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."

"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."