Hilda - The Challenge (21 page)

"Maybe I'll try to explain how to do it,
William. Tomorrow, if you feel strong enough." She then made the
mirror show the labyrinth of Gurthreyn.

William was presented a view over an enormous
area. It looked gloomy, and the bleakness of the view was so
intense that it gave him goosebumps. "Holy Bejeebus."

Hilda nodded. "It's bad."

The labyrinth of Gurthreyn lacked any colour
except grey. Grey was there in abundance, all shades looking cold
and hostile. There were hardly any plants or trees visible. The odd
petrified tree, that was all. The labyrinth itself consisted of a
gigantic walled space with a mindboggling amount of passageways.
The walls along those were as high as the wall around the entire
area.

"That is... scary," said William. "It would
take almost a year of study to remember how these corridors are
laid out."

"And you'd be wasting your time," Hilda told
him. "It is not just big. It was constructed by a magician. The
corridors are alive. They open and close passages as they
like."

"Oh..." That was not the kind of labyrinth
William was used to. "But..." He frowned and leaned forward to
study the image in the mirror more closely. "If you were to
levitate a bit so you can look over the walls..."

"Do you really think that a magician would
forget about something like that, William?", she destroyed his
hope. "That labyrinth is sealed tightly once the contestants of the
challenge enter it. There is only one way to get out of it."

"By finding the exit," William
understood.

"No. By winning." Hilda looked at him. "Only
the winner comes out of it."

William was silent for a while. This had the
makings of something lethal. "But what about the losers? How do
they get out?"

Hilda shook her head. "They don't."

William started to grasp why she was so
scared of the labyrinth. "That is..." He could not find a word for
it.

"Yes. It is. You see what I mean." Hilda
returned the mirror to its reflective state. "But it is good that
you know what I am facing there."

The salesman looked at her and took her hand.
"What -we- will be facing there. Okay?"

Hilda smiled ruefully. "Of course, sweet man.
What we will face there."

William understood how she felt. He was
bringing a few ideas together and stored them for later. He was
sure there were things that could be done to tackle at least the
labyrinth. Lamador, of course. was a problem of a different
magicianitude.

The fresh wand-owner hugged the witch. "No
need to worry before the time to do so comes, Hilda. Believe me, I
have learnt that an attitude like that works best." He then got up.
"I am getting us wine."

"You should let me do that, William," Hilda
said as she got up also. "Remember what you've been through
today."

"As if I could forget..." He pulled a face.
The memory was still building as he knew he was still adjusting to
the bonding. "I'll strike you a deal. I get the wine, and you help
me."

"Plan," Hilda nodded. She took the arm he
offered her and together they headed for the kitchen, ready to
battle it for the wine.

After a successful expedition they found
themselves on the couch again.

"Sweet little witch?", William asked.

"Hmm?", the sweet little witch said from
behind her glass.

"Did it really never happen that a normal
person became magical?" The thought did not leave him.

"I can't say never with absolute certainty,
William. If it happened, then I have never heard of it."

"I see..."

"William?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, I have to say. Not like I could
run a marathon, but then I've never been able to do that. I do feel
really fine." He looked at her face.

"Oh. Good. Do you think you feel well enough
for..." Her eyes sparkled.

He grinned. "There is only one way to find
out, isn't there?"

William woke up, a bit confused. It was still
dark. He felt Hilda lying against him, her breathing peaceful, her
hair over his chest. Somehow she had managed to wrap both her legs
around one of his. But that was not what had woken him up, he was
certain of it. In the dark he held up a hand and twitched his
finger. He felt the wand appear. At least that was still 'working',
he thought.

"I could do with a little bit of light," he
mumbled to himself.

A few seconds later a faint orange light came
from the wand. It appeared so gently that William at first didn't
even notice the light coming on. Then his heart skipped a beat as
he stared at the tip of the wand where the light came from.

"Holy Bejeebus," he whispered, "put that
out!"

Two seconds later the wand darkened
again.

Hilda moved, throwing an arm over him,
muttering something in her sleep. After almost an entire minute her
restlessness settled down and she slept calmly again.

William made the wand disappear and
remembered what Hilda had said about the connection she now had to
him. He understood that she somehow had reacted to the magic that
had happened. better not to play with that again while she was
asleep. Better, he corrected himself, not to play with that again
period!

In the darkness he stared at the invisible
ceiling for quite a while before sleep took him into its arms
again...

Hilda opened her eyes. William lay very close
to her, holding her against him, his face buried in her hair. She
let the feeling of being close to him and the safety that it
implied wash through her for a while.

"Sweet man," she whispered, "what more
surprises are you holding inside?" She was still amazed and also a
bit scared of his ability to manipulate the wand. Maybe she should
ask around a bit about that. Other witches might know of ordinaries
that shared similar traits after being bound to a wand.

But then, she considered, that might trigger
unwanted questions. She banished the thoughts from her head and
snuggled close to William, looking at his face through the veil
that her hair created in front of her eyes.

After a while she sensed inside her magical
core that he was waking up and smiled at the feeling. It felt good,
she had already decided. It provided her with a certainty she had
never possessed before.

As William slowly opened his eyes, he saw
Hilda's happy face. He slowly and gently brushed her hair aside.
"Good morning, beautiful," he said, touching her nose with a
finger.

"Good morning, also beautiful," she said, the
thrill of his tender touch coursing through her very blood. "Do you
feel good?"

"I feel better than good," he said, and
kissed her. "And you?"

"My feeling just got better." She worked
herself up on an elbow and looked down at the man that lay next to
her. "I was just wondering what more secrets are bottled up inside
you."

"Oh... I discovered one this night." William
felt a bit of a fool. "I made the wand lighten up."

"You what?"

"I did... look..." The red and white
appeared. "And then I said that I could do with a little light."
Two pairs of eyes were fixed on the wand that remained as it was.
"That's odd. Last night it worked."

"Well, last night you talked to the wand, now
you talk to me. I don't have the habit to light up when you talk to
me," Hilda explained.

"Are you sure?", William grinned. "Of course
it depends on what I say, but..."

"No, no, don't try to change the subject,"
Hilda pointed at the wand. "Talk to it."

William looked at the wand. "I want
light."

"Don't command it. It is a sentient... wand,
not a piece of wood," Hilda said. "Watch." She whipped up her wand.
"Some light." A few seconds later, the wand shone a light. "That's
enough," she said, and the light went away again. "You have to feel
along with the wand as you talk to it. Part happens in your words,
part happens in the magical area of your body."

"Uhm. Right. Perhaps it is best if we go over
this again after breakfast?", William asked.

Hilda kissed his cheek. "Why don't you try
again. Just once. With your heart."

The kiss convinced him. "Okay." He looked at
the wand. Felt it in his hand. Reached out to it and the connection
that was there between them. "I need some light."

Seconds crept by as the witch and the
beginner waited. A soft orange light came from the tip of the wand.
Hilda shrieked.

"I still don't believe this, William," Hilda
said as they were at the table downstairs. "You are doing magical
things. You make your wand light up! Show me again!" She was amazed
and excited beyond belief. in particular her own belief.

William grinned. He had shown his trick five
times already and was tickled that the witch was so wild about it.
"Some light," he whispered, his wand in hand, and the tip came to
life again.

Hilda giggled, her face full of amazement as
normally only a small child's could be. "This is amazing. William,
before you know it you will be flying yourself. I am almost certain
of that."

William extinguished the light and made his
wand pop away. "I am not so sure, sweetheart, but it makes me happy
that you seem to think so positive about it. I may be able to do
this, but I am an ordinary, right?"

Hilda looked at him, very serious now. "I
thought so. Really. But I am not so sure anymore. Give me your
hand..."

He did as she asked.

Hilda looked at him. "Try to focus on your
magic. Or better, focus on your wand and what you share with it.
That is something you know."

To make it easier for himself, William popped
the wand in his free hand and let his mind flow out to it, the way
he had noticed worked best.

Hilda used the feeling spot she had to get
through to William. If there was a way to reach what he held
inside, this connection would be the best means to do that. But it
did not tell her anything. It confused her to no end. There was
this man, who had all the makings of an ordinary, and he worked
magic. Not much, but it was magic, and that was definitely weird.
And frightening, since he had shown this since only one day and he
was already controlling it.

She let him have his hand back. "Shiny. And
scary."

William let her words sink in. And had to
agree.

"We'll go make the rounds together again
today, yes? Do you feel up to that?"

William watched her face, trying to discern
any worries or uncertainties. Then he said: "I am up to that. You
are there too, right? Nothing can happen."

"I hope so," Hilda nodded.

They changed into their 'public appearance'
attire. Hilda wore her red and black, William put on the blue and
silver, and the black cloak.

As they walked out with their brooms, Hilda
warned William again not to play or try something unannounced. "I
have to know what goes on as I am controlling the flight. If you
discover you can do something with your magic, you should not use
it, just mention it."

"Trust me. We are going to be up there. I am
not going to risks necks with nothing but clear fresh air between
us and the ground."

"Good boy," Hilda grinned, "that is what I
wanted to hear. Now let's see what happens if you get on the broom
and just kick off."

It was obvious that nothing happened very
rapidly. "I think I am doing something wrong," William grinned
after hopping about a few times.

"Yes. I would say so," Hilda snickered. "Hold
on. We're going for real now." But instead of hurling them into the
air like she used to, she explained in detail what she did, so
William had an idea what she was going through to make them lift
off. He listened carefully and nothing more than that. The brooms
hovered for a few moments and then lifted off and Hilda pointed
them to the castle.

"Try to feel inside you," Hilda said. She
kept the speed moderate, so they could talk. Even as she was scared
of William's rapid change, she was also eager to see what would
happen. As long as he let her control things, they would be safe.
"Sense the connection, if you can, that goes to the wand and to
me."

William did just that, but he could not
locate anything that had a sign 'Hilda' hanging from it. Just the
wand's presence was indelible. It was there to stay, growing
clearer and stronger every hour. He slipped both hands around the
broomstick. "Come on, broom, if you have anything to tell me, now
would be a good time," he said, slowly.

Hilda looked at him, understanding what he
was trying to do. As she was feeding magic into the broom, perhaps
he could pick it up through the broom, as that was something he
could see and touch. He was from a mostly physical way of life,
after all.

William tried to empty his mind. He only
wanted to feel the wind, the broom, the power that went through it.
The power of the pretty witch with the big mouth and the beautiful
eyes.

"I do not have a big mouth," Hilda said.

William almost froze on his broom. "What was
it you just said?" He kept his eyes on the broomstick.

"I like what you said about me being pretty
and my eyes being beautiful. But I really resent the remark about
my mouth."

"Hilda... I did not -say- anything. It were
thoughts."

The brooms slowed down to a crawl. "What?
Thoughts? I picked those up as if you were talking directly in my
ear, William. How did you do that?"

"I wish I knew. I tried to empty my mind and
let my senses take over."

"Okay. Stop. This is weird," said the witch.
"You were focussing, I could see that. But then you were talking to
me. I just want you to do that again."

"I'll try. But it would be nice if we get
back to speed again, I think that helped me."

Hilda grinned. "My pleasure." She pushed the
brooms upto speed again. "But still, I don't have a big mouth."