Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (good beach reads .txt) 📗

more ofan extension than anything, it seemed a suitable fit thatwas able to keep him upright and walking. Even Anvilhad seemed most pleased, whistling with delight athaving given up one of his own iron limbs to help thetowering and brave, Tinspar.

Now the party was forging forward into the Landof Darkness, having had crossed over the borders fromthe iron woodlands of the undead. They were enteringinto a bleak and strange, mountainous wasteland of iceand frost.

The Land of Darkness was a haunting place to bewandering through: its landscape was made up mostlyof dark ice and gigantic, frozen mountains, as well asthousands of craters—the result of the meteorite showerthat had pummeled the land years before. With only afew stars that remained blinking in the skies ever sincethe downfall of the dark witches, the party had to relysolely on the one lantern they still had with them, aswell as Anvil’s trusty robotic eye-lights.

They had to be extremely wary of falling into thecraters as they moved through the land.

Everyone was heavily bundled in layers of clothagainst the below-freezing temperatures; only their eyespeered outwards from the iron headgear that they werenow all wearing—save for the spirit sorceress, ofcourse. As Will had stated, the breathing headgear notonly helped against the frost, but was a good safetymeasure should the two witches decide to spawn somecrazy sleep spell of their own.

Crunching along through the hardened ice andthe dimly-lit darkness, they approached a winding andnarrowed path. The path was surrounded on both sidesby a tangled mesh of giant roots that were petrified andfrozen over. Rusted-yellowish light reflected off of theicy roots as the party stepped carefully along the frostedpath.

“Stay close together,” Aleeria whispered, herbluish form rippling within the reflected light of theiron lantern that Jonathon carried.

“We are very near to where I last saw the witchesand their dreadful cauldron!”

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After several tiresome hours, they had finallyreached the heart of a deep and haunted, hollowedvalley. Aleeria had paused near a crooked opening inthe pathway’s rooted mesh, focusing her eyes throughit.

“Shush!” she hissed, keeping her voice to awhisper. She waved a hand behind her, gesturing to theothers to stay low. “Keep down, I can see them!”

“Douse the lantern, Jonathon,” Tinspar saidquietly to the teen. “And dim the robot’s eye-lights,Will.”

Will’s heart raced as he crouched low, turningAnvil’s eye-lights to a soft glow. Then they peekedthrough the roots to where the sorceress was looking. Alittle ways below them, a bonfire was burning near theembankments of a frozen river. And around the firethey could see two shadowy, tall figures standingsilently.

The witches! they all thought.

The witches had their arms folded around theirbodies as they stood near a large, broiling cauldron; ithovered a few feet over the bonfire. Streaming out ofthe cauldron was a dark mist: the vapor trail thatconnected the witch-lady to the pumpkin monster shehad become!

“Spirits below!” Will gasped. “Well, Aleeria,looks like you’ll be having to explain the rest of yourplan in a hurry, now that we’re here!”

She swirled around to face them all. “Okay,listen carefully—and remember to keep your voiceslow. Now this has to happen quickly, or its all overbefore it has ever begun!”

She looked over to Tinspar. “Tinspar—you’llhave to get that dead spider out of the burlap sack andcut its belly open.” Everybody flinched at the thought.“Oh, but cut it open ever so slightly,” she added.

Tinspar nodded, having already heard bits ofwhat she had planned when they had been travelingthrough the woodlands. He took out the spider and laidit upon the ice. With the iron bladed pole, he gently cutthe into its belly—a small pool of the spider’s threadspilled out.

“Okay…it’s all yours…” Tinspar said, waving hislong-fingered hands over the spider.

“Good!” Aleeria said; she then looked at Tabitha.“Tabitha, I need you to concentrate—summon a spellthat will float this spider over to where the witches areat.” Tabitha nodded, smiling beneath her headgear. “I,then, need you to begin spinning the spider’s bodyaround them. I’ll move into action once you are doingthis…understand?”

“I can do it!” Tabitha said. “I’m ready!”

Aleeria smiled and gave her a wink.

“And Will,” she said, looking into the old man’seyes. “I need you to stay here with Tabitha. I am goingdown below, into one of the smaller craters nearbythem.” He nodded. “Those witches appear to be in atrance while they continue to control the witch-lady, sothey shouldn’t pay much heed to me.”

“What about Anvil?” Will said, tapping therobot’s iron-plated sides. “He’s always been handy insome sticky spots!”

“Ha ha,” Aleeria giggled. “Sticky spots…goodone, Will.” She looked at Anvil. “Yes—I need himready to sweep down there and snag hold of the deadspider. He will then have to speed his way back intothe iron woodlands. But he’s got to move fast—he’ll betowing a heavy load behind him!”

Will creased his brow; then his eyes widened,realizing what she intended. “Ah, ha! So there’s goingto be a web line from that dead spider—it’s going to bethe tow line, right?”

“That’s right!” she said. “A web line created bymyself, along with Tabitha’s help!” She winked atTabitha and smiled. “You ready, sweetie?”

Tabitha nodded. “Just say when!”

“Remember, it’s like I told you before: go to thatplace in your heart and your soul, and your magic willcome to life!”

“What about us?” Haley asked, placing his handon Jonathon’s shoulder. “We’re to just stay here andwait?”

“I don’t want any harm to come to any of you,”Aleeria said. “These are very powerful witches, andshould they awaken—” She shook her head. “Well,let’s just say, I’d rather you boys stay here with Will.”

“Sure,” Jonathon agreed. “Whatever you think isfor the best.”

“Tinspar,” she finally said, “the second that yousee the witches are out of sight, I want you to makeyour way for the cauldron with great haste! Give it amighty shove so it topples over into the ice!”

Tinspar stretched his arms out, and flexed hislong fingered hands. “Let’s get this done!”

“Okay, Tabitha—I’m counting on you, dear,”Aleeria said to her. “I’ll be spinning my own magicwhile your busy casting yours. I just need you to getthat spider