The Circle of Owls (The Grimalkin Book 3) Read online

  The Circle of Owls

  Dani Swanson

  Copyright © 2020 Dani Swanson

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form is forbidden without written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. It’s not about you.

  www.daniswanson.com

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 9781986245340

  ISBN-13: 978-1542889032

  Cover by Elle Swan Design and Jessyca Bellinger

  Editing by Lisa Swanson and Ken Coy

  DEDICATION

  To my Mom, Lisa Swanson: Thank you for teaching me, pushing me to be better and always being my cheerleader. Even when I’m being a tad ridiculous and making bad decisions, you are always there for me (even it is to tell me I’m being ridiculous). I was really lucky when they passed out moms to get you as mine. I love you.

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  3

  Chapter 2

  6

  Chapter 3

  22

  Chapter 4

  49

  Chapter 5

  56

  Chapter 6

  58

  Chapter 7

  75

  Chapter 8

  87

  Chapter 9

  104

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  116

  123

  128

  134

  146

  151

  156

  166

  178

  193

  201

  218

  221

  227

  230

  234

  256

  ……. You can only control how you react.

  CHAPTER ONE

  For six long months had they wandered through the icy abyss of the Izotza Mountains chasing after the Blue-Scaled Dragons. The end of the summer months was hard enough, but the wintery cold was blowing in more snow; covering every path and hiding all the creatures that were looking for their next meal. The only thing that showed any light was the small flame flickering from the entrance of the cave – reflecting Robin’s red hair against the rocks.

  “I DON’T CARE! I’M SCARED, ALRIGHT?!” Robin looked out of the entrance of the cave; nothing but the void of the mountainside could be seen for miles. The fresh powder from last night’s storm made everything blinding white. “We can’t see the path ahead….and we can’t see any of the markers….and the yetis are out there…and what about that albino dragon? It’ll try to eat us again!” Her breath was becoming short and sporadic, as she stared without blinking. “We’re going to die.” She spoke just above a whisper. Tinker, her cat, started weaving in and out of her legs. Robin fiddled with the ends of her curly red hair which were sticking out of her hat, as she tried to control her breathing. She watched the foggy billows of her breath blow out into the nothingness.

  “I think you’re overreacting just a bit, Robin.”

  Robin ran her fingers through her tangled red hair, before stuffing it back into her hat and out of her face. The fire was dying down, but Robin didn’t see much else laying around that she could burn.

  “You always do this! You get us into these situations that create more stress than what is needed! I don’t want to aimlessly run through the snow trying to avoid creatures that I can’t see!”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure? It’s fine. Okay, I’ll go, and you can wait here…. alone.” The sarcasm of the statement was thick.

  “Don’t leave me! I don’t want to be alone.” Her voice was small. The fear had consumed her. She was hugging the little grey cat in her arms, letting the vibrations of the cat’s purr sooth her anxiety.

  “Well then, let’s get going.”

  Robin wiped the tears from her eyes as she kicked dirt onto the fire. She didn’t want her tears freezing to her skin again. She bundled her coat around her and her cat, placing her book back into her bag, before venturing out to the void of the mountain top; hoping the next mountain that they climbed would bring them back to the Ice King’s palace.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “So, what you’re basically telling me is that you have no idea how you did it? That’s rich. Nobody with magic ever reveals their secrets.” Charles rolled his eyes as he listened to Thea’s story of how she freed his soul from the purple crystal in the Kingdom of Owls.

  “Seriously! I don’t know how to explain it. It didn’t feel like when I make a fireball appear, or a mud troll…. it’s just different. I’ve tried to control other objects, I just can’t! I have no idea how I did it.” Thea shrugged her shoulders as she adjusted her coat; Fig was trying to lay on her shoulders, making it difficult to stay fully covered by the fabric. “I’m cold too, cat.” She said in a cooing tone, as she scratched him under his chin.

  The climb to the top of the Izotza mountain was getting colder the farther they went. Thea, Dean and Charles were accompanied by Fig, as they went to visit the Ice King. They were trying to keep the conversation light – trying to ignore the growing concern in the pit of their stomachs for their missing friend, Robin. Fig on the other hand, was more concerned with the shadowy figure that had been following them off and on during their climb. Lilly Quinn had been stalking them ever since they left Dean’s cabin the previous day. The little tabby’s fur would stand on end, and Thea would gently pet the cat, trying to not let on that she too saw Lilly through the trees.

  “So, you just got really emotional and then everything in the room started to attack the crystal. That’s how you did it?” Dean’s brow was furrowed as he couldn’t wrap his head around what she was saying.

  “From what Sorgin and Agatha had taught me, only a Supreme witch can control the ‘Ether’ which I guess is like the void around everything that we can’t see. Like the energy in the air, the little tiny particles of dust you can see in the sunshine, the momentum of movement…. I don’t know guys, I just did it. I don’t know how to explain it.” Thea really didn’t have a clue on how she was able to control the Ether. The rage that had been growing inside of her fueled the entire episode at the Kingdom of Owls…. she was curious if she would be able to do it again, if Lilly Quinn decided to attack them as the Grimalkin.

  Charles playfully threw a snowball at his brother, acting as if a Yeti had done it, as the group climbed the path of Izotza to see the Ice King.

  “You’ve been awake for one whole day, and you’re already acting like a brat.” Dean said, as he flipped a handful of snow back at Charles. Thea was stuck in the middle of their horseplay, getting hit in the face with bits of snow.

  “Really? This is why I travel with Robin, instead of boys.” She was smirking, as she rubbed the bits of melting snow from her cheek.

  “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Boys? We are men, thank you very much! We graduated from school years ago.” Dean wrapped his arm around his brother’s shoulder, trying his best to look hurt.

  “Well, you act like a coupl
e of boys!” Thea threw snow at both of them, causing Fig to go flying off her shoulder and into a snowbank. Charles started to pack a snowball in his hands. “I’ll throw a fireball back.” Thea said with a grin, though trying to sound serious. “Come on you two, we have a long way to go.”

  “Oh, I see how it is Dean. She gets to decide when we’re done playing.” Charles winked at her as he dropped the snowball, showing her that he had no more ammo in his hands.

  “It happens when you are a female…. who can throw fireballs.” Dean dropped the bit of snow he had in his hands when he saw the look Thea was giving him and kept walking.

  Thea stuck her tongue out at them as she placed her cat back up on her shoulder.

  “Where do you think Lilly wandered off to? She’s been gone for almost twenty minutes.” Dean was shielding the sun from his eyes as he looked into the trees to see if he could catch a glimpse of their stalker.

  “I’m not sure, but I bet she’ll be back. I don’t plan on putting my guard down until I know what she’s up to.” Thea too, was watching the trees, though not being as obvious as Dean. She had already caught sight of the red eyes of a yeti, watching them from the top of a pine tree.

  It took the rest of the day for the group to make their way up to the top of the mountain. The men were in awe, as they looked up to see the dome of ice covering the kingdom. The curious looks on their faces reminded Thea that she needed to take a moment to really take in what was happening around her. “I wonder if Robin has made it back here…or Penelope!”

  “Who’s Penelope?” Charles whispered to Dean.

  “Her grandma, she told you that, pay attention.” Dean nudged Charles with his elbow.

  “I’ve been stupefied for months, cut me some slack.” He scratched his head through his thick blonde hair, trying to remember everything that they had told him.

  Thea just shook her head, as she set Fig down on the ground. He hopped from cobblestone to cobblestone, trying to avoid the snow in between. Thea walked up to the guard and smiled at him. “Hi, we’re here to see Irving.” The guard lifted an eyebrow at her. “I mean the Ice King, of course.” Thea could feel her face flushing as the guard turned to grab the enchanted mirror off its shelf. Thea could see the round face of the Ice King nodding in approval through the glass. The guard, without saying a word, smiled at Thea as he opened the door to the dome for her and her friends.

  Thea’s pace quickened as she started toward the castle, while Dean and Charles moved more slowly as they watched a couple of snowmen juggling snowballs, and two penguins drinking hot cocoa as they sat at a bistro table watching the show. The streetlights started to fill with fireflies as they lit the way on the path; their light dancing across the glistening snow made for a show of its own. Thea watched the boyish wonderment across her friend’s faces. She wished that she could take the time to experience everything that was happening around her. After all, her memories were less than two years old, and many of the things she was experiencing felt like it was for the first time for her as well. Her concern and guilt kept her driving forward – She couldn’t take the luxury of playtime like the others did. “Come on guys. We have things to take care of.”

  The Ice King, with his long white hair and beard that almost touched the floor, stood in the entrance of the castle; his skin was practically the same shade of pale blue as the icy walls of his palace. His robe was a rich purple, which complemented his frosty skin. “Thea! I’m so glad you are here! How was your adventure?” He stood with his arms outstretched, waiting for her embrace.

  Thea laid into his arms, burying her face into the puffs of his massive beard. He smelled of coffee beans and vanilla, which brought Thea comfort in being there. She felt warm and safe being with Irving, despite the cooling effect his skin had when it touched her. “I’m glad to see you too. Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but is Robin here? She never went to our meeting place after we left here…..she’s been missing for months now.”

  The Ice King pulled back and looked her in the eye. “She’s not here and my guard has yet to return. Edward hasn’t sent any word back. I assumed they were with you.”

  Thea’s heart began to race and her chest became tight. She knew that she shouldn’t have split off from Robin. She had been too focused on her own mission to help her friend. “We need to find her!”

  The Ice King looked past Thea, watching her friends walk up the path toward them. “We can get a search party put together in the morning, but as for now, it is nightfall and it’s too dangerous to leave the safety of the ice dome at this hour.” Thea turned with a distraught look to her friends. The men’s happy faces turned serious when they saw her; they didn’t need to ask if Robin had returned.

  “What about Penelope? Have you heard from or seen her?”

  “No, I haven’t! Is she alright? Did you see her?” Irving was very excited to hear any news of his beloved. He took Thea by the hand and walked the group into the parlor, where they were served hot chocolate and dandelion fizzy, accompanied by an assortment of sandwiches and sugary treats. Thea sat next to Irving as she recapped the past months’ adventure. She introduced the Ice King to her companions, and they shared their own stories of Sorgin keeping them captive, the crow witch snatching out Charles’ eye, and their many run-ins with Lilly Quinn.

  “I don’t know…I guess being stupefied is like being asleep with your eyes open. You can see everything that is going on, but it all seems to happen in just a moment. I didn’t have any control over my body – it was like I was just there for the ride.”

  Irving sat in a chair with rounded arms on which Fig perched next to him, getting his head scratched as the Ice King listened to their stories. “I had no idea that Penelope was in trouble,” he had a few tears that turned into icicles on his eyelashes. “I thought she stopped loving me and was hiding from me….”

  “We’ll need to find her too……” Before Thea could finish her sentence, the Ice King was on his feet, and retrieving something from a desk’s drawer. He came back with one of the enchanted fairy mirrors that Thea had used when they were looking for Lilly in the forest.

  The Ice King shook his moustache in the mirror before he turned the mirror over in his hand twice. It started to glow as he lifted it to his face. “Attention fairies and creatures…. or anyone who may be watching. I am looking for four individuals. The first is a witch named Robin – She was last seen in the Izotza mountains in search of Blue-Scaled Dragon Eggs. She has flaming red curly hair and green eyes. She was accompanied by an Izotzan named Edward. He has blue skin like I do, but he’s much younger. He was last seen wearing an Izotzan guard uniform. The next party I am interested in is Lilly Quinn. She is half Elf, half Witch – pointed ears, silvery blondish-white hair and is a Grimalkin. She is dangerous and should be treated as such. Keep your distance as she is able to eat your soul. The most important is Penelope….she looks like this,” He turned the mirror to Thea who awkwardly waved at the mirror before Irving turned the mirror back to his face. “But she is my age now. She is the love of my life and I will be offering rewards for any information you provide. If your help leads to finding one, two or all of these parties, I will provide more gold pieces than you can count. Thank you.” He then turned the mirror twice over in his hands and the glowing ceased. He waved a young woman over to where he stood. “Keep track of the leads and bring this to the soldiers’ room in the morning.” She nodded and left with the mirror to join a few other workers in the hallway.

  “The mirrors only work if they are still hung amongst the trees. It can be dangerous to use them though, as you can never be too sure who is watching.”

  “Hopefully Lilly or Sorgin are not watching!” Dean expressed, as he gave a concerned look to Thea. She had thought of that, too. Broadcasting their intentions while also hunting for the people who are looking for them, may not have been the best idea.

  “That could be a bad thing. Especially if they know where Penelope or Robin could be.” She said, as she
investigated the bottom of her cup.

  “I wonder if Cricket ever came back to meet up with Sorgin?” Charles added.

  “I bet Lilly stopped following us to go find Cricket – tracking her down would most likely lead us to Lilly.” Thea’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t believe that she didn’t think of that first!

  “I wouldn’t dare to broadcast that over the mirrors – members of the Circle of Owls lurk in every corner of every kingdom. If Cricket is the one who was controlling the group, I’m sure that her minions would report to her that we are looking for her.” Irving was back to scratching Fig’s ears. “I can’t believe I did nothing while Penelope was in trouble.”