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

“You won’t win Cricket! You need to stop this now!” Agatha ran as fast as she could toward Cricket throwing whatever she could conjure at her. Cricket laughed at her as she simply raised her hand and sent Agatha flying back and into a tree; her spine cracking against the wood echoed over the noise of the fighting. Her body laid in a lifeless lump at the base of the tree.

The fire cat and the ice cat both pounced onto Cricket, creating steam around them as they tried to bite her jugular; this allowed Thea to get to her feet and made her way over to where Dean was laying. She took the small key from his hand and reached behind her head and unlocked the black collar, exposing her newly scared skin. She was able to place her hands on him, watching the wound reverse and showing his smooth skin where the arrow used to be. She grabbed him by the face and kissed him. When she pulled away, she sternly told him: “You need to get back. I can’t handle you getting hurt again.”

She stood up and started to run toward her cat who she could hear howling from the opening in the trees – Dean started to protest and follow her, but Thea stopped him by having mudtrolls wrap themselves around his legs. She got there just in time to see Tinker go flying into a tree as the fiery streak of Fig’s fur flying toward Cricket. He sunk his teeth into her flesh, ripping away the skin near her collar bone. Her blood no longer red, ran black from her gash, spilling down the font of her clothing – she did not scream or cry, but rather laughed as she saw her own blood before swatting the cat away into the trees.

Thea started to conjure fireball after fireball at Cricket as she was fighting against the mighty cats. The Baba Yaga was now throwing bare knuckled punches with a group of borgs as if they were in a boxing ring at the bar. She was starting to also lose her energy as it was getting harder for her to cast a spell.

With her full attention on Thea, Cricket wiped the blood from her neck - her eyes to turned grey as her grin started to twist into snarly cat’s mouth. She sprayed blue flames from her mouth as she ignited the trees around the clearing all while never taking her eyes off her niece.

Lola and the remaining members of the Kingdom of Owls attacked the Circle of Owls members who were hiding in the trees. They were able to draw them away from the clearing, leaving Cricket alone against the cats and witches.

“Now Cricket, this has gone on long enough….I can heal that wound for you. Just let me come near you and I will help you.” Thea cautiously moved closer to her aunt, as she was looking for some glimpse of Cricket in her dark eyes. Cricket just laughed.

“I think I can almost heal myself Little Witch. There’s only one thing that you’re going to do to help me!” Cricket bent down like the Grimalkin and charged toward Thea, knocking her to the ground. She took the last of her powder from her pouch and blew it into Thea’s face. Thea did what she could to hold her breath, but she couldn’t stop it from entering her body. Cricket bent down with her smeared crimson lips and started to steal the powers from within Thea.

The pearly light pink essence of Thea’s being started to escape her. The sensation of being lighter than air took over; her fear changing to euphoria, then ending in an empty numbness. She felt as if she was being drained of everything in her body, and she couldn’t do anything to move her arms or legs to fight back – all she could do was stare into the ever-darkening eyes of her aunt as she stole everything that made Thea who she is.

Thea’s eyesight was starting to fade, all she could see through the tunnels of light that were left were the same icy blue eyes her aunt had that matched her own.

Cricket could feel the new energy surging through her veins. Her skin was pulling tight, her hair was fuller as were her cheeks. The age spots on her hands disappeared, and the wound in her neck was no longer bleeding and was healed completely, as if Fig had never bit her there in the first place. The power within her was growing so strong that her veins were glowing through her skin. She had nearly taken all of Thea’s power when she was knocked over from the side.

Tinker had come back and was now on top of the witch, blowing an icy wintery mix onto her face, framing Cricket’s head in a block of ice. Thea gasped for air as some of her life came back into her lungs. As she breathed, she felt her body trying to heal itself from within. She stumbled to her feet and started toward Cricket. Thea neared to where Cricket laid but was unable to cast a spell. She caught the weight of Tinker’s mighty body as it was shot back from a fireball to the chest that Cricket had thrown. It hit Tinker with such force that she landed motionless in her normal cat form.

“You’re no longer the stronger witch, Thea.” Cricket’s voice was demonic and echoed within itself as if there were three separate voices coming from Cricket’s throat at once. Her veins glowed so bright she was drawing attention from the fighting groups along the castle in the distance. “Now to finish taking from you and mother, then I will be the strongest witch ever created!”

Cricket raised her hand and brought Thea toward her with the Ether. She flew as easily as a paper doll in the wind.