Hilda - The Challenge (55 page)

Despite the large number of people on the
grounds, there was hardly anything one could hear. The magic that
reigned over the fields dampened almost everything from sounds to
moods.

The labyrinth itself, with the high grey
walls, looked as uninviting as ever. The massive iron doors were
closed as usual. High up, out of reach of the most depressing
layers of magic, there were magicians and witches cruising over the
daunting walled area, making sure that there were no stranger
things happening than what had been recorded throughout history.
Big solid walls that moved by themselves were not considered
strange things here.

As Lamador, the magician of King Herald, had
called for the challenge, the court of his king was responsible for
supplying quarters for the adversaries. For that reason there was a
large tent set up a bit away from what could be considered a
village of citizens of Heraldion. The tent was simple in its looks,
brown and red.

That was the view presented to Hilda and
William as they finally approached the place where they would be
doing the duel with Lamador.

"I don't know about you," said William, "but
that whole circus down there just looks wrong."

Hilda agreed. "It is the way Lamador travels.
Big. Pompous. Attracting attention. Let's go down and see what they
have lined up for us."

The two brooms did not make a nice and
elegant swoop to the ground. Instead, because of the thick and
heavy magic there, it was as if they were plowing through mud.
Hilda was now again flying the both of them, to keep everyone
ignorant of William's abilities. She steered them to the brown and
red tent. She knew the layout of the camp and the rules, so that
had to be their place.

First thing they did was go into the tent, to
unload their luggage. The tent's inside was strictly functional,
there was nothing lavish about it. William put the handful of dice
on the ground, Hilda did her trick and then the wizard put away the
boxes and cases. "Right, that's out of the way. And now?"

"Now we're going to see Lamador. He will
probably gloat and try to intimidate us, so be prepared for that.
He's a real prick in things like that." Hilda thought back to the
latest challenge. Intimidating was not even the word then.
Humiliating was more like it.

The couple left the tent. They had agreed
that William would be wearing the wizard's clothes. Lamador had
seen William in those before, at the house of Gerdundula, so that
should not be a surprise. William also had the notes with him in
which Lamador had written that he was allowed to participate in the
challenge. Just to be absolutely sure.

The tent of Lamador was again unmistakable.
The largest, the richest in stuff added to it, and thanks to the
area, just as depressing as everything else.

William had a thought, but decided to put
that on ice until he was alone with Hilda again. They stopped in
front of a layer of guards that had the ceremonial task to protect
Lamador, which in itself was ludicrous. Lamador was much more
capable of taking care of himself than any amount of soldiers
dressed up in uncomfortable and relatively useless battle
dresses.

"Who goes there?", one of them asked.

"Yeah, don't you wonder," Hilda said. "Who
would come to this tent, in this forsaken place? Do we need to
spell our names out for you? We can do that, if you need that."

The guard looked very annoyed. His mood
wasn't sublime to start, and this answer did not make things
better. He muttered something under his breath. Hilda as well as
William were certain that it was something quite unflattering at
their address, but they could not care less. "I'll tell the great
Lamador that you are here."

"Yes, you do that," Hilda said as the man
paced off. "Idiot. I hate all that ritualistic nonsense."

"Easy, Hilda, don't get overly excited. We're
doing well, I think, let's keep our cool." William wanted to put
his arm around her, but in this situation it would not be the wise
thing to do.

The guard, with a disgruntled face,
reappeared. "The great Lamador will see you now."

Lamador was seated on a throne that was
larger and more richly decorated than the ones they had seen in the
castle of King Herald. It looked wrong, bad, corrupted. The man
himself was dressed in what looked like pure gold, which had to be
a magical illusion.

Hilda signalled to William not to be
impressed by all this, using their bond. William wasn't. He was
adverse of all those overdone things.

"Well, well," Lamador sneered. "You dared to
come. And you brought your friend with you too. And he is still
dressing as a wizard too, how amusing. Why didn't you do that when
you visited us in the castle?"

"Would that have made any difference?", Hilda
asked. She willfully ignored all the scorn and allegations in
Lamador's words.

"No." The word came out hard. Lamador had not
expected that response. Then he got back to his balmy and
disgusting gloating. "So you are really willing to sacrifice him as
well, Grimhilda. Have you explained to this man what will be
waiting for him? And", he grinned, "I do not just mean me."

"William is well aware of what will happen
here," Hilda told the man, "and he offered to help me in this. As
you agreed to already, in your notes."

William brought out the pieces of paper. "We
have brought them along, just to make sure there is no confusion
about this point. Maybe there is some kind of judge or referee that
would like to check them, to make sure of the legal validity of
these small bits of evidence."

Lamador frowned. "An ordinary that speaks
without being spoken to. How... fascinating. But of course, you are
free to participate in the challenge, William. You did not bring
along a bow and arrow, by chance? Or a big hunting knife? I know
that ordinaries prefer such weapons. Rather childish, but then, one
does as one knows." Lamador chuckled, looking around at his
staff.

"We are not interested in bows and knives,
Lamador," Hilda said. "He asked for judges. Are there any around?
We want this cleared, not to be the subject of your jokes."

"Oh. The little witch is barking." Lamador
pretended to show fear. "Call for Bregan and Nultos!"

The two people mentioned appeared mere
seconds later. Bregan was an ancient classic mage. He sported a
long white beard and equally long white hair, proudly wore a
pointed hat with stars on it. His black clothes made the white of
his hair even whiter. Nultos was a young black woman, a witch. Her
short black hair was spikey as it pointed everywhere. She wore
yellow robes.

"Here are your two judges," Lamador said,
acting as benevolence itself.

William showed them the papers and the two
new arrivals declared with loud voices that they had seen the
papers, that they had verified the seal of Lamador, and that
William, consort of Grimhilda the witch, was allowed to assist her
in the challenge. No buts or maybe's.

The first meeting with Lamador was over.
Hilda and William walked through the camp, looking at everyone and
everything Lamador had brought with him.

"He surely needs a lot of junk to feel
comfortable, doesn't he?", William commented as they passed along
all the tents. So far they had seen at least two hundred people,
most of them magical. The ordinaries in the camp were of an amazing
amount of disciplines. Cooks and cleaners, but also people who
could make new reins for horses and at least two blacksmiths.

They thought of their small tent they had
used on their visits over here. So much simpler and more
convenient.

"It shows how much power he has," Hilda said.
"Everyone in the magical trade knows that this is wrong, but he is
so powerful that nobody dares to argue with him or point out all
this."

"We'll point something out to him tomorrow,
Hilda." William now did not hold himself back and put his arm
around her. Hilda, in response, slipped her arm around his
waist.

The two people from King Walt's country
attracted a lot of attention. Despite that, the people in the camp
did not feel confident enough to approach to them, or even just say
something. So deeply rooted was their fear of the great
Lamador.

Only when they reached a large tent where
they could eat did people speak to them. Nothing but polite
phrases, but at least there was something.

The food was amazingly good. Hilda explained
to William that it was probably prepared by magical people.
"Lamador won't accept less, I am convinced of that. He wants to be
tough and hard, but all that life in the castle with King Herald
has made him softer than he cares to admit."

They reminisced about the challenge they had
called in the forest. Lamador had not looked very much at ease, and
also then he had brought along an amazing entourage to feel at home
and comfortable.

After eating, the magical couple retreated to
their tent. Resting for the big event of the following day would be
the smart thing to do, but the atmosphere around them, the strange
muffled sounds and the unfamiliar scents kept them awake.

Hilda cast a spell to make a screen of
silence around them but for some reason that did not want to take
hold very well. "Crappedycrappy magical garbage that's around here,
that's what it is," she muttered, hiding her face against William's
chest. "If Gurthreyn was real, maybe he could fix this noise bit
for us."

The noise bit remained unfixed, so they heard
the sounds of the camp, even though they were not even that close
to it. Finally silence descended over the camp. Huge walls moved
inside the tall walls of the labyrinth."Go suck an elf."

The man blowing the trumpet did not have a
preference for elves. He blew his tune again.

"I hate this part," Hilda muttered.

"Want me to conjure a knife and end this
torment?" William asked.

"Does not make for good public relations. But
the idea is tempting," Hilda said.

They lay in silence for a while as the
trumpeteer had ended his reign of terror.

"Today's the day, William."

"I know, sweetwitch. And we are going to kick
some Lamadorian ass."

"Yes. That's the plan. I hope he is willing
to let us." She cuddled up to the warm body of her wizard and felt
his love flow to her.

"I doubt that he's willing, but we're going
to make him. We are two, he is one."

"And he is powerful. The 'great' bit in his
name is not just a fancy word, remember that, William."

"I know." William kissed her forehead. "But
we have the initial advantage of surprise."

Hilda crawled on top of William. "I hope that
will do us good." She kissed the tip of his nose. "Remember,
William. Protection, protection, protection. That is
important."

The trumpeteer had found more courage and
started his racket again.

"I will go out and hurt him," William stated,
"public relations or not."

"You can't. I am lying on top of you and you
like that better than a trumpeteer. Unless I am very mistaken."
Hilda rested her head on William's shoulder. "I love this..."

After a while the trumpeteer started his
third serenade.

"Three. We have to get up and prepare."
Hilda's voice was flat. "Urgh." She let herself roll off William
and got up. The wizard followed that cue.

They had breakfast in their tent; it was
delivered to them by two women. After that they dressed for the
challenge, placed their brooms on the right side of their tent and
walked to the large gates in the looming wall.

"I would not be surprised if the drama-queen
is late," Hilda mumbled to William. And indeed, when they were at
the gate at the designated hour, there was no trace of Lamador yet.
They did not have to wait long, but just long enough.

Lamador was carried to the gates, sitting in
a chair. There were six men handling the large and evidently heavy
thing, and the sorcerer did not seem to be bothered by that at all.
After being lowered to the ground, he got off the chair. "Ah. You
are here. The witch and... him."

Hilda wanted to fume and was ready to try and
hurt the man, but William's calm disposition and his hand on her
arm held her back. She did not like it when her wizard was insulted
in such a way.

"Yes, we are here. And you're late," William
said calmly.

Hilda looked at him. It was not proper for an
alleged ordinary to address a sorcerer like that.

Lamador stared at William, uncertain if he
should just reduce him to a heap of dust or let it pass.

William saw the tension in the man's face and
was not certain if that remark had been a smart move. He was ready
to try and counter a strike by the sorcerer, whatever might happen.
But nothing happened.

"It just gave you a little longer to live,"
Lamador said. He allowed one of his servants to take his long wide
cloak from his shoulders. "It looks like you are ready to face your
doom."

The judges, Bregan and Nultos, had arrived
just in time to hear that remark. "Great Lamador, it does not
comply with the rules of a challenge to influence your adversary in
such a manner. Officially you should apologise."

William gently squeezed Hilda's arm. "That's
quite alright. We have the advantage that we are indeed ready to
face our doom. Too bad the great Lamador is not ready to face
his."

"How dare you!" Lamador's wand was in his
hand before the words had left his lips, and he flashed it in front
of William's face.

"I dare because I looked at the rules for a
challenge," William said, calm and flooding that feeling through
the bond to Hilda. "You are not allowed to hurt a participant of
the challenge until the official starting signal. And I have not
heard or seen that."

Nultos, the black witch, nodded. "He is
correct, Lamador. You are out of line." She did not seem happy to
have to say that, but the rules of the challenge were as they were.
And Lamador had to swallow that.