by Paul Kater
we can do for you."
"We'll turn it into something homely," Rebel said. "Thanks for the trouble of taking us here. William, you think we can whip up some flying thing again?"
"Sure," said the wizard.
"With decent seats?" Maurizio asked promptly. They all laughed, except Sodor who did not get the joke.
"If you insist," William grinned. "We'll be fine here, once we got some furniture inside."
"We are sorry we can't provide that," Sodor said.
"Don't worry about that, Sodor. As long as there's wood and such, we'll get things done."
Sodor nodded. He took the others outside and pointed into the direction of their village. "If you need one of us, we will usually be there. Or someone will know where we are."
"As long as we don't have to talk to- Oh..." William frowned. "I think we left your leader hanging in the air." He snipped his fingers. "Should be fixed now."
They located Hilda, Kerna and Kyru sitting under a tree. Kerna looked well again, she was laughing at something Hilda said.
Kyru and Sodor said their goodbyes and promised to come back the next day. As the two left, Rebel and William got to work and arranged for chairs, a table and some beds. As the wizard magicked up the last bits of what they might need, Rebel went into the forest to find some game for dinner. Most of them were definitely ready for a good meal.
Maurizio sat with Kerna as William took Hilda to the side. "Sweetwitch, there's something I have to tell you. I don't know if you noticed it too."
"What's that, wizard?"
"When we crossed the river. The water in the river jumped higher than some of the rocks that made the bridge. But it never fell on the stone slabs."
"Crappedy crap..." Hilda stared at him. "You are certain, aren't you? I'd have to see that."
"We can arrange that..."
William had, as he made the furniture, also made a simple broom. He summoned it and held it up. "Maurizio, Kerna, we're going to scoot down to the river. We'll be back before dinner."
"Good," Maurizio waved.
"Can you bring water?" Kerna asked, which was a good question.
William, with Hilda in front of him, made the broom fly off.
Obsi and Grim sat with the two that were left behind and felt left behind.
Hilda enjoyed the broom flight. It was as close to the real thing as she could come, but it was still a lot better than the weird contraption they had left the pyramid city with.
After touching down near the river, they walked towards the stone bridge and stared at the water.
"Dragon balls, that's strange," Hilda agreed. "As if the water bounces away from the stone." She held out her hand and caught some of the water. "Looks normal. Feels normal."
It was just ordinary water.
"I wonder what's up with this place," William said. "Perhaps it is something in the stones."
The wizard started unpacking lots of small things from his pockets and enlarged them, until he found a box with pots in them. "How did these... I'd better not ask."
"Indeed. Just fill them with water," said Hilda as she walked up and down the bridge to see if she could find what made the water avoid touching the stones.
After filling the pots, William shrunk the boxes again, put them in his pockets and asked Hilda if she was done running. "Water's done, so we can go back and see if there's any food around."
"Good thought, I'm feeling a bit dizzy myself."
That worried William. Hilda being dizzy was an alien concept. But perhaps it had to do with the strain of the day, and her not being herself without her magic.
Together they got on the broom. William made the pots with water float behind it, and carefully then manoeuvred the broom and its watery train back up the mountain.
"Good that you're back. Rebel has not returned yet," Maurizio informed them, his face showing delight at the sight of all the water.
"Maybe I should go look for her," Hilda suggested.
"Look for who?" Rebel's voice came around a tree just ahead of her.
"For you," Hilda said.
"Why? Am I lost?" Rebel grinned as she held up a few dead animals. "These were, so I decided to take them home. I hope they're edible."
Kerna confirmed that Rebel's catch should be safe to eat.
"Fabulous. I'll go and undress them. If one of you can arrange for some place to grill them, that would be good." Rebel pulled a big knife from somewhere in her leather, skin-tight clothes and walked off, whistling something mysterious.
"I'll never understand how she puts all those things into pockets you can't see," Maurizio said as he shook his head, watching Rebel go.
"Nor do I. And it looks like we'll be doing most of the cooking, Maurizio," William said. "The ladies are not feeling too well. Hunger, probably."
Hilda had sat down with Kerna. They both had a cat in their lap and were silent. Kerna was silent very often, but such behaviour from Hilda... William was not sure what to think of that.
Using some magic, William located a few roots and something that could be called green carrots. Those things would have to do as vegetables for their meal. After a little while, the two undefined creatures were roasting over a fire, while the vegetables were boiling in what was going to be a kind of soup. Its smell was debatable, but nobody complained once the food went round.
After what probably was supper, Hilda said she wanted to go for a little walk. Kerna asked if she was allowed to accompany her.
"Of course, silly thing. You've been through so much with us, you can come along," said the witch.
"And how about us?" Maurizio asked.
"You can do the dishes," Hilda grinned over her shoulder as she picked up Grimalkin. Kerna, almost out of habit, took Obsidian, who let her as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Don't get lost, Hilda," William warned her.
"You can find me!" her voice rang out from the tree-like plants among which she had disappeared with Kerna.
That, the wizard knew, was true. Not as easy as through the link they used to share, but he could find her.
"Dishes," the captain snorted. "Now really."
"Yes, really," Rebel comforted him. "Someone has to do it."
"While we work out something like the rig, to get to the village comfortably," William added.
"Oh. Comfortably. I like how that sounds." Maurizio's face lit up. "I'll do the dishes then, be it uncomfortably."
"Your choice," Rebel grinned. "Come, wizardly person. I have some ideas on how to build our new rig."
"Very good. Let's see what the feminine touch has to offer," William said as he got to his feet.
Rebel told him what ideas she had, using a few smaller trees, or some thicker branches. "We can make some kind of raft from those, I think, tie the beams together with those long weed-things over there."
The two lost themselves in the design of the new rig, and as darkness fell they already had the basic shape made. It looked like quite a good thing. They even had decided on something that could make for reasonably comfortable seats, something that Maurizio was very pleased about.
"I am sure that Hilda and Kerna will appreciate that as well," William said. "Speaking of witch... Have they come back yet? I've not seen them in a while."
Rebel and Maurizio shook their heads. Their attention too had been too much taken up by the rig-making.
Each of the three picked up a torch William had lit. Rebel and Maurizio would go left around the mountain, William right, the way Hilda and Kerna had left.
"Back here in about an hour," William suggested. "That should be enough." He then set off into the thicket, taking care not to set fire to it with the torch.
William walked in what he hoped would be a sensible pattern that would give him the best chance to find his witch. However long though that he walked, there was no trace of her, of Kerna nor of the two cats.
William called out Hilda's name, but nobody responded. The only reaction he got, and he wasn't even sure if that
was because of his shouting, was the uneasy hoot of some night bird of Lycadea he could not see. It sounded eerie enough for him to increase the light coming from his torch. But also that did not show him any sign of Hilda or Kerna.
After a while he had the impression that he was walking in circles. The unfamiliar territory, the strange sounds and the anxiety that his witch had disappeared did not make him feel much better. He resigned and found his way back to the cave, where he found Rebel and Maurizio. They had not found the two missing persons either...
33. Hilda and Kerna
As the two walked off, both carrying a cat, the first stretch was done in silence. Hilda and Kerna both felt unpleasant and did not need conversation.
The path led past high trees and skinny plants that reached up high as well. There were strange blue coloured bushes with thorns fit to make wands of and here and there were flowers in odd shapes and even odder colours. The foresty environment was much to blame for that of course, as it held back most of the sunlight. Not that there was any significant sunlight remaining at that point of the Lycadean day.
Hilda hated being silent. It was not like her, but being without magic was not like her either. She felt very grumpy about it all over again and kept her mouth shut. Any wrong word from someone would make her take her frustration out on that person, and Kerna was just too nice and helpful and good to have to take the brunt.
"Hilda?" Kerna suddenly broke the silence.
"Hmm?" No words, Hilda, the witch thought to herself. No venting, no bad stuff.
"I'm a bit scared."
Hilda stopped her walking and turned to the young woman, realising that Kerna had spoken the only words that were not wrong. "No need for