wonât stay hidden if we roar in there. On my signal.â
Gray gave Shear a few seconds until the tiger finja motioned that his mariners were in place. He flicked his tail, and everyone moved forward in a silent rush. Oddly, he felt himself pass through a barrier of some sort.
The flashing green light disappeared and the current got rougher.
Suddenly there was a column of boiling water blasting up from the seabed instead of the flashing green light. The current became stronger. Much stronger. By the time they were ten tail strokes past the barrier, the water was pushing them off their swimming lanes.
âSwim through it! Swim through it!â shouted Shear.
But the current became so fierce it picked up the sand from the seabed and blasted everyone to the left. By then Gray knew he had made a terrible mistake.
They were caught in a whirlpool! It was a trap!
THE WHIRLPOOL WAS LIKE A FEROCIOUS BEAST. It pulled Gray and the others closer and closer to a scalding vent that spouted super-heated water from the seabed. This water was thick with sulfur and minerals that made him gag. Gray could feel himself getting woozy as it clogged his gills. In a few moments, he and the group would be unconscious and swept into the blazing geyser to be roasted alive.
âThe current is too strong!â yelled Barkley.
âSwim with it!â Gray shouted over the rushing water and hissing bubbles. âSwim with it as fast as you can to the edge and break free!â He hoped the others had heard, although that seemed impossible. He would have to show everyone.
Gray powered his tail strokes left and right. With the speedy current, everything was a dizzy blur. He forced himself to the outside, where he saw Shear broke through along with two of his guardians.
Barkley dove closer to the seabed. Smart! The whirlpool was weaker there, and he pushed Mari free from its grasp.
Gray bumped another mariner to safety and then sped up as fast as he could to escape.
But then he saw Leilani!
She was tumbling snout over tail while being sucked toward the boiling water spout. He drove toward the sizzling center until he was past Leilani and then pivoted, churning his tail madly to keep from being dragged in. Gray would have one chance.
When the whirlpool brought Leilani around again, he swam with all his strength, crashing into her. He used his bulk to drive them both over the ridge that was the edge of the trap.
Gray and Leilani broke the invisible barrier with an audible plunk and tumbled into the calmer waters. He gasped, breathing in clean water. He looked over at Leilani, who was dizzy from her tumbling, but fine otherwise.
If he had listened to the spinner, they wouldnât have fallen into the trap. âYou keep quoting advice whenever you want,â he told her.
Leilani smiled, a little green around the gills.
Gray looked at Shear, Barkley, and Mari. Thankfully none were injured. âShear,â he called. âReport.â
The great white dipped his snout. âTwo of my mariners were not able to evade the trap. Others have bumps but nothing serious.â
Gray shook his head. Two more lives lost. When would it end?
âDid anyone else feel that barrier we crossed through before the whirlpool started? That was probably the trigger for the trap,â Barkley said.
Leilani slapped her tail against a rock in frustration. âI should have put it together!â
Gray shook his head. âWe were swimming too fast to stop.â
Leilani turned to them all. âNo, before that! The reason that the flashing light was in the exact opposite place it should have been is because itâs being reflected! Thatâs why the current was so smooth. Hokuu used his power to still the waters and reflect the bright glow of his powers.â
âVery good!â shouted Hokuu from behind them.
Gray and everyone else turned.
The frilled shark flicked his spiked tail back and forth, smiling. âOh,
Gray gave Shear a few seconds until the tiger finja motioned that his mariners were in place. He flicked his tail, and everyone moved forward in a silent rush. Oddly, he felt himself pass through a barrier of some sort.
The flashing green light disappeared and the current got rougher.
Suddenly there was a column of boiling water blasting up from the seabed instead of the flashing green light. The current became stronger. Much stronger. By the time they were ten tail strokes past the barrier, the water was pushing them off their swimming lanes.
âSwim through it! Swim through it!â shouted Shear.
But the current became so fierce it picked up the sand from the seabed and blasted everyone to the left. By then Gray knew he had made a terrible mistake.
They were caught in a whirlpool! It was a trap!
THE WHIRLPOOL WAS LIKE A FEROCIOUS BEAST. It pulled Gray and the others closer and closer to a scalding vent that spouted super-heated water from the seabed. This water was thick with sulfur and minerals that made him gag. Gray could feel himself getting woozy as it clogged his gills. In a few moments, he and the group would be unconscious and swept into the blazing geyser to be roasted alive.
âThe current is too strong!â yelled Barkley.
âSwim with it!â Gray shouted over the rushing water and hissing bubbles. âSwim with it as fast as you can to the edge and break free!â He hoped the others had heard, although that seemed impossible. He would have to show everyone.
Gray powered his tail strokes left and right. With the speedy current, everything was a dizzy blur. He forced himself to the outside, where he saw Shear broke through along with two of his guardians.
Barkley dove closer to the seabed. Smart! The whirlpool was weaker there, and he pushed Mari free from its grasp.
Gray bumped another mariner to safety and then sped up as fast as he could to escape.
But then he saw Leilani!
She was tumbling snout over tail while being sucked toward the boiling water spout. He drove toward the sizzling center until he was past Leilani and then pivoted, churning his tail madly to keep from being dragged in. Gray would have one chance.
When the whirlpool brought Leilani around again, he swam with all his strength, crashing into her. He used his bulk to drive them both over the ridge that was the edge of the trap.
Gray and Leilani broke the invisible barrier with an audible plunk and tumbled into the calmer waters. He gasped, breathing in clean water. He looked over at Leilani, who was dizzy from her tumbling, but fine otherwise.
If he had listened to the spinner, they wouldnât have fallen into the trap. âYou keep quoting advice whenever you want,â he told her.
Leilani smiled, a little green around the gills.
Gray looked at Shear, Barkley, and Mari. Thankfully none were injured. âShear,â he called. âReport.â
The great white dipped his snout. âTwo of my mariners were not able to evade the trap. Others have bumps but nothing serious.â
Gray shook his head. Two more lives lost. When would it end?
âDid anyone else feel that barrier we crossed through before the whirlpool started? That was probably the trigger for the trap,â Barkley said.
Leilani slapped her tail against a rock in frustration. âI should have put it together!â
Gray shook his head. âWe were swimming too fast to stop.â
Leilani turned to them all. âNo, before that! The reason that the flashing light was in the exact opposite place it should have been is because itâs being reflected! Thatâs why the current was so smooth. Hokuu used his power to still the waters and reflect the bright glow of his powers.â
âVery good!â shouted Hokuu from behind them.
Gray and everyone else turned.
The frilled shark flicked his spiked tail back and forth, smiling. âOh,
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