by Paul Kater
broom, made a last round along the ceiling. "I think this will be fine for a while, Hilda," he said. Obsi, on William's shoulder, meowed in agreement as they returned to the floor.
"And only seven more to do," sighed the captain in the red coat, flipping his eye patch over an eye for a change. "This is getting a bit boring, Hilda, we already went through four of those things and they are all dangerous."
"This," Hilda said, pointing around the chamber, "is not dangerous. Hunting down a witch like Zelda, who chases a couple of Nobbleback dragons after your broom and throws slabs of concrete at you, now that's dangerous. This is just an inconvenience." She wondered how and when they would be going back home as she spoke. And how and when she would get her magic back.
"Don't forget the labyrinth," William said as he touched down. "That was interesting as well."
Hilda nodded. "Gurthreyn." The name still gave her goose-bumps, even though all had been well in the end there. She shook them off. "Are we done here? I suggest we call it a day here, and go outside for some fresh air."
Kerna, cats in her arms and on her shoulders, grinned. "That would be nice, yes." She had gotten used to going outside with the magicals.
Rebel and Maurizio looked at each other, hands reaching and finding. "We'll stay here, if you don't mind," said the captain.
Hilda looked at the hands. "Sure, if you feel like that. But, uhm, weren't you having this great big fight a while ago?" she asked, being her diplomatic self.
"Fight?" Two pairs of surprised eyes looked at her.
Hilda looked back. "Fight," she confirmed, then looking at William for support. He had been there.
The wizard put an arm around witchy shoulders and said: "I am sure they will work out whatever might be happening. Won't you?"
Rebel clenched Maurizio's hand tightly. It was visible on the man's face. "We have no problems. Do we?"
"No, no, we have none of that," he responded, trying to outsqueeze Rebel, with no success.
"Good." She turned and walked off, the man in red following as he wanted to stay close to his hand.
"Weird bunch," Hilda said, shaking her head.
Together with Kerna they left the chamber, telling the people waiting in the corridors that it was safe to use again.
-=-=-
The group of guards that Davdruw had assigned to handle the honoured witch's safety had been shaken off again. As the door closed, William made the large contraption he had built together with Rebel rise up in the air. Obsi and Grim sat in the front, the wind ruffling their fur.
"Where do we go this time?" William the driver asked.
Hilda looked round for a moment and pointed. "That way. We've not been there yet."
'That way' was in the direction of a distant group of buildings, also pyramids.
Kerna, who had gotten rid of all her fears regarding 'outside', told them that these buildings were no longer used, as they were too far away from the main settlement. "People used to live there. People with much knowledge."
"And where are they now? Did they move back to where you all live?"
"No. They left. Long ago. Nobody knows where they went, but Davdruw is convinced they died not long after they left their homes. The surface is not safe."
"Not with you lot messing with things so much," Hilda could only agree. "Not meant personally," she added as Kerna's face showed guilt.
Soon they reached the buildings. Most of the structures had decided that becoming a ruin was a good idea. A few slow thinkers were obviously still pondering this fate.
William made the contraption land, the cats jumped to the ground lightly and wandered off on their own. Kerna watched the two go, she still was not used to these animals having a very clear mind of their own.
Hilda grinned as she watched the young woman. "You should have a cat of your own," she commented, glad with the happy expression Kerna's face suddenly retrieved from somewhere. "So... let's have a look around here."
"I suggest we look with care," said William, "some of these things probably will reduce themselves to crumbles if we look at them too long."
Hilda laughed. It was the proper witch's laugh, one that William had learnt to love and that made Kerna clasp her hands over her ears. It also invoked a strange sound from the nearest building.
"Seems we also should not laugh at them," William commented as the sound had died away. He studied the building. "Maybe we should put this one out of its misery..." He took his wand, pulled the two cats from wherever they were back to their humans, and created a bubble of safety around the group. Then he made the building collapse. All it needed was a nudge.
"Good thinking, William," said the witch, patting him on the arm as the dust had gone, as well as the bubble. Grim and Obsi ran to the new piles of rubble to look for interesting things as the three people slowly sauntered along the remaining three buildings. These were by far not as large as the ones the magicals were living in now.
Kerna explained that these pyramids were very old, from the time that many people preferred to live nearly alone, with five or six persons at the most."
"Crappedy crap, I would not be able to live in one house with six people," Hilda said. "Such a crowd."
Kerna looked at her in wonder, but held back any comments she might have.
"How do we open this one here?" Hilda then pointed at one of the pyramids that was still standing.
Kerna looked at the building as she walked around it, but had to give up. "This one has a strange old entrance I think, I can't find a normal way in."
The witch and the wizard walked around the building then. "That looks a bit like..."
William pulled at the knob that they thought to be a doorhandle. It was. Time-worn and weather-beaten, the door it was attached to fell out as the wizard pulled. "Holy Bejeebus," he exclaimed, "that was not part of the plan."
"Are you okay?" Hilda asked. There was genuine worry in her voice. The unexpected assault by the door had made her jump.
"I'm fine, thank you."
The three people looked into the dark gaping hole where the door had been.
"Smells funny in there," Hilda remarked.
21. Breaking and entering
"Would this count as breaking and entering?" William wondered, patting himself to get rid of the dust that had found a pleasant spot on him.
"You broke the door, but no one entered yet," Hilda pointed out.
"You did not break the door," Kerna tried to make right what was not wrong between the two people in dark clothes. "The house is old."
Hilda and William laughed, and tried to explain that their bickering was only for good fun. Kerna looked a bit lost, but seemed to grasp the meaning, although her face was serious as ever.
"Come on, let's have a look in here," said the witch. She stepped into the pyramid and returned a second later. "I think we'll need some light."
The unfortunate door was quickly transformed in a few lights, and in they went, Hilda in the lead.
"Crappedy crap," she commented after the thud had stopped reverberating, "not a welcoming kind of people, these old folks." She had run into a wall that was only a few steps away from the entrance, and the wall was black. "Can you find something to let us in here, wizard?"
William and Kerna held their lights close to the wall as Hilda rubbed her nose.
"Ah, I see something...", said William. He reached out and prodded a small ring that was in the wall. As he pulled it, a soft rumble came from the floor below them and then a part of the floor started moving. As if they were on a small carousel, Kerna and William were transported to the other side of the wall where it was dark also.
"William? Kerna?" they heard Hilda's voice from the other side of the wall. "Where did you go?"
"Hilda, can you hear me?" William called out.
"I can, and no need to shout! Where are you?"
"We're inside. Look down on the wall, there is a ring there. Pull it. And don't step back." With baited breath William waited as he heard Hilda mutt
er on the other side of the wall. Her fingers found something and then a rumble sounded.
"And now what?" she asked the wall, when suddenly the floor moved and rotated her inside the house. The movement also brought William and Kerna outside, as they had forgotten to step off the revolving disc...
"Hey, I thought you said you are in here!" Hilda called out as she did not see her wizard.
"We were... but we were still on the piece of floor that moves," William laughed. "Step back, Hilda, we're coming in again!" He waited for a few moments, until they heard: "Right, I hope I am far enough from it now." He pulled the ring, the floor did its trick and then he was reunited with his witch.
"I like that thing," she pointed at the black wall. "Maybe we should put up something like that at home, William, it will be the talk of the witchy town!"
Kerna looked nervous, being inside the house. She stood close to William and Hilda and was not at peace, no matter how much fun the two magicals had. "Oh!" she suddenly said, and rushed to the door. She pulled the ring and went outside.
"What's that all about?" Hilda wondered. Then she and the wizard grinned, as they heard Kerna call out for the two cats.
William made the two lights float up and burn as bright as they could. Suddenly there was ample light in the room. Its walls were mostly dark red, the floor had been a form of brown, but now was mostly grey with dust. The wizard cleaned that bit up with a quick spell.
Then they looked around, slowly.
"This looks like a better place to live than that stupid place Davdruw gave us," Hilda said as she saw tables, chairs, and something that had probably