Secret Novel Chapter 23: Much Ado About Giants (Patreon)

Madeline sighed and stretched her arms up as she walked through some ‘fake’ hedge in the Maze. She wanted to say she was getting used to the feeling of hedge passing through her, but she really wasn’t. She wondered if she ever would. She had been keeping up with reading Eda’s tome and her practices for days on end. From the moment she woke up till she went to bed, Madeline was learning all she could from her home. Her practices were still on the beginner side, even if she had done a far more advanced potion for herself. She often found herself reading far ahead in the tome and cracking open other books in moments when her magical muscle needed to rest and recharge. There were so many interesting things to read about and Madeline could find herself going down rabbit holes more often than not. But every once in a while, a real break was needed.

Since finding magic Madeline hadn’t gone out into the Maze to explore much. She felt it was time to get out a little and stretch her legs in the Maze, which in no way had to do with the fact that her eyes hurt from constantly reading all day for nearly two weeks. The idea did pop into her head that she could probably find a potion or spell that would help with that if she found the right book. Maybe the one where she found her body affirmation potion?

Shaking her head, Madeline tried not to get sucked back into thoughts on magic. She was out in the Maze and needed to focus. Even Eda’s tome suggested spending time in the Maze to help both you and the Maze get familiar with one another. If a non-living thing could recognize someone. Then again Madeline had to say that the Maze was probably a living thing in and of itself. It had personality, wants, desires, likes and dislikes. So yes, the Maze was a living thing and should be respected as such. Looking down at her map she had been making she looked at the extended page where she had used a syrup-like concoction to glue another sheet onto the original page. Her map had finally started to get big enough that she needed more space once she found the Highway. For now she was just expanding her search to the immediate area around the Highway and not really following the highway. It was still part of exploring the Maze around her Garden, which felt like the most important thing to do. Make sure she knew the area around her home like the back of her hand. Which would be insanely hard with an ever changing Maze. Still, the Maze seemed happy with her. It didn’t lead her astray too far and seemed to make sure she could always find her way back home.

She was walking down a familiar path that would lead straight onto the Highway, but right now it looked like a dead end. It wasn’t really, and Madeline smirked at knowing she somehow knew how the Maze worked better than the mages. Still the dead end did make her think back to something she read the other day in one of the books she looked through, or maybe it was a mage book she referenced to see how the two magics and knowledge differed. Apparently there were a handful of creatures and beings that could navigate the Maze with no trouble at all. Some of them were even capable of seeing the Maze in its truest form. Or something like that. She had only glimpsed over it since the beings mentioned weren’t things she had really known about. One was a creature that sounded similar to the wolf she had seen nearly two months ago now. Had it really been that long ago? Time seemed to fly by. Besides something called a groundskeeper, the only other creatures of note were apparently demons, or as Eda called them, beyonders. She actually recalled glimpsing further ahead in the tome to a ritual for summoning one. The very thought gave her shivers. Though she wasn’t the most religious person, she knew what horrors demons could be from tales about wars between them and the gods. It would still be interesting to see how they could move through the Maze with ease when she still had to rely on her map far more often than not.

Finally coming up to the ‘dead end’ Madeline reached out and touched the hedge. The fact that it was so real to her with eyes open was fascinating. Closing her eyes, Madeline walked through to the other side and onto the Highway. Once the strange feeling dissipated, she opened her eyes and froze on the spot. The highway was large enough that the other side was a decent distance away, but when there was a mage carriage sitting opposite you, it felt a whole lot smaller. Not only that, but there were a total of five mages, three older than two who looked like students, that were all looking up at and talking to a hedge giant. However, this giant was wrong… Even though she had only seen two up close before, which could have even been the same one twice, she just knew this creature was wrong. Her new magical sense screamed it at her, but so did her eyes. This giant wasn’t green like the hedge. It was gray, like all the color had been drained from its plant flesh. The eyes that were supposed to be flowers were replaced with crystals instead. Not only that, but it slumped, due to either the weight or the position of a crystal the size of Madeline herself that had been implanted into its back. The crystal was black with visible swirling purple energy that lashed out constantly at the giant's head.

Madeline was frozen, and just as the thought that she should leave crossed her mind, the giant’s crystal eyes turned and locked on to her. Seeing the giant’s gaze shift, all the mages looked over at her, while one of the younger ones shouted, “That’s him!”

Without thinking, Madeline turned and closed her eyes, running through the hedge and out onto the other side. This was the second time now that she found mages at almost the same spot on the highway, but she didn’t think about that. Instead she listened to the feeling inside of her that screamed for her to keep running. There was a little part of her that remembered the mages couldn’t or didn’t know how to pass through the fake hedge, but the thundering foot falls of the giant silenced that part. Madeline ran as fast as she could down the path to the part where she knew was another ‘fake’ hedge and went to jump through it. She didn’t go through however, instead she bounced off of it and fell to the floor, just in time to look back and see the giant run through the hedge as if it was nothing.

“Fuck!” Scrambling to her feet, Madeline continued running down the path. This time, she kept her eyes closed, and one hand on the Hedge trying to find the fake part. Internally she berated herself for forgetting where the right place was. Then she felt her hand. fall through the hedge and she turned, running through it to the next path. As fast as she could, Madeline took the first turn to break the line of sight the giant would have on her in just a second. There was another opening in the hedge coming up on her left this time, but now she really had no idea where it was. Again she ran with her eyes fully closed as the sound of thundering steps got ever closer.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

Her hand slipped through and Madeline threw herself into the hedge, but this time she stayed in it. With her blood pounding in her ears, Madeline kept her eyes closed tight as she curled herself up in the smallest ball she could on the inside of the hedge. She felt tears running down her face as the booming steps came right up to her. She held her breath as the steps slowed and walked just ever so slightly passed her before stopping. The giant had stopped. What was it doing? Was it looking for her? Madeline wished more than anything that she could open her eyes and see what was going on, but she couldn’t. She was stuck in the hedge. After what felt like an eternity the giant walked again, this time back in the direction it came from.

For nearly half an hour, Madeline waited in the hedge, scared that they could be just right on the other side waiting for her, because she couldn’t see. She had to keep her eyes closed… When she did finally come out, she was still so scared. That was the closest she had come to dying in months. The closest she had been to falling at the mage’s hands since Marcus…

The journey home took her hours longer than it rightfully should have, but she couldn’t help it. Every time she came up to a ‘fake’ part of the hedge that she had to cross she froze. She couldn’t know what was on the other side. She couldn’t see through the hedge. She couldn’t even just go through and peek a tiny bit of her out to see because pain would rack all of her body that was inside the hedge. Eventually she got to the fountain and felt relief wash over her, but there was also a sense of determination.

Strolling right into her home and the study, she grabbed Eda’s tome and threw it open on the table. Flipping through the pages, Madeline looked and looked till she found what she was looking for. Finally she came across Eda’s notes on Demons/Beyonders.

Though it must be noted what we now think of as demons are actually creatures called beyonders. Most religious teachings and stories now mistake beyonders for the creatures that fought the Gods long ago. Beyonders in truth are creatures of a world all their own, and when first contacted were mistaken for demons due to their resemblance. Actual demons are extinct. Wiped out by the Gods. Beyonders, though they had no knowledge of demons at first, seemed to enjoy the conflation and often allow humans to call them demons. As such, most stories of demons are, in truth, about beyonders.

Beyonders can be tricksters and deviants. They do not abide by our world’s sense of morals. However, they do in fact have a strong sense of morals, they just do not always align with ours. With their own morals they also have great honor in keeping their word, often binding themselves to their word, regardless of any true affect breaking their word might have.

The description continued for a little while before Madeline came to a section marked as Eda’s “personal notes.” She had found such notes often. Essentially, instead of very accurate notes on the lessons Eda was taught, these notes were her personal findings added at the end of chapter, often written much later. This was the part that Madeline had recalled before, and the part she needed.

Beyonders are very tricky to deal with, but also very useful. A beyonder’s eye is an incredibly helpful feature for those living in the Maze, as you will be able to see it as they do through the illusions. Though it is not the most discreet of transmutations. Recommended for only one eye, not both as our minds can not fully comprehend how they see. Also still allows you to see how a human normally would, which is useful as it is hard to interpret what an illusion is when you can’t see it. Recommended reading on the different types of beyonders and their houses before summoning.

Frowning, Madeline reread the notes. For some reason she had thought that it was a spell she could cast, but no… She had to summon a de-…beyonder in order to obtain their eye to see the Maze as they do, through the hedge, but it was a transmutation. Which meant it was an alteration to herself, like her potions to have the right body. Was it worth it to have a beyonder’s eye? Her mind flitted back to the mages and giant on the other side of the hedge that she couldn’t see until she was right in front of them. Yes, this would be worth it. Eda even recommended it, so it had to be good for her.