26. Empty your mind

William woke up, a bit confused. It was still dark. He felt Hilda lying against him, her breathing peaceful, her hair over his chest. Somehow she had managed to wrap both her legs around one of his. But that was not what had woken him up, he was certain of it. In the dark he held up a hand and twitched his finger. He felt the wand appear. At least that was still 'working', he thought.

"I could do with a little bit of light," he mumbled to himself.

A few seconds later a faint orange light came from the wand. It appeared so gently that William at first didn't even notice the light coming on. Then his heart skipped a beat as he stared at the tip of the wand where the light came from.

"Holy Bejeebus," he whispered, "put that out!"

Two seconds later the wand darkened again.

Hilda moved, throwing an arm over him, muttering something in her sleep. After almost an entire minute her restlessness settled down and she slept calmly again.

William made the wand disappear and remembered what Hilda had said about the connection she now had to him. He understood that she somehow had reacted to the magic that had happened. better not to play with that again while she was asleep. Better, he corrected himself, not to play with that again period!

In the darkness he stared at the invisible ceiling for quite a while before sleep took him into its arms again...

Hilda opened her eyes. William lay very close to her, holding her against him, his face buried in her hair. She let the feeling of being close to him and the safety that it implied wash through her for a while.

"Sweet man," she whispered, "what more surprises are you holding inside?" She was still amazed and also a bit scared of his ability to manipulate the wand. Maybe she should ask around a bit about that. Other witches might know of ordinaries that shared similar traits after being bound to a wand.

But then, she considered, that might trigger unwanted questions. She banished the thoughts from her head and snuggled close to William, looking at his face through the veil that her hair created in front of her eyes.

After a while she sensed inside her magical core that he was waking up and smiled at the feeling. It felt good, she had already decided. It provided her with a certainty she had never possessed before.

As William slowly opened his eyes, he saw Hilda's happy face. He slowly and gently brushed her hair aside. "Good morning, beautiful," he said, touching her nose with a finger.

"Good morning, also beautiful," she said, the thrill of his tender touch coursing through her very blood. "Do you feel good?"

"I feel better than good," he said, and kissed her. "And you?"

"My feeling just got better." She worked herself up on an elbow and looked down at the man that lay next to her. "I was just wondering what more secrets are bottled up inside you."

"Oh... I discovered one this night." William felt a bit of a fool. "I made the wand lighten up."

"You what?"

"I did... look..." The red and white appeared. "And then I said that I could do with a little light." Two pairs of eyes were fixed on the wand that remained as it was. "That's odd. Last night it worked."

"Well, last night you talked to the wand, now you talk to me. I don't have the habit to light up when you talk to me," Hilda explained.

"Are you sure?", William grinned. "Of course it depends on what I say, but..."

"No, no, don't try to change the subject," Hilda pointed at the wand. "Talk to it."

William looked at the wand. "I want light."

"Don't command it. It is a sentient... wand, not a piece of wood," Hilda said. "Watch." She whipped up her wand. "Some light." A few seconds later, the wand shone a light. "That's enough," she said, and the light went away again. "You have to feel along with the wand as you talk to it. Part happens in your words, part happens in the magical area of your body."

"Uhm. Right. Perhaps it is best if we go over this again after breakfast?", William asked.

Hilda kissed his cheek. "Why don't you try again. Just once. With your heart."

The kiss convinced him. "Okay." He looked at the wand. Felt it in his hand. Reached out to it and the connection that was there between them. "I need some light."

Seconds crept by as the witch and the beginner waited. A soft orange light came from the tip of the wand. Hilda shrieked.

"I still don't believe this, William," Hilda said as they were at the table downstairs. "You are doing magical things. You make your wand light up! Show me again!" She was amazed and excited beyond belief. in particular her own belief.

William grinned. He had shown his trick five times already and was tickled that the witch was so wild about it. "Some light," he whispered, his wand in hand, and the tip came to life again.

Hilda giggled, her face full of amazement as normally only a small child's could be. "This is amazing. William, before you know it you will be flying yourself. I am almost certain of that."

William extinguished the light and made his wand pop away. "I am not so sure, sweetheart, but it makes me happy that you seem to think so positive about it. I may be able to do this, but I am an ordinary, right?"

Hilda looked at him, very serious now. "I thought so. Really. But I am not so sure anymore. Give me your hand..."

He did as she asked.

Hilda looked at him. "Try to focus on your magic. Or better, focus on your wand and what you share with it. That is something you know."

To make it easier for himself, William popped the wand in his free hand and let his mind flow out to it, the way he had noticed worked best.

Hilda used the feeling spot she had to get through to William. If there was a way to reach what he held inside, this connection would be the best means to do that. But it did not tell her anything. It confused her to no end. There was this man, who had all the makings of an ordinary, and he worked magic. Not much, but it was magic, and that was definitely weird. And frightening, since he had shown this since only one day and he was already controlling it.

She let him have his hand back. "Shiny. And scary."

William let her words sink in. And had to agree.

"We'll go make the rounds together again today, yes? Do you feel up to that?"

William watched her face, trying to discern any worries or uncertainties. Then he said: "I am up to that. You are there too, right? Nothing can happen."

"I hope so," Hilda nodded.

They changed into their 'public appearance' attire. Hilda wore her red and black, William put on the blue and silver, and the black cloak.

As they walked out with their brooms, Hilda warned William again not to play or try something unannounced. "I have to know what goes on as I am controlling the flight. If you discover you can do something with your magic, you should not use it, just mention it."

"Trust me. We are going to be up there. I am not going to risks necks with nothing but clear fresh air between us and the ground."

"Good boy," Hilda grinned, "that is what I wanted to hear. Now let's see what happens if you get on the broom and just kick off."

It was obvious that nothing happened very rapidly. "I think I am doing something wrong," William grinned after hopping about a few times.

"Yes. I would say so," Hilda snickered. "Hold on. We're going for real now." But instead of hurling them into the air like she used to, she explained in detail what she did, so William had an idea what she was going through to make them lift off. He listened carefully and nothing more than that. The brooms hovered for a few moments and then lifted off and Hilda pointed them to the castle.

"Try to feel inside you," Hilda said. She kept the speed moderate, so they could talk. Even as she was scared of William's rapid change, she was also eager to see what would happen. As long as he let her control things, they would be safe. "Sense the connection, if you can, that goes to the wand and to me."

William did just that, but he could not locate anything that had a sign 'Hilda' hanging from it. Just the wand's presence was indelible. It was there to stay, growing clearer and stronger every hour. He slipped both hands around the broomstick. "Come on, broom, if you have anything to tell me, now would be a good time," he said, slowly.

Hilda looked at him, understanding what he was trying to do. As she was feeding magic into the broom, perhaps he could pick it up through the broom, as that was something he could see and touch. He was from a mostly physical way of life, after all.

William tried to empty his mind. He only wanted to feel the wind, the broom, the power that went through it. The power of the pretty witch with the big mouth and the beautiful eyes.

"I do not have a big mouth," Hilda said.

William almost froze on his broom. "What was it you just said?" He kept his eyes on the broomstick.

"I like what you said about me being pretty and my eyes being beautiful. But I really resent the remark about my mouth."

"Hilda... I did not -say- anything. It were thoughts."

The brooms slowed down to a crawl. "What? Thoughts? I picked those up as if you were talking directly in my ear, William. How did you do that?"

"I wish I knew. I tried to empty my mind and let my senses take over."

"Okay. Stop. This is weird," said the witch. "You were focussing, I could see that. But then you were talking to me. I just want you to do that again."

"I'll try. But it would be nice if we get back to speed again, I think that helped me."

Hilda grinned. "My pleasure." She pushed the brooms upto speed again. "But still, I don't have a big mouth."

William laughed. Then he focussed again, emptied his mind. Reached out to feel the broom, the wind, the motion. He sensed something else. As if there was electricity, except that it wasn't. He thought of the king's castle. Of the broom. Of the movement. Of moving slightly to the left, slightly to the right, and of Hilda's long hair.

"Uhm, William, what are you doing?" Hilda hit him on the arm to pull his mind out of the half-trance.

"What?" William looked at her.

"You were trying to move the broom, weren't you?"

"I am not sure. It just felt like it."

"Well... don't. Let me make this clear: I'm the one who'se flying here, okay?"

William nodded. "I'm sorry. It felt as if I was being sucked into something."

"You were sucked into my hair?" Hilda's experience held her on the broom.

William felt stupid and grinned sheepishly. "No, I was thinking of it. And you picked that up, it seems."

"Indeed. So, can you tell me now how you did that?"

William gave it his best shot. If he had to resort to childish or clumsy words, he did. Anything to make it clear to Hilda, because that might make it clear to himself as well.

The wicked witch listened with intent, not interrupting him, not laughing at words and sentences that seemed to go nowhere. She knew how impossible it was to explain something for which there were no words.

"So if I get this correctly," she repeated as William had ended his account, "there is something like a stream of something that you feel, and when you tap into that, like putting your finger into it, it is as if your thoughts come to me?"

"Believe me, I know it sounds insane, but that is the best I can do, Hilda."

"Don't worry about it. And grab your broom. There's the castle, and you know how we approach that."

Almost instinctively William grabbed hold as the brooms fell into something that would make rollercoaster riders envious.

Hilda tore both brooms low over the moat, scaring the life out of the local ducks and swans, shrieking her laughter over the castle walls. She then swooped them through the main gate. That way to enter the castle was infamous among the guards as they had to run for their lives (or so it felt for them) to make enough room for the witch. The fact that there were now two people on broom coming through made things even more lively for them.

Hilda was in a very cheerful mood, so she chased the two guards a little longer, making them fall on their faces as she pulled up just inches short of their helmets. Her cackle filled the courtyard of the palace, making several people come out of the building, including the king himself.

"Grimhilda!", he yelled, excited and looking happy. "Good to see you!"

"Hey, king, we chased them up a bit. They're getting fat and slow, you should see to that."

The guards sat on their behinds, panting and their faces still red.

"See, only a four hundred foot dash and they are finished. It is a shame, really."

William, who hovered slightly behind Hilda, realised that he had forgotten to pull the hood over his head. He could kick himself for it, doing it now would attract too much attention. 'I have to have that hood on,' he thought. The hood slid up his back, over his shoulders and then covered his head. William almost fell off his broom.

Hilda sensed a slight sensation through the bond she had with William's magic. It took her some effort not to glance back at him, instead keeping her attention with the king. She wished that whatever it was William had done, he would not do it again!

King Walt, during that incident, was looking at his men and talked to the head of his staff. The man was nodding as if he was trying to shake his head of, so Hilda considered him a person that lived up the king's ass.

"Hey king, have fun, we are going on again," she said, boldly interrupting the ruler of the kingdom.

"Sure, Grimhilda, thank you for the visit. And thank you, mysterious wizard."

For a moment it looked as if Walt would wave at them, but that was not done for a king with all the household and staff around.

Hilda slowly made the brooms lift straight up, because she loved the effect it had on the spectators. They never failed to keep watching until they almost strained their necks. Then slowly, almost majestically, she made them sail away from the castle.

Once they were at a safe distance and a proper altitude, Hilda turned to William. "So what were you doing back there? I sensed you did something."

"Yes, I did something. And I was somehow aware that you sensed it. No promise that it works again, but this is what I had down at the castle." He shoved the hood back. "Stupid, I know."

William closed his eyes, to free himself of distractions, and willed his hood back on his head. It took him a few tries, but then it worked.

"Suck an elf..."

William pushed back the hood again. "Indeed."

"I am not sure what to say, William, but shiny is very much in order here. It scares the hell out of me, but I am also... proud."

"I am with you on the scary end, sweetheart. Let's lay low on the proud part for now. I won't play again unless it is necessary. Too high up for that anyway."

Hilda smiled and maneuvered her broom as close to William's as she could. There she kissed him. "Come. We're doing the rounds."