brooms
anywhere."
"Yes," Hilda nodded, "that's what I
said."
William snickered and got slapped.
Back in their shed they stored the new
clothes they did not need, as well as their normal attire. Then
they headed out again, looking for locations where Zelda could have
taken up residence after the destruction of her place at town
hall.
The brooms could take them quite a stretch
into town, as the hour of curfew had come into view. Most people of
the town were determined to stay out of the harmful witch's way,
and many soldiers were patrolling the streets to keep order. They
did not have a difficult job. Yet.
Hilda and William dismounted their brooms.
William tucked the shrunken brooms in his inside pocket and then
pointed to where they should start climbing.
They had ended up on a very dishevelled
street, where the entire layer of asphalt had been ripped out and
smashed back on the ground on its side. Metal scraps of what had
been cars stuck out everywhere, making progress very
cumbersome.
The magical couple reached the end of the
street and looked at a split in the road.
"Cinema is over on the left," William said
and pointed to a large building. It was entirely dark on the
outside. The bulk of it loomed high over the other buildings in the
street, which were also darkened, probably with curtains, cardboard
or stronger means. The whole street breathed a grim atmosphere.
"Do you think it is a good thing that I come
along?", Hilda asked William. "If she's there and she senses
me..."
"She knows you're out here looking for her. I
don't think it will make a big difference. When she knows you are
here, she'll make a move, and that's good. Saves us locating her
the hard way."
Hilda nodded, and then clambered after the
wizard who started making his way along the line of houses they
were close to.
They had gone but fifty feet when a loud
command was directed at them. "Halt. Who goes there?"
"Suck an elf," Hilda said. "Hey, are you one
of those police folk?"
"No. I am- I am the one who's asking the
questions here." The voice of the man behind the megaphone did not
sound as convinced as he'd meant to.
"Good. Go find people who want to answer them
and keep your voice down, man," Hilda threw at him before William
could intervene.
The soldier lowered the megaphone and raised
his weapon. The magical couple noticed that he was very good at
raising it and William signalled Hilda that she should be careful
now. "I demand to know who you are. You are trespassing. Curfew is
about to begin, you should be inside."
William raised his hand to draw the soldier's
attention. "Why are you out here then? Are you one of the poor
souls who still believe this all is the work of terrorists, even
when so many people already know there's a witch on the loose here?
Or are you hunting the witch, like we are?"
"The witch-talk is a lot of nonsense," the
soldier told them, and William sensed how Hilda started fuming. "We
are here to keep order and protect people against the gas."
"Oh. Right. That is why they send you guys
out on the street without gas masks, right? As examples what the
gas will do to everyone. That makes sense."
"Can't I just whop him?", Hilda asked. "This
takes so much time."
"Let's try and convince him, sweetwitch. If
he knows and talks to his partners-"
"Hey, no talking among yourselves! Tell me
your names!" The soldier hid behind his set of prescribed
questions.
"We are Hilda and William," said the wizard,
"we're unarmed and you are delaying us. Curfew is coming up."
"I know. I said so." The soldier became
restless as these two people were getting to him.
"Crappedy crap," Hilda said, and through the
link William knew what she was referring to. They jumped and landed
in the pit in front of them, where once a proper road had been.
Before they hit the bottom, Hilda had her wand in hand and sent a
blast to the soldier that made him topple over.
The shriek of a mad broom-flying woman hit
their ears and a bolt of fire hit the
anywhere."
"Yes," Hilda nodded, "that's what I
said."
William snickered and got slapped.
Back in their shed they stored the new
clothes they did not need, as well as their normal attire. Then
they headed out again, looking for locations where Zelda could have
taken up residence after the destruction of her place at town
hall.
The brooms could take them quite a stretch
into town, as the hour of curfew had come into view. Most people of
the town were determined to stay out of the harmful witch's way,
and many soldiers were patrolling the streets to keep order. They
did not have a difficult job. Yet.
Hilda and William dismounted their brooms.
William tucked the shrunken brooms in his inside pocket and then
pointed to where they should start climbing.
They had ended up on a very dishevelled
street, where the entire layer of asphalt had been ripped out and
smashed back on the ground on its side. Metal scraps of what had
been cars stuck out everywhere, making progress very
cumbersome.
The magical couple reached the end of the
street and looked at a split in the road.
"Cinema is over on the left," William said
and pointed to a large building. It was entirely dark on the
outside. The bulk of it loomed high over the other buildings in the
street, which were also darkened, probably with curtains, cardboard
or stronger means. The whole street breathed a grim atmosphere.
"Do you think it is a good thing that I come
along?", Hilda asked William. "If she's there and she senses
me..."
"She knows you're out here looking for her. I
don't think it will make a big difference. When she knows you are
here, she'll make a move, and that's good. Saves us locating her
the hard way."
Hilda nodded, and then clambered after the
wizard who started making his way along the line of houses they
were close to.
They had gone but fifty feet when a loud
command was directed at them. "Halt. Who goes there?"
"Suck an elf," Hilda said. "Hey, are you one
of those police folk?"
"No. I am- I am the one who's asking the
questions here." The voice of the man behind the megaphone did not
sound as convinced as he'd meant to.
"Good. Go find people who want to answer them
and keep your voice down, man," Hilda threw at him before William
could intervene.
The soldier lowered the megaphone and raised
his weapon. The magical couple noticed that he was very good at
raising it and William signalled Hilda that she should be careful
now. "I demand to know who you are. You are trespassing. Curfew is
about to begin, you should be inside."
William raised his hand to draw the soldier's
attention. "Why are you out here then? Are you one of the poor
souls who still believe this all is the work of terrorists, even
when so many people already know there's a witch on the loose here?
Or are you hunting the witch, like we are?"
"The witch-talk is a lot of nonsense," the
soldier told them, and William sensed how Hilda started fuming. "We
are here to keep order and protect people against the gas."
"Oh. Right. That is why they send you guys
out on the street without gas masks, right? As examples what the
gas will do to everyone. That makes sense."
"Can't I just whop him?", Hilda asked. "This
takes so much time."
"Let's try and convince him, sweetwitch. If
he knows and talks to his partners-"
"Hey, no talking among yourselves! Tell me
your names!" The soldier hid behind his set of prescribed
questions.
"We are Hilda and William," said the wizard,
"we're unarmed and you are delaying us. Curfew is coming up."
"I know. I said so." The soldier became
restless as these two people were getting to him.
"Crappedy crap," Hilda said, and through the
link William knew what she was referring to. They jumped and landed
in the pit in front of them, where once a proper road had been.
Before they hit the bottom, Hilda had her wand in hand and sent a
blast to the soldier that made him topple over.
The shriek of a mad broom-flying woman hit
their ears and a bolt of fire hit the
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