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

assignment, as the older soldiers were suiting up to leave the dome. “How about you and I go on our own? I really just need a guide, I think we can handle ourselves against a few yetis and bazzles.”

Percy smiled at her. “There’s more than just those guys out there….wolves, the Bumble – who is the biggest yeti you have ever seen, sometimes he’s on our side…sometimes not….dragons, fairies, nexivs, gnomes and the Baba Yaga. If you think Sorgin and Cricket are evil witches, you don’t want to deal with the Baba Yaga. She doesn’t just eat people’s souls…she eats the whole person.” Thea’s eyes were large as she stared back at Percy. She did not want to meet a cannibalistic witch. “Not to mention that most of these things are the same color as the snow out there, which makes it almost impossible to see them until they are on you. It’s not an easy treck to where the blue-scaled dragons live.”

“But I’m a witch, and I have a cat that turns to fire,” Thea leaned into him and sarcastically whispered to Percy. “I’m really good at making fireballs.”

“Meow.” Fig entered the conversation as if he was stating his dominance.

“Alright, I would feel better with some of the older soldiers staying behind to protect the dome anyway.”

Irving came up to Thea and gave her a hug. “Be careful young lady.”

“You be careful too.” She said as she hugged him a little longer and tighter than a normal hug, and then hugged Dean just as long. She felt awkward – she had this new sense of family when she was around Irving….and a different awkward feeling being around Dean. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking care of him for me.” Softly, she whispered into Dean’s ear before she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. That felt more natural than she had expected it would, but the same flushed awkwardness was running over her.

Charles had already left with his group without saying goodbye, heading toward the Monkey Tree Village. They had planned to cross the wall of Erresuma and head to where the Circle of Owls used to be; they had a trusted report from a brownie that Lilly Quinn was there.

Dean and the Ice King decided to head to the west of Erresuma, to Dragon Tooth Lake. There were reports from a group of fairies that a woman who looked like Thea was there. Irving made it a point to tell everyone that Penelope grew up near the lake too. “She told me that she used to live in a cabin there when her daughters were just girls.”

Thea pulled on her fur-lined boots and braided her raven hair into a thick braid that she stuffed into a hat. Her bag was filled to the brim with a few outfits, her book with the tattered pages, and a few small vials of potions and herbs. She took one deep breath and looked around the palace walls, as she took the path to the main entrance of the dome with Percy and Fig. Percy had a pack on his back filled with sandwiches, dried meats, cheeses and sweet treats. He showed her a small pot in which he was going to melt snow to drink. He didn’t feel that packing drinks was necessary when you were surrounded by frozen water.

She was excited and nervous in the same emotion. It was something about going on a new adventure that always made Thea happy – even though she was worried about her grandmother, and her friends- she loved the challenges.

“And then there were three.” Thea said to Percy and Fig, as they walked into the cold, snowy landscape of the Izotza mountain. “I hope we can find them.” The mountains to the east were taller than Izotza. Percy was right, all that Thea could see was the blinding whiteness of the snow covering the trees; the bricks of the path leading away from the dome were barely visible from the blowing flakes landing on the ground. Fig pawed at Thea’s leg to be lifted onto her shoulder.

“The last known of the dragons lived on the tallest peak of that mountain.” Percy was pointing across the landscape to a mountain that was so tall that the top of the peak could barely be seen through the clouds.

“Well of course it is. It couldn’t be anything closer to us.” Thea sarcastically shook her head as she looked at all the snow they had to track through.

“I grabbed something that should make it easier on your back.” Percy was digging in his bag to retrieve four toddler size shoes. “May I?” Percy started to reach for Fig’s feet but was greeted with a hiss and a scratch from his claws, as he touched the cat’s paw.

“Fig, you be nice and let him put those shoes on you. I can’t carry you on my shoulders all the time!” Thea scolded her cat, as she held him like a baby, forcing him to hold still as Percy put the shoes on the cat’s feet. Fig hissed the entire time the two humans were trying to fit him with the shoes.

“Spoiled cat.” Percy laughed, as he watched Fig walk through the snow, shaking his paws with every step, trying to fling the shoes off his feet. Poor Fig was not amused by any of this snow business.

“They’ll keep your paws warm, leave them on!” Fig’s ears were pinned back as he slowly followed behind the humans through the snow.

The trio walked through shin deep snow that covered the path winding up the mountain. Fig followed behind Thea, jumping to her next foot print so he wouldn’t be lost in snow. The wind was howling through the tops of the pine trees causing the snow to drift, covering their steps as if no one had walked the path at all.

“How are we supposed to know how to get back if the path is always covered