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

Aleeria then shaded her bluish form with a spellthat mirrored the surrounding darkness. “May theSpirits guide us all to good fortune!” she said, quicklydisappearing from the pathway.

Tabitha turned to the others. “Wish me luck…”She folded her arms and closed her eyes, soon fallinginto a deep trance.

The others focused on the spider, waiting to see ifit would move. After a few minutes had passed, thespider began to tremble and twitter. The boys graspedeach others shoulders, staring in amazement. Tinspar’seyes lit up, while Will silently clapped his hands.

Tabitha extended her arms, motioning her handstowards the spider. It suddenly sprang a few feet off theground, rotating in mid-air. She then moved her armsslowly over to the opening in the rooted mesh, directingthe spider’s movements towards it like a magnet. Thespider then slid through the opening, floating down intothe valley and towards the glowing fire.

---------

As the spider approached the motionless witches,it began circling around them like a strange puppet oninvisible strings—its legs dangled and danced about inthe air.

The witches seemed oblivious to their newly,uninvited guest: they were lost in their own trance, asthey were controlling the witch-lady within their darkminds.

Their strange, spidery guest then began prancingand circling around them…

From their hidden vantage point inside the rootedpath, Will and Tinspar watched as the webbing from thespider quickly spilled out of its belly. The webbingthen attached to one of the witches ankles as the spiderslowly wound its way upwards in the air, wrapping theweb line tightly around the witches bodies.

“Aleeria has now joined in on the magic act!”Tinspar whispered excitedly, grasping Will’s shoulder.“She’s making that web spill out of the spider’s belly!”

“And it’s happening while Tabitha keeps thespider moving!” Will exclaimed, looking over hisshoulder to Tabitha.

Jonathon and Haley were keeping their eyesfocused on Tabitha. She was staggering about in therooted pathway just like one of the undead—her armswere extended outwards, swaying up and down likesome mad puppeteer.

After several more minutes had passed, everyonesaw that the witches were up to their necks in webbing;the spider continued circling and prancing around thetwo witches.

And then suddenly, like a light switch, thewitches eyes snapped open!

“Tinspar!” Aleeria hollered from below in thevalley’s darkness. “Move! We can’t wait for Anvil—you have to get to the cauldron, now!”

The witches saw that they had been ensnared insome kind of trap. Their eyes were blazing in a fieryred as they howled out in anger, flailing their bodieswithin the sticky, web cocoon.

Tinspar bolted from the pathway, bouncing downinto the valley with all the speed he could muster—Anvil’s replacement limb was working like magic forhim! He dived straight for the cauldron with the ironbladed pole, jabbing it directly underneath the cauldronwith a powerful thrust. The cauldron toppled over,spilling the witches brew upon the ice and snow.Thevapor trail, however, continued to stream out of theoverturned cauldron, and was still spiraling up into thedark sky.

While the witches continued to thrash about—their screams shrieking throughout the valley—Tinsparspun fast about, knocking them off of their feet with thebladed pole. Their bodies folded over into the fire pit,melting the webbing tightly around their throats likewax; their shrieks were soon silenced.

Anvil suddenly swooped in from the darkness.Whistling loudly, he grasped the dead spider in hismetal pinchers and quickly hovered off over the frozenground with the witches in tow—they had beensecurely connected to the spider by the web line. Thewitches twirled and tumbled across the ice as Anvilsped towards the borders of the iron woodlands.

Tabitha opened her eyes. She was a bit foggyfrom the spell trance she had put herself in. Rubbing ather eyes, she then looked around and saw Will and theboys laughing; they were all peering through theopening in the roots.

“What’s all the fuss about?” she asked drearily,stumbling over to them.

They quickly turned around, grinning.

Jonathon ran up to her and lifted her off her feet.“You and Aleeria did it!”

Will hobbled over to her, his eyes full of tears.

“The witches have been all wrapped up, younglady!” he said happily. “They have departed for theirown doom!”

“For a robot that has returned from the grave, thatlittle Anvil sure has real magic left in him!” Haleyexclaimed.

Will took off his iron breathing apparatus. “Thathe does, my good fellow!” Then he paused, his faceturning to one of concern. “But I fear he may be lost,once more…”

Everyone turned in unison to face Will; theywondered what he meant, and why he had removed hisbreathing gear.

“What do you mean—lost him?” Tabitha asked.

“And why’d you remove your breathing gear?”Jonathon asked skeptically.

“I think we shall be safe without it for the timebeing,” Will said. “But we do need to make haste!Anvil’s fled for the woodlands of the undead, and Imean not to lose him again!”

Tabitha moved to the opening in the roots. Shelooked down into the valley and could see the dyingembers of the fire pit, and Tinspar as he pranced aroundthe overturned cauldron; the vapor trail continued torise into the chilled air.

“I can see Tinspar,” Tabitha said, “but I can’t seewhere Aleeria is at!”

A shimmering blue form suddenly popped up infront of the opening, before Tabitha’s eyes.

“Aleeria!” she shouted.

The sorceress floated into the pathway. “I’m sureAnvil will be just fine!” she said, her voice hopeful.“That was part of the whole plan, anyhow; I dare notthink those undead will mind having a couple ofwitches over for a, um, bite!” She grinned, looking ateach of them.

“Well, I’ll be!” Will said, laughing at her slyremark. “Let’s move!”

“You guys go after that little robot,” Aleeria said.“I have to see about that piece of crystal shard—thewitch-lady’s trail still rises from that cauldron!”

--------

Tinspar shuffled cautiously around the charredarea where the witches brew had spilled. He proddedthe ground with the iron-bladed pole, searching for thecrystal piece. The dark vapor trail continued to spiralfrom out of the iron cauldron into the darkened sky, likea snake rising out of an iron basket.

Aleeria coursed overhead, hovering a few feetnear Tinspar and the spill.

“Tinspar, you did