Three keys.
Two in hand.
One missing.
Bharat sat in the car outside the courthouse, reviewing the inventory Peacock had compiled:
Key One: High Priest's seal—stolen from Rajan's estate during the raid. Currently in evidence lockup.
Key Two: Lead Priestess's token—confiscated when they arrested the temple's financial officer. Also in evidence.
Key Three: Temple Administrator's ring—missing.
Last known location: On the finger of Kavita Reddy, age twenty-six, mistress of the former administrator who'd died six months ago under "mysterious circumstances."
Translation: The temple had killed him and his mistress had inherited his access.
And she'd gone into hiding.
"We found her," Peacock's voice crackled through the phone.
"Where?"
"Safehouse in Bandra. High-security building. She's paranoid. Hasn't left the apartment in three weeks."
"Can you get to her?"
"I can get NEAR her. Getting the ring off her finger? That's another story."
"What's the play?"
"I'm working on it. But Bharat—there's something you need to know."
"What?"
"She reached out to me. Directly. Said she'd been expecting contact."
Bharat's instincts screamed.
"That's a trap."
"Probably. But it's also an opening. She wants to talk."
"About what?"
"She didn't say. But she's scared. Really scared. Whatever the temple did to her previous lover, she thinks she's next."
"She probably is."
"Which means she might be willing to deal."
"Set it up. But bring backup. And Peacock?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't trust her."
"Never do."
The courthouse was chaos.
Press everywhere.
Temple supporters shouting.
Activists counter-protesting.
Security barely holding the line.
Bharat pushed through, head down, lawyer Rajesh beside him carrying three boxes of evidence.
"This is insane," Rajesh muttered. "I've never seen this level of attention for an emergency injunction."
"Because this isn't just an injunction. It's a declaration of war."
"Against the richest, most powerful organization in the city."
"Exactly."
They entered the courtroom.
Judge Meera Sharma presiding.
Mid-fifties. Reputation for fairness. No known temple connections.
But in Mumbai, that meant nothing.
Everyone had connections.
The question was whether they were strong enough to override justice.
The temple's legal team was already seated.
Six lawyers.
All senior partners from the city's top firms.
All looking smug.
Lead counsel stood:
Aditya Kulkarni. The same lawyer who'd defended every temple scandal for the past decade.
"Your Honor, this is a frivolous case brought by a disgruntled employee with a personal vendetta—"
"Disgruntled employee?" Rajesh interrupted. "My client is the Director of Temple Affairs. Appointed by the board itself."
"A position he's held for less than a week and has already abused—"
"GENTLEMEN."
Judge Sharma's voice cut through the noise like a blade.
"Save your arguments for the hearing. Mr. Rajesh, you have thirty minutes to present your case for emergency injunction. Use them wisely."
"Yes, Your Honor."
Rajesh opened the first box.
Pulled out the ledgers.
"Your Honor, what we have here is evidence of systematic financial fraud spanning two decades. Bribes disguised as donations. Embezzlement disguised as temple maintenance. Payments to officials, judges, and politicians—all designed to protect an organization that has been running an illegal operation under the guise of religious worship."
He showed the documents.
Page by page.
Name by name.
Transaction by transaction.
The courtroom went silent.
"Furthermore," Rajesh continued, "these contracts—the marriage contracts, the binding agreements, the ritual obligations—are all built on this fraudulent foundation. If the temple's financial structure is corrupt, then every agreement made under its authority is void ab initio. Void from the beginning."
Aditya stood.
"Your Honor, these allegations are unsubstantiated. These so-called ledgers could be forgeries. Without proper chain of custody—"
"We have chain of custody," Rajesh said smoothly. "These documents were seized during a legal raid on Rajan Mehta's estate. Temple Director Shah was present. Multiple witnesses. Everything documented."
"Convenient. The Director raids his own temple and produces evidence exactly when he needs it."
"Are you suggesting the evidence is fabricated?"
"I'm suggesting it's suspiciously well-timed."
Judge Sharma leaned forward.
"Mr. Kulkarni, are you formally challenging the authenticity of these documents?"
Pause.
Aditya knew that if he challenged authenticity, the court would order forensic analysis.
Which would prove the documents were real.
Which would destroy his case.
"We reserve the right to challenge at a later date," he said carefully.
Translation: He had nothing.
Judge Sharma made a note.
"Continue, Mr. Rajesh."
Thirty minutes later:
The case was made.
The evidence was presented.
The court was silent.
Judge Sharma looked at the documents.
At the ledgers.
At the names.
Some of them people she knew.
"This is disturbing," she said quietly.
"It's criminal," Rajesh said.
"It's also complicated. You're asking me to void hundreds—possibly thousands—of contracts based on foundational fraud. The legal precedent alone—"
"Your Honor, there's precedent in corporate law. When a company's founding documents are fraudulent, all subsequent contracts can be voided. We're applying the same principle here."
"A temple isn't a company."
"Under the law, it's a registered organization. Same rules apply."
She thought.
Long.
Hard.
Finally:
"I'm issuing a preliminary injunction. Effective immediately, all temple contracts are SUSPENDED pending full investigation. No new agreements. No enforcement of existing obligations. Everything freezes."
The courtroom erupted.
Temple lawyers shouting.
Press scrambling.
Bharat sat perfectly still.
He'd done it.
The first step.
The contracts were frozen.
Which meant his curse—and Ayesha's mark—should be too.
Should be.
But the burning in his chest didn't stop.
And the countdown kept ticking.
Outside the courthouse:
Peacock was waiting.
"I saw the news. You won."
"First round. There'll be appeals."
"We don't have time for appeals. We have—" she checked her watch "—seven hours and forty minutes until midnight."
Countdown: 7:41:33
"The ring. Did you get it?"
"Not exactly."
Bharat stopped walking.
"What does 'not exactly' mean?"
"It means Kavita wants to meet. In person. To negotiate."
"Negotiate what? We need that ring."
"She knows. And she's willing to trade. But not for money."
"Then what?"
Peacock handed him a photo.
A kid.
Maybe nineteen.
Skinny.
Sick-looking.
"Her brother. Arjun Reddy. Age nineteen. Diagnosed with liver cancer six months ago. Same time her lover died."
Bharat's stomach sank.
"Let me guess. The temple promised to cure him if she stayed quiet about whatever she knows."
"Exactly. But now she thinks they're lying. The cancer's getting worse. The 'treatments' they're providing aren't working. She thinks they're actually POISONING him. Keeping him sick to control her."
"So she wants us to save him."
"In exchange for the ring."
"Where is he?"
"Temple medical facility. Private wing. Heavily guarded."
"Of course it is."
Bharat rubbed his face.
Tried to think.
"We break him out. Trade him for the ring. Simple."
"It's not simple. The facility is fortress-level secure. And we have—" she checked again "—seven hours. We're also supposed to be preparing for the sanctum raid at midnight. Plus you're dying. Plus Ayesha's dying. Plus—"
"I get it. We're screwed."
"I'm just saying the math doesn't work."
"The math never works. We make it work anyway."
Peacock led him to a café three blocks away.
Kavita was waiting.
Corner booth.
Sunglasses.
Scarf.
Trying to be invisible.
Failing.
She looked up when they approached. Her face was thin—too thin. The kind of thin that comes from not eating because anxiety has replaced your appetite. Her hands shook slightly as she lifted her coffee cup.
"You're him," she said. "The Director who's trying to destroy them."
"I'm trying to save people. If that destroys the temple, bonus."
She smiled.
It didn't reach her eyes.
"You sound like Amar. My lover. He used to say things like that. Right before they killed him."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. He knew the risks. We both did."
She set down her cup.
Pulled off one glove.
Showed her hand.
On her ring finger:
A heavy gold band.
Intricate symbol engraved on the surface.
The same symbol from the temple seals.
"This is what you want," she said.
"Yes."
"And in exchange, you'll save my brother."
"If we can."
"NOT if. WILL. I need a guarantee."
Bharat leaned forward.
"I can't guarantee anything. I can promise I'll try. That I'll use every resource I have. But if your brother is as sick as you say—"
"He's dying. I know that. But he's dying because THEY'RE killing him. If you get him out, away from their 'treatments,' he has a chance."
"How do you know?"
"Because the doctors I consulted—real doctors, not temple ones—said his cancer is treatable. Early stage. But the medications the temple is giving him are making it WORSE. Deliberately."
Peacock swore.
"They're keeping him sick to control you."
"Exactly."
"Why not just kill him?"
"Because then I have nothing to lose. As long as he's alive, I'll do anything to save him. Including keeping quiet about what Amar told me before he died."
Bharat's instincts sharpened.
"What did he tell you?"
She looked around.
Leaned in.
Whispered:
"The temple's planning something. Something big. Amar found evidence—financial transfers, resource allocations, personnel movements. He thought they were preparing for a major ritual. Not the usual harvest. Something else. Something that would require massive amounts of energy."
"Energy from what?"
"From people. From sacrifices. He estimated they'd need at least fifty souls to power it."
Bharat felt sick.
"Fifty people. That's mass murder."
"That's the temple."
Kavita pulled off the ring.
Set it on the table.
"Get my brother out. Get him real medical care. And this is yours."
Bharat looked at the ring.
At the final key.
At the thing standing between him and the sanctum.
Then looked at Kavita.
At her desperate eyes.
At the photo of her dying brother.
"If I do this," he said slowly, "I'll need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"Testify. Tell the court what you know. About Amar. About the temple's plans. Everything."
"They'll kill me."
"We'll protect you."
"You can't even protect yourself."
Fair point.
"Then we die together. But at least we die fighting."
She stared at him.
Long.
Hard.
Finally:
"Okay. But I want a contract."
Bharat's blood went cold.
"What?"
"A contract. Legal. Binding. You save my brother, I give you the ring and testify. You fail, the ring goes into the ocean and I disappear."
"I don't do contracts anymore. They've caused enough problems."
"Then we don't have a deal."
She started to stand.
Peacock grabbed her arm.
"Wait. What kind of contract?"
"Simple. A conditional exchange. He completes Task A—rescue and medical care for Arjun. I complete Task B—ring and testimony. Both parties obligated. Both parties protected."
"And if he fails?"
"Then I owe nothing."
"But he still dies from his curse at midnight."
"Not my problem."
Bharat closed his eyes.
Felt the curse burning in his chest.
Felt the countdown ticking in his skull.
Felt the weight of every promise he'd ever made crushing down on him.
Another contract.
Another obligation.
Another way to fail and lose everything.
But what choice did he have?
"Fine," he said. "Draft it."
Kavita pulled out a tablet.
Already had the contract template ready.
Of course she did.
She typed quickly.
Showed it to him:
CONDITIONAL EXCHANGE AGREEMENT
Party A (Bharat Shah) agrees to:
Extract Arjun Reddy from temple medical facilityProvide legitimate medical care at accredited hospitalEnsure Arjun's safety for minimum 48 hours post-extraction
Party B (Kavita Reddy) agrees to:
Transfer temple administrator ring to Party AProvide sworn testimony regarding temple activitiesCooperate fully with legal proceedings
Failure Clause: If Party A fails to complete obligations by 23:59 tonight, Party B is released from all obligations and retains ring.
Signature: ___________
Bharat read it.
Twice.
"This is insane. I have seven hours to break into a secure medical facility, extract a dying patient, and get him stable treatment. While also preparing for a midnight sanctum raid. While also managing my own curse. While also—"
"While also saving the world. I know. Amar used to say the same thing."
"And look how that turned out."
"Exactly. Which is why I need insurance."
She pushed the tablet toward him.
"Sign. Or walk away."
Bharat looked at Peacock.
She shook her head slightly.
Don't do it.
Too risky.
Too many variables.
He looked at the ring.
The final key.
The last piece.
Then at his watch.
Countdown: 7:23:51
He picked up the stylus.
Signed.
The moment his signature registered:
The contract LOCKED.
He felt it.
A new binding.
A new weight.
A new countdown.
Kavita smiled.
"Smart choice."
"We'll see."
She stood.
"The medical facility is in Andheri. I'll send you the blueprints. You have until midnight."
"I know."
"Good luck."
She walked out.
Peacock stared at Bharat.
"You just signed ANOTHER contract. After everything we've been through. After almost dying BECAUSE of contracts. You signed another one."
"I didn't have a choice."
"You always have a choice."
"Not when the alternative is failure."
"What if you can't get the brother out in time?"
"Then we lose the ring. We lose access to the sanctum. We lose everything."
"And you die."
"I was going to die anyway."
"That's not—"
"Peacock. I need you to focus. We have seven hours. Three objectives. We split up."
"Split up how?"
"You handle the brother. Break him out. Get him to a hospital. I'll coordinate the sanctum raid and manage the legal fallout."
"That's suicide. I can't break into a temple facility alone."
"You're not alone. You have resources. Contacts. Use them."
"And if I fail?"
"Then we both die. But at least we tried."
His phone rang.
Ayesha.
Her voice was weak:
"Bharat... the mark... it's showing me something..."
"What?"
"A path. Like a map. I can see it in my mind. It's showing me how to get to the temple. To the sanctum. Like GPS in my head."
"That's the召回機制. It's guiding you back."
"I know. But Bharat—"
Her voice cracked.
"I don't think I can fight it much longer. It HURTS. And it's getting stronger. I can feel it pulling my BONES."
"Hold on. Just a few more hours."
"What if I can't?"
"Then I'll come get you. Wherever you are. I promise."
Silence.
Then:
"Okay. I trust you."
The line went dead.
Peacock stood.
"I'll get the brother. You focus on staying alive."
"Same to you."
She walked out.
Bharat sat alone.
In a café.
In a city that wanted him dead.
With seven hours to:
- Rescue a dying patient
- Obtain the third key
- Raid the temple sanctum
- Break two curses
- Survive until dawn
He looked at his hands.
They were shaking.
The curse was accelerating.
The voices were back.
Louder now.
Angrier.
He checked his watch.
Countdown: 7:18:44
"Okay," he whispered to himself.
"Let's finish this."