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

with me. Make sure that you are acting in the best interest of the Circle.” Agatha smiled and nodded at Cricket before being forced into an awkward hug with her.

“Thank you, Cricket.” She softly said as she pulled back from their embrace. Agatha turned, gave a soft wave to Sorgin, and then walked out of the door with Tinker at her heels.

She carefully walked through the house, always looking over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn’t being followed, before making her way to the back of the house where the rooms without windows were holding the new collection of creatures.

“Thea?! Thea?” She hissed through each of the doors until she heard her through the door.

“Robin? Is that you? How did you get in here?!” Thea was leaning against the door trying to see her friend through the keyhole.

“Agatha. It’s Agatha now. I don’t know how, but I’m going to get you out of here. Cricket is going to kill you once she figures out how to take your powers. Do what she says and help her do research. Make sure that she doesn’t find the information that they are looking for! I have to go!”

“Wait! Agatha NOW?!” Thea hissed through the lock, but it was too late – Agatha was already gone down the hall.

Agatha’s head was pounding as she made her way to the front door. “You can shut up in there, I can hear you – I did what you wanted, we will get them out.”

Agatha made her way out the front door of the little building as she headed to the Izotza mountains to where the Circle of Owls’ egg farm was located – all the while she did her best to ignore the screams of Robin that were ringing through her head.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lilly’s attempts to dig the dragons out of the pit had come up without any conclusion that would allow them to escape. She had been bringing livestock down into the cave to keep them fed as the pit was now filled with new eggs, and those that had been kept in the cave were hatched. The little dragons were able to come and go with Lilly as she brought their parents food and enjoyed flying through the trees.

She had gone around every angle of the mountain and wasn’t able to find anything that would help the dragons get out of their hole. She hadn’t been gone long but could smell that something different was in the cave below. She cautiously crept down the path through the knot of the tree, into the opening where the large cauldron was still boiling to keep the cave heated. There in plain sight was the back of the redheaded woman.

“What are you doing here, Robin?” Lilly had let her guard down knowing that this was the weakest of all the group she met before. “You shouldn’t be down here.”

Agatha was quick to correct Lilly on who she thought she was. “I’m actually Robin’s sister, Agatha. I was sent here to bring Celeste back….and the eggs….but I see those have hatched.”

Lilly’s eyes started to turn black as she spoke. “You’re part of the Circle, aren’t you?” She started to bend down as if she was going to change into the Grimalkin.

“Easy, Lilly, there is no need for all of that. We are on the same side. I have been saving the dragons from the circle for years! I’m only doing this because my sister asked me to, and they have Thea, Dean, Charles, and even Fig locked up at their headquarters. I just haven’t figured out how to get them out of there yet.”

Lilly started to get the violet color back to her eyes as she started to calm down. “You’re not part of the Circle? Don’t lie to me or I will eat your soul and make it my own.” Her voice was calm as she stared Agatha in the eyes. She hoped that Agatha was as weak as her sister and wouldn’t be able to avoid her powers from her stare.

“I used to be part of the Circle. I left when I realized that my sister was more important than anything that Cricket was offering to me. Honest. I only went back because Thea’s raven led me there. Will you help me?” Agatha was speaking from her heart and didn’t feel anything when Lilly was staring at her.

“Why would I help Thea escape? She’s the reason my mother died! They can keep her!” Lilly’s voice echoed through the cave and frightened the baby dragons, who had flown down to their parents in the cave below. “Your group of friends can just keep all of them.” Lilly’s face was twisted into a sinister smile that even made Agatha’s hardened soul feel uncomfortable.

“I don’t think you understand why that is such a bad idea, for everyone. Cricket is trying to find a way to take Thea’s powers, and yours, once she figures out a way to trap you. She’s got all of them in there researching how to take the powers from other witches so she can be the most powerful being and control the universe as we know it…she’ll end up killing all of the dragons to make her powers happen...but if you think that’s just fine, you can go back to tending to the dragons, BUT and I do mean BUT, if Celeste or myself don’t return with some dragon eggs, you’re going to have more than just me down here.” Agatha placed her back against the wall of the cave and crossed her arms in front of her. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows as she watched Lilly process what she had just told her. It was obvious to Agatha that Lilly hadn’t thought through what she had done by taking over the dragons. “So, before we continue with whatever it is you want to do….where’s Celeste?”

Without hesitation, Lilly responded: “In the stomach of a dragon.”

Agatha just stared back at