Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

the area,” she said reflectively. “I couldsee big steel towers and metal buildings on the far sideof the grasslands. They seemed to rise all the way up tothe sky.”

“Don’t you worry about Sonny,” Will said,placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I will takehim with me and return the way we came in. You andthe orphans will be safer if he is not with you. Hecarries her spell—she’ll be looking for him first!”

“If she didn’t burn with the mansion, that is…”Kelsey said with a gloomy tone.

Will nodded grimly. “Yes…she would want himas a tool for her revenge. Let’s get him hidden until Iget back.” He moved him under a rock cave, hiddenfrom any dangers.

“And the robot?” she said, looking out over thefog and smoke-filled orchards.

“If that little anvil creation still functions afterwhat it just accomplished—” Will said, shaking hishead in awe. “Yes indeed; it will surely be coming withme! Now listen carefully: you must take the high routeof the upper ground and move quickly—but stay alert!I have some food rations I pulled out of the old barnthat should get you and the others through until youreach the grasslands.”

Kelsey looked at Sonny. He lay there breathingheavily, staring blankly at her. “I’ll go and round up theorphans; they are coming in now.”

They turned to look, and saw ten of them comingforward; their faces stricken with fear and confusion.She suddenly shuddered and froze.

“Oh no!” she gasped. “There was an orphan boywho I left behind at the outside of the mansion. Icouldn’t get him here because I was already helpingwith Sonny!” She strained to see all the orphans faces;her eyes darting wildly about.

Will turned her around and locked his eyes withhers. “It’ll be fine, sweetheart. I am sure he is on hisway with the others. All you have to worry about nowis getting them all together and moving out. I have togo retrieve the droid…if he’s still functioning, that is.”

Kelsey lowered her teary-eyes and wrapped herarms around Will, giving him a great, big hug.

“May the Spirits guide you well, Kelsey,” Willsaid sweetly. “You and Sonny are truly remarkable!”He patted her back and gave her a gentle kiss on the topof her head. “Sonny and I will see you a few days fromnow.”

Then he parted with her and moved for theblackened orchard fields, past a few of the orphans whowere streaming inwards to the hills.

Kelsey gathered the orphans together around thebonfire, asking them if eighteen was all there were fromthe orphanage. They were still in a state of shock fromtheir ordeal, but they seemed certain about the number.She then grabbed the rations, and giving Sonny a kisson the forehead, moved out with the orphans in tow.

When Kelsey and the orphans had reached thetop of the hills, she looked down and could see thesmoldering ruins of the mansion and waves of smokeand fog that had rolled above the torched remains of thehaunted pumpkin orchards.

Chapter XII

~The Journey Back

After finding the robot lifeless upon the groundin the orchard fields, Will returned alone to the dyingembers of the bonfire and the rock-cave where Rangerhad been keeping careful watch on the still, spellboundSonny.

Wrapped warmly in a blanket, Sonny had beensecured to a makeshift wagon-cart that Will had takenfrom the old barn. With Sonny being pulled alongbehind them on the cart, Will and Ranger made for theIcy Shadowed Valley and its restless shadowy dragons.

For two days and two nights they had movedacross the icy-frozen surface of the shadowed valley,stopping only briefly to rest and eat. Though Sonnycould not speak or respond to anything said, he wasable to eat some of the canned food that Will had keptin the barn when he used to live there.

By the third day, as the moon was dipping belowthe horizon and the sun was stretching its thin raysupon the outskirts between the lands, Will and Sonnyhad crossed back into the deadwoods. There in thedeadwoods, after a few cuts and scrapes and a couple oftumbles off the path of the giant root, they managed toeventually reach the great river in the narrowed canyonsof the ancient stone traders.

A thick fog had settled inside the canyon wallsand the air had a chilling bite to the bone. Will shiveredand tightened the blanket snugly around his body. Helooked over to Sonny, who lay quietly still under a fewblankets on the wagon. Then moving forward on theroot, Will looked about for his raft down by the river.

Still tied up at the water’s edge, the raft was apleasant sight to be seen. Will breathed a sigh of relief.Now they could move more smoothly on their wayhome.

Rolling the wagon-cart onto the raft, Will securedit safely to the wooden planks. He then raised the tarpover the cart so Sonny would have some protectionagainst the weather. Calling Ranger aboard, he thenshoved off up the river.

By nightfall, the fog had lifted from the lowestparts of the river to the high walls of the canyon. Onlythe soft gurgle of the river kept the silence from becoming too much. They had now reached the stonetraders and their haunted domain.

Always cautious, Will pushed the raft quietlyalong, keeping his eyes focused for the slightestmovement of oil slicks, or for the haunted vapor-mist ofthe stone trader ghosts.

Suddenly a piercing and chilling howl echoedthroughout the canyon walls. Will froze. He grippedthe river pole tightly and stared straight ahead.

After a few moments, Sonny shot upwards fromthe cart—his body was rigid and his arms wereoutstretched before him. Will shot him a look of fear.Sonny’s head turned and his blackened eyes bore intoWill’s like venomous snakes. Ranger jumped back,growling and baring his fangs—not knowing his ownmaster, but seeing only the presence of a stranger.

And then the walls started to shake terribly, andthe river quaked in wild spasms. Will held the pole up,ready to ward off any danger. He fixed his eyes onSonny, who seemed to remain in a paralyzed state.

“Sonny!” Will hollered at him. “Sonny! If youcan hear me at all, lay back down and stay put!”

Ranger let out a howl, giving