She reaches the nearest grate in little more than a minute. Her hands are scarcely large enough to encompass one wrought iron bar, and the spaces between the bars aren’t wide enough to fit her body through. She expected that. Dyeawan examines the spots where the grate meets the stone, discovering hinges on one side and a large square pad of steel protruding from the other. That pad seems to be the only piece of metal truly tethering the grate to the wall.

Dyeawan extends an arm out into the submerged chamber and tries in vain to usher one of the crackling blue fish toward the lock without touching their body. Herding them quickly proves to be futile. She knows what she has to do, and probably has known since the first acorn of this idea fell from the evergreen tree that is her mind.

Dyeawan lets go of the iron bar and places her hand over the grate’s lock pad, gripping it tightly. She lets the rest of her body float as far out into the chamber as possible while keeping a hold on the lock. Her other arm stretches deeper still, poised and waiting. She begins to feel a silent protest rising from her lungs to her throat, both seeming to painfully constrict, but she ignores it, concentrating solely on the task ahead of her.

Several of the luminous serpentlike fish glide by, just out of reach. With each missed opportunity Dyeawan feels the pressure within her body mounting even more desperately and painfully, and each time it becomes more difficult to ignore. Finally one of the creatures swims close enough to her hand to be seized, but Dyeawan forces herself to wait. She keeps the splayed fingers and thumb of her hand perfectly still, letting the creature become comfortable resting in that spot.

When she’s sure it is relaxed and unaware, or possibly when her aching lungs finally demand it, Dyeawan moves her hand through the water as quickly as she can and seizes the crackling blue/black fish.

The hand around the creature’s snakelike body is immediately punished, but Dyeawan holds tight and tenses the muscles of her face to keep her lips sealed. The rest of her body is treated to waves of sharp pain. She feels sparks scorch her palm, and it’s all Dyeawan can do not to let her mouth fly open to swallow a gallon of seawater, but she also feels the pad under her hand give way, separating from the wall.

The entire grate swings open, dragging her body with it. Dyeawan releases the luminescent sea serpent and takes hold of the grate with both hands to prevent her from being flung across the chamber. Her palms and fingers are stinging and numb at the same time, but she manages to right herself. She quickly wriggles her body through the space no longer barred by the grate.