“You will always be little to me.” Mama

    FOR LITTLE ONES WHO CAN'T FALL ASLEEP. 

    FAIRY TALE.

    Book 2.

    Traveling underwater. The Middle Level. 

When the portal entrance to the Middle Level closed behind them, it became very dark, and complete silence fell, as if they had fallen or jumped into an impenetrable, pitch-black darkness. There was no feeling that they were flying in the Defense; on the contrary, it felt like they were hanging in one place, and there was nothing around, only black absolute infinity on all side.

Diana became uneasy and anxious from not understanding what was happening. She reached out her hand beside her and felt that she touched Berta. She took her in her arms and pressed her close.

"Ma, I'm in shock, I'm starting to panic," Diana heard, "and you know, when I'm nervous, I want to eat!"

Diana stroked the little one on the back: "Bun, if I were to compare my nerves to food, I would eat a cake the size of a house. Sit still. Everything is fine, I hope."

For a moment, it seemed to Diana that the blackness around them wasn't so gloomy anymore. Indeed, the darkness slowly began to disappear, and it gradually became lighter and lighter. It seemed like some silhouettes were starting to clear up, but it was still completely unclear what was happening around them.

"Ma, maybe we should put on the fakesuits?" Berta asked. "We don't know what's out there."

Diana looked out the window; the silhouettes were blurry, and the clarity of vision hadn't fully returned yet.

"Yes, Bertyunya, I think you're right," she replied. "We won't risk it."

Putting on the fakesuit, Diana looked at the little one: "Well, what image should we choose for ourselves this time?"

Berta began to quickly, barely managing to utter the words, suggest images of various creatures, but summing up, she proposed to become dinosaurs.

Diana was surprised: "But if we're in the air and there's no solid ground beneath us, will we fall down? No, let's make a wish: let us remain as we are on the outside, but regardless of the external world and environment, we could exist in it without any possible inconvenience for us."

Putting on the fakesuit and the Talking Pendant around her neck, Diana switched it on for herself and Berta.

They closed their eyes and mentally expressed the desire for the external image they wanted to see on themselves for existence on the Middle Level.

When they opened their eyes, everything around them was unchanged, and they also remained the same.

"Well, I'm opening the door. Let's see what awaits us in this world," Diana said and pressed the button that opened the Defense's door.

They went out. At first glance, there was nothing unusual or new: the same grass, the same trees, and daylight. But gradually, there was a feeling that their movements were smoother and slower, as if in slow motion, or as if you were in a boat slowly drifting with the current, and it, along with you, was slightly swaying on the waves. The wind didn't sway the tree crowns in all directions as usual, but like a light breeze, it made them move in barely noticeable waves: now in one direction, now in the other.

"Did you notice how unusually the wind sways the grass and trees?" Diana asked Berta. "I've never seen anything like it before, all the vegetation is swaying in sync."

Berta, as always, looked at the unfamiliar terrain with surprise, having a touching, but at the same time, funny look.

"Ma, and the air is kind of murky and opaque. It seems clean, but the farther you look, the more everything blurs," Berta said, peering suspiciously in all directions.

Diana thought for a moment, then suggested: "First, we need to find the Ruler of the Middle Level. I think his name is Barchin. Right?" then she added, "and the air isn't quite clean, so maybe it's fog or smoke? Okay, we'll find out later. Come on, get in the Defense."

Diana helped the little one up a bit. She closed the door and said: "Let's go."

The Defense immediately perked up, shuddered, and, swaying smoothly like on waves, began to pick up speed.

The flight was incredibly easy and comfortable. Diana thought that the Defense moved much more rigidly on the Lower Level, if one could use that term for flight. But here, despite the high speed of the Defense, it felt like walking: slowly, unhurriedly, smoothly, and most importantly, surprisingly and unusually - silently, absolutely quiet movement.

Diana peered out the window, but still, nothing specific could be seen, only vague outlines in a blurry haze.

"Ma," Berta said, looking down, "I think we're approaching some city. Everything is blurry, you can't see anything! How do they live here? How can they see where we're landing?"

Diana said loudly: "Down," - and the Defense began to descend slowly and measuredly, just as it had taken off.

Descending lower, the visibility outside the window became a little better, and they saw high mountains and vast expanses, and directly below them, a beautiful big city, immersed in greenery. The Defense landed, and Diana, pressing a button, opened the door and stepped outside.

The new world that appeared before her eyes absolutely amazed and stunned her. Against the backdrop of lush greenery, a huge variety of colorful buildings shimmered, each entwined with either curly trees with long branches swaying in the wind, resembling the tentacles of a jellyfish endlessly reaching upwards, or flowers growing right on the walls and roofs of these houses. All of this was so picturesque, colorful, expressive, and saturated that words failed to describe the beauty that Diana saw when she stepped out of the Defense.

Berta's voice brought her out of her stupor and shock: "Wow, this is amazing! Are we in paradise? I like this, the adventures are not boring at all, and in my opinion, they are becoming more and more unusual and interesting. I love this. Ma, let's go quickly and see how they live and what they eat!"

"Yes, Bun, let's go," Diana replied, "we'll find out in the city where the Ruler's palace is located."

They walked towards where there were the most buildings. Each house was unique and had its own character and appearance, differing in size, layout, architecture, and style. The windows and facades of the houses were particularly abundant and diverse in their shapes and decorative elements, and the brightness of the colors was striking and captivating.

"Ma, look at the roof of the house across the street, it looks like a giant spiral shell. Ha-ha-ha... Probably its owner thinks he's a crab or a snail. Oh! And next to it, the house looks like a colander, all the walls are full of holes, and air bubbles are coming out of them. I wonder what they make them from that they don't burst and, remaining intact, fly upwards? Strange dwellings here. What kind of owners could they have? Do you have any suggestions about this?" - and Berta looked at Diana, as she didn't answer.

While they were walking and the little one was turning her head in all directions, Diana was closely watching the man they were approaching. He looked like a boatswain from old sea tales: he looked over fifty, of strong build, with a big mustache, a black eyepatch, and an earring in one ear. His gait was unsteady and lazy. All he lacked was a boatswain's whistle around his neck - well, the spitting image of a boatswain who had stepped off some medieval frigate, galleon, or brigantine. He slowly walked between the tables, urging his workers on.

It seemed that this establishment was his. While the workers were setting up tables on the street in front of the house, he slowly walked over to one of them like a boss and sat down on a chair. And incredibly, Diana had just thought about it, he took a pipe out of his jacket pocket and lit it, occasionally casting an attentive, studying glance at the approaching girl and puppy.

His appearance: worn-out boots, an old faded canvas shirt, and not very clean breeches with a camisole, a type of jacket, were absolutely incompatible with the surrounding picturesque and refined paradise beauty of nature, the riot of fresh greenery and flowers. And this was very striking. And the main thing was his pipe; when he smoked, instead of smoke, small bubbles came out, rising up and disappearing.

Diana thought that she needed to feed Bertyunya, and it wouldn't be bad to have a snack herself, so they headed towards the strange owner of the tavern. Approaching him, she didn't even have time to say hello when she heard: "A thousand dead cuttlefish!" he said loudly. "Have you been here long?"

"Just passing through," Diana replied cautiously and moved closer to Berta.

"By 'here,' you mean the Underwater World?" the boatswain clarified. "My eye immediately noticed that you're not from here. Rip me to shreds, shark! "

Unexpectedly, a large bird flew over his head, very close. Easily maneuvering in the air, it soared high into the sky, then descended closer to the ground, as if dancing in the heavens, enjoying every moment of its flight. The bird was so majestic and graceful that it seemed to be swimming rather than flying. It soared in the sky, spreading its powerful wings, enjoying freedom, and this enchanting sight reminded those who looked at it of the beauty and freedom of nature.

The sailor didn't even glance at it. But Berta, on the contrary, continued to watch it, and for a moment, it seemed to her that it wasn't a bird at all. A thought even flashed through her mind: "Maybe it's not a bird? Then who is it? Who else can fly in the sky?" - but Diana's voice distracted the little one from these doubts.

"And how can you tell?" Diana asked the sailor. She was surprised at how quickly he determined that they weren't locals.

"Consider it a natural gift," he replied, "or a developed intuition that has helped, and more often saved me from tricky situations. A thousand devils! It told me which figures to deal with and how to stay alive. Anchor me in the throat and seven feet under the keel! And in general, seeing you, I thought you arrived from my world. But that's unlikely. Although..."

Berta tugged at Diana's hand: "Ma, such a scary uncle. Let's go! We won't even eat here, he'll eat us himself! Let's go!" - and the little one pulled her hand even harder.

The sailor looked at Berta: "Hey, kid. I don't eat dogs! Never! I love meat, that's true, and I haven't eaten it in a long time. I have to eat fish, may a poisonous jellyfish choke me, I'm so sick of this fish! But in my world, for some, dog meat is a favorite dish." And the sailor laughed loudly, like a trumpet. From laughter, his belly trembled and swayed like jelly, and his mustache smoothly rose and fell, as if a light breeze was blowing.

"That's it, that was the last straw of my angelic patience, not funny at all," Berta snorted, wrinkling her nose, and turned to the road, about to leave. "Ma, are you coming?"

The sailor, still laughing loudly, waved his hands for them to stop: "I told you, you don't have to be afraid of me. Everyone knows me here. I like you, it's fun with you. Rip me to shreds, shark! I mean no harm, and I can help you. A boatswain won't offend a child or children, my wife is a cuttlefish to me! Come into my tavern: we'll talk and eat - I'm treating," he said, breaking into a wide smile.

"So he really is a boatswain," Diana thought, and said out loud, "Well, Bertyunechka, shall we accept the invitation? We have a lot of questions that need answers. And it wouldn't hurt to eat."

Berta, still wrinkling her nose angrily, said: "I don't trust him, of course, but eating is a convincing argument."

Passing by the boatswain, she looked at him suspiciously and grimaced: "We won't be long. We just can't refuse the invitation."

The boatswain smiled broadly and opened the door, inviting them to enter.

The food was as strangely unusual for a roadside tavern as everything around, a lot of seafood in different preparations: marinated, hot dishes, and even salted, and the salads were all made from some kind of seaweed and sea flowers. Well, just a fish restaurant. And indeed, there were no meat dishes at all.

"Stingy, he could have at least one small meatball," Bertyunya thought, "but no, just seaweed and seafood. Am I a cat to eat only fish?"

The boatswain didn't bother them with conversation, and when they had finished eating, he asked: "What are your names?"

With a full belly, Berta became kinder and was ready to talk. Pointing with her paw, she introduced: "I'm Berta, and this is Diana."

After that, the boatswain slightly raised his hat and said: "Boatswain of the three-masted flagship 'Santa Maria' - Soylor. Thunder strike me!"

Then he took a boatswain's pipe in his right hand, pressed a ball on it, then, half-bending his fingers over it, blew hard into it, and everyone heard a melodic whistle - from deep and soft to high and piercingly sharp. When everything fell silent, Soylor looked at the shocked and stunned Diana and Berta with admiration in his eyes. It was clear that he expected enthusiastic exclamations from them after the words "Santa Maria," but Diana and Berta looked at him perplexed and confused.

"It's breathtaking," Diana came to her senses, "I immediately thought you were a boatswain. You have such a colorful appearance. Very cool, top class! I know that you need to learn how to use a boatswain's pipe, and also, like many naval traditions, these melodies are not written down anywhere but passed down from generation to generation of sailors by ear or personal demonstration. Beyond all praise! You do it well."

"Yes, it's loud," Berta added, "and the outfit is just right! Brutally stylish."

"Wait, wait," Diana said, as if remembering something, confused. "So we're from the same world?! We know about ourselves, but how did you get here?" Diana's surprise knew no bounds.

Soylor answered absolutely calmly and imperturbably: "If I draw conclusions from what I've seen and heard during my time here, I think getting here is much easier than it seems. You understand, if there's an entrance, there must be an exit."

Berta, propping her head on her paw, asked: "And haven't you tried to return home from here?"

"Where?" Soylor replied. "Time slows down a lot here, and not just hours and minutes. The time I've spent here, I feel like several years, but in our world, years, maybe even centuries have passed! That's absolutely certain. Shark bait me!"

Small tears began to gather in the little one's eyes. There was fear, embarrassment, confusion, and helplessness in them: "Ma," she turned to Diana, almost crying, "so it turns out that when we return home, there will be no one and nothing that we know and love?"

Diana herself could barely hold back. She hugged Berta: "Bun, honey, don't be upset. We don't know how it really is. What if Soylor is wrong? You'll see, we'll manage. Everything will be fine," and she kissed Berta on her wet nose.

"And why does time slow down so much here? I can feel it flowing viscous and slow, like water," Diana said sadly.

"Well, it is water," Soylor replied, "may the whales drink it all!"

Diana and Berta looked at the boatswain simultaneously.

"I don't understand," Diana said, "in what sense? What does water mean? Wait a minute, are you saying that we are currently in water? There's no air around us?"

"Well, yes," Soylor replied, widening his eyes. "You haven't figured it out yet? And the fact that all the plants are swaying in the same direction because it's a current, not wind; and the fact that it's not smoke coming out of the houses' pipes, but air bubbles; and the fact that it's not birds flying around, but fish swimming - didn't that tell you anything, or did you not pay attention? Is it normal for you to see this?"

"Exactly, exactly, that's how it is," Berta said quickly, "and I couldn't understand what kind of big bird was smoothly soaring above us all the time? Was it a fish?"

Soylor nodded: "When we were talking in front of the tavern? Yes, it wasn't a bird, it was a Manta. They're also called Sea Devils," and he broke into a smile, "that's my pet. I saved him from a pack of sharks. I don't know where his relatives were then, but he was small and all alone, and then I took him in, sheltered him, and fed him. He lives here nearby in a cave and often appears. Now he's grown up, big and strong. And now he protects me, or rather, guards me. Although, to be honest, there's no one to guard against. In our world, such a life is called 'zero crime.' In short, he's not alone, and I'm not bored."

Diana said thoughtfully: "Ah... so it's thanks to the fakesuit that we can comfortably feel in the water as if we were in the airspace?"

"Of course, with its help," he replied. "So, dear ones, someone took very good care of you. Fakesuits don't just lie around anywhere. You must have done something significant and important to be given one. You can't just go and buy it - that's not about a fakesuit, and on your neck, Diana, is that a Talking Pendant?"

Diana and Berta remained silent.

"Okay, okay, I don't care. But you need to be more careful," Soylor said, looking intently at the Talking Pendant.

"You know what," Bertyunya spoke up, "we didn't sign up for so many questions. You already know a lot about us. And all we know is that you are the boatswain of the three-masted flagship 'Santa Maria.' What year was that, and how did you end up here, survive, and continue to live? Are you also in a fakesuit? And where did you get it if it's not for sale? As you can see, we also know how to ask questions. Tell us, tell us interestingly," and Berta looked at Diana, "right?"

"Actually, yes," Diana agreed, "now it's your turn, Soylor..."

The boatswain leaned back in his chair, sat more comfortably, and began his story: "As I said, I was a boatswain on the flagship 'Santa Maria.' Or rather, it was a three-masted carrack, a large sailing ship that was very common in Europe. It was distinguished by exceptionally good seaworthiness for those times. Thunder strike me! It was a wonderful vessel! On the ship, I was responsible for everything related to the ship's armament and inspection of the rigging - the integrity of the wooden spars designed for setting sails, as well as the maintenance of superstructures, the upper deck, and the sides of the ship. I monitored the integrity of the mooring fenders and many other small things, and of course, I drove the lazy sailors. A cuttlefish to their wives! I got a little distracted, I think this isn't interesting for children. By the way, if this name means anything to you, because you're still young and might not know, everyone on the 'Santa Maria' was subordinate to Christopher Columbus. He was a very respected Spanish nobleman and navigator, although he was originally Italian from Genoa, a large and glorious city in the Kingdom of Castile and Leon. Columbus wasn't the captain, but in expeditions, he was always the main one in everything. I was on his flagship for four major expeditions from beginning to end. So, in 1492, after discovering America, we were returning to Spain. In the evening, I drank more rum than usual and went out on deck to get some fresh air and see what those lazy sailors were doing, may a cursed octopus drink all the rum in their stomachs!"

"Don't get distracted," Berta said, tapping her paws impatiently on the spot.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying," Soylor continued, "I went out on deck and heard the lookout shouting to me from the Crow's Nest."

"Not so fast, you're bombarding us with nautical terms," Diana said, "we don't understand everything, what's a 'Crow's Nest?' Huh?"

"Oh right, a moray eel take me! The Crow's Nest is the name of an observation post in the form of an open barrel that was fixed at the very top of the carrack's foremast, and a sailor, called a lookout, was stationed there. So, when he saw something far ahead of the ship, he would shout loudly about it, informing everyone about what he saw. Is that clear?"

"Understood," Diana replied. "I have a request for you, could you tell your story without the nautical curses? We wouldn't like to hear them at all, especially with the little one here."

Ha-ha-ha... The boatswain's thunderous laughter echoed as always: "And are you a big one? Although," he looked at them with an appraising glance and a squinted eye, "it's unknown what you really look like? The fakesuit changes appearance beyond recognition."

Diana faltered, she completely forgot that they were in different forms and therefore looked small now: a girl and a puppy.

"May you never hear a boatswain cursing!" Soylor said, "and that was just me, for the sake of connecting words."

"Ma, let's listen further. And his expressions, well, it's vocabulary related to his professional activity. It gives Soylor an additional flavor. The image of a boatswain would be incomplete without curses."

"Berta, maybe you shouldn't try to be clever? You're certainly a smart one, but Soylor definitely didn't understand you. You expressed yourself too elegantly for his understanding. There's no need to overwhelm Soylor with expressions like 'vocabulary' and 'professional activity,' choose simpler words." And the two of them laughed contagiously and directly, like children.

Soylor frowned with displeasure: "Now you will hear a real boatswain's cursing."

Diana hastened to explain: "Sorry, we didn't want to offend you. We were just joking. Well, maybe thanks to your treats, we relaxed a bit too much. It was a joke, please don't be offended! We're listening to you attentively."

"There's a grain of truth in every joke," Berta couldn't help but say, looking meaningfully at the boatswain.

"That's enough, Bun," Diana said in a tone that brooked no objection.

"Alright, you're lucky, I get over things quickly," Soylor said, "but you be careful with your jokes too. Okay, I'll continue. So, when I went out on deck, the lookout shouted that he saw a bright circle of light in the water approaching the ship, and inside it, a whirlpool that was spinning and pulling water into the depths, creating a circular motion. I went to the very edge of the bulwark, the railing along the edges of the ship's outer deck, to get a better look at the natural wonder, and accidentally tripped over a rope lying near the edge of the deck. The last thing I saw, falling overboard, was Christopher Columbus coming out of the cabin and shouting to the sailors to throw me a lifeline.

I fell near the very edge of the glowing circle, and with all my might, I started swimming away from it, but such an irresistible invisible force pulled me to the center of the circle that in an instant, I was dragged there by the whirlpool and pulled down. The water closed over my head, and I began to lose control of the situation. Losing consciousness, I felt myself being pulled stronger and stronger to the bottom. From the world where I existed, my life was going into the deep watery abyss, going to the bottom, releasing air bubbles, my problems, difficulties and failures, desires and aspirations, love, dreams, and at the same time, the willingness to fight and defend all of this - absolutely everything that made up my life, at that moment, disappeared along with me. The feeling of cold and death penetrated all parts of my body, and everything around me instantly turned black."

"So you're dead?" Berta asked with horror in her eyes and backed away towards the exit.

Diana and Soylor looked at each other and then at Berta.

"Bun, what are you talking about?" she said somewhat uncertainly and looked questioningly at the boatswain.

"I would like to understand myself what really happened then," Soylor said thoughtfully, looking at the table, "and how, I hope that's the case, I stayed alive? Hmm, so, I woke up in some house with a bracelet on my arm. It's an analogue of a fakesuit for those who can't live in the aquatic environment. A simpler option, of course, with its help you can live here, but you can't take on a different appearance," and the boatswain again stared intently at Diana without blinking.

"In the Water World," he continued as if nothing had happened, "they care for and help those who need it. This world is not at all like ours. The residents here are friendly and welcoming. Looking at them, you want to do good. I was lucky with that here, so I offer you my help too."

"Thank you," Diana replied. "And... what year were you born?" Diana asked.

"As far as I remember, 1442," Soylor replied, recalling.

Diana slowly said: "In our world, you would be 580 years old now. I'm in shock."

"In short, you wouldn't have existed for 500 years," Berta added.

Judging by how the boatswain's face stretched and this expression froze on his face like a mask, he was also in shock.

"Yes, a fascinating story," Diana said, looking at the stunned boatswain, "but we need to get to the palace, to the ruler of this world: the water or underwater one. Is that possible?"

Soylor had already recovered, he looked at Diana and said with an unperturbed look: "Do you think anyone can get into the palace whenever they want?"

"We have the Diamond Water," Diana replied. "With it, without asking any questions, we will be immediately taken to the ruler of the Water World."

"And we also know that his name is Barchin," Berta added quickly, as always.

With his mouth open, eyebrows raised, and eyes wide open, the boatswain froze in place, as if struck by lightning.

Then he silently stood up, stood there for a while, muttering something under his breath, and finally said: "I need to step out," the boatswain spoke quickly, stumbling over his words, "not for long, I need to... Will you wait? I completely forgot. A thousand dead cuttlefish! I'll be right back."

Without waiting for an answer, Soylor jumped up so quickly that he overturned the table, and everything rolled onto the floor.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," he said on the go, heading somewhere into the distant rooms. "They'll clean it up right away. Wait here!"

Diana and Berta were left alone. For a while, it was very quiet. Later, two girls came in and, without paying any attention to them, cleaned everything up and left. Immediately after that, they brought and placed a lot of different fruits and drinks on the table, saying nothing, and left again.

Berta followed them with her eyes: "They're not very talkative," and, looking at the table, her face lit up considerably, "oh, treats, my mouth is watering, you'll lick your fingers," Berta began to climb down from the high sofa to get closer and taste something. "Under such conditions, I can wait for the boatswain forever."

The first thing that appeared in front of the little one's nose was a pink round fruit with red dark dots that were moving chaotically across the entire surface. Diana didn't even have time to blink before Berta, reaching the edge of the table, quickly grabbed it and swallowed it.

"Ma, this is so delicious! Juicier than watermelon! Try it!" - her face radiated boundless unspeakable happiness. Licking her lips, she reached for another fruit: a blue branch covered with green and white berries.

"Bertyunechka, you can't do that. Let's wait for Soylor. And besides, we don't know what this is and how to eat it. Maybe the fruit you ate needed to be peeled?" Diana said.

But Berta was already looking at a tall jug with a drink that looked like a rainbow, with multi-colored layers mixing and then separating again: "Well, let's at least try the drink?"

"No, Berta!" Diana replied with a displeased look, "I said no!"

The little one, frowning her nose in displeasure, climbed back onto the sofa and, sighing heavily, put her head on the pillow.

Soylor was still gone.

Looking out the window, Diana noticed that the Manta they had already seen was circling in front of the door all the time. It seemed to her that it wanted to address her. Looking at the sleeping Berta, Diana quietly got up from the sofa so as not to wake her and went outside.

Seeing her, the Manta glided down like a bird and landed nearby.

"Hello, beautiful!" Diana heard.

"I see familiar address is the norm here," Diana replied disapprovingly. "We listened to the boatswain for half a day with his expressive expressions, and now your 'beautiful.' Just a country called 'Politeness Itself'."

"Why are you immediately putting up a tough defense?" Manta said in an imperturbably calm tone. "Did I come across as too casual? Sorry."

"Did you want me to come out to you, or did it just seem that way to me?" Diana asked indifferently, not paying attention to her words.

Manta came very close to her face: "I saw from the outside that the boatswain is not with you. Get out of there and as soon as possible! He is cunning, insidious, and dangerous. He's been gone for a long time, and that's bad, it means he's up to something dark."

Diana said doubtfully: "And how can he harm us, and for what reason? What can he take from us? We couldn't even pay for the food, so Soylor treated us. Thanks to him."

"He doesn't feed anyone just like that," Manta interrupted. "And he doesn't try to please or impress without benefit. You interested him in something. What were you talking about?"

Diana, still skeptical, asked: "Why should I believe you? And why are you asking me this?"

"For some reason, you immediately believed this boatswain, even though he calls himself that? I've known him since the first day he appeared here, and believe me, his reputation is not very good, to say the least," Manta insisted.

Diana, already with uncertainty in her voice, said: "Well, maybe we were just very tired from the road, and his offer to rest in his tavern caught us off guard..."

"I live in the Upper Cave above his house. So, Soylor appeared suddenly, out of nowhere. Only bio-robots, Mnimi, work in his tavern. They are not living beings. They are made for simple tasks, like cleaning or as service staff. Mnimi are not talkative, so they suit him perfectly," Manta continued. "The boatswain is closed off to others and keeps to himself, only making contact if he needs something. He doesn't cause any open harm, or maybe we don't know everything... but no one wants to cooperate with him, except for temporary guests and visitors who come to the tavern. It's strange that it still exists. And, by the way, it's still unknown where he actually got the fake bracelet from. He tells everyone it was a gift. Fake bracelets are not given to just anyone..."

"And he also said that he saved you from sharks, took you in, and raised you, and now you protect him," Diana added.

And at that moment, she saw for the first time how fish can laugh. Manta had a cute and funny look: her small eyes, sparkling, widened and narrowed, her pectoral fins moved in time with the laughter, and her tail trembled merrily. When she caught her breath after laughing, Diana asked: "Is his name really Soylor, and did he sail with Christopher Columbus on the 'Santa Maria,' or is that a lie too?"

"Anything is possible. In any case, everyone here knows him as Soylor," Manta continued. "But still, what were you talking about that made the boatswain leave so quickly?"

Diana began to recall: "I said that we needed to get to the palace of the Ruler of the Middle Level and that we would be taken to him because we have the Diamond Water. Yes, that's how it all happened, and after those words, he got up and quickly left."

"Diamond Water?!" Manta soared above Diana's head in surprise. "You don't understand how valuable this thing is! You can't tell the first person you meet about the Diamond Water!" she looked very alarmed and worried. "With its help, you can fulfill your most cherished desires. Now I'm absolutely sure that you're in even greater danger than it seemed at first. Quickly call the little one, I'll help: I'll take you to the golden gates of the palace."

"I won't make any noise. I'll go get her myself. Wait on the other side of the road so the boatswain doesn't see you. I'll be quick," Diana said, going for Berta.

Entering the hall, she froze in place. Berta was still lying on the sofa, and Soylor was sitting next to her.

"The little one is sleeping, she's tired. Let her rest, and I want you to try a drink that simultaneously contains all the flavors that exist: sour, sweet, bitter, salty... I'm sure you haven't tasted anything like it. Look how fantastically unusual it is - all made of multi-colored layers."

The boatswain, speaking like this, didn't move and didn't take his eyes off Diana. His gaze was piercing and sharp.

The feeling of fear was so great that adrenaline was off the charts, and the slight trembling that spread throughout her body was hard to contain. She looked at the little one and realized something was wrong. It wasn't like her, Berta couldn't lie for so long without moving. She hadn't even changed her position since Diana went out to Manta.

Diana needed all her willpower, composure, and calmness to look absolutely calm and collected. It was important that the boatswain didn't suspect anything and get nervous. Then it would definitely be impossible to leave. She felt that Berta was in trouble. Why wasn't she getting up and running to her?

Gloomy thoughts swirled and tangled in her head frighteningly, but Diana calmly said: "Yes, of course, why not? It looks very tasty, I'll definitely try it, but now I remembered that I forgot the Diamond Water in the Defense we arrived in. It's at the beginning of the road, on the roadside. How could I? - and she shook her head in frustration. - This is not like me. I don't want to wake Berta. Maybe I'll sit with her, and you could bring it, please?" - and Diana looked directly into Soylor's eyes with an expression of sincerity and simplicity.

The boatswain hesitated. Then, to convince him to leave more quickly, Diana said: "While you're gone, I'll try the drink. I'm sure I'll like it, and when you come back, I'll tell you about my impressions." After that, she sat down on the luxurious sofa and placed a glass and a jug of sparkling multicolored drink in front of her.

"We need to hurry, I think I forgot to close the Defense," she added anxiously.

"Okay. Rest. I'll go get it," Soylor replied, heading for the exit. Approaching the door, he stopped and looked intently at Diana.

Diana didn't watch him leave; it seemed to her that if their eyes met, the boatswain would understand everything and close the door. Soylor went out and quickly walked up the road.

Diana took the little one's head in her hands: "Bertyunya, are you asleep? Bertyunya! Don't scare me, wake up!"

But she didn't move. Diana felt that she was losing her composure and starting to panic. Trying to calm herself down and pull herself together, she leaned over and heard Berta's even breathing. This calmed her down a bit. There was no time at all.