“There,” Bhrigu pointed to the two o’clock.
The doctor took a second oar and turned the boat’s bow in the right direction.
In a few seconds, the cave’s arch appeared out of the blackness, and the light began to reflect off the wall directly in front of them. The boat sailed up to the solid stone barrier.
“Where now?” Jean-Pierre asked, taking hold of the boat.
“That way,” answered Bhrigu.
In the distance there was a sound like a waterfall, it was somewhere beyond the walls. The boat was moving slowly, parallel to the wall.
“Here is the exit to the bank,” said Jean-Pierre, feeling the bottom.
The boat came to a small bank, like two peas in a pod, similar to the one from which they had sailed. David and Jean-Pierre pulled the boat up.
“This is the same shore, isn’t it,” said David.
“No,” Jean-Pierre said uncertainly. “Debby, give me the torch.”
Debby handed over the torch, and Jean-Pierre walked forward with it. After a few seconds, he lit the torches mounted on the wall.
“No, David, there’s another passage, there’s no stretcher and the torches haven’t been lit for a long time,” Jean-Pierre shouted. “Get out of the boat.”
The doctor and David helped everyone onto dry land, and together they moved toward Jean-Pierre.
“What’s next?” Yulia asked.
“There is a passageway,” Jean-Pierre pointed forward.
Everyone went inside and found themselves in a large hall, almost perfectly round in shape. There were four passages in the hall: one from which they had just come and three at the opposite end of the hall. Faint sunlight streamed in from one. It was bright and dry in here.
“Old man didn’t lie,” said Jean-Pierre. “Let’s get out of here.”
Relief spread through the hall. For a moment everyone forgot the strange circumstances of the journey and the inexplicable, almost magical, but frightening mysteries left on the other side of the lake.
“Stay here I,” Bhrigu began.
“Oh, no. Don’t even think about it,” Jean-Pierre interrupted him grudgingly. “I didn’t let you go. Not until I’m sure we’re safe.”
“Belongs to this place I,” the hermit continued calmly.
“Jean-Pierre,” Debby said pleadingly. “That’s enough. There’s light in there. We’ll get outside.”
“But he…” said Jean-Pierre with incomprehension.
“No,” the hermit interrupted him himself. “Find the way forward is easy now.”