Super Queen-Mother thought that this cave had been on the planet surface for a long time, because all these stone outgrowths could be formed only in the air, and then, after the continental platform had lowered, appeared under the water.
There were some passages from this general hall into the depths of the rock. As soon as she swam to the main passage, the central entrance into the cave collapsed, and the water pushed her on her back.
Super Queen-Mother glanced back and saw as a lot of strange creatures were being formed in the water. They were long and transparent.
«It looks like a nesting of water snakes», she thought.
Super Queen-Mother threw one of the balls down the cave, but did not burst it, remembering that water did not compress. Instead, she discharged it gradually.
The water in the hall boiled.
In front of the entrance to her cave Super Queen-Mother put the second ball.
Water reptiles rushed to other passages. The water killed those who did not succeed to run away.
The energy not only killed all live creatures, which could be in it; it lifted the dead bodies to the cave ceiling.
Their transparent bodies could be seen now – the boiled reptiles became white. Now Super Queen-Mother could look them over.
They were snakes a hundred feet long, with small legs but sharp claws. Their tails, strong for such bodies, were wide in their upper and narrow in their lower part, like in fish; it assumed a good speed. They had two caudal fins. The head was like that of an ordinary snake, but with a small beard, which caught vibrations and smells coming from a prey.
Super Queen-Mother noticed all that with a corner of her eye and swam inward the cave. Bright balls – her light and vanguard weapons – led Super Queen-Mother to another hall, even larger.
It was a strange hall.
She swam to the middle of it and felt that her hand was hanging in the air. Super Queen-Mother pulled her hand closer to her body and cautiously swam a bit more. Her head and hands hung over a water precipice.
It was the simplest trap, and Super Queen-Mother discerned it in time. She looked the hall over and did not see anything dangerous.
Super Queen-Mother sank in the water in full and reached the bottom. She made some steps on the cave bottom and… came out into the air.
Super Queen-Mother turned back and saw a water column in front of her, hanging in the air without any support. The water’s edge was not smooth. It reminded her of the wall of a gorge, cut out by a mountain stream in the limestone.
This interested her, and she shoved her hand into the water. There were no obstacles to it; her hand freely went into the water and out of it. There were not any special holding devices either above or beneath.
It was not clear what was holding the water. She knew – one had to beware of odd things.
Super Queen-Mother looked over the place.
The farther entrance noisily opened and closed all the time. A piece of the rock worked as a door. It was not just dark, but very dark behind it; it was absolute darkness. When the entrance opened, dry, frosty air came out, forming a tongue of the white hoarfrost, which did not thaw.
Next to it was one more entrance, and it was a model of elegance and beauty. Super Queen-Mother came up closer to it. The entrance led toward the rock.
The floor, enchased with large, polished, colored and transparent gemstones and lit from beneath, was displaying the changing images of her thoughts.
