The Hunt of the Grimalkin (Erresuma Book 1) Dani Swanson (reading women .txt) 📖

legs folded under them as the elves grumbled at the girls with disappointment, and then left to their houses.

“What are we supposed to do without our king?”

“What can we do?” Thea asked to Robin. Thea was flipping through her spell books, looking for an answer.

“I don’t think there is anything we can do,” Robin said as she lightly touched Thea’s knee.

“There has to be something we can do,” Thea whispered to herself. Fig stared into the windows of the palace as if he were watching his next meal.

“We should be going Thea. I’m sure we’re not as welcomed anymore, now that we can’t help.” Robin started to get the wagon ready to go, and tried to rouse Doug from his nap.

“I’ve got it!” Thea exclaimed as she jumped up to grab her bag. “I found a spell that extends life!”

Thea pushed to book to Robin and she skimmed the spell. The fairies used this spell to live for hundreds of years at a time.

“Where are you going to get fairy dust from? The elves and the fairies are at war over some land; the fairies won’t help you,” Robin stated as she tossed the book back to Thea.

A smile stretched across Thea’s lips as she pulled the small bottle out of her bag that she had been given by the Fairy Prince. Robin took the bottle into her hand and looked at it in awe.

“You are always a surprise to me. What else do we need?” Robin looked at this as a game now, and wanted to participate. The girls mixed together a potion of fairy dust, dragonfly wings, lavender oil, honey and venom of a scorpion into one of the elf’s cooking pots. Moonbeam built a small fire and boiled the concoction until the steam turned orange and then blood red.

“Alright Moonbeam, you need to get him to drink this. No more shrinking us!” She yelled as she saw him grab an arrow and start to come towards her.

Moonbeam took the brew to the king and forced his mouth open to drink. The girls watched through the small window as Starshine tilted the king’s head back and held him as he started to cough. The coughs became violent and the king shook vigorously as the brew made its way to his stomach. He coughed so hard, he ended up sitting up on his own. Then he opened his eyes and continued to cough for a few more moments. Moonbeam gave the king a drink from a bottle on the nightstand and it calmed his body. Starshine and Moonbeam smiled back at the witches through the window with great excitement.

The sun had set and the elves had started a celebration amongst the trees. The ravens were dropping flowers on the heads of the witches as they sat at the fire. A great feast was made and they played music on their tiny flutes and drums, and danced around the fire. The Elf King came to window and watched the festivities; he was leaning on a cane, but it was the first time the king has been out of bed since they attacked the fairies.

The king opened the window and beckoned to the girls to come talk to him. “Dear witches, thank you. I lost my son not long ago, and my daughter is not ready to lead the elves against the fairies. She wants to work with the fairies to share the land. You gave me time.” He bowed his head to the girls.

“Your highness,” Thea started. “I appreciate your concern for the fairies, but you should know that it was fairy dust that is allowing you to move around right now.” The king seemed shocked and then disgusted. “As a friend keeps reminding me: there are two sides to every story,” She said with a mocking tone to her voice, as she looked at Robin.

The girls slept under Thea’s fairy blanket in the moss surrounding the elven camp. Fig was waiting to pounce on the elves that were walking by, heading to their houses. “Don’t do it, cat.” Robin boxed Fig’s ears.

“Do you think we did the right thing?” Thea asked Robin sleepily.

“Well if we didn’t, it’s too late now,” Robin said with a yawn showing her typical indifference.

The girls cuddled up by the dying embers of the fire and watched the few stars they could see through the trees. Just as they were drifting off to sleep, a crow cawed sharply in the distance. Thea shook herself awake and got wide eyed as she stared off into the dark of the forest. The ravens in the trees looked down at the girls and then took off in a murder towards the calling crow. Her pounding migraine was back again. She pulled out a bottle of their arrowroot tonic and had a swig of the sweet water. Thea smiled and settled back into her little bed of moss. She felt safe with the ravens watching over her. She looked up to see where her little cat had settled for the night and saw Fig was cuddled up with Doug at the foot of the fire; the cat was slowly licking the head of the wild boar. Thea smiled, and wondered how long that friendship would last, or if Fig was planning his breakfast.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

When the girls woke the next morning, they had gifts waiting for them from the elves. There were baked goods of cookies and breads wrapped in small cloths, wild purple carrots, and yams in sacks that the elves had stacked into the wagon. The women in the village had added to the decoration on Thea’s cloak; they have embroidered a raven next to the sparrow. Thea smiled at Starshine. “You see, maybe sparrows and ravens can live together,” she whispered to the tiny elf.

Moonshine walked up to the girls and handed each of