In any case, the buyers were a serious threat and played the role of a dark horse. Rumors about them also circulated in various forms. Some of the newly arrived villagers had heard stories of monks recruiting people into their sect in this manner; others spoke of satanic rituals, cults, sacrifices, and other devilry; still others made up their own. In such a bedlam of "mystical" stories, it was difficult to form an objective judgment on the matter.
As for the "Shelter," a large number of new people had arrived there recently. The spacious valley now housed over three hundred people, and Gronin was somewhat wary of information leaks. To maintain secrecy, he confided his plans only to Dyakov and Rodionov, who then relayed to their subordinates only as much as was necessary to accomplish the
