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.»
«And then?» Ermek asked quietly.
«Then Karabaev will decide what to do with them.»
Dinara backed away from the window, her face contorted with pain. Alexei embraced her shoulders and carefully led her away from the house.
«My own uncle,» she whispered when they had gone far enough. «How could he? After everything grandfather did for him…»
«Judging from what we heard, he didn’t want anyone to get hurt,» Alexei carefully noted, though he too was shaken by what they’d overheard. «It seems he’s confused and afraid of Karabaev.»
«That’s no excuse,» Dinara said sharply. «He brought us to grandfather, knowing that Karabaev’s men could appear at any moment. He…» her voice broke. «He’s guilty of grandfather’s death.»
They moved even further away, deeper into the coastal thickets, and sat on a fallen tree to decide what to do next.
«Where to now?» asked Alexei. «We have no money, no transportation, no safe place.»
Dinara gazed thoughtfully at the lake, shimmering in the last rays of sunset.
«I have a friend in Karakol,» she finally said. «From university days. He works as a curator at a museum. We could try to reach him.»
«How far is it?»
«About a hundred and fifty kilometers along the eastern shore of the lake.»
Alexei whistled:
«On foot, we’d be walking for days.»
«There are buses,» Dinara objected. «But using public transportation is risky. Karabaev’s men are surely checking all routes.»
«What about a boat?» Alexei nodded toward the lake. «Your uncle has a boat. We could…»
«Steal it?» Dinara smiled bitterly. «Why not. After what he did, it would be fair.»
They decided to wait until deep night, then sneak to the pier and take the boat. Until then, they remained in the coastal thickets, watching Ermek’s house.
Close to midnight, a black SUV pulled up to the house. Several people got out, among whom they recognized Karabaev. The oligarch quickly ascended the veranda and entered the house.
«This doesn’t look good,» Alexei muttered. «Looks like Karabaev decided to personally control the situation.»
Half an hour later, the SUV left, taking Ermek with it.
«Now,» Dinara said decisively. «While no one’s there, we need to take the boat.»
They quickly descended to the pier. The boat turned out to be a small motorboat, powerful enough to cross the lake quickly. Alexei, who had some experience operating such vessels, quickly figured out the engine.
«Full tank,» he reported. «We’ll have enough to reach Karakol.»
Dinara untied the ropes securing the boat, and they slowly moved away from shore. When they were at a sufficient distance, Alexei started the engine, and the boat slid across the dark water, leaving a foamy trail behind.
The night was moonless, stars hidden behind clouds, which worked in their favor – they were difficult to spot from shore. They kept at a distance from the shore, but close enough to see the lights of coastal villages.
«What will we do next?» Alexei asked, shouting over the engine noise. «We don’t have Rustam’s book, no detailed information about the treasure…»
«We have the medallion,» Dinara replied. «And something else.»
She took a small notebook from her jacket pocket.
«I wrote down some of grandfather’s stories when I visited him last summer. Not everything, of course, but the main details about the treasure’s location and the „Key of Solomon.“»
Alexei looked at her with respect:
«Are you always this foresighted?»
«Professional habit,» she smiled weakly. «Ethnographers always record everything they hear from informants.»
They continued along the shore when in the distance, a light appeared – a powerful searchlight beam gliding over the lake’s surface.
«They’re looking for us,» Alexei said tensely. «We need to move further from shore.»
He steered the boat into open water, hoping to hide in the darkness. But soon they heard the sound of another, more powerful engine. They were being pursued.
«Faster!» Dinara peered into the darkness behind them. «They’re getting closer!»
Alexei pushed the engine to its limits. The boat bounced on the waves, spraying them with water. But the sound of pursuit grew louder.
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