The Hunt of the Grimalkin (Erresuma Book 1) by Dani Swanson (read aloud books txt) 📕

Thea could feel the warmth of the sun on her face, as she slowly started to open her eyes. She started coughing up black bile as usual. “Charles! She’s waking up!” Agatha yelled out the door. She looked up to see that there was another bed in her room. Agatha was laying there with her left arm, right leg and her entire mid-section wrapped in bandages. Her sides were in a splint to hold her spine in place.

Fig was laying on Thea’s legs, with his paw in a bandage, his whiskers and the tip of his ear were missing. He licked Thea’s hand until she started to pet him. “I’m so glad to see you, sweet boy. I thought you got eaten.” She had tears in her eyes.

“He was the cat that came out of the flames. We don’t know what happened to the Grimalkin,” Charles said from the door. Agatha was trying to sit up by herself when Charles came into the room. Thea’s head was throbbing, and her arm was asleep from laying on her side. “I’ve been rolling you from side to side so that you don’t get sores,” He said to her with a smile. This was the first time she had ever seen him smile. His perfect teeth gleamed as he helped Thea sit up. She groaned with pain as she moved, her back was blistered and wrapped in bandages.

“How long have I been out this time?” Thea asked.

“Six days.” Agatha responded in a nervous voice from her sickbed.

Thea’s face turned cold when she looked at her. “Never speak to me again.” she said icily. Thea flinched with pain as she tried to stand. Charles was at her side and offered a hand. “Thank you,” she said softly to him.

Agatha was quietly crying in her bed. “Thea…I….I’m so sorry. You don’t understand the situation that she put me in.”

Thea was livid. “You got what you wanted…whoever you are. Sorgin is dead and you saved your sister. There is no need for you to worry yourself with anything about me, ever again.” Thea was speaking very slowly, and in an icy voice. She limped to the window and looked out.

Agatha was full on bawling now.

“SHUT UP! You have nothing to be upset about!” Thea had her arms at her side, her hands in fists.

“She took my twin sister while Robin, while she was looking for you. Sorgin collects powerful…. things. She wanted a powerful witch…. and would only let her go if I brought her a stronger one; but you didn’t remember. I had to make you remember.” She was trying to talk in between sobs, and started to hyperventilate.

“So go get your sister, and LEAVE ME ALONE!” Thea’s face was boiling hot as she raised her hand with a fireball up to her shoulder. Agatha stopped crying immediately and was trying to get up to run, but couldn’t move on her own. Charles grabbed Thea’s wrist and lowered the fireball. His kind eyes looked into hers. “No Thea,” he said sweetly, as he squeezed her wrist lightly.

Thea let out a sigh and dissolved the fireball. “Where is your sister? Charles killed the dragon; go release her.”

Charles and Agatha looked at each other with solemn looks. “The witch is dead, but her curse is not.” He looked down at his wrist where the magical bracelet manacled him. “I still cannot open any of the doors that have been forbidden; I can’t leave the grounds.” He said holding his wrist up. The black band was still there; digging into his skin.

Agatha said, “I found a spell that can melt the binding, but I will need a strand of unicorn hair. I know there is a unicorn out in the barn, however, Charles isn’t able to open the door because of the band. We haven’t found the man in the jumpsuit that tends to the barn.

Thea looked at them, then limped over to her bag and pulled out the shimmering strands of unicorn hair that she had got while she was riding with Eleonore. “Here.” She handed it to Charles.

His face lit up like a child with a new toy. “Thank you, Miss Thea!” he said. He was about to hug her but Thea winced in pain before he even touched her. He stopped short and carefully kissed her on her forehead. “Thank you!” He brought the hairs over to Agatha.

“I need to get to the kitchen so I can brew this. Thea? Will you heal me so I can move?”

Thea whipped around and glared at Agatha. “YOU DO NOT DESERVE MY HELP!” Thea screamed.

She stormed out of the room as best she could with her injuries, while Fig limped behind her. Once in the hallway, Thea healed her little cat. “There you go, sweet boy.”

Thea checked all the rooms, on all the floors, finding that the majority were locked. The ones that weren’t were either bathrooms or storage closets.

 In the hallways were many cases, filled with Sorgin’s collections; Thea passed cases filled with figures, thimbles, spoons, plates, cups, medals, and even one that held eye glasses. Sorgin had collected anything she could have put her hands on.

Thea made her way up to the sixth floor of the chateau, and found Sorgin’s bedroom at the end of the hallway. “Of course it’s locked,” Thea said to Fig as she shook the handles. She tried to break the glass, but everything just bounced off the doors with a great force. Fig was exploring around the baseboards. Could it be that simple? Thea thought to herself. She raised her hand and ran it over the door frame. Nothing, no keys to be found.

Thea ventured down to the sitting room where Charles had brought the remains of Sorgin. He had placed her body in