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

the bonus of getting the souls of my mother, Lilly and Thea. And it’s all thanks to you, Robin. Without your researching everything you did to connect yourself to your sister, I would never have found out how to do it. So, I guess I should leave you alive and with your soul intact as a thank you for helping me with my greatness.” Her crimson lips gave her a smirk as she continued to pick up more and more shards of crystal as they walked up the stairs. Cricket thought this would be the best reward she could possibly give Robin for the information that Cricket had stole from her book.

Robin had nothing to say to the witch as she silently wept, following her to the thrown room. She knew by writing down all the information she collected from all her books - by trying to save herself she inadvertently gave Cricket all the information she ever needed to gain all of the power she was chasing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Godmother! I know you don’t like any other humans, but they are in need of your help! Will you please come with me?”

Agatha pleaded with the Baba Yaga as the old witch was smearing a concoction on eyes that had started to grow again in their sockets. She showed little interest in Agatha being there as she continued to deal with her ailment.

“The witch who killed all of your dragons – Cricket – she is about to take the powers from two of the most powerful witches alive…and the Grimalkin!”

The last part of Agatha’s statement is what grabbed her attention. The Baba Yaga knew that if a powerful witch also had the magic of the Grimalkin, she would be too great. She wiped away the gunk she had on her face to expose the freshly grown- bright yellow eyes to the light for the first time. She squinted and looked at Agatha before she began to speak in her ancient tongue.

“I have been protecting nature for thousands of years. I am the reason for the borgs and the dwarfs, the dragons and the fairies. I created them; I am their mother. The one creature that is older than my time is the Grimalkin. The power of the shadow cat moves from host to host, feeding off everyone in its path.

Once a coven of witches had trapped the Grimalkin – and locked it away until it returned in the form of Lilly Quinn. Her soul was pure and that was the only thing keeping her in control of the Grimalkin’s power for as long as she has without having it take her whole being over. Her pureness is what outweighs the evilness.

It takes a stronger individual to harness the beast than Cricket – you did the right thing by returning to me Little Witch. You will need to show me where she is, to stop her from becoming the next host. Her soul is evil and will destroy everything in our world.”

Agatha smiled; she was relieved that the ancient witch was going to help her and that she wasn’t going to be eaten. She started to leave and motioned for Baba Yaga to follow her – but when she turned her back to the ancient witch, Agatha was picked up into the air. The Baba Yaga had grown to monstrous proportions – matching that of one of the giants that she had lived in the mountains.

The Baba Yaga let out a laugh that echoed through the mountain range. She placed Agatha on her shoulder, then started to sing a song in an off-beat tune, in a language that Agatha couldn’t identify. There was silence that followed her song before Agatha heard the most beautiful melody coming back through the mountain range. It was the same song that the Baba Yaga had sung, accompanied with a bleating nose that she had heard the Blue-Scaled Dragons make before. The Baba Yaga turned her head and looked at Agatha sitting on her shoulder and smiled to her – letting her know that help was going to be on its way. Agatha smiled back, pointing which direction they were to go.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

With the power of the golden acorn gone, creatures on both sides of the massive battle were able to cast their magic without hesitation. The north side of the castle’s wall was nearly destroyed as lightning bolts and fireballs were being flung by both sides. The ogres and trolls on either side were beating their foes with their clubs.

Cricket had made her way through the tunnels of the castle, all the way back to the throne room that she once knew so well. Her face lit up like a young child seeing a spark of magic for the first time. There on the stand, right where she had left it, was the massive piece of purple crystal which she needed to complete her plan.

Robin would flinch each time she heard a scream or explosion outside, but not Cricket – she was fixated on the shards of crystal that she had dumped out of her bag. Light reflected off the rocks which gave Cricket’s face a sickly purple tone.

“I didn’t know that when you trap someone’s soul – their essence, into a crystal, that part of them will stay alive within the rock. I had always thought that it was just storing the power, but it keeps part of them alive. I did it to stay youthful and powerful – but I never realized that we could trap a person – a witch, boggle or a troll – any living creature within the crystal! It’s amazing what you have discovered Little Witch!”

Cricket placed her hands on the pile of shards and scooped up as many as her hands could hold. She started to pile the pieces onto the large piece in the holder – cutting her hands in the process – allowing her own blood to trickle down onto the crystals.

“This isn’t going