said Alexei. «Then let’s talk to him about the medallion. Perhaps he knows something that will help us unravel this mystery.»
Dinara nodded and headed for the door.
«Rest a bit and come down. We’ll be waiting downstairs.»
Left alone, Alexei approached the window. Beyond it stretched the nighttime Issyk-Kul – a dark mirror of water reflecting the stars and silvered by the moon’s path. Somewhere there, in the coastal mountains, possibly lay hidden the secrets of the past and the mysterious «Solomon’s Key» mentioned in the inscription on the medallion.
He took the medallion from under his shirt and looked at it closely. In the moonlight streaming through the window, the silver seemed almost luminous. The symbols on the reverse side seemed to pulse, as if trying to tell him something.
Alexei shook his head, dispelling the strange illusion. He was too tired; that’s why he was seeing things. Leaving the medallion around his neck, Alexei washed up in the bathroom and went downstairs.
In the living room, Ermek and Dinara were already sitting at the table. Bakyt had apparently left. On the table stood dishes with meat, rice, vegetables, and boorsok – pieces of dough fried in oil. It smelled delicious and appetizing.
«Ah, our guest!» Ermek greeted him. «Sit down, Alexei Igorevich. We need to fortify ourselves before a serious conversation.»
Alexei sat at the table, and Ermek poured cognac for himself and Alexei. Dinara declined, preferring tea.
«To our meeting,» Ermek proposed a toast, raising his glass. «And to the memory of your ancestors, who were worthy people.»
They drank. The cognac was indeed excellent, warming and aromatic.
«Dinara told me about your grandfather and what you found,» said Ermek, serving Alexei meat and rice. «It’s an amazing story. I remember Professor Sorin, though I was just a boy then. He came several times to meet with my father, Rustam. They would talk for hours in private. About what – I don’t know, father never said.»
«Is your father still alive?» asked Alexei.
«Yes, thank Allah, he’s alive. He’s 84 years old and still sturdy, though his health has been failing lately. He lives in a village an hour’s drive from here.» Ermek sipped his cognac. «He knows local legends and stories better than anyone. If anyone can help unravel the mystery of the medallion, it’s him.»
«Can we meet him?»
«I think so. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow we should first visit the site of the 1954 excavation. I know where it is. Perhaps we’ll find some clues there.»
They had dinner, discussing the plan for the next day. Ermek proved to be not only knowledgeable about local history but also a professional geologist specializing in rock formations in the coastal zone of Issyk-Kul. He showed Alexei maps and photographs of the area, noting regions where, in his opinion, Nestorian treasures might be hidden.
«Do you see this line of rock outcrops?» he pointed to a map. «They contain numerous natural grottos and small caves formed by tectonic processes. Some of them could have been used as hiding places. They’re difficult to access and not visible from the lake.»
«As in the inscription,» Alexei noted. «„Light in water, water in light.“»
«Exactly,» Ermek nodded. «This phrase has long been known in local folklore, though most consider it just a poetic description of the lake’s beauty. But what if it’s actually an indication of a hiding place, visible only under certain lighting or reflection from the water?»
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an approaching car. Ermek tensed and quickly went to the window, carefully drawing aside the curtain.
«A black jeep,» he said grimly. «They’ve found us.»
Dinara jumped to the window.
«Is it them? Karabaev’s people?»
«Looks like it,» Ermek nodded. «Four of them. Armed.»
Alexei felt his heart pounding in his chest.
«What are we going to do?»
Ermek quickly went to the cabinet and took out a hunting rifle.
«We have an advantage – we know the terrain. Behind the house begins the protected area with mountain trails. I know every stone there. We can go through the forest to the eastern part of the reserve, where there’s an old observation station.»
«What about the reserve guards?» asked Alexei.
«There are only two for the entire area, and right now they’re patrolling the far sector,» Ermek replied, checking the rifle. «Besides, they can’t do much against Karabaev’s armed men.»
From outside came the sound of footsteps on the veranda. A loud knock on the door. Then a voice:
«Ermek-aga! We know you’re in there! Open up, we need to talk!»
«Go away!» Ermek shouted. «This is private property and a nature reserve! You have no right to be here!»
«We have all the necessary documents,» the voice replied. «We’re acting on behalf of the security services. We’re looking for a Russian citizen suspected of attempting to illegally export cultural valuables.»
Ermek swore in Kyrgyz.
«Lies. What security services? These are Karabaev’s men. Leave through the kitchen, quickly.»
Dinara grabbed her jacket and Alexei’s backpack.
«Come on!»
They quickly passed through to the kitchen, which was located at the back of the house. Ermek opened a door leading to an inner courtyard.
«Run up the path, straight to the forest. There’s a hunting shelter that only I know about. I’ll delay them.»
«Uncle, no!» exclaimed Dinara. «They’re dangerous!»
«Don’t argue,» Ermek cut her off. «They won’t harm me; I’m too well-known a figure. But you… Go. We’ll meet at Rustam’s.»
From outside came a cracking sound – someone was trying to break down the front door. Ermek pushed them toward the exit:
«Run!»
Alexei grabbed Dinara’s hand, and they ran out into the yard. The night was clear and moonlit, which was both good and bad – they could see the path, but they could also be spotted. A narrow and steep trail led up the forested mountain slope.
They heard a shot, then shouts. Dinara momentarily stopped, but Alexei pulled her onward:
«We can’t go back! Ermek knows what he’s doing!»
They ran up the slope, stumbling over stones and roots. Behind them came new voices and the beam of a flashlight sweeping through the trees. They were being pursued.
«This way!» Dinara pulled Alexei off the path, into dense shrubbery.
They squeezed through thick branches and found themselves in a small clearing hidden from the path. They crouched, listening. The steps and voices of their pursuers drew closer. A flashlight beam glided dangerously close to their hiding place.
«They couldn’t have gone far!» said one voice in Russian with an accent. «Check the bushes!»
Dinara pressed against Alexei; he could feel her breath and rapid heartbeat. The medallion on his neck suddenly felt heavy and hot, as if heated by an internal fire.
The flashlight beam slid across the bushes behind which they were hiding, paused for a moment, and… continued moving. The pursuers passed them by.
«They probably ran further up the path,» said another voice. «Let’s go there!»
The footsteps moved away. Alexei and Dinara looked at each other