39Panting, Cryssa raced down to the rocky cove where Seek was being held and plunged into the water. She glanced around to see if any of the shark guards were nearby, but they were nowhere in sight.
Cryssa swam up to the rock-walled pool and found the cord that would move the bamboo gate. Heaving with all her strength, she hauled the cord back, and the gate inched upward.
"Cryssa!" shouted Seek from within the pen. "Leave me! Get out of here!"
"Swim out when the gate's high enough to fit under," said Cryssa, grunting out the words as she strained at the cord. The gate was so heavy that she had to struggle to get it to rise, and she wasn't sure how much further she could move it.
"Please just go," said Seek. "Get away from this place."
Cryssa was straining so hard to lift the gat
