Read Online Hilda - Lycadea by Paul Kater - Free Book Online Page B

Mimosa
could see again, the two aliens had disappeared. The large pyramid
was moving towards the very large pyramid.
    "Where's Hilda?" William asked.
    -=-=-
    Hilda had reacted as fast as she could as the
white light hit her. Without magic, however, she had to resort to
the usual method of closing eyes and using hands. She had sensed a
pull, without being touched, and when she opened her eyes again she
found herself in a large room with many chairs, large windows that
resembled the televisions she had seen in William's world and the
two silvery aliens who sat in chairs near funny tables with lights.
The witch sat in a chair too, one she could not get out of.
    "Suck an elf," she muttered. "Hey you two,
what do you think you're doing?"
    "We are taking you to where you belong," the
female said without looking up. "If there is something we can do to
make your stay more comfortable, tell us. We are here to serve
you."
    "Now that's new," Hilda commented. "How then
about taking me back to the ship where William is, and my cat? And
my broom?" Her words seemed to go unnoticed by the aliens. "Where
are you taking me? Who are you guys? Want me to destroy this -
whatever we are in?"
    The two nodded at each other and remained
silent.
    "Hey, troll's balls, I'm talking to you!"
Hilda felt quite unsettled by now.
    "We will be at the mother ship soon, all will
be explained," said the man.
    "Crappedy crap, can't you even tell me your
names?"
    "I am Golgofro," the man said, "and she is
Galgoran."
    "Now that didn't hurt, did it?" Hilda said as
she wondered how the chair could hold her down without any visible
straps. The two did not radiate any magic of- oh, she wouldn't be
able to sense that. She slumped back in the chair and felt
miserable in a way she had not felt miserable in a long time.
    Golgofro and Galgoran seemed very busy moving
their hands over the blinking lights in front of them. Hilda did
not perceive anything like motion or sound. The large room was
actually eerily silent and remained like that until the two got up.
"We have arrived."
    Hilda found that she could move again. She
remained seated, even when Galgoran asked her to follow them. "I'm
not going anywhere. You took me away like I am a thing, you're not
telling me anything except that you are here for me and now you
want me to come with you to some place I don't know? Forget it."
She held on to the seat.
    The two exchanged gazes again, and Golgofro
touched something on his left sleeve. Without so much as a sound,
Hilda's chair floated upward and obediently followed the two aliens
as they walked out of the large room.
    -=-=-
    Aboard the Mimosa, moderate versions of chaos
and disorder were unfolding after the remaining people found the
witch gone. William was about to grab a broom and go after the
floating pyramid, but Rebel convinced him that the Mimosa was a
much better alternative to a broom.
    "We'll go after her," she promised as she
held his sleeve, as if that would actually prevent him from
leaving. He did his best to believe her, though, and that was
enough.
    "The little big pyramid went into the large
big pyramid," one of the sailors remarked.
    "Hurry," was all that William said to Rebel
as he had seen it happen as well. "Or I'm on the broom." Rebel
argued that there was no air in space, but William told her again
to hurry. "We pack our own air."
    Maurizio and Rebel quickly walked off to the
front of the ship. William followed them. They ended up near the
wooden housing on which the large crystal was standing. Maurizio
took a large iron key and used that to open the two doors in the
housing. William saw brass pipes and something that looked like a
copper vacuum chamber. Arrays of lights were blinking everywhere,
without making sense to the wizard. He had once been a book
salesman, never a technician.
    Rebel dropped to her knees and crawled
halfway into the housing. "Damn, that's turned tightly," she
muttered as she used both hands on a shiny red valve. "Stand