at her. Suddenly she held her teacup in her hands. Including the goldfish that were darting around. "Nice. So how did you do that?"
"Magic, William. Just magic the image over. We're asleep, so none of this is real-"
"I do object," said Gurthreyn, taking the opportunity to drink again.
"-so the book does not have to be the real thing. Just try it."
William frowned, but somehow it made sense to him. As there was some much already that defied explanation, he simply held up his hands and wanted his book. And so he had his book. "Holy Bejeebus. It works."
"Of course it works," Gurthreyn commented, "you are a magical person. You should be able to do this. Especially here." He had gotten up and was by now standing with William. "Would you mind?" He held up his hand, waiting for the book William was holding.
"Of course not." William put the book in the man's hand and watched what was going to happen.
Gurthreyn opened the book and paged through it. "Hmm. Yes. Ah. Really. Oh?" He went on with these loose utterings for a while. Then he closed the book and handed it back. "Very interesting. How did you get it?"
William explained how he had gotten the book, in the monastery.
Gurthreyn nodded. "Very powerful place where you got it from. The best piece of the place too, so you were lucky. It affected you all the time you had it. That is why you could help the witch."
"What? How do you know that?" Hilda looked at the magician who grinned and patted the book.
"It told me. It speaks of a witch bringing in a mystery magician after going to his world. Well, William definitely is a mystery magician, although he strikes me as a wizard, I have to say. Now, would you like to share with me why you have come over for a second time? And do not to tell me that you like it here. You can't. I have made certain of that. This is not a likeable place."
Hilda looked at the magician. "It was William's idea. We are facing a challenge here in half a Moon."
61. Message from the king
Gurthreyn frowned. "And from where have you gotten that strange idea? Do you think that scaring yourself more will make the scare go away?"
William nodded. "Indeed. That was the original idea. And from what I see now, it works. In another way than I had thought, but it works."
Gurthreyn looked at the wizard in training. "Interesting. This means there is something I will have to adjust to the labyrinth, as this is not a good development. If more people get this idea, my peace and quiet here is gone. But that is something for later. A challenge. They are still doing that silly stuff then. And someone challenged the both of you?"
Hilda, who was holding William's hand for a moment, nodded. "Well, Lamador challenged me. When he learnt that William is with me, he sent a humiliating note that William was allowed to help me in the challenge."
Gurthreyn frowned. "Why would he invite a wizard to fight him together with a witch? He sounds very convinced about himself. Lamador is known for his ideas, even here, but deliberately tipping the scales like that..."
"Oh, Lamador invited William when William was still an ordinary. He was not a wizard then. That happened later."
"Is that so?" Gurthreyn stood up from his chair, leaving his glass suspended in the air next to it. "Do stand, wizard William..."
As William was still getting up from his seat, Gurthreyn cast a bolt of energy. William responded so quickly to it that he could have handled three of those in the blink of an eye. The spell was deflected and shot towards the grey wall behind the famous magician. By the time the spell had been absorbed by the stone, Hilda's shriek still sounded.
"Holy Bejeebus."
Hilda stared at William, then at Gurthreyn. "Why did you do THAT?", she challenged the magician. "That was dangerous!"
"Not at all, Grimhilda. You are asleep and safe. I cannot harm you this way. And I would not either, as you are my guests. I just wanted to know the amount of magic this wizard already possesses and can wield. I was not aiming at hurting him."
"You surely managed to fool me!", Hilda snapped at the magician, her wand in her hand. "Nicely done, by the way, William. The training really paid off."
Gurthreyn raised an eyebrow. "Training?"
Hilda informed the magician about how Baba Yaga had set up the rather rigorous training for William to learn how to protect himself.
"That is interesting, I say. A wizard who only develops himself here and needs help with the simple things. All kinds of things are possible, evidently..."
"And then there is his idea with the scrolls too. I still feel sorry that I laughed at him because of that." Hilda sat down again, picking her wine from the air and sipping from it.
This of course prompted Gurthreyn's question and William's answer on how he had learnt to develop an idea about a person by reading about him.
"You bring along very interesting ideas, wizard William. I may have to go about and see what people have written about me and change things that I don't appreciate. If one person thought of this, there will undoubtedly be others to follow. Things like that are inevitable."
"That sounds like a daunting task, Gurthreyn," said William.
The magician shrugged. "I have time. It was very nice to talk to you. I wish you a very peaceful night, and will look out for your next visit, which will probably happen on the next new moon." He raised his glass to them and was gone.
"William..."
"Huh... yes?"
"I had a weird dream."
"Tell me about it."
"You were in it. And the magician Gurthreyn."
"And a table of food, and wine. And my book. And you behind a wall. I know."
"Crappedy crap. So it was a real dream."
"Afraid so."
Hilda pondered the happenings of the night. Or at least the ones she thought had happened. "He was good, wasn't he?"
"Yes." William knew she was talking about Gurthreyn. The man had been impressive.
"I vote that we go away." Hilda snuggled up to William. "Do I convince you?"
"Oh yes, you convince me. You have a way for that," William grinned as he hugged her close.
"Hey... I did not plan on that! But it feels nice. I could stay here for a while longer if you keep that up."
At that moment a loud thunderclap sounded over the labyrinth, making the small tent shake, as well as the ground on which it stood.
"Hmmpf," said Hilda. "I think someone is trying to tell us that we should not overstay our welcome."
"I think he is just jealous," William grinned and hugged her again, after which another thunderbolt danced over the labyrinth.
"We'd better leave, William. I like a bit of atmosphere, bit this is just overdone."
The magical couple crawled out of the tent, where Hilda did her shrinking trick while William removed the fire and the other traces that they had been camping on the labyrinth grounds. After a last check they grabbed their brooms, kicked off and flew away just a bit faster than they would normally do.
Behind them, over the labyrinth, laughter could be heard. But not by them.
They reached their original camping spot and only there they took the time to get something to eat before they flew on home. This had turned into a trip they were not easily going to forget.
"Do you think this magician was there for real? Or did we just get so scared there that we had his spirit haunt us?", William asked as they were packing up their things.
"I don't know. I have never encountered something like that before," Hilda said as she shrunk the last bits of luggage.
William picked them up and slipped them into his pocket. "It was absurd. You and me in a dream together. Talking to each other. And remembering it."
"What do you mean, absurd? Don't you dream of me and like it?" Hilda put her hands on her hips, being her own lovely self again.
William burst out laughing, then wrapped her in his arms. "Of course I do, silly witch. You are always with me." Through the bond he sent a flow of love. "But the way this thing happened, last nigh
t. That was... quite different."
Hilda let him hold her, smelling the scent of him. She nodded. "Yes. It was."
After standing like that for a while, they decided it was a good moment to leave, and head for home. The flight home was uneventful and went smoothly.
"Do you think we should make a bit of a round when we get back?", Hilda asked William. "Awful lot of flying, but still..."
"Yes, it would be good. We have to make sure they remember us, don't we?"
Hilda nodded. "Good. We'll head out again then, after dropping off the luggage and cleaning ourselves up a bit."
Soon after that little talk, the house came into sight. Nothing had changed during their absence. Hilda removed the chains, William collected the mail-arrows and they headed inside. Hilda took first turn in the bathtub as William fixed a quick meal. After eating, William took over the bath for a while. Hilda sat with him, going through the messages.
"Bullshit, bullshit, not interesting, bullshit, oh!"
"Oh?", William asked from among the bubbles.
"Very oh even," Hilda confirmed. "Message from Walt. Seems there is a strange thing going on in his palace and could we please come and check it out. Sounds like a plan for the afternoon."
"After, or instead of the rounds?"
"Instead of," Hilda said, "this is the real work. That comes first. So hurry, we have work to do!" Laughing, she walked out the door.
William noticed that her protective powers were amazing, the spunge he flung at her bounced back and hit him in the face.
As he came down, refreshed and redressed, Hilda had their brooms already waiting. "Come on, hop hop, it's off to Walt we go." They mounted and