The Book of Aarav – 5

Sabo and Yodhika

The Delhi–Jaipur Road opened into a long, empty stretch once the city faded behind Manesar. No shops. No traffic. No honking. Just a wide six-lane highway running straight through dry fields and broken patches of the Aravalli hills. The heat shimmered above the asphalt, making the horizon look blurred and distant.

Then the convoy appeared.

Two Toyota Land Cruiser 300s came first, driving side by side, their engines steady and synced. Their matte-black bodies looked almost ghostlike against the empty landscape, windows dark, lights off.

Behind them, the main car glided forward—a black Rolls-Royce Phantom, massive, silent, and impossibly smooth on the deserted road. Sunlight slid across its polished surface and vanished, as if the car absorbed it whole.

On both sides of the Phantom, two BMW X5 security SUVs kept tight formation, never drifting more than a meter from their positions.

At the rear, another pair of Land Cruiser 300s closed the convoy, engines humming evenly in the otherwise motionless afternoon.

Seven vehicles.
No traffic.
Nothing else on the highway for kilometers.

Two passengers sat in the rear of the Rolls-Royce. One was a wheatish-skinned man in his forties, dressed in a gray Armani suit, his head resting against the seat, eyes closed. Beside him, a man in his fifties in a black suit scrolled through emails on his iPad.

“What’s the progress in Bangalore, Jai?” the younger man asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

“It’s going well, sir,” Jai replied calmly. “Rudransh’s popularity has exploded—online and offline. He has eliminated five major groups that controlled key areas of Bangalore, along with twenty gangs in separate incidents. Footage recorded by witnesses has gone viral nationwide. Since the first incident a month ago, the public’s support for him has been rising exponentially.”

The younger man nodded slightly. “Any update from Adhrivan?”

“Yes, sir. He says all reports against Bheeshma are ready. He just needs to arrange a few more pieces of evidence. He has also placed thirty more of our men inside various CIA bases across five countries.”

“And Sabo?”

Jai’s expression dimmed. “No, sir. Every operative we deployed after her has gone AWOL. We’re working on a new strategy.”

“You’ve been working on ‘new strategies’ for six years,” the younger man said sharply. “Your predecessor spent five years before that. We never even found his body. She’s that skilled. She trained Adhrivan and all our soldiers. And the woman remained in her twenties throughout the thirty years she stayed with us. She is not human. Only four people in our entire army ever stood a real chance against her: Yodhi, Adhrivan, uncle Ashura, and our father. One is our enemy whose status has been unknown to us for the past 22 years, two are dead, and the last won’t return to this country for two more years. So tell me, Jai… how do you propose forming a new plan against someone like her?”

Jai lowered his head. After a pause, he began, “Sir Rudraaj, we will—”

“It was a rhetorical question,” Rudraaj said, cutting him off. He turned to the window, watching the city slide by. After a long silence, he added, “Stand down for now. We’ve wasted enough resources trying to find her. We’ll wait two years. Adhrivan will handle it when he returns.”

Jai’s iPad, which had gone dark during the conversation, lit up again with a sharp vibration. A new message flashed across the screen. He unlocked it quickly and tapped the notification. A mail opened—containing a single link. The moment he clicked it open and the video began to play, his eyes widened. His voice shot up, trembling with urgency.

“Sir Rudraaj! We got her!”

Rudraaj’s eyes snapped open. He turned his head slowly toward Jai, anger slicing through his expression.
“I told you never to raise your voice in front of me.”

Fear crawled into Jai’s eyes. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing.
“B… but sir, we really got her. Look.”
He handed over the iPad with both hands, almost reverently.

Rudraaj took it, his gaze dropping to the screen. A CCTV clip played. Within seconds, his expression shifted—surprise flickered, then gave way to a shadow of pure, controlled fury. His jaw tightened.

“Where is this footage from?” he asked, his voice calm but carrying a dangerous undercurrent.

“It’s from a small town in Himachal Pradesh… Parwanoo,” Jai answered cautiously.

“When was this recorded?”

“Yesterday, sir.”

Rudraaj inhaled deeply, his mind calculating. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.

“Call back the Ashura Warriors from Congo… and deploy them.”

Jai’s face drained of color.
“Sir… are you sure?” His voice trembled. “If they engage her, the entire town might be destroyed.”

Rudraaj glared at him for a long second, then forced his anger down.
“I’ve told you this before—she is one of only four people in our entire clan who could stand against Sabo. And she killed the other one.”

He turned his gaze toward the window, toward the mountains in the distance, as if searching for the ghost in the footage.

“Even now… even at this age… we would be fortunate if the Ashura warriors capture her at all, even if it means razing the town.” He paused for a second and continued, “Never make the mistake of underestimating Yodhi. And catching her is far more important than taking down Sabo”

---

“So, how do you feel on your one-month-versary?” Karan asked Aarav after taking a sip from his beer bottle.

“It’s been good. Indresh here helped me a lot through the process. I think I’ve got a good idea of what I have to do now,” Aarav said, taking a sip from his beer. He looked around to see a few patrons seated under the soft, amber glow; the bar’s polished wood and quiet elegance made the space feel exclusive.

“‘Good idea,’ huh?” Karan smiled playfully. “Is he telling the truth, Indresh? What’s your take on him after managing him for a month?” he asked, turning toward him and taking a bigger sip of his drink.

“Easy there, tiger,” Indresh said with a laugh as he steadied Karan, who wobbled in his seat. “He’s good. He has a little more to learn, but he can handle small projects on his own now.” He lifted his glass and took a sip of his Virgin Mojito.

“I… is that so?” Karan replied with a smile and a hiccup.

Aarav’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out carefully, but his fingers slipped while unlocking it, and the phone fell with the screen facing upward.

“You too,” Indresh said as he bent down to pick it up. A moment later, the phone was back in Aarav’s hand. He unlocked it again and read the new message. His eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned closer to the screen.

Karan suddenly grabbed the phone from Aarav’s hand and read the message aloud, holding it away from him. “I will be arriving this Friday.”

Aarav tried to get it back and finally snatched the phone from Karan, his voice edged with anger. “Don’t do that.”

“Sorry, I was just pulling your leg,” Karan said with a laugh, then took another sip of his beer. “Is that your mom?”

Aarav looked at him for a moment, steadying his irritation, then nodded and took another sip. “Yes. She went to the Himalayas for a month for her book. She’s returning this Friday.”

“She’s a writer, huh? Nice,” Karan replied. “So you were alone for the past month?”

“Yes, but I was busy with work,” Aarav said.

“Do you… have any girlfriend or… girl friends?” Karan asked in a playful tone.

Aarav stared at him for a second and replied with controlled firmness, “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I don’t have a girlfriend or girlfriends.”

“Oh, sorry. I was just curious how you spend your lonely days at home,” Karan said, winking.

Aarav took a sip, irritated, and stayed quiet for a moment. Then he spoke. “I’m arranging a surprise party at home on Friday. It’s my mom’s birthday. She’s coming back the same day. You two are the only people I know well here. You can join if you’re free.”

“When is the party?” Indresh asked after a long silence during the conversation.

“Her flight arrives at 6 p.m. She’ll reach home around 7:30 or 8. I need to be there before seven. You coming?” Aarav asked.

“Yes, sure. I can make some time. We’ll leave the office together,” Indresh said.

“What about you, Karan?” Aarav asked.

“For sure. I’ll join you guys from office,” Karan replied.

Aarav finished the last sip of his beer and set the bottle down. “You guys are done too, huh? Let’s leave?”

“Yeah, sure,” both of them said.

“I’ll pay the bill and join you outside,” Indresh said as all three of them rose from their seats.

(To be continued)