Chapter 19. At the Bottom of the Sea, in the Depths of the Waves

Lyra nervously stood by the door, impatiently glancing at her wristwatch. Five minutes to six, then again, five minutes to six, and still five minutes to six-time seemed to drag on slowly, especially when waiting. She stood like a hunting dog, waiting for Adrian's "go" signal. Today, he took her to the famous water performance at the Citadel of the underwater opera.

But minutes passed, and he still hadn't arrived. Lyra had already tried on ten different outfits, taken a shower, tripped over a rug, bruised herself, applied to heal magic, cured of allergy from the healing spell, taken another shower, argued with the household spirit over the wasteful and irrational use of water, tried on two more outfits, complained that she had nothing to wear, made up with Lucas because he brought her a forgotten but no less exquisite evening dress from the depths of her closet.

And now, at five minutes to six, she was all dressed up, made up, and fragrant, pacing in