room, but there was no sign of her.
"What are you doing?" Pat exclaimed as she beat off her opponents. She had her hands full when half the guards in front of the Swearing Stone curtains joined their comrades to battle her.
Ruth slammed into one of the columns and her strong claws dug deep into the marble. Bits of stone fell from her fingers and rained down on the senexers. The old men shrieked and shuffled away from the column. Senilius let the debris fall onto his head and clapped his hands before a fellow senexer dragged him away.
Ruth cringed. "Sorry!" she called to them.
"Guards!" Topper shrieked. "Guards!" The companions heard the pattering of a dozen heavy feet as the guards rushed into the outer hall toward the assembly room.
Pat knocked the swords from the hands of her two opponents, and grabbed Fred's sticks from the one. She tossed the sticks to Fred, who juggled them for a moment that had them transforming between stick and staff. Finally he grasped them in his hands and his staff broke from the spell.
Pat hurried over to Fred's side as her opponents retrieved their fallen weapons. "A fireball spell would be very useful right now!" she told him.
Fred shook his head. "Too close! We'll get burned!" he replied.
The men charged them and Fred put up a barrier. They crashed into the clear wall and tumbled backwards onto the ground. Fred looked around for another Martley, but Pat grabbed Fred's hand. The action broke his concentration on the barrier, and they were unprotected when she dragged him past the dazed guards and the inflamed Topper. They rushed into the hall and were in time to watch Topper's contingency of guards rush into the hall. The men saw the pair and drew their weapons.
Fred re-raised his barrier so it completely encompassed them. The men rushed up and slammed their swords on the wall. The weapons bounced off, but the men started wailing on the walls. Others held back close to the entrance to bar their escape. The barrier held firm, but Fred winced at each pounding.
"How long can you keep this up?" Pat asked him.
"Not as long as they can," he replied.
"Then lower the ceiling."
He stared to her as though she'd grown a dwarf beard. "What?"
"Just do it!"
Fred frowned, but lowered the wall so the roof of the dome was open. Pat turned and looked back at the inner hall. "Ruth!" she shouted.
"Coming!" came the reply. In a moment Ruth flew into the doorway with the other two guards on her tail. Two of the men had grabbed her tail and used themselves as weights to pull her to the ground. Ruth grabbed a hold of a high part of the door frame with her clawed hands and feet. She glanced between her legs and frowned at them.
"It is very rude to grab a girl by her tail," she scolded them. Ruth cracked her tail like a whip and the two men flew backward. They crashed into the other guards making their way through the doorway into the entrance hall. Ruth pushed off from the doorway and glided over to land on top of Fred's barrier on the opposite side of the guards.
Pat leaned her head back to look at Ruth. "Can you carry us both?"
Ruth furrowed her brow. "There isn't enough wind to carry us more than a few yards," she pointed out.
At that moment the guards staggered to their feet and resumed their pounding away at Fred's barrier. Their weapons clanged against the barrier and resounded through the hall, drowning out the guards from overhearing their conversation. Some even climbed atop the shoulders of their comrades to get at the lip of the opening where Ruth sat. Their climbing gave Pat an idea and she glanced up at the glass ceiling above them
"The walls! We'll follow your claw marks!" she yelled to Ruth.
Ruth followed her friend's gaze and noticed the glass dome. She frowned and glanced back to Pat. "But the barrier," she reminded Pat.
The guards at the barrier wall had created two ladders by climbing atop one another's shoulders. The pair at the top of the ladders grasped the opposite edge of
"What are you doing?" Pat exclaimed as she beat off her opponents. She had her hands full when half the guards in front of the Swearing Stone curtains joined their comrades to battle her.
Ruth slammed into one of the columns and her strong claws dug deep into the marble. Bits of stone fell from her fingers and rained down on the senexers. The old men shrieked and shuffled away from the column. Senilius let the debris fall onto his head and clapped his hands before a fellow senexer dragged him away.
Ruth cringed. "Sorry!" she called to them.
"Guards!" Topper shrieked. "Guards!" The companions heard the pattering of a dozen heavy feet as the guards rushed into the outer hall toward the assembly room.
Pat knocked the swords from the hands of her two opponents, and grabbed Fred's sticks from the one. She tossed the sticks to Fred, who juggled them for a moment that had them transforming between stick and staff. Finally he grasped them in his hands and his staff broke from the spell.
Pat hurried over to Fred's side as her opponents retrieved their fallen weapons. "A fireball spell would be very useful right now!" she told him.
Fred shook his head. "Too close! We'll get burned!" he replied.
The men charged them and Fred put up a barrier. They crashed into the clear wall and tumbled backwards onto the ground. Fred looked around for another Martley, but Pat grabbed Fred's hand. The action broke his concentration on the barrier, and they were unprotected when she dragged him past the dazed guards and the inflamed Topper. They rushed into the hall and were in time to watch Topper's contingency of guards rush into the hall. The men saw the pair and drew their weapons.
Fred re-raised his barrier so it completely encompassed them. The men rushed up and slammed their swords on the wall. The weapons bounced off, but the men started wailing on the walls. Others held back close to the entrance to bar their escape. The barrier held firm, but Fred winced at each pounding.
"How long can you keep this up?" Pat asked him.
"Not as long as they can," he replied.
"Then lower the ceiling."
He stared to her as though she'd grown a dwarf beard. "What?"
"Just do it!"
Fred frowned, but lowered the wall so the roof of the dome was open. Pat turned and looked back at the inner hall. "Ruth!" she shouted.
"Coming!" came the reply. In a moment Ruth flew into the doorway with the other two guards on her tail. Two of the men had grabbed her tail and used themselves as weights to pull her to the ground. Ruth grabbed a hold of a high part of the door frame with her clawed hands and feet. She glanced between her legs and frowned at them.
"It is very rude to grab a girl by her tail," she scolded them. Ruth cracked her tail like a whip and the two men flew backward. They crashed into the other guards making their way through the doorway into the entrance hall. Ruth pushed off from the doorway and glided over to land on top of Fred's barrier on the opposite side of the guards.
Pat leaned her head back to look at Ruth. "Can you carry us both?"
Ruth furrowed her brow. "There isn't enough wind to carry us more than a few yards," she pointed out.
At that moment the guards staggered to their feet and resumed their pounding away at Fred's barrier. Their weapons clanged against the barrier and resounded through the hall, drowning out the guards from overhearing their conversation. Some even climbed atop the shoulders of their comrades to get at the lip of the opening where Ruth sat. Their climbing gave Pat an idea and she glanced up at the glass ceiling above them
"The walls! We'll follow your claw marks!" she yelled to Ruth.
Ruth followed her friend's gaze and noticed the glass dome. She frowned and glanced back to Pat. "But the barrier," she reminded Pat.
The guards at the barrier wall had created two ladders by climbing atop one another's shoulders. The pair at the top of the ladders grasped the opposite edge of
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