are the smartest man I have probably met. You know your field better than anyone. And god knows I have always admired the passion which you have for it. But maybe it is time that you start learning about the human emotions a bit. Perhaps that will help you realize what a jerk you can be.”

  ​ “I said I am sorry. I know I overreacted. I don’t know what happened but when she refused my offer, I became frustrated. I mean, I know she is probably right morally. Even someone like me can understand her emotions. But don’t you tell me that my demands were wrong. Because any man who would judge that situation based on logic could understand the importance of the things I was trying to explain.”

  ​ “Oh my god”, Rehann suddenly stood up and reached for the remote to increase the volume of the TV. “Aarav. Look”, he pointed to the screen as they both saw something that shook the daylights out of them.

  ​ The headline on the news channel ran: Woman found murdered in the Asiatic Society of Mumbai library.

  ​ “Oh god!” Rehann muttered as he closely listened to the news.

  ​ “Call Aanya. Now. Tell her that we’ll be at her place in an hour”, Aarav managed to speak as he dashed towards his room.

  ​ They arrived at the Vashishtha’s mansion soon and were directed straight towards the living room where Aanya was already waiting for them.

  ​ “I just heard about it. What happened? How?” she asked Rehann, concerned.

  ​ “Mrs. Daruwala was murdered last night”, he shed light on the incident. “Media reports say that she was shot by someone at around nine.”

  ​ “We must have been followed”, Aarav joined the conversation. “I think the killer would have questioned her about us. About what we did at the place. Whoever that evil master is, he knows that Mr. Vashishtha would have passed over the secret book to his only heir. And in order to get to the other master, the one your father was supposed to watch over, he would need that book at any cost. Please tell me that you didn’t leave it back in the library?”

  ​ “It is… safe with me”, Aanya spoke ignorantly.

  ​ “Good. I would just say that the book is paramount for the killer. And he would like to get his hands on it anyway that he could. Just… stay safe as you move along on your quest.”

  ​ “I’ll remember”, she snubbed.

  ​ “Guys! Come on. Let us forget what happened last night and focus on the bigger picture at hand”, Rehann interfered, trying to sort out the quarrel. “We all said some things and…”

  ​ “I didn’t”, she interfered.

  ​ “Remember the whole lasso episode?” Aarav tried proving her wrong.

  ​ “Guys, please. Not again. We have much more to lose from this silly fight”, Rehann again jumped to put out the fire. “Aanya, you have to protect your
family’s legacy and fulfill your father’s dying wish by finding this treasure first. And Aarav, think about the kind of history you can uncover further on the quest. I mean that treasure could have artifacts dating to hundreds of years before Ashoka was even born. Isn’t that something that could influence the history of our country on a much larger scale than the kind of fiber those ancient people used to write on?”

  ​ Aarav tried speaking something but decided it better to keep it to himself. “The truth is”, he started talking, “that the danger associated with this quest just increased many folds. There is a killer out there who wouldn’t think twice before killing us and so it is necessary that the three of us put aside our differences for the time being and stick together.”

  ​ “Okay”, Aanya also understood. “As long as you don’t talk to me about anything that isn’t related to this quest, we’re good.”

  ​ “It’s fine with me”, Aarav breathed a sigh of relief and finally decided to get to the point. “Now. Did you see the name of the master?”

  ​ Aanya realized Aarav’s lack of empathy, shrugged it off and decided to surrender. “It’s even better. Come to my father’s library, I’ll show you.”

  ​ Soon she took out the Book of Alchemy from a safe and headed to the library. She directly opened the very last page, on which her father had scribbled a lot. “This is much better. My father also mentioned the names of the masters who were murdered. He had scribbled a lot of names, crossed out many, but specifically highlighted the masters he knew about and the books they possess.

  ​ “Can we take a look at it?” Rehann asked her politely.

  ​ “Of course. There is nothing about the process of alchemy on the last few pages. I went through it yesterday and trust me, you won’t be able to follow the formula even if you were a genius chemist.”

  ​ Rehann took the book and Aarav peeped in from the corner of his eye as they went through the names highlighted on the page.

  Indira Chatterjee (The Performer)– Book of Arts – Eliminated

  watched over..

  Sir Stefan La Vache (The Commander) – Book of Weaponry – Eliminated

  watched over..

  Jagdish Rao (The Guru) – Book of Sight – Eliminated

  watched over..

  Harish Vashishtha (The Alchemist) – Book of Alchemy

  watching over..

  Shayna Maheshwari (The Capitalist) – Book of Finance

  watching over..

  ​ “Indira Chatterjee, the famous actress, died of an apparent drug overdose around a year ago. Sir Stephen La Vache, tycoon of the western defense industry, died around six months ago by multiple stabbings from a sharp object. I was right about him being a master then. Jagdish Rao, the spiritual healer, prayed as a god by millions in the country, died of a car accident in the United States about two months ago. It means that the killer already has four books out of seven, including the one of the evil master himself. This is bad news”, Aarav spoke.

  ​ “And the next master is Shayna Maheshwari. Isn’t she the CEO of Renaissance Bank?” Rehann asked.

  ​ “Yes”, Aanya replied. “She also sits on the Board of Directors of my father’s company. I have met her a couple of times myself. She’s as ruthless as she is charming.”

  ​ “And now that she knows that your father was one of the masters, she would meet us if you ask her”, Rehann continued.

  ​ “Where does she live?” Aarav asked Aanya.

  ​ “New Delhi”, she replied. “I think I can call her. Set up a meeting today itself.”

  ​ “It is dangerous for us to leave this mansion right now. The killer must still be following us. We can’t just lead him right up to another master”, Aarav expressed his concern.

  ​ “Don’t worry”, Aanya replied without looking at him. “I have it figured out. We’ll take my father’s private jet.” she started walking away as she made the call.

  ​ “Don’t say it”, Rehann spoke to Aarav as soon as Aanya went out of the room.

  ​ “You don’t know what I was going to say”, Aarav snapped.

  ​ “Something about the private jet and my taste in women with super rich fathers?”

  ​ “Well… that covers just sixty percent of what I wanted to say.”

  ​ “Drove in a Rolls Royce yesterday. Will fly in a private jet today. This is the best of the hunts we have been on so far.”

  ​ They both laughed a little as an attendant entered and served them with cakes.

  ​ “So this Shayna Maheshwari”, Aarav continued. “Tell me more about her.”

  ​ “I don’t know much other than the fact that she founded one of the biggest banks of India and sits on the board of many companies. She also invests a lot in startups. That’s how I came to know about her. A friend of mine pitched her his idea once. Got rejected unfortunately.”

  ​ “Really? What was his idea?”

  ​ “Something about creating a hub for all the trolls and memes on the internet and using that as an aggregator for shadow promotion of brands by ridiculing them and turning them into a fad.”

  ​ “Oh! That’s quite genius.”

  ​ “Yes. He created another startup though. Online grocery shopping app, he is a millionaire today.”

  ​ “Rehann. Tell me. If you’re good with computers, why not do something with computers. I bet you can become a millionaire entrepreneur with your skills.”

  ​ “Yes. But I am a millionaire treasure hunter now.”

  ​ “But if you were an entrepreneur, you’d be able to lead your own team; control people as you like to do.”

  ​ “True. But then I won’t be flying in private jets”, he said with a smile.

  ​ “It’s done. I spoke to her secretary. She’ll meet us in the evening”, Aanya spoke as she entered the room again.

  ​ “We’ll go to our homes then. Will catch up with you at the airport in an hour”, Rehann uttered as he got up.

  ​ They touched down in New Delhi four hours later and had a Jaguar waiting for them at the gates as they left the airport. They arrived at the Renaissance Towers an hour late than their scheduled meeting, courtesy of the brutal Delhi traffic, but it was a sight to behold. The towers of the Renaissance Bank stood tall and ended in triumphant arches towards the top; one of the buildings forty story high, and the twenty-five story shorter one seemingly holding onto it. The towers were located in a business park sprawling with giant skyscrapers and yet managed to stand out from the rest. Bright lights ran up the buildings and reflected on their glass exterior as the towers glowed in the twilight sky. Stars were already starting to appear on the horizon as the trio dashed into Tower-I and soon after the security checks, hurried to the elevators to reach the top most floor. Even though they were behind schedule, they didn’t have to wait and were guided inside to Shayna Maheshwari’s office.

  ​ “Aanya I am so sorry for your loss”, she stood up from her desk and walked ahead slowly as she greeted them. “I never could have imagined that Harish was a member of the Ring too.”

  ​ Aanya went ahead and shook her hand, accepting her condolences. Aarav on the other hand stood frozen in his tracks. He was expecting that some old woman in thick glasses and a low voice would greet them. Instead, he was captivated by Shayna’s beauty. She must have probably been in her late thirties, but had maintained herself like someone fifteen years younger than her. She had silky, dark brown hair ending in blonde highlights towards the bottom, falling all the way down to her hips. She was blessed with alluring blue eyes, perfect fuller lips and an impeccable voluptuous body. She wore a purple business suit with a skirt ending just short of her knees, accentuating her figure further. She wore no accessories barring a watch on her wrist and a diamond necklace on her neck. She darted her blue eyes and stared at Aarav’s brown ones for a moment before continuing to speak with Aanya in a low voice.

  ​ “Your staring game is so hard man. Remind me to never challenge you”, Rehann whispered in his ears
as slowly as he could.

  ​ “What?” Aarav was brought back to reality.

  ​ “Did you hear the violins go on in the back of your head? Did everything else become a blur and you could just focus on her face? Were you even staring at her face or…?”

  ​ “Shut up Rehann. This is not the time for jokes.”

  ​ “At least don’t keep your mouth open when you ogle at someone. It will make you less of a creep.”

  ​ “Rehann! Shut up. Now.”

  ​ “Isn’t she a little erm… old for you? Oh, now I get it. You like older women, don’t you? Now I know your type.”

  ​ “Rehann I will hit you now.”

  ​ “Cougars? Really Aarav?”

  ​ “It’s enough now Rehann. Stop it.”

  ​ “Look at you blushing. Could your face be more red right now? She must be more than ten years older than you. I mean I agree that she is powerful and drop dead gorgeous and super rich and beautiful and oh my god, did you see her dress? But she is probably married Aarav.”

  ​ “She’s not. There are no rings on her fingers.”

  ​ Rehann continued looking at him with a devilish smile and only turned back once Aanya asked them to come forward and introduced them to Shayna.

  ​ “Aarav Kohrrathi”, Shayna went ahead and shook his hand. “When I saw your name in some newspaper headline saying that you had discovered a treasure, I swear to god I almost died”, she laughed and went ahead to shake Rehann’s hand. Aarav wasn’t able to muster up words to his mouth and was attracted to her even more when he heard her accent. “Let’s move to the lounge, shall we?” she asked them. “It’s past the office hours. Would you people care for a drink? We will discuss whatever it is that needs discussing over there.”

  ​ “You have a lounge and a bar in your office?” Rehann asked her, still mesmerized by the view from that floor.

  ​ “I had them redecorate this level especially for me”, she smiled and said in her soft voice as she led them away.

  ​ Once they were served their scotches and had gossiped for a while, they finally arrived at the key topic.