The Circle of Owls (The Grimalkin Book 3) Dani Swanson (best books for 8th graders .TXT) 📖

“Can we finish the story now? Read me what we have so far.”

Robin took her free hand and dug through her bag, pulling out the little black-bound book that she had been documenting her adventure in the mountain in. She placed her hand on her throat as she cleared her voice before she started to read:

“The Secret Society of the Circle of Owls”

“In the beginning, the circle was started to oppose the evil that had taken over the kingdoms. Witches, fairies, elves, and even humans were a part of the Circle of Owls.” Robin looked up from the top of the book to see if there were any objections to her writing.

“The Kingdom of Erresuma had a dark cloud that had been hanging over it for decades. King Rupert was an evil man who did not care about the people in his kingdom. The crops were scarce, taxes were high, and the gloom that covered the sky kept any rays of sunshine or happiness from touching the earth below. The king and his goons of orgs and imps ran havoc throughout the lands; stealing any bit of wealth that the town’s people had and leaving minimal food for them to eat.”

“Many people and creatures left Erresuma in hopes of finding a better life in the surrounding kingdoms. As the great wall was being constructed they fled to the Kingdom of Owls…… wait….if the Kingdom of Owls is so bad, why would they go there? Your story doesn’t make sense.” Robin set the book on her lap as she waited for a response.

“Not everything starts out as bad, Robin. It takes time and changes for it to become bad….look at Lilly Quinn! She didn’t start out as evil, now she’s a Grimalkin. Things happen.”

With a shrug Robin picked the book back up. “Okay, fine….where was I?...Oh here: One of those who fled was a young witch by the name of Penelope. She had made her home within the walls of the kingdom, serving the queen who lived there. She worked as a seamstress, creating the most beautiful gowns for the queen and all the princesses. Penelope’s quarters were quaint and she shared them with other witches who fled Erresuma.

Penelope, along with her bunk mates, sisters named Melva and Mindy, would tell stories of their families by Dragon Tooth Lake and how they missed them. The stories travelers would tell of the torturous lives that were being lived back home made them sick to their stomachs. The king had built a wall around the entire kingdom and did not allow anyone in…and more importantly, anyone out.”

“Penelope, along with the sisters decided that they could no longer sit idly by as the stories of people dying made their way to them, while they were allowed to survive. They did their best to find a way to get their families out of the castle, but alas, the walls were strong and tall, with a magical force running along the tops that electrocuted anything that touched it. Penelope personally searched the wall’s perimeter as far as it went, to no avail. She spoke with her queen of her sorrows as she worked on a new gown for her. The queen was a kind woman who also came from the Kingdom of Erresuma and showed the young witch empathy -introducing her to a few creatures of the forest who were also feeling homesick and wanting to help those who were left behind as well. The creatures had found their new homes in the underground tunnels of the Kingdom of Owls. It was in the auditorium where the fairies were taking care of the kingdom’s owls….. why did they keep their owls in the tunnels of the castle? They’re birds….wouldn’t they be kept in the aviary? Your story doesn’t make sense.”

“This is why it is taking you forever to write this down….asking silly questions. I don’t know why they had owls down there; I’m just telling you the story as it was told to me.”

“Sorry, you’re right. I’ll be quiet….let’s see….here we are..” She ran her fingers down the lines of her book until she found the right spot.

“The support group continued to grow as the word got out that there was a safe place for those who were wanting to help Erresuma. During this time, Penelope had fallen in love with a warlock named Peter and together they supported the growing community; acting as parents to those who were part of the lost Erresumen.”

“The years went by and the stories from Erresuma were getting worse. The queen of the Kingdom of Owls grew older, and her health was matching her age. She too wanted to help with the problems of the neighboring kingdom. As she stood in the center of the auditorium, she turned the circle looking into the eyes of those who were concerned, tired and weak – wanting to ease their aching hearts. She called to Penelope, who she considered a friend, to join her in the center of the circle. She addressed the group and told them that between all of them, they held more power than those who were causing the chaos over the wall. The queen told the group that they needed a leader who was level-headed and had a good heart. She informed them that Penelope was going to be the best for their group. She had beautiful feathered masks made for each of them that resembled the faces of owls. She informed them that the evils over the wall would be looking for them to destroy their work. The queen turned about the circle one more time and named the group The Circle of Owls.”

“The queen introduced the group to a giant (who was much smaller than a normal giant, but a giant nonetheless) named Tog. Tog’s family lived underground, as they were not welcome amongst the full-sized giants. He had a tunnel started to the other side of the wall of Erresuma.