"Do you think this is safe?" Alexei asked as they bounced along the rough road in the open truck bed filled with hay. "Karabaev is surely searching for us all along the shore."
"That's the point," Dinara replied, covering her face with a scarf against the dust. "He won't expect us to return to a major tourist center. Besides, Uncle Ermek has a house on the outskirts. We can rest and decide what to do next."
Alexei nodded, though a strange feeling of unease wouldn't leave him. The loss of Rustam's book was a serious blow—it contained important information about the treasure's location and the "Key of Solomon." Now they were left with only the medallion and fragments of knowledge that Dinara had received from her grandfather.
By evening, they reached the outskirts of Cholpon-Ata. The shepherd dropped them at a crossroads and, after receiving payment, drove off, raising a cloud of dust. Dinara led Alexei along a narrow path that disappeared into a thicket of poplars and willows.
"Uncle's house is half a kilometer from here," she explained. "Away from the main development, right by the lake."
They walked in silence, watchfully looking around. Twilight descended on the land, painting everything in silvery-blue tones. The air was filled with the scents of water, sun-warmed stones, and flowering herbs.
Ermek's house turned out to be a small single-story structure with a spacious veranda facing the lake. Old apple and cherry trees grew around it, and a small pier with a boat tied to it stood at the water's edge.
"Strange," Dinara frowned, approaching the house. "No lights, though Uncle's car is in the yard."
Alexei tensed. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet; even the birds weren't singing in the garden.
"Wait," he held Dinara back by the arm when she was about to step onto the veranda. "Let's look around first."
They circled the house, peering through windows. Inside, it was dark and seemingly empty. But when they approached the back door leading to the kitchen, they heard muffled voices.
"That's Uncle," Dinara whispered, listening. "But who is he talking to?"
They carefully crept up to the window and peered inside. In the kitchen's half-darkness, illuminated only by the dim light of a table lamp, Ermek sat at the table. Opposite him was a man in a dark jacket, whose face they couldn't make out.
"I did everything I could," Ermek's voice reached them. "I brought them to Rustam, as you asked."
"But they escaped," his companion replied coldly. "And the old man died without revealing all the details to us."
"That's not my fault!" Desperation sounded in Ermek's voice. "I didn't know they would run away! I thought you just wanted to talk to them, study the medallion…"
"Don't lie to me, Ermek," his companion cut him off. "You knew perfectly well what was happening. You knew that Karabaev would stop at nothing to get the 'Key of Solomon.'"
Dinara froze beside Alexei, her eyes widening with shock and the pain of betrayal.
"I thought I could protect them," Ermek continued. "Wanted to negotiate with Karabaev… so no one would get hurt."
The man in the dark jacket laughed sharply:
"Negotiate with Karabaev? Are you that naive or just stupid? This man will destroy anyone who stands in his way." He leaned forward, and the lamplight momentarily illuminated his face. Alexei recognized one of those who had been with Karabaev in the cave. "Now you must correct your mistake. Find your niece and that Russian. Bring them here."
