Secret Novel Chapter 28: Angry Spat (Patreon)

Madeline stood at the front end of her garden looking at the hedge before her with a studious eye. Or, rather, a beyonder’s eye. The books said that a beyonder’s eye could see the Maze in its true form. The mage’s books hadn’t said anything about ‘Demon’s’ eyes being useful, and Madeline had a sneaking suspicion mages couldn’t have a Beyonder’s eye like she did. If anything they might replace their eye with a crystal. Still, Madeline trusted her books, trusted what Eda had written and yet…

“Why are you staring at the hedge?” Victor said coming up from behind her. Thankfully this time he made a sound when doing so. After frightening Madeline before, she explained that the reason he scared her wasn’t his appearance, but the silence of his movement.

“Beyonder’s eyes can see the Maze in its true form, right?” She looked over to him as he came up to her side. It was a little later in the day now and besides talking at breakfast, Victor had kept a little distance to watch her. She felt a little like she had with Marcus, but not in the same way. Where Marcus was a hungry predator, Victor was a predator who watched and studied his prey. Learning what it could about them before pouncing. Madeline also had to acknowledge that she didn’t feel like his prey anymore though, so maybe it was more like a cat watching a toy be played with by its owner, waiting for the right moment to pounce and jump into the fun.

“Yes, we can see through the illusions of the Maze, why?” He looked at her curiously, having found his right opportunity to jump in and ‘play’.

“Then why can’t I see through the hedge here?” Madeline felt a little strange pang of joy run through her. She had almost forgotten what it was like to talk to another person. She had definitely forgotten how much she had enjoyed the company and conversation of others. She had been eager to talk to him throughout the day if she was being honest with herself, but she didn’t know how to start a conversation. So far she had been letting him be the one to start talking and approach her.

“Because it's just hedge.” He looked amused. “We can’t see through solid objects, little witch.

“It’s not just plain hedge though.” At least she really hoped it wasn’t otherwise that opened up a whole mess of questions to research. “See,” Madeline said, reaching forward to touch the hedge. Of course she hit solid Hedge, and turned to make sure Victor was watching. Then she closed her eyes, letting her hand slip into the fake hedge. She pulled her hand out and opened her eyes to find Victor wide eyed staring at her hand. Then he turned to stare at the hedge, and repeated Madeline’s actions. Like her hand, his passed through once he closed his eyes.

“Oh, now that is impressive,” the beyonder said, pulling his hand out and laughing. “And here I thought it was just you who was full of surprises.” He repeated his actions clearly enjoying it with all his being.

“So, you can’t see through the Maze’s illusions?” Madeline frowned. Had she really done all this for an eye, only to find that it was pointless?

“Oh yes, I can, little witch, but this,” He stepped back and looked at the hedge with wonder. “Is a masterpiece of magic. Look,” He pointed at the hedge. “Really look at it.”

Madeline did, getting closer to see what he was trying to get her to see. She still didn’t see anything. “I don’t see anything.” She turned back to frown at him.

“Exactly! This illusion is so well made that even a beyonder can’t see through it. Or even tell there’s anything out of the ordinary!” He was like a kid so excited to find that he did in fact get another sweet, as he put his hand in the Hedge over and over again. Madeline couldn’t help but find the smile on his face contagious. “Whoever did this was a master of magic. Do you know who the name of the previous owner?”

“Uh,” Madeline had to get her brain working again. That smile was so genuine. “Yeah. Her name was Eda. Eda Payne.”

“Eda Payne,” he said the name in thought. “I’ll have to see if I can find anything out about her back home. A witch with this much skill must have garnered our attention at some point.”

“Would you share what you find with me?” Madeline found the possibility exciting. Though Eda had given her all she had and all she knew, Madeline still knew very little about the woman.

He smiled at her, but studied her face. “I can, though I don’t know how much I’ll find that you wouldn’t already know given you are her successor.”

“I…” It was oddly embarrassing to admit that she didn’t know much about Eda. “I actually don’t know too much about her. I may have all her possessions but there isn’t a lot about who she was. Actually, I do have her journals, but I don’t…”

“Well those would tell you a lot about her.” He looked at her a little confused.

“Yes, but it would feel wrong to read them. They were her personal writings just for herself.”

“But she’s dead,” Victor said as if that made all the difference.

“And? They are still her personal journals. It would be wrong to disrespect her privacy.” Madeline felt very firm in her reasoning.

“She is dead. She won’t know you broke her privacy. In fact there is no privacy to break since she is, once again, dead.” He looked at her as if she was stupid, and that annoyed her.

“Just because she’s dead doesn’t mean I can just disrespect her privacy she once had in life. Would you go through the journals of the previous owner of your home?”

Victor continued looking at her as if she was stupid, but just a little more apparent now. “Yes.” Madeline pursed her lips in annoyance. That was a stupid question to ask him considering what he had just said. “Didn’t the letter she wrote you directly say all that was hers is now yours?” Though it was a question, he didn’t make it sound like one.

“Yes, she did, and as my possession, I can choose to not read them,” the witch said as a matter of fact.

The beyonder rolled his eyes at her. “Fine, then I’ll just read them and tell you what I found out about her,” Victor said, turning back to head to her home.

“Hey! No you won't!” Madeline stomped behind him. She would have walked in front of him to stop him, but his strides were larger than hers and he moved so fast. She could jog to get in front of him, but that felt like it would undermine her growing anger.

“And who is going to stop me, you?” He glanced back at her over his shoulder, the annoyance in his voice growing.

“Yes! You will not break her privacy!” There was most certainly a very large section of one of her books that read in big bold letters DO NOT ANNOY OR ANGER A BEYONDER, and Madeline should probably have heeded that warning. She wasn’t going to, though. “You are my guest here, and it is inappropriate for you to go through my things without permission.”

“I’ve already done that, little witch. Remember how you found me already reading through some of your books?” There was actual snark in his voice. “Besides, not being inappropriate wasn’t part of our pact.” She could hear the smirk in his voice even if she couldn’t see it

They were getting close to her home now, and there really was no way Madeline could stop him if he really wanted to read. The mention of the pact, however, gave her an idea. Now actually running ahead and cutting through a plot to get in front of him, Madeline stood her ground. “But harming my garden and home is.” She pointed at him. “And I will consider breaking the privacy of the previous owner as harming the home she left to me!”

The beyonder stopped and looked at her with a strange mix of emotions on his face, though annoyance was the most prevalent. There might have been a little bit of an impressed expression on his face, but she could see his mind working to understand what she just said. “That’s not how that—” He cut himself off with a sigh of frustration as he brought a hand to his forehead. “Is this really that important to you?”

“Yes,” she said as firmly as she could. As firm as she could be standing up to a being every childhood story had told her to run away from.

“Why?” He looked down at her with an exasperated expression. At least he was going to listen to her.

“Because they were her journals. They weren’t meant for others to read, even if she’s dead.”

Victor took a moment to close his eyes and think before responding. “She left them to you.”

“So? Do you just read any journal left to you from someone?”

“Yes!” he said as if tired of trying to explain this to her. “That's how we remember them!”

Madeline paused, thrown by his answer. The anger and frustration in her voice was instantly gone. “That's how you remember them?”

“Yes. We treasure what was left from them and explore all to know them as they knew themselves.” His tone was lighter now and similar to an adult explaining something to a child.

“Even if it was something extremely personal?”

“Especially if it was personal.”

“So you have things that you won’t share with your family till after you die?” It sounded so strange to her. How could you be comfortable with knowing something so personal that you don’t want others to know will eventually be known when you die?

“Of course I do. Everyone does.” His tone was calmer now, if still a little confused. “Do you not treasure your family that’s passed on? Is your knife just a tool for you? Nothing more?”

“Of course we treasure our family. My knife is probably the most important thing to me!” She had intended to sound angry, but it came out hurt.

“But you don’t feel that way about Eda?”

She could see that he was trying to understand now. “I do. I may not know her really, but she gave me all this.” She gestured to her Garden and home. “She’s my teacher. Her knowledge and books are the reason I can finally get a body that feels right. Of course Eda is important to me. But if there was something in life she didn’t want anyone else knowing, I will respect that even in death.” There was a brief pause. “I guess that's something different between humans and beyonders.”

Victor looked at her more gently now. “I suppose it is. I won’t look through her journals if it is really that important to you.” He paused as if mulling something over. “I will not tell you that you should read her journals, but sometimes it is wise to try looking at something from another’s perspective, as I will yours. To me, however, Eda left you all this for you to learn from her and to know her, and in my mind she would not have left you her journals if she did not expect you to read them.”

Madeline took a moment to think about what he was saying. Maybe he was right. Maybe they were knowingly left for whomever might take over guardianship of the Garden. Eda was able to write a full letter and list before she passed, and the home looked tidied and cleaned for Madeline. So maybe she had known her journals were there and that if she really wanted them private she would have got rid of them or said so. Then again, maybe Madeline was right. Maybe Eda left all that she was to be in her home and respected. That even if her journals were never touched again, they stayed in her home.

“That is something for me to think about,” the witch said thoughtfully and honestly. “For now though, I do not wish to break the privacy her journals had in her life and I hope you can respect that.” Madeline knew that if he honestly wanted to read them, he would probably find a way.

“I will,” he said with a small bow.

“Thank you.” Madeline looked around her Garden. She had finished all she planned for today's chores, and had even done some magic practice. All that was left was to make herself dinner and maybe sit down and read. “I’m going to make dinner now,” she said, turning from the beyonder and going to her home.

“Very well. Would you care for me to join you?”

Madeline paused as she pushed open her front door. He hadn’t asked when he sat with her at breakfast, and at lunch he was happy to stay seated in the study reading. Did she want him to eat with her? “You may. Though I don’t know if what I have available would be appealing to you,” she said as she walked into her home with him following behind.

“That is fine. I haven’t eaten food in your world, so whether I like it or not will still be an interesting experience.” She didn’t see him pause and look into the study at Eda’s chair, but she did hear him stop. “Is that why you didn’t want me sitting in that chair?”

Madeline didn’t look at him as she looked around her kitchen trying to think of what to make. Maybe it would be a good time to look at one of the cookbooks. “Yes and no,” she answered. “I found her remains in that chair, and it always felt like it was still hers. I never even sat in it.”

“So you’ll just use the chair from the desk then? Or have me sit in the desk’s chair?”

“No,” Madeline said after a moment. Maybe Victor was truly right. “I’ll sit in her chair. She left it to me to sit in after all. One guardian of the Garden to the next.” She paused. “A place to sit and remember her in.” Madeline took a small peek at Victor as she said that, and felt warmth grow inside her at the genuine smile that bloomed on his face. Madeline had truly missed talking and connecting with someone.