Hilda - The Challenge

surprises would be waiting for him.

  "You're kidding me, aren't you?", the guard asked.

  "No. We want to see the king, and if you don't find a way to announce us, we'll handle that ourselves. Suck an elf, the guards here aren't only out of shape, they also appear to be severely retarded." She pushed her way past the man with the partly iron outfit.

  William bit away a snort and followed Hilda without a word, leaving behind the guard who was trying to grasp what had just happened.

  Hilda had been to the castle many a time. She did not head for the main entrance of the large building, where another couple of tin men were standing, watching the two ominous figures approach. The witch turned into a small path that led along the side of the immense building and then put her broom against the wall. "You can leave it here, it will be safe."

  William saw her push open a small door, something that more appeared to be a servant's entrance than a door fit for a person of standing. It was however without a doubt that Hilda was flexible when it came to things like this.

  The door led them into a tiny room from where a door gave them passage into the castle.

  "Just follow me and look like you know what you're doing. Or put the hood over your head," said the witch.

  "And you?", he asked as he pulled at the hood.

  She grinned. "I know what I'm doing."

  They entered the castle, which was yet another new experience for William. The long hall with its polished marble on the floor and large and mostly ugly paintings on the wall; servants walking around minding their own business.

  William stopped and gazed at an extraordinarily hideous painting that showed nothing but black streaks and grey blots. Hilda joined him. "Fucking ugly, isn't it? Is made by one of the Repressionists. I really don't know why they waste paint on stuff like that. Come."

  They walked down the seemingly endless hall, to end up in another one. There was a staircase at the end of that one, which they ascended. William followed the witch to a set of double doors of insane height. She pushed them open and walked into an empty room.

  "Crap. He moved again. I hate it when he does that." Before William could even think a question, she turned to him. "Shush you. I still know what I am doing."

  "What are you doing here?" The voice belonged to a servant in a red coat, white trousers and a round face.

  "We are looking for the king." Hilda looked him up and down. "And you are going to take us to him."

  "Am I?" The servant obviously had different plans, but as he saw the wand appear in Hilda's hand, his priorities got reshuffled. "Of course I am. Please, if you will follow me, honourable witch..."

  The man in red and white led them down the stairs, back through the corridor they had come down from and then knocked on a door. "Ehm, sire, are you in there by chance?" With a stupid grin he looked at Hilda and the hooded man in the black cloak. "He sometimes isn't in there."

  "And I'm not now either," the voice of king Walt echoed through the hall as he came walking up to them. "Grimhilda, dear witch, welcome to the castle. And William the wizard, you too are most welcome here!"

  After this welcome Walt waved the helpful servant to follow him and then ushered the magical visitors into a cathedral-like space that he called the sitting room. The servant received the ungrateful order to quickly get some glasses of wine from the cabinet in the far wall.

  The three sat down in sumptuous chairs made from mahogany, on cushions made of white silk. The woodwork was craftfully carved, showing magnificent shapes of either exotic or fantasy-creatures. William hoped the latter.

  Then Walt asked to what he owed the visit of two such distinguished visitors.

  Hilda looked at William, allowing him to take the lead.

  William explained that he was interested in the labyrinth of Gurthreyn. "I have heard things about it," he told the king, "and I hope there are some things in writing about it in your library. In which case I also hope you will allow me to see them."

  Walt nodded. "Gurthreyn. Yes. I've heard of it. Nasty place, nasty place. Not too many people are fond of places like that."

  The servant arrived and brought the wine. He was only slighty out of breath; he seemed to be in good shape. No wine had spilled from the glasses either. After serving the king and the guests he retreated back to the corridor.

  The witch and the semi-wizard toasted to the king and sampled the wine. Hilda made sure she would be able to fly back on her own powers, of course. William noticed it and winked at her. The wine was, as Hilda had already said, fabulous.

  "Well now," Walt said. "The library. Of course, a wizard of fame like yourself, who knows an outstanding witch like Grimhilda, is welcome to peruse the royal library as long as you want. I am sorry that I cannot offer you a librarian. Some mishap regarding the queen that caused him to leave my services. But if that is not a bother then I will call a servant to show you the books."

  "That would be no problem at all, sire," said William.

  "Good, good." Walt clapped his puffy hands and the servant appeared again.

  "Sire?"

  "Show these good people to the library, will you? And do give them a few bottles of wine. It must be dusty down there."

  "Very well, my king." The servant made a bow and waited.

  The 'good people' got up, glasses in hand, and thanked the king for his hospitality and cooperation. Then they followed the servant to the basement where the library was located.

  William was like a kid in a toy store. The number of ancient books, scrolls and manuscripts was enough to fill Hilda's house twice.

  "I will bring you some wine," the servant promised, and disappeared quickly.

  "He must have a problem with books," was Hilda's sharp observation. "So, sweet man, where do you want to start? Plenty of books, but without a librarian this is a little on the plentiful side, isn't it?"

  William savoured a sip of wine and then stole a kiss from Hilda, as they were alone in the library anyway. "Let's find out if the librarian understood his trade," he then said.

  "If there is a system in this," William groaned after several hours, "I don't even want to know how it's set up. The man's brain must have had much less consistency than that of an orangutan."

  On the table in front of him lay two scrolls, ancient things, that mentioned the labyrinth of Gurthreyn. Hilda had walked around the library lots of times and she was reaching the stage of terminally bored. William knew that it was time to hurry. "I wish I could take these with me," he sighed. "The writing is difficult to read."

  "Then take them. Walt won't miss them."

  "I can't. That's stealing."

  "We'll bring 'm back later, does that sound good? And otherwise you copy them." Hilda whisked her wand over the table and there were four scrolls. "See, simple. You really have to a lot learn, William. Now I really hope we can go home soon, I'm getting fed up here."

  William grinned. "You are good, lady. You are really good."

  "I know," she grinned. "Can you take those and the bottles, or do I have to shrink them?"

  "Hmmm..." William looked at the two scrolls and the four bottles. The servant had been overzealous. "Let me try something..." His wand appeared and a gleam came to his eyes.

  Hilda giggled.

  He magicked two large pockets in his cloak and made the bottles disappear in them. A simple magical field kept them from banging into each other. He then stuck the scrolls next to the bottles. "I think this will work."

  Hilda considered him. "Nice. It lacks elegance, but it gets the job done. Cool puppies, now let's go."

  They found their way out of the library and the castle. They exited at a different place than where they had come in, which confused even Hilda for a moment. Then she mumbled something in Latin and soon their brooms came dropping from above.

  "Being king is probably good, but being a witch is really better," she grinned as they mounted. "Ready to go?" She did not wait for an answer, but kicked off and lifted to the heavens
, William close behind her.

  As they were heading home, William pulled his broom next to Hilda's. "Thank you, Hilda, for getting me there in that library, and sitting it out."

  "Oh, yeah, you know, I know that you mean well even if you do strange things and say funny things. I help you, you help me, and that way it gets easier for both of us, right?"

  "All too true. We're going to make this work." William felt good about the situation.

  "Yes, and you're making dinner and I am going to drink another glass of wine."

  William laughed and this time did not lose control of the broom. He was definitely improving.

 

  Days came and went. The couple was flying the rounds mostly together. Despite their efforts, there was no trace of Fidelma, which was not surprising to either of them. Hilda was a bit more in touch with her witchy colleagues and friends, while William took time off each day to read the Gurthreyn scrolls. He made notes, compared the information on the two scrolls (which was often contradicting) and after little over a week he had worked all through them.

  On the magical side he was not nearly as fast to progress. Hilda occasionally despaired as again he was not able to do some of the most simple and basic things. "Protection, William, protection! When will you understand that, when will you be able to protect yourself?"

  His mind however had been more occupied with Gurthreyn than protection. It was imperative though, that he get that bit under his belt also, so now he used as much time to work on that as he had done working on the scrolls.

  Hilda was talking to