Hilda - The Challenge

through the crowd. The people were aware that the two men would be better off if the villagers were to punish then, but that it would be awkward for them to punish the two as they had offended the witch.

  "I thought so." Hilda turned to the two men again.

  William had kept his eye on them, and his wand also, although he was not sure what he could do if the men decided to try and make a run for it.

  The wicked witch slowly recited a spell, her wand pointing at the two men. Then she nodded, satisfied. "You'll know what people mean by 'I smell a rat'," she said. Hilda winked at William. "We're done here."

  The gathering made space for them to mount their brooms, and they took off, leaving the village behind.

  Once they were airborne and without a doubt out of hearing range, Hilda almost jumped William: "Suck an elf, William, how did you do that? How did you know that?"

  "Do you believe me when I say I don't really know?"

  "Hmmf. In your case I'll have to," she said, not happy with the reply. "That was one magnificent action, William. If you had done that in full control of magic, I would have been terribly proud of you."

  "Oh, thank you very much," he grinned.

  "Oh, shush you, I'm now just averagely proud of you, live with it." Her shrieking laughter sounded almost nice in his ears.

  William then asked Hilda what she had mean with the 'I smell a rat' phrase. "It does not make any sense to me."

  "Oh, that. Just petty stuff really. By the evening these two men will be smelling bad. And I mean really bad. Nothing like a small token of my not appreciation for what they tried to do. It is highly insulting if an ordinary tries to damage or take away the property of magical people, William, and don't forget that."

  "Uhm, I think that there somehow is that awareness inside me. Not sure where it comes from, but when I noticed what they had in mind, I reacted before I could think. As if the wand was directing me."

  "That, my sweet man, is impossible. A good wand will amplify you, but not direct you. The wand you have was Gerdundula's, and she would not let a wand direct her. What happened came from you, take my word for that."

  "Hilda. I believe you. I have not doubted you so far, and there is no reason for me to begin now." William looked at Hilda and seriously wondered about something.

  "What is it, William?" Hilda startled William slightly. She had sensed his unease through the link and reacted to it.

  "The feeling that came over me. The thing I reacted to back in the village. Is that something brought about by magic?"

  Hilda thought about the question. She had never wondered about things like that one, it had always been a part of her. "Maybe it is coming to your surface because of magic. I'm not really sure."

  As they were going over possibilities and improbabilities that way, they were approaching the new slope where the shepherds were herding their flock of sheep.

  Hilda brought the brooms to a halt. "I have to tell you my plan for them for the day. They always expect me, us now, to launch some kind of attack. They're always waiting for it, even if they soil their pants about each one. I have a different tactic for today, shake them up in a different way..."

  She shared her plan with William, who couldn't help but love it. "That is so wicked, Hilda."

  "Isn't it?" Her face radiated her being thrilled with the plan. "Give it your best, sweet man, I'll love you extra for it."

  William pulled the hood over his head, with his hand this time. Then they slowly flew over the last hill-top that separated them from the sheep and their managers.

  The sheep were all gathered near the bottom of the shallow valley. The shepherds and their dogs were having a moment to relax and drink something as they saw the two shapes slowly approach. As they did not anticipate anything happening fast, they were not in a rush to get on their feet. In fact, they knew that whatever they'd do, it would probably have minimal impact on the actions of the witch and her uncanny wizard companion.

  Hilda and William slowly and silently circled the herd. They were rather high up and moved so slowly that hardly any of the animals reacted to their presence, and the ones that did just looked up and let out an annoyed baahhhh.

  They came close to the group of people who were sitting near a small fire over which the kettle with tea hung from a rugged chain supported by an iron tripod. The men and women looked at the mysterious couple in silence. Some of the dogs jumped up and barked at the strange flying apparitions. One of them even walked along with them, looking up as if it was expecting something.

  The shepherds talked among themselves. This was not the way the witch acted. Would there be something wrong? Or perhaps it was an effect of the wizard that was with her?

  As the group was indulging in their guessing and discussing, William and Hilda completed their round along the herd of sheep. In silence they hung in the air, exactly opposite the camp of the shepherds that tried to be very inconspicuous about keeping an eye on them.

  Hilda turned to William. "Let's go make pretty colours, my sweet man."

  William grinned and felt mischief bubbling up inside him, something he had not felt for ages. He let his mind slide into a mood, envisioned something happen.

  Hilda watched William's face and was delighted to see his grin slowly change into a wicked smile. "Oh, yes, that is the attitude," she whispered. Coloured smoke appeared behind their brooms, and she made them move over the herd of sheep.

  In a slow slalom they passed over the sheep, William creating the coloured smoke and Hilda directing their course. The shepherds were now conspicuously watching the two, eyeing the smoke that spread out over the herd and not knowing what to make of that. Their surprise would come later.

  After flying over the herd just once, the two brooms pulled up, the smoke stopped coming from the ends, and then the witch and the wizard left the valley.

  The shepherds walked into the herd. To their shock they found that the smoke had not only been smoke. They had many sheep now with purple and yellow wool.

  Hilda shrieked with laughter as they sped over the trees on the way back to the house. "Are you sure that the colour will go away again in a few days?"

  "Hey, I'm still in training, I'm sure of nothing," William grinned. "I did have the intent for that. Maybe we can go back in a few days and have a look."

  "Bad plan, William," the witch said. "It would make us look curious. It's better to have a look through the mirror and see if it worked."

  "Oh, right, the mirr-aaaahh!!!" William had not intended to end his words like that, but his broom swept sharply to the side, shocking him. In a reflex he grabbed the broomstick with both hands and stabilised its flight path by pouring thoughts and directions into it. "Goddammit! What was that?!", he swore as he brought his broom back, next to Hilda's.

  "That, sweet man, was your beloved little witch. And I have to hand it to you that you picked up this little witch-inflicted mishap quite nicely." Hilda grinned and blew him a kiss.

  The man in the black cloak needed a few moments to get the deeper meaning of her words. "You threw my broom off course?"

  "Uhuh!", Hilda nodded, happily smiling. "Was that cool or what?"

  "I almost fell down. That's a new approach to cool," William frowned.

  "But you're still flying, sweet man. Do you think I would have let you fall?"

  "No, you wouldn't. I am sure of that." William nodded.

  "Well, that's good. Come, we're going down." Hilda pulled her broom in a shallow descent, flying ahead of William and landing nice and gentle on the grass in front of the house.

  William landed right behind her. "Thank you, sweetheart."

  "Thank me? For what?"

  "For making the landing a nice one."

 

  Hilda grinned. And grinned harder, until she stood laughing, her broom bobbing next to her.

  "Did I say something funny? Or do I have cream on my nose?" William wondered what her source of entertainment was.

  Hilda caught her breath again.
Still snickering she walked over to the man and hugged him. "You really didn't notice, did you? Since I shook your broom, you were in control of your flight. You also landed the broom yourself."

  "You-... I-... What?" William had put his arms around Hilda and stared into her grinning face.

  "Yes, you I what. Exactly. And you did that so well! Come, we'll fly again and this time you will fly by yourself. You can do it, William." Hilda had her hands on his shoulders, gently shaking him. "I had to shake your magic awake, William. And I will do that again, until you accept it fully as yours."

  The witch sensed his uncertainty.

  "Magic awake? But how? I mean, I don't feel any different, Hilda."

  "You shouldn't feel different. That is the magic of it." Hilda frowned a moment, as she considered her choice of words. Then, with a wicked grin, she picked up his broom and pushed it in his hands. "Here. If you can get it up, you get to make love to me tonight." She giggled as she quickly jumped to her broom, hopped on it and scooted up into the air, way out of his reach.

  William considered the object in his hands. One side of his mind was telling him that this was idiocy, that he would not ride a broom ever by himself. The other side though, the one that had experienced the thrill of the flight and longed for more, yelled at him not to listen to the unbeliever in his head, to get on the broom and fly, fly, fly! The unbeliever lost. William got onto the broom, grabbed the stick with one hand and felt the thrill of the lift-off inside him. The broom responded by making the feeling a reality, and he was in