*Present day and time*

Bhairavi's eyes opened to blinding headlights and tires screeching on asphalt. 

"Stop. Please stop!" She yelled, banging her palms on the dashboard. "You have to help-"

A familiar head poked out from behind the steering wheel, "Aunty-ji! It's me, Dheera."

"Dheera!?" Bhairavi rubbed her eyes. 

I must be dreaming! 

Confirming that the man was who he proclaimed to be, she pulled his door open. "Quick. You need to help me."

The young man gave the injured woman a once-over before following her orders unquestioningly.

Bhairavi was too distracted to notice four adult monkeys detaching themselves from the two gurneys they had been pushing secretly, exchanging glances, bowing to the man in saffron, and disappearing into the forest. A fifth, smaller one, who had been stationed in the 'Authorised Personnel Only' room in case the women ran into trouble, rushed to catch up with his parents and siblings after following the woman discreetly since Anjani and her had entered the forbidden room.

With just moments to spare before the guards' arrival, the now cramped car left with its passengers. 

As soon as they were out of danger, Bhairavi called, "Son," she joined her hands to show her gratefulness, "Thank you for helping me." <----(20k mark)

"No problem." Dheera shrugged. He caught the two unconscious bodies slumped over each other, "Hope they are alright."

"I hope so too." She sighed. Then, "Remember the place you told me about?"

"Kashyapi hill?"

"Yes. Can you take me there?"

"Sure, but it's a big place; where exactly do you want me to drop you off?"

Bhairavi fished Won Sungi's notebook from her backpack and flipped the pages till she arrived at the one where a hand-drawn map showed the way to reach the location. 

Dheera pulled the car over and quickly glanced at the said map. "It's brilliantly drawn!" he stated boastfully.

He makes it sound like he has drawn it. Bhairavi rolled her eyes and bobbed her head. "Yes. So, can you take me there?"

"Absolutely." He replied with confidence.

Why do I feel like he knows exactly where I need to go? "Thank you, Beta." Bhairavi smiled as the old engine reeved and hit the road again. 

Her troubles, however, were far from over. 

"Stop the car, or we will open fire!" A man dressed in a gray uniform yelled into the speaker, hanging out from the left window of a jeep that had appeared out of nowhere and started tailing them seconds ago. 

Bhairavi watched as the young man smiled and pressed the brakes, bringing the car to almost a stop. 

"Don't do it!" Bhairavi pleaded, looking at Dheera fearfully. "Please, don't abandon us, Beta." She begged, wrapping her fingers around his forearm. "I know… I know what I am asking of you is selfish. You have nothing to do with us, but I believe Shree Ram meant for you to find us…to save us. My Ramji has sent you in his stead. Please-"

Calm eyes met petrified ones. "Well, in that case, Aunty-ji," he whispered, leaning closer, "You better fasten the seatbelt."

Realization dawned on Bhairavi shortly after, and she did as told and waited calmly for the guards to approach them. 

Then, just when they were an arm's length away, Dheera hit the accelerator. 

The almost-vintage car sprinted towards its destination breaking any and all speed limits. 

Bhairavi had been ten or twelve years old when she had first laid eyes on a Maruti 800. It was white, shiny, and had an air conditioner to boast! It was the most mesmerizing vehicle the girl had seen in her short life. Needless to say, she fell in love with her father's first car instantly. 

"Beta, I admit, Maruti 800 is a lovely car, but it is not as high on action as it is on emotion." Her father had said wisely. Years later, when the time had come for them to get rid of it. Despite her family's displeasure, Bhairavi hugged her beloved car's dashboard and refused to let go. Defeated by her stubbornness, her father had given up.

The old thing still sat eating precious floor space in her father's garage. Though it had been decades since the old girl had burned up the road, and new, better models stood to serve Bhairavi every time she visited her father, none could replace her love for her Maruti 800.

"I never knew this car could touch such speeds," Bhairavi stated. She thought the car was going a mile a minute; at least, that's what it felt like to her since she couldn't feel any jerks. It was as if the vehicle's tires weren't touching the pothole-infested road. 

"I upgraded it," Dheera answered casually.

Bhairavi didn't miss the mischievous grin tugging at the corners of the saffron-clad man's face. Even though this was the second time in a matter of hours that she had met him, it was the first time Bhairavi noticed things about her savior that, though they were staring her in her face, she hadn't till now. 

His earrings felt like they were a part of him instead of a mere accessory. The ridge between his nose and lip was slightly puffed up like he had sucked in mouthfuls of air and was trying to hold it in. He was hairy, almost like a missing link between apes and homosapeans. 

There were also things he had told her about himself:

He was an only son.

His family was in the transport business.

He went wherever he was needed.

He was not married and wanted to stay that way. 

There was also the fact that he was wearing saffron, which not many his age could carry. It was a wonder how he made it look like a fashion statement. If Bhairavi was being true to herself, she would admit that though she had addressed Dheera as 'son' and 'beta' multiple times, she couldn't place him in any age bracket. He looked timeless, now that she had had a chance to observe him closely.

Last but not least, there was that incident where monkeys had wreaked havoc in the lab, destroying the very thing that could have killed Maithili and that boy, Raghav. 

No, I must stop calling him that. His name is Raghav, and he is not a bad guy! Maithili's mother reprimanded herself.

"Beta-ji, did you take care of your mother's namesake that you told me about earlier?"

"Yep. Sure did. I almost didn't make it. But in the end, I got there just in time. The child will need to spend a few days being looked after but will be fine eventually."

Slowly but surely, as the car sped past pine trees at what felt like the speed of light, a thought started taking shape in Bhairavi's mind. Her eyes dropped to the key chain attached to the car's ignition. 

A Gada. Bhairavi smiled. She was more sure than ever of the identity of the one who had saved her life not once but thrice. 

To test her theory, Bhairavi spoke to no one in particular. "Oh. I hope Anjani feels better soon." Faking a sigh, she watched Dheera from the corner of her eyes. The man kept his eyes glued to the road and didn't comment, though he did look like a deer caught in headlights.

His reaction was enough for Bhairavi to confirm what she believed in her heart to be the truth, impossible as it may seem. Moreover, confronting him at the moment didn't seem like the right thing to do. I will ask him later. She decided, and under the watchful eyes of her Rama's loved one, she took the files Anjani had entrusted her with and started her journey to discover the secrets of The Valley. 

Chapter Word Count:1303
Word Count so far: 21108

Glossary

Gada: Lord Hanuman's weapon.