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

an amazing thing!” she voiceddown to him.“I am so proud of you!”

Tinspar turned one of his big bug-like eyes up toher, keeping the other eye focused on the ground wherehe was searching.

“Why, thank you, mistress! It was a great rush, tosay the least!”

She eyed the dark trail streaming eerily out of thecauldron.

“However, I think you’ll do better by looking forthat piece of crystal from the bottom of that cauldron.”

Tinspar focused both of his eyes towards thecauldron.

“Oh my!” he said, slapping the forefront of theiron-plated headgear he still wore. “Why did I notthink to look there, first!”

He moved over to the cauldron, avoiding thewisp-like trail, and bent down to look inside.

“Well…you can see it, right?” Aleeria asked,floating over.

“Yep!” Tinspar bellowed, dragging it out fromthe bottom of the cauldron using the bladed end of thepole.

He moved it towards the dying embers of the firepit. It was simmering with a dark, purplish glow.

“So, this is the piece of crystal shard that’sconnected to the witch-lady, all the way back in theLand of Iron and Anvil?”

“Yes, I am afraid so,” Aleeria said bitterly.“However, seeing that there is now no one around tocontrol her soul, any longer—”

“—she’s like a bat without wings!” Tinspar said,finishing her thoughts. “Her soul will still be making amess of things!”

Aleeria nodded grimly. “Only it will no longerbe directed by any others, such as those dooming anddark witches…”

“Then let’s get this done!” Tinspar said hastily.“I’ll use that—” He darted his eyes back to the ironcauldron. “I can smash it on that!”

“Good thinking!” Aleeria waved her arms overthe cauldron, using her magic to raise it up off the ice.She then directed it so the top of it laid flat upon theground, and the still-smoldering bottom faced up.

“Now, I just need a rock or a stone to smash thecrystal piece,” Tinspar said, eyeing the ground aroundthem.

And then a thought struck him: the little ironhammer he had taken from the stone grave of the robotand the witch, a few years earlier! He rummagedthrough his cloak, finally removing the tiny hammer.He had never told Will about having had taken thehammer from the gravesite—he had only removed it forfear it would have been lost forever.

“Where did you get that?” Aleeria asked, staringat the hammer.

Tinspar startled, averting his eyes from hers.

“Wait a minute…I’ve seen that! I saw Will leaveit for Anvil on the witch’s grave; it was a few yearsafter she had been sealed in the robot’s iron body, andthen buried!”

“Uh—yes, it is,” Tinspar said shyly, returning hisgaze to her. Her arms were folded, waiting for ananswer.

“I was going to tell him!” he pleaded. “I justwanted to keep it safe from any grave robbers thatotherwise would not have known the true meaningbehind it!”

Aleeria was silent for a moment, then giggled.“Okay, you crazy fool…I can see you meant well!”

Tinspar swiped at his brow, then focused back tothe crystal. He twirled the hammer around in hisfingers.

“Anyways, it’s just a little something that shoulddo the trick!” He quickly placed the crystal piece atopthe overturned cauldron. “Good riddance to this evilcrystal!”

He swung the hammer down while keeping thecrystal in place with the bladed pole in his other hand.It shattered into sand-like particles that scattered intothe air. They fell lightly, landing onto the ice wherethey quickly dissolved.

In the same instant, the dark vapor trail snappedaway from where the crystal shard piece had been; itstreamed off into the dark sky like a balloon let looseinto the air.

“The witch-lady is now on her own, lost in herown madness,” Aleeria said. “Her puppet strings havebeen cut.”

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Racing back to lend aid to Will and the others,Tinspar suddenly tripped on a rock and tumbled downinto a large crater. Aleeria swooshed down into thecrater and saw his towering body sprawled out upon thebottom. He was on his back and staring up at her.

“Oh my! Are you okay?” she shouted. Herbluish glow offered some light to the deep and darkcrater.

“I’ve had better days,” he groaned.

“It seems to me that you’ve stumbled into one ofthe great crater’s from when the meteorite shower hadpummeled this land!”

Tinspar sat up and looked around at the icy,crystallized walls of the crater. “Wow—looks like Ihave!”

“Hold tight, I’ll use a spell to help you up!” shesaid. Closing her eyes, she began to lift him off theground with her magic.

“Whoa there!” he shouted, his green eyes focusedintently below his feet. “What, pray tell, is that?”

Aleeria opened her eyes and saw him pointingtowards the ground beneath his elevated legs. The icehad cracked underneath him when he had fallen on it.There was now a reddish glow pulsating beneath itssurface.

“The spirits have us in their favor!” she said,staring at a glowing red rock. “That is one of the oldmeteorites from the shower of doom!”

Tinspar couldn’t believe his ears. “Quickly,lower me back down!” he shouted. “I’ll start digging itup!”

She lowered him next to where the meteorite wasburied. He started scraping furiously at the ice with hisfingers.

“How can this be? It’s been so long since thesestruck this land—yet the meteorite still glows!”

“Don’t question it—just dig!” she said excitedly.“It was meant for one of the dark witches, back whenthe shower occurred. We can now see to it that itsdelivered to one other that still remains!”

Tinspar grasped the meteorite with both hands,pulling it up and out of the ground. He staggered up,holding it for them both to see—its dull, red glowreflected strangely in their eyes.

“Yes, my dear lady, you are a genius! It seems tome that it still contains the great magic of the realmspirits!”

She nodded joyfully. “Hopefully, it will prove tobe the key we’ll need to save the realm for good!”

“I do believe fate is with us, my good lady!”Tinspar said, gazing into the meteorite. “And right herein this graveland of darkness, of all places!”

“Let’s go find the others!” the sorceress said.“And then we shall deliver this into the belly of thatwitch-lady!”

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Just inside the