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

shuffled his feet and clenched at theblanket that was still wrapped about him. “It looksimpossible to wander through there, Will. I mean—isthere not any other way to the orphanage?”

Shaking his head, Will moved back to the raft.“No, no, my boy—not if we mean to go unseen. Also, Ifear our time may be short: who knows how long thoseorphans may have, or if they even still remain!” Heglanced up to the gray, shadowy sky. “We best get thetarp up before it rains.”

Sonny looked up and shivered. He moved toretrieve the tarp. “So leaving those orphans behind—that must have been real tough on you…”

Will’s eyes fell to the boy with great sadness ashe stepped back onto the raft. “It broke my heart toleave—but like I said before, I was only going to makethings worse by staying. With my “metallic magic,” asshe had called it, and as it was known, I was now herenemy! I didn’t want to risk any harm to the children;so I made back for the Anvil land, far from her spellbinding glare. There I could at least try to plan someway of freeing the orphans. But of course we all knowthat the horrible wrath of that storm was her doing, andI never reached the old land.”

Sonny flung the tarp up high, shaking debrisfrom it. “And what exactly is it she’s hoping for? Whatdoes she want?” he asked curiously.

Will’s eyes narrowed in on Sonny’s. “For hermeans of magic to rule the land! And quite possibly,allow it to affect all other lands like our former one.Truthfully, she may be looking to take it all: theorchards, the lands—the entire realm itself!”

Sonny shook his head sorrowfully. “And thepoor, unwanted children, too…”

“You got it, my lad,” Will nodded in agreement.“Them, too.”

*******

Later, as Will skillfully mended the damage to therobot, a static-charge filled the air, bringing thunderousclouds into play that descended upon the root-trees andthe raft. Sonny, who was rough-housing around withRanger by the water’s edge, startled at the boomingthunder and almost lost his balance standing on theedge of the giant root.

“Whoa! Almost lost it there!” Sonny said with afright. He looked over to Will who was untanglingsome wires dangling from the bottom of the robot. “Sowhat makes you sure the passage to the orphanage isthrough that big ol’ mess?” he said, waving a sticktowards the trees.

Will carefully placed the wires back into therobot. Wiping his hands on a rag as he stood up, hestretched and looked over to the deadwoods.

“When I fled the Land of Shadows, I had traveledfar above this place, moving steadily along the top ofthese hillside canyon walls.” He craned his neck back,looking high up at the canyon ridges. “I could see allthe way down from there; all the miles of this greattree-anarchy, and I knew there had to be some kind of aroute through here.”

He glanced back to Sonny. “Judging by thedarker shade of this root you’re standing upon, itseemed proper that what I was looking at must’ve beeneither a river or an ancient stone path making such animpression amongst this chaos,” he said, waving hisarms towards the tree wall.

“Wow! I can’t believe it!” Sonny exclaimed withawe. “And so here you are—returning just like youthought you might!”

“Indeed! I kept this place in mind, should I bepromised a return.”

Suddenly, as Will was flipping a few switchesover on the robot’s dome-top, a brilliant flash oflightning shattered the darkness, followed instantly by ablast of thunder which released a heavy downpour.Sonny and Ranger leapt onto the raft as Will scrambledto his feet.

“No, no! We have to leave the raft, quickly!”Will hollered above the crashing bang and boom of thestorm. “Gather your things—go!”

Frantically they gathered what they could andmade a fast-dash across the root towards the darkopening in the trees. Ranger kept close on Sonny’sheels. The robot, now functional to operate, hovered tothe front of the three, its red-eye lights illuminating thenarrow entrance around the trees.

Pummeling into the dense and twisted deadwood,the three eventually stumbled to a halt behind the robot.It had stopped abruptly while hovering a few feet fromthe ground, swiveling its upper body about as itscanned the darkness with its high-beams of eye-lights.

Save for the giant root they stood on, the area allaround them was a chaotic orchestra of ancient limbs,branches, and blackened moss-covered roots. Only atiny amount of light filtered through to the bottom. Thesound of the storm had been greatly muffled, and thethick branches overhead had given them a fair amountof cover from the rain and lightning.

So, Will pondered, seeing as how we may havesafe passage from any outside dangers—it doesn’tnecessarily mean we are going to be walking throughany safe haven, either…

“Well, nothing like a jump start to get the bloodflowing and the senses sparking!” Will said, shaking hisclothes and swiping his hands through his matted, wethair.

Sonny did the same, while Ranger shook himselfdry—water sprayed all of them from his wet fur. Theylooked at the dog with a funny glare, and then at eachother and broke out in laughter. Ranger drooped his bigeyes at them, whimpered, and then sprinted over toSonny’s side.

“Okay—this root we now stand on will be ourway through these deadwoods to the other side,” Willsaid flatly. “From there, we will travel the Icy Shadowed Valley. And after that, with the good grace of theSpirits, we should then be able to see the orchards.”

“What’s that foul smell?” Sonny asked as hepinched his nose and creased his brow.

“I smell it, too. Probably for the best we don’tknow. But ancient as this place is, it could be just aboutanything!”

Will stepped carefully over to the robot-droid andchecked its status. As the robot continued to scan thearea with its eye-lights, it would beep and whistle toitself.

“I fear we may not be completely alone here,”Will remarked, feeling his skin crawl with an eeriechill.

“What do you mean—not alone?” Sonny askedskeptically, darting his eyes back and forth through thedense and tangled eye-sore of branches and roots. “Oilslicks you think? Again?”

“No, no, my lad…those things seem to thrivearound water. But I