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

her and blinked her eyes twice. There was a deafening silence in the cave before Agatha decided to answer. “You know that’s Cricket’s sister, right? And Thea’s mom?” Lilly didn’t say anything but just nodded in agreement without any sign of remorse on her face. “Okay, so what are we going to do with the dragons, before she finds out that her sister isn’t coming back with any eggs or scales to make potions with?”

“Follow me.” Lilly said as she went down the same path that the little dragons had flown down. “The parents are trapped down here and have started to lay more eggs.”

“This is amazing! I thought they were extinct! There’s even an albino one! Do you know how rare that is?!” Agatha was overly excited by the number of dragons that were trapped below the mountain. How many are girls?”

“Dragons are gender fluid. I think these two are female, and those two are male, but they all have been laying eggs. I think they know the need to repopulate is of the utmost importance now.” Lilly was watching the little ones fly around like a proud mother. “They won’t leave their parents for very long though…and the adults won’t fit up the path, and I can’t find any way for them to get out. I’ve swam through the river, I tried digging through the ceiling….the dragons have blown fire all over this place and even tried busting through the wall on their own. There doesn’t seem to be a way for them to get out.”

Agatha looked around the cave and even went and knocked on some of the rocks, she too was stumped on what to do about the trapped creatures.

“I think I know someone who can get them out, but you’re going to have to change into the Grimalkin while we visit her.”

“Who? Why would I have to be the Grimalkin? Everyone runs from me when I’m like that.”

“Come on – We’re going to go meet the guardian of the forest. Without looking back to see if Lilly was even going to follow she was out of the cavern and heading up through the opening of the tree.

“What is she going to do to help us?”

“You’ll just have to trust me. She will know what to do with the dragons.”

“I heard that trusting you wasn’t the best idea. Trusting any of you or your friends doesn’t seem to be the best idea.” Lilly’s expression was dark, and her words almost came out as a growl, but she followed her out of the cave with little hesitation. “You’re probably just walking me right back to the Circle.” The latter was under her breath that could barely be heard over their footsteps moving up the path headed around the Izotza mountain.

To Lilly’s surprise Agatha was leading Lilly away from Monkey Tree Village and around the base of the mountain. She could hear Agatha talking to herself softly as she walked faster and faster in front of her. This continued until they made their way to where Lilly had jumped into the river. “I’ve already been here. The hole under the mountain isn’t big enough to do anything with those giant creatures.” Lilly’s annoyance was apparent as she pointed to the small pond that was at the base of the mountain.

“Turn yourself into that cat shape – and don’t come out of it until we’re out of her sight….AND don’t eat my soul!” Agatha whipped around and looked as Lilly’s eyes started to turn black.

“Do you have a soul that is worth eating?” Lilly said with a devilish smile across her lips before she grew into the Grimalkin.

Lilly had been making a joke when she was talking to Agatha, but now that she could smell her, and see her aura she realized that she may not have been making a joke at all. Lilly had always remembered Agatha’s soul being a bright, vibrant orange and now it was a muddy mash up of orange and purple that swirled together – she could smell a sweet sugary scent mixed with sulfur. She really wouldn’t want to eat her soul, and in her Grimalkin form she didn’t want to stand downwind of her either.

The Grimalkin quietly followed behind the red-headed witch as they made their way to the brightly colored valley between the mountains where they could see a grey ringlet of smoke coming from the trees. Tinker took off running toward the smoke. Behind the trees they came across the hut standing upon the piles of bones, with the cauldron boiling out front. Agatha put her hand up to motion the Grimalkin to hold back in the grass. Agatha started to speak in a tongue that Lilly had never heard before. Agatha’s voice carried on the wind and echoed between the trees as she called out. The voice that answered back shook Lilly with fright. The ancient fairy dialect that the two spoke echoed inside of Lilly’s head and translated to something she could understand:

Godmother, I have found the dragons you thought had died! I need your help to get them out from under the mountain – there are eggs, and youth and adults all trapped!

Is that the Grimalkin you have hiding behind you?

It is Godmother – she has been caring for your creatures and protected them from the Circle of Owls. She has been doing good by you, Godmother, she is here to help.

She has harmed so many of the creatures of my forest, her bones should be added to my house so she understands the chaos she has created in our balanced system here.

The Baba Yaga came out from the shadows of the trees, cradling Tinker in her arms and was now looking the Grimalkin straight in the eye from her bloodied socket and was speaking to her directly through telekinesis.

You’re not really one of the true grimalkins. I know that you are a witch. I won’t eat you, show me your human form.

Agatha turned and looked at