by Paul Kater
asked the two: "When are we going to get to wherever you are taking us? You said it was in walking distance!"
Sodor looked at the witch. "We are almost there. We are going to our village of course."
'Almost there' meant another hour of walking and a more frequent handing over of cats from one to another, through an environment that was changing very rapidly. They had just walked past a few groups of trees, when they entered a forest with humongously big trees. Everyone, except the two natives, had their head on a swivel, trying to see all the high treetops, or discover what animals up there were making a cacophony of sounds.
"SHUT UP!" Hilda had called out at one moment. Her outburst only had a momentary effect. Right after that, the animal choir came back with an even louder concerto.
William took pity on his witch and produced ear plugs, but after she had tried to eat them (he had forgotten to explain what they were for) her mood had deteriorated rapidly.
"Suck an elf," Hilda said when the village finally came in sight. "Next time someone says anything about walking distance, I'm going to be very thorough in determining what their concept of that is!"
Her footwear was not made for this kind of activity. Once she had her magic back, she'd give these people a piece of her mind, she promised them in silence. But - why wait? Hilda took in a sharp breath, to vent her extreme displeasure, when Sodor and Jyru stopped and turned.
"We do apologise! We should have thought better before taking you here on foot, honoured witch..."
Sodor suggested that the group should sit down and wait there, with Kyru, while he would run up to the village and summon some carts that could carry the tired walkers the last stretch.
Everyone was entirely in favour of that idea. William quickly magicked up a few seats from wood that lay on the ground, while Sodor took off at an astounding speed.
"Does he have feet of concrete? Don't they hurt?" the witch wondered out loud.
"We are used to walking," Kyru said, "this is a stretch we usually walk when we make the round to see if you have arrived yet."
"Crappedy crap, I admire your stamina but no way that I am going to build that up. My feet would kill me if they weren't already." Hilda kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes.
Rebel, William and Maurizio also sat down and stretched their legs.
"This kind of exercise is good, if performed in parts about one tenth of what we just did," the captain philosophised.
"How about one hundredth," Hilda muttered as she longed for a foot bath. She growled inside. If only she could just whip one up. She hated having to ask William for everything, but with even their bond gone that was the only way to get it.
William knew his witch well, though, and soon she enjoyed a nice bubbly bath for her feet. Without having asked for it.
Sodor and six other people from the village came back soon, pushing large four-wheeled carts. The people were very surprised to see the seats, the two small tables and cups and even a few glasses.
"Sodor! You would not believe the adventures these people all have had," Kyru exclaimed at the man as she waved a glass that had contained wine.
Rebel had gotten up from her seat and looked at the carts. "These people in Pyramid City overdid their tech," she remarked, "but it looks as if these ones underdid it."
Sodor introduced the six people that had come along. They all were impressed to see Hilda, although a few were not convinced that she would be "the one". Nonetheless, the travellers were made very welcome and invited to sit on the carts.
"We just don't know if we can take all the furniture with us," one of the men commented as he looked at the seats and tables.
"Oh. That." William popped up his wand and disassembled the items, turning them back into the pieces of wood they had originally been. This was quite a shock for the people who had not seen how the furniture had been created.
The travellers then sat on the carts, that were covered with large, soft cushions. Sodor and the other villagers took position to start pushing the carts, when Hilda jumped down again.
"I am sorry. I can't let you do that. William, I am sure we can do something with these carts, right?"
It took some convincing, but the villagers sat on the carts as well, and then William and Rebel applied some magic and other kinds of power, after which the carts started moving towards the village.
31. The village of the old ones
The houses in the village that they reached were simple, made of wood and with thatched roofs made of twigs and a kind of grey-green reeds. Outside these homes, children and their mothers stared at the wagons that moved by themselves, and the strange people that were on them.
Hilda spotted smaller animals running through the - well, streets would be too flattering a name for these not even cobblestone trails - and pointed some of them out to William. "I never saw cats or dogs like that."
William agreed. Cats and dogs did not come with six or eight legs. "They’re probably called something else."
"Dragon balls," the witch said, "they should have cats here." She cuddled Grimalkin for a moment. The cat endured the treatment without protest.
Kerna looked at William. She was holding Obsi and wondered when the wizard would want his cat back for a cuddle as well.
Instead of looking at the cat, William kept the carts going until Sodor said they had arrived. The carts came to a stop on a small, triangular village square. The long trail of people from the village that had formed behind them also stopped.
Everyone stepped from the carts, after which Sodor and Kyru announced with loud voices that finally the witch had come. Cheers rose up from the throats of the many people that had gathered round the small group.
Hilda elbowed her wizard lightly. "See that man back there? The one with the sour face who isn't cheering? I think he's the only sensible one around."
William nodded as he draped Obsidian over his shoulder. Either these people knew something they didn't, or they were too quick in believing something.
As if the man had noticed that the two were talking about him, he stepped forward. "I am Tarkan."
"Lucky you," Hilda responded. "I'm Hilda." She then introduced the others in her group.
"Do you claim to be the one we are waiting for?" Tarkan asked.
"No. I claim that I want to go home. Others claim that I am the witch who is going to make things well again, but I am doubting that."
Tarkan stared at Hilda. Clearly that was not what he had expected. "Who is she?" he then asked, poking a finger towards Kerna.
Hilda raised an eyebrow. "I recall introducing Kerna. I am not going to do that again. Pay attention, will you?"
Sodor and Kyru had eyes that could not be bigger.
Come to think of it, Hilda noticed, that was true for most of the other folks around as well. This Tarkan person had to be someone important to them, kind of a Davdruw or so.
"You are impertinent," Tarkan observed.
"I'm a witch," Hilda countered. "Like it or not. Now is there someone who can get us some tea, or coffee? Otherwise we'll arrange something ourselves. Won't we?" The last bit was directed at the wizard.
"Of course. That should be no problem."
"You are not the witch. You should be silent," said Tarkan.
William looked at the man with the faded blue hair.
"I know I am not the witch." The wizard raised his hand and popped out his wand. "But I can do tricks."
A gasp went through the crowd that was still around them.
Tarkan stared at the wand. "It is a mere piece of wood."
"And that is where you go wrong," Hilda said. "Who are you anyway, except someone called Tarkan? You failed miserably as welcoming committee, but the others seem impressed with you so you're probably good at something."
This caused a rather loud and disturbed gasp. Hilda knew she had struck proverbial gold.
"I am Tarkan, the leader of the village. I have been since very long." The man straightened himself, barely towering over
Hilda. He had no idea that the only effect this had on the witch was an adverse one.
"And how long has this village been the way it is now?" Rebel asked without being invited.
"Very long," Tarkan said, with obvious satisfaction and a disapproving look towards the woman in leather.
"Which means too long," Rebel nodded. "Thought so." And to Maurizio she said: "I wonder what he has or knows that these people don't choose a new leader."
"Silence!" Tarkan roared with unexpected vigour, as if Rebel had said something blasphemous.
"We still have no tea," Maurizio commented, disregarding Tarkan's angered demand.
"True," said Hilda as she turned to the captain. "I think we should find ourselves a nice place and get some water boiling."
Tarkan was not in the clear on how to handle a witch. Or rather, how not to handle one. Especially the one that was Hilda the wicked witch. He put a hand on her shoulder.
Hilda froze. "Take your hand off me."
"You will listen to me, and be respectful like the others!" Tarkan said very loudly.
"I am not like the others," Hilda growled. "Take-your-hand-from-my-shoulder..."
William had no trouble picking up on Hilda's ideas. The tone in her voice said it all. As she turned and raised a hand, he invoked a spell. His timing was perfect.
Tarkan hung in the air, surprise on his face and his feet kicking as the ground suddenly had gone from under them.
"You are not supposed to touch a witch," Hilda said, loud and clear. "Unless invited. And I did not invite you. You will hang there for some time, while we help ourselves to some tea."
"Get me down!" Tarkan
