“Someone’s herrre,” Simber said softly. “Above us. I can’t see them.”

“Can just anyone access this hallway now with the roof gone?” asked Thisbe. “Is the magical barrier only at the doorway?” Her answer came seconds later when dozens of huge magical sledgehammers began raining down on them, pounding and smashing everything in sight.

In one blink, both twins were slammed to the floor. Simber’s tail broke off. And Kitten was smashed to smithereens.

One Other Way

Chaos erupted on the balcony as sledgehammers came pounding down on the ones there as well. Maiven Taveer’s cap went flying, and she was thrown to the floor, followed by the rest of the Grimere team. They didn’t know what had hit them, for they, like Fifer and Thisbe, had never actually seen the sledgehammer spell in use before.

“What’s happening?” cried Rohan, who’d been struck hard in the thigh, causing a deep bruise and a momentary inability to walk. He dodged the hammer that continued coming after him and limped over to Maiven to help her to her feet. The rest of them scattered, running down the stairs or through the hallways, covering their heads and trying to escape the pounding sledgehammers.

“Take coverrr!” Simber shouted to the ones in the secret hallway, but it was loud enough for all to hear. “They’rrre coming frrrom above!” Without a roof overhead, and with no way to access the apartments without a dragon to lift them over the walls, there were few spots to hide. And the sledgehammers, like other Artiméan spells that were assigned a target upon activation, followed each person around, pounding and pounding relentlessly for several minutes before they struck their last blow and disappeared into the air.

Kitten’s crushed body pieces magically pulled together, and she came back to life, only to be smashed to bits a second time. When she came alive, this time much the wiser, she dodged the hammer and flattened her body, then slid back into the tiny space below the secret door she’d been trying to open. She made it just in time and watched in horror as the sledgehammer, a hundred times bigger than her, pounded relentlessly, just barely nicking her front paw and turning her favorite claw and two of her whiskers to dust. She scooched farther into the slot and stayed put.

“Release!” cried Fifer, trying to get her hands on the constantly moving weapon so the release spell would actually work. “Release!” It wasn’t easy, but finally she grabbed it and ended the spell, and the sledgehammer disappeared. “Who designed this terrible component?” she cried. She ran over to try to release the ones attacking Thisbe, who was still on the floor, knocked out.

“You can blame Florrrence forrr that one,” said Simber, taking a running leap and beginning to fly, with sledgehammers chasing him. “She crrreated it when we werrre in Grrrimerrre. And it just happens to be one of the few that Frrrieda Stubbs is good at activating. Now, wherrre is she? She’s got to be herrre somewherrre doing this.” He soared around the tops of the walls, but he couldn’t see or sense anyone.