Hilda - The Challenge
Page 43
"Still I feel dirty, William."
They landed their brooms. Many people had gathered near their tent already, and voices were buzzing all over the place. An applause rose over the terrain as the two set foot on the ground again and propped their brooms up against the tent.
Nultos also landed her broom. "Following the rules of the challenge, we will have to wait for Bregan to join us, so we can officially reach the end of the challenge."
All talking stopped and people started murmuring among each other.
"I hope Bregan hurries. Lamador's dead. Not much to do there, I think." Hilda sat down on one of the chairs that had been brought for them. William sat down next to her.
A servant from Lamador's court, one had to call it that, came to bring them glasses of water and wine. As they were drinking the water down, suddenly a loud voice rang over the grounds around the labyrinth.
"BEWARE!"
Hilda and William jumped to their feet, looking at each other. It was the voice of Gurthreyn! Why would he warn them?
The crowd that had gathered around the tent built up a slight panic and started dispersing, looking around for what there would be to beware of. It came from above.
A large rectangle of metal, containing sharp spikes, was plummeting downwards, to the spot where the magical couple was standing. Beams of fire and ice, burning needles and poisoned metal streamed downwards from it. An eerie shouting accompanied the attack. Hilda and William jumped each to a side, avoiding the fierce flow of nastiness that came down on them.
The tent was ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds. The same thing happened to several unfortunate bystanders.
Hilda was on her broom and in the air a flash later, William was on his broom seconds later. The rectangle, still vomitting its stream of death, slowly turned to where Hilda was flying. She was however much faster than whoever it was that controlled the immense metal slab. "Bregan??", she cried out when she saw the judge of the challenge controlling the metal board from his broom.
That, she knew, was impossible. Bregan was not the kind of mage who could or would do such a thing.
William had also circled around the board and spotted Bregan. "Bregan! Stop that!", he yelled. All that did was that the board was now changing its course to point at William. The stream of fire, ice and poison tore at the ground as the slab moved. Luckily there were no more people there to get hurt, everyone on the ground was running towards what they considered safety.
Nultos and a few other magical people had gotten onto their brooms also and were approaching the man who controlled the board and its firepower. Wands drawn and pointing, there were at least six others coming up.
Hilda and William also had their wands in hand. William made his broom roll and tumbled out of reach of the deadly beams just in time.
"Why did you wait that long, stupid idiot!", Hilda screamed as she saw her wizard spin around and come back up.
Nultos screamed something, and the power of four wands hit the board, while two attempted to take out Bregan, who kept holding on and seemed to work like a maniac to turn the board that was slowly falling apart.
"You will pay for this!", the man behind the metal board screamed. It was not Bregan's voice. It was Lamador's.
Hilda joined forces with Nultos and fired all she had left at Bregan who now seemed to be Lamador. Nobody knew where the man took the magic from, but the bolts that were aimed at him all seemed to bounce off him.
Suddenly William's voice, amplified by magic, boomed through the air. "Hold your fire!"
All the magical people that were charging at Bregan stared at the man in blue who was coming up from below. He was at a direct course towards Bregan. And there was no wand in his hand!
"William! No!" Hilda screamed, but he did not seem to hear it.
Nultos and all others also saw that William was not going to slow down, so they stopped whatever it was they were throwing at Bregan and the huge metal contraption. The contraption that now was slowly turning towards the blue-clad wizard that was shooting up like a missile.
Mere seconds later, William hit the magical protective shell that was around the madman on the broom. He crashed into it with his own magic on full blast, his protection shaped as the head of an axe that slammed in and through the magic of Bregan/Lamador. He knew he would have only one chance for this Kamikaze act.
His broom shuddered as the force fields clashed and then Bregan's broke. William's speed made him bang into the man, breaking the broom. Bregan stared at him. William saw Lamador's madness pouring from his eyes, and then the mage was tumbling down to earth, followed by the metal board that now no longer was powered.
Nultos and someone else raced after Bregan's tossing body, attempting to catch and save him.
Hilda made her broom shoot to where William hung in the air. The wizard was hurting badly, as the pieces of Bregan's broom had hit him in the ribs, as had the man's body. "William..." Moving her broom close to his, she touched his hand.
He looked at her and smiled. "Did I get him?"
Hilda nodded. "Yes."
"Lamador was inside him," said William. "I saw his eyes."
"William, my sweet man... are you okay?", Hilda asked.
"Yeah. Mostly. Let's go down first, and I'll let you check me." He managed a grin.
"William, just you hold on to your broom. I will get us down." Hilda sensed, through the bond, that he was close to falling apart.
William just nodded and let her fly them down to the ground, to where their tent had been. Once they reached the ground, there were many hands waiting to take care of the witch and the wizard. The challenge had taken a lot out of them already, and this latest feat of air battle had been just enough.
They were more being carried than walking to another tent, when Nultos caught up with them. "Bregan is dead. Even in death Lamador made more victims. I don't know how he did it, but I am glad it is over now."
Hilda just nodded, her heart a heavy black lump. She and William were taken to a tent, put on a bed, and then the dim light of day that hung around the labyrinth disappeared.
A man was sitting on a chair, he got up when he noticed the witch had woken up. He asked her if she was feeling well.
"Yes. Mostly," she said.
"There is food and water, and also the luggage that was salvaged from your tent. Not everything is here, it burnt in the flames."
Hilda nodded and looked at William. Someone had put a bandage around his chest.
"The wizard has a broken rib, and we do not want to heal someone who cannot give us permission," the man said.
"Heal him," Hilda said as she reached out and touched William's cheek. "He is my wizard. You have your permission."
"Very well." The man brought out his wand and healed William's injuries. "Is there something more we can do for you?"
"No, thank you. I'll just wait for him to wake up," Hilda said, not taking her eyes off William's face.
The magician bowed politely and left the tent.
William woke up. "Tell me I'm fine."
"You're fine, William. Someone fixed your broken ribs. Come, eat something." Hilda kissed his cheek.
They slowly got up and sat at the table.
"I still feel bad, you know," Hilda said as she was having a go at a chicken leg.
"That shows you are a good witch, sweetwitch," William said. "Good people should not have to do things like that. I didn't feel happy about it either, but the alternative was that he was killing us. And he would not have had any qualms about that."
"Yes. I know that." Hilda dropped the bone on her plate and sipped from her diluted wine. "Well, it is done. We are alive."
"We are. And that feels good, at least."
"So you've been dead before?" Hilda frowned.
"No, I have not."
She grinned. "Good. We'll finish up eating then, and pack up. Nothing more to do here for us."
William nodded. In silence they finished eating and then they dressed for t
he flight back home. Hilda shrunk the luggage, William slipped it in his pocket and they stepped out of the tent.
There was a small group of people sitting there, waiting for them. One of them was a pale-looking young woman with long black hair, black eyes and serious bags under her eyes.
Hilda stared at her. "Suck an elf," she muttered as she kneeled down with the young woman. "You must be Fidelma the flower witch."
The pale woman smiled a faint smile and nodded. "Yes."
"You survived!" Hilda pulled the young witch into a hug.
Fidelma nodded. "I'm the only one," she whispered.
Tears rolled over Hilda's cheeks as she looked up to William. "She lives. We're going to take her home, William, and make her parents happy."
Nultos got up. She had been waiting with the group. "You are free to go home now. The challenge has ended and you have won. We have repaired the broom of the wizard. We will take care of everything here." The black witch nodded and then turned and walked away.
Hilda got up, as did Fidelma. "Do you think you are strong enough to fly with one of us?", Hilda asked.
F idelma nodded. "If that means I can go home, I am strong enough. " She showed a brave smile. "But can you please not fly too high? I am a little scared of heights."
William grinned as he held out Hilda's broom.
"She's riding with you, William," Hilda decided.
William grinned again, hugging Hilda.
They mounted the brooms, Fidelma sitting in front of William. A loud cheer rose up from the camp as they lifted into the air. After circling the camp and waving at the people that now no longer had a sorcerer to serve, they turned their brooms towards the kingdom of Walt and flew off. Not too high.
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About the author:
I am an IT consultant who loves reading and writing.
I've been an amateur-author since years, writing SciFi, Fantasy and lately also Steampunk. My home is in the Netherlands.
I hope you liked "Hilda - The Challenge".
Note on the artwork:
Original artwork of Hilda the Witch created for the author by Miss Victoria Smith from Bristol, for which she deserves everlasting gratitude.
Other books I published:
Hilda, the wicked witch (Smashwords, July 2010)
Hilda – SnowWhite Revisited (Smashwords, September 2010)
If you want to connect with me online:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pagan_paul
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/paulkater
My website: http://www.nlpagan.net
Table of Contents
1. The challenge
2. Mountain view
3. Rocky mountains
4. And so we meet again
5. Flying business
6. Wine and dine
7. Household hassle
8. Making the rounds
9. Gerdundula
10. Bestest girlfriend
11. What to do with William?
12. Making things work
13. Mirror Lake
14. Splashes and books
15. Cookery
16. Low down couch
17. I'll make breakfast
18. Visits
19. Good old house
20. Wake-up cal l
21. It's alive
22. The village
23. Gurthreyn
24. Did I wand this?
25. It's magic
26. Empty your mind
27. I fly
28. Second nature
29. Protection
30. Things that go bahhh
31. Home improvement
32. Missing
33. Coffee
34. Power of books
35. Protect thyself (1)
36. Protect thyself (2)
37. Trip to Gurthreyn
38. Solo rounds
39. Responsibilities
40. The plan (1)
41. The plan (2)
43. The action unfolds
44. The cook
45. And now it's our turn
46. Our turn
47. Eye-quill coordination
48. Books and magic
49. Meeting Lamador
50. The first challenge
51. The aftermath
52. Goose
53. Beginning the journey
54. Pegasus
55. King Herald
56. Back home
57. Shopping
58. Gurthreyn's Secret
59. Rock bottom
60. Gurthreyn once more
61. Message from the king
62. Howler
63. Ghost
64. Bustin' makes me feel good
65. No buts or maybe's
66. Challenge (1)
67. Challenge (2)
68. Challenge (3)
69. Scared of heights
About the author
Other books by this author