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

is it!”She waved her arms towards the sky and the droidsflying all over.

Will looked up, seeing many of the dead robotsdrifting like metallic balloons towards the witch’spumpkin. “I am utterly astounded!” Will said. “Nicework!”

“Where are the others?” Aleeria asked. “Havethey entered the mountain with that little robot ofyours?”

“Yes, indeed! And with all hope, they’ve reachedthe very top of the volcano, by now!”

“Good!” she said. “Now, we’ll have to wait andsee if the realm spirits awaken!”

“So what has happened to all those robots flyingabout, anyhow?” Will said, watching the robot-droidsapproaching closer to the witch monster. “How is itthat you’ve made them spring into life like that?”

Aleeria smiled. “I convinced a few ghosts tohelp out.” She watched Will’s eyes widen. “In fact,you may be a little familiar with a few of them!”

“You didn’t?” he said in disbelief. She continuedto smile at him, her eyes glittering with excitement.“You did!”

She looked back to the darkened sky, and theincredible circus-like display of robots. “Oh, I suredid—the stone trader ghosts! I convinced them that therobots were harmless, lifeless, and not to be feared; thatthey could enter the iron bodies and use them to helpus!”

Will just shook his head, bewildered with thesorceress. “That’s great! They can distract the witchlady while the Tabitha and the others get Anvil intoplace!” She nodded. “You are one wild spirit,Aleeria!”

Her smile grew wider. “I know.”

~ CHAPTER XIII~ FULL METAL MAGIC

“Okay, I think this should do it!” Tinspar shoutedabove the increasing rumble of the volcano.

The volcano had started shaking violently withthe increasing anger and movement of the witch-ladymonster.

“Shoot—I hope this volcano doesn’t erupt on us,now!” Tabitha shouted.

They were all stumbling about, holding onto thesides of the elevator shaft as it swayed back and forth.Jonathon and Haley held fast to Anvil as Tinspar—using Jonathon’s welding torch—quickly welded theiron-bladed pole to the top of the robot.

From the corner of her eye, Tabitha saw the vinetentacles as they suddenly slithered up the volcano’swalls, moving into the underbelly of the witch’spumpkin form.

“Tinspar—look!”

He turned and saw the last of the vines disappearing. “Oh no! I fear the witch has sensed our presence!”

He spun back to Anvil. “Okay, little fella, makeus proud!” He handed the meteorite to Anvil’sextended metal limbs. Anvil carefully cradled theglowing, red rock while he flashed his eye-lights overit.

The three teens all wished the little robot a safereturn. Anvil whistled, spinning his eye-lights upwards.He then lifted off, hovering a ways up before finallyvanishing into the hollowed pumpkin of the witch-lady.

Tabitha sniffled. “He’s carrying our spiritedstone of hope with him.”

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The witch-lady was furious. She was thrashingwildly atop the volcano, whipping all of her wretchedvine tentacles throughout the air.Howling in fury, shelashed the lightning vines at the hundreds of robotghost-droids that zipped all around her pumpkin form.

The dark rain clouds were now hanging very low,spilling waves of rain everywhere. The sky was pitchblack with the fumes of the witch’s gas clouds.

The stone trader ghosts were flying fast, movingthe robot-droids all around the giant pumpkin like littlefireflies glinting in the electrified air. Doing their bestto avoid the witch’s vines of lightning while they dartedin and around the surface of the pumpkin, the ghostsused the metal limbs of the robots to prod and poke thewitch-lady—they were driving her even more insanethan she already was!

But many of the ghosts inside the iron-platedrobots were zapped by her lightning tentacles, and theyplummeted to the muddy surface far below.

On the ground, crouching low behind the edge ofthe lava pit, Will watched as Aleeria sped off towardsthe giant volcano. Her vaporous trail faded into thedarkness as she headed for the inside of the volcano.She was hoping to lend aid to the others…and hopingto lead them from harm’s way.

Will could now only wait, praying that Tabithaand the others had succeeded with sending Anvil andthe meteorite to the heart of the witch.

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“Hold tight, guys!” Tinspar shouted above themaddening uproar of the witch-lady and the stirrings ofthe volcano.

They were now on their way down to the bottomof the volcano in the elevator shaft. Rock and stonespilled around them as the walls of the volcano shookterribly. It seemed as if the volcano, rather than erupt,was going to collapse in on itself, smashing everyoneinto bits!

The broiling-hot lava below them was vomitingits bubbling, molten fire high up into the air, causinglines of fiery lava to zip dangerously past the descending elevator and the helpless group inside.

“Oh, spirits above,” Tinspar prayed out loud,“don’t let that lava melt my brand-new leg!”

Just as the elevator was about to reach the levelwhere they had started from, Aleeria appeared.

“What are you guys doing all cooped up in thisrusty old cage?” she joked. “The action’s all outside!”

“Aleeria!” Tabitha shouted. “You made it back!”

“Of course! Where’s Anvil? Did he make it upthere?” She nodded towards the top of the volcano.

“That he did, my lady!” Tinspar hollered, holdingon for dear life as the elevator bumped and bangedalong the mine shaft. “It’s in his hands—err—metalclaws, now!”

“Look out!” Tabitha screamed as a giant, moltenfireball hurled its way towards the elevator.

Everyone turned and saw it heading straight forthem as the elevator suddenly slammed into the ground.The cage door toppled open, spilling them out into thepassageway.

Right above them, the fireball smashed into theelevator’s steel cables, burning them clean off from theelevator itself.

“Too close!” Jonathon cried out. “Let’s get outof here!”

They dashed off down the passageway just as acascade of lava rock fell behind them, smashing theelevator into a pulp.

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Come on, you guys! Will thought, growing veryrestless. Anvil—bring us good fortune, pal!

He continued to watch the ghosts as they wereworking their magic; flying the dead robots like madbats around the pumpkin, and doing a thorough job ofirritating the witch. A few of the ghosts were evenattempting to fly within the witch’s blackened eyes,causing further mayhem and confusion for her.

All of a sudden, everything seemed to pause as ifin slow-motion. From out of the darkness and the rain,Will saw Aleeria leading Tinspar and the