"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 in the half-darkness, not believing their luck.
"How did they not see us?" whispered Alexei.
"I don't know," Dinara whispered back. "But we need to move. They'll soon realize we're not on the path and come back."
They emerged from the bushes and continued on their way, now more slowly and cautiously, moving parallel to the path but staying in the undergrowth. The forest grew denser, and the slope steeper. Finally, they reached a rocky outcrop that provided a view of the lake and the reserve.
"Look," Dinara whispered, pointing down.
Three black jeeps stood by Ermek's house. Flashlight beams darted between the trees—the pursuers continued to search for them.
"We need to keep moving," said Alexei. "Where is this hunting shelter Ermek mentioned?"
"If I understand correctly, it should be higher up the slope, in the rocks," Dinara looked around. "There are several grottos carved by wind and rain in the sandstone. Ermek uses them to observe wildlife."
They continued climbing. The forest gradually thinned, giving way to rocky scree and low shrubs. After half an hour, they reached a rock belt—vertical sandstone walls about ten meters high.
"Now we need to go along the rocks," said Dinara. "The grotto should be somewhere around here."
They moved slowly along the base of the cliffs, carefully examining each crack and depression. The moon illuminated the stones, casting peculiar shadows that sometimes took the form of cave entrances, misleading them.
Finally, Dinara stopped before a small opening, almost completely hidden by shrubs.
"I think it's here," she parted the branches and peered inside. "Yes, definitely. Help me move the brush aside."
Together they cleared the entrance and went in. It was a small grotto, spacious enough to accommodate several people. In the back stood a simple wooden bench, and on a stone ledge serving as a shelf lay canned food, matches, and a kerosene lamp.
"There are even supplies," Alexei said with relief. "Your uncle is well-prepared."
"Ermek is always ready for the unexpected," Dinara lit the lamp, and a soft light illuminated the interior of the grotto. "He says that in the mountains, you need to be prepared for anything—from encountering a snow leopard to a sudden blizzard."
They sat on the bench, resting their backs against the cool stone wall.