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

With everyone safely on the raft, Aleeria thencast her magic into the iron lantern. The lantern’s flamebegan to burn with intense heat, and soon they werefloating up the massive wall of the glacier.

As they cleared the glacier’s frozen surface, theybegan drifting south towards the Land of Iron andAnvil. It was now time for one last stand with thewitch-lady. They had to defeat her…or die trying.

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One week had passed since the party had left thewretched, iron woodlands of the undead. They hadbeen sailing through mostly temperate skies in theirmakeshift raft-balloon, occasionally encountering a fewhorrid thunderstorms. They had used up all of theirfood rations, and their water supply was beginning todwindle.

While sailing through the skies of the realm, theparty had remained content with resting and waiting fortheir descent into the Land of Iron and Anvil. Tinspartended to his new metal leg, and at times he’d examinethe meteorite—amazed by its reddish glow that stillremained after so many years. Will stayed close toAnvil, rewiring some of the robot’s inner circuits, whileTabitha and Aleeria discussed sorcery lessons yet to belearned. The boys stayed awake, for the most part; theywere overwhelmed with being so far up in the skies,floating over the realm with its dark and mysteriouslandscapes.

On one occasion, as the balloon drifted alongthrough some awfully cold skies, Tabitha had decidedto ask Aleeria why it was she had never left the realm.

“I mean, after all those years of wandering aboutthe valley of gloom, lonely and all,” Tabitha had said,“didn’t you ever want to finally leave this realm?”

Aleeria had giggled. “I wondered when you’dever ask that question! Sounds to me like you’re alsoreferring to those mad ghosts that wander aimlesslythroughout the cemetery hills—the same ones that youand Tinspar had come across years ago…”

“Yes…I guess like them,” Tabitha had replied.“Simple. It’s never really one’s choice, Tabitha.Sometimes it’s important to stick around and just waitfor some greater power, such as the realm spirits, tomake that decision. One never knows when they willbe needed to help another—as is the case with someonelike me, helping out someone like you!”

Tabitha had pondered this for a moment. “I see!And those cemetery ghosts that Tinspar and I cameacross on our last journey—they probably wouldn’thave known, either way…they were just plain loony!”

“Well, they still await their own departure fromthis realm, too,” Aleeria had said, offering her a warmsmile.

At another point in their journey, when the rainhad been coming down hard, they had gathered togetherunder a new, makeshift tarp; they wanted to discusswhat they would do once they were within reach of thewitch-lady’s monster. Anvil had remained outside ofthe tarp, keeping alert for any unforeseen dangers fromwithin the skies.

Aleeria had pitched her idea of how the meteoritewould be a sure-fire way to rid the witch-lady from therealm. However, she had stated that Anvil would haveto be used to deliver the glowing rock to the heart of themonstrous pumpkin.

“What do you think will happen, then?” Haleyhad asked.

“If my calculations serve me well, the meteoriteshould destroy the very fabric of the witch herself!”Will had assumed.

“That is correct, Will!” the sorceress had saidreassuringly. “But it’ll need some kind of a trigger, soto speak; some way to ignite the magic of the realmspirits within it.”

“So what is it you suggest we use?” Tinspar hadgroaned beneath his iron headgear, looking at thesorceress.

“That iron-bladed pole you always carry on yourback, Tinspar,” she had said. “With it attached to thetop of Anvil, and the robot inside of her pumpkin form,the iron pole should attract the lighting from the realm’sskies. The realm spirits should then be alerted to themeteorite!”

“Yes!” Tabitha had said, seeing her point. “Sincethat same meteorite is what the realm spirits had onceused long ago, they’ll be familiar to it! And through thelightning, they’ll feel its presence—”

“—and know of its purpose,” Aleeria had said,finishing Tabitha’s thoughts. “To burn the soul of thewitch from existence!”

They had all agreed upon the plan, having hopedthat there would be plenty of heavy rain clouds over theland once they arrived.

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Now they were drifting through the dark fog ofthe skies, hoping and praying that peace would soonfall upon the realm.

“I do have to say one thing, however, “ Will saidsadly, looking over to Anvil. “This will mean thatAnvil is at risk of being forever lost…maybe this timefor good.”

Aleeria glided up to him. “Listen, Will, it’s apossibility. But I know that it won’t be in vain. Andbesides, there’s always hope that he’ll make it out alive,too!”

Will lifted an eyebrow, looking to her. “You’reright, it won’t be in vain…”

She smiled. “And if those realm spirits comethrough, and this meteorite proves just the thing weneed to rid the witch for good,” she said, looking overto Anvil, “then that little robot’s sacrifice will make itall worthwhile! That meteorite is destined to destroyevil, not the good within others. So Anvil’s little spiritwill forever exist—one way or another.”

“Thanks, Aleeria,” Will sighed, blinking away afew tears. “You’re a good friend.”

He grabbed a hold of one of the balloon’s spiderlines, lifting himself up. With a stern look upon hisface, he eyed everyone intently. “Okay—let’s finishthis task that we started so long ago!”

Aleeria shot over to the side of the raft, spottinglarge masses of dark clouds approaching.

“Stay on your guard, and keep your breathinggear on!” she voiced firmly. “We are finally closing intowards our goal—the Land of Iron and Anvil isnearing!”

As the balloon began to enter into the stormierweather, electrically-charged air pockets suddenly hitthem, causing the raft to sway about. It was bumpingon the static waves and everybody had to grip the raftboards and spider lines with white-knuckled fear. Thedark spell, gas clouds that had been spewing forth fromthe witch were closing in.

“I can see the tops of the volcanoes!” Haleyyelled, his voice echoing within his iron headgear.“And I think I can see the witch monster!”

They all turned towards the mountain tops thatwere peeking out from above the dark clouds. Stillperched atop the largest volcano was the monstrouspumpkin that the witch-lady had become!

Tinspar quickly reached for the