Chapter 30: Offerings of Worth (Patreon)

Madeline sipped at her warm cup of tea as she sat in her study. She had to admit that Eda’s chair was more comfortable than the other, and she had found herself sitting now solely in that chair. Even if her beyonder house guest had not reappeared from his angry disappearance to occupy the other chair. It had been five days since he left and Madeline started to worry that he might not return. She found it strange that she worried about it since most of the time they were almost fighting with one another. Maybe she was just lonely again after having not had someone to talk to for months.

She had talked to Carver though, which was far more pleasant than most of the interactions with Victor. The groundskeeper was very nice to her and she found herself chatting with him for quite a while after he showed her the tops of the hedge. They mostly talked about her recent discovery of magic and her continued studies into it. He even walked her home afterwards, though she had said she didn’t need him to do that. She honestly feared having people know where her home was, especially if said person could be captured by mages and forced to talk. However, Carver informed her that he and his brother had both known that a witch once lived in a Garden in the general area from the war. So his brother had probably not been able to tell them anything, or they would have come so much closer to her Garden. Still, she didn’t walk him right up to her home. When they said their goodbyes, he informed her that they might call upon her in the future, but that might be quite some time away since the next gathering for his kind was not for another few years. Overall it was a rather pleasant experience, but did leave her with a want to see the top of the hedge again. She dare not try and climb it again though. She would just have to wait till a groundskeeper might show her again.

Once home after that encounter, Madeline looked up his kind in one of her books. According to the books, groundskeepers were the original inhabitants of the Maze. Their birth and creation coincided with the Maze being created. Of course many other beings called the Maze home as it was created and expanded, but the groundskeepers were the first creatures to have only ever known living in the Maze. Their name was also aptly fitting since they were there to take care of the Maze. They would help it heal when it needed, help it grow, and even protect it from those who intended it harm. Though nowadays the only beings that intended the Maze harm were the mages. Not because of any hatred towards the Maze, but in order to expand their homes and campuses.

Flipping over a page in one of her cookbooks, Madeline studied the new recipe before her. She had taken to reading these books and trying different food from them for the past few days, not so secretly hoping that she could make a meal better than Victor’s. There were also many instructions on not just the cooking aspect, but also the gathering of the ingredients she would need. Which also included ways to capture prey as well as properly take the corpse apart. There were even recipes on how to make herself cheese! Sadly she needed a goat or cow, or she would have to settle for cheese that wasn’t really cheese. Still it intrigued her, but it would take some time to practice and make. Even if she did all that, she had a strong feeling it wouldn’t be as good as actual cheese. Maybe if Victor ever decided to come back she could ask him about maybe bringing her cheese from the Beyond, but she still might run into the problem of it not constituting a substance that she considered to be cheese. Then again the food he had brought was really good, so maybe it would be worth trying.

Her new ears shot up at the sound of someone knocking at her door. At first it shocked and scared her because she didn’t hear anyone approaching, but she did now have a guest who could appear out of nowhere whenever he wished so she might have to get used to that. As she stood up, she was thankful that he wasn’t just appearing suddenly in her home and scaring her like before. It made her a little happy that he was even following proper guest etiquette. Within just a few seconds she was at her door, and not even bothering to look through the window she pulled it open.

“I was beginning to wonder if you would eve—” The witch froze mid sentence as she stared at the five people standing outside her door. Her heart pounded in her chest as she studied the new arrivals to her Garden. Though they shared the same basic human shape as her, they were clearly not human. Their ears were long and pointed. Their hair was almost ghostly and flowed as if they were in water. They all stood at a height taller than Madeline, even the women. Their arms were long and ended in hands with fingers that contained one more knuckle than humans.

“So, there is a witch living in the Garden,” The lady in front spoke with a melodic voice. Though there was a smile on her face, it didn’t reach her eyes that were one solid blue color. She wore robes made of fine silk like the others behind her, though unlike them she had no armor and wore a crown made of twigs and small stones. “I had not believed it at first yet,” those pupilless eyes stared at her fox ears, “you are in fact here.”

Madeline didn’t respond right away as she stared at all of them. “Who are you?” Madeline finally managed to say. “How did you get into my Garden?”

All the eyes on her narrowed, but one of the men in armor stood out and almost spat at her, “We are Sylvins, keepers of the forests and rulers of the woods. You are speaking to her highness Queen Demanor, so watch your tongue, witch.”

Madeline felt fear growing inside her. She had seen the name sylvin occasionally in her readings, but as of yet had actually looked into them. However, she realized she recognized the fear she felt looking at them. It was the same fear she felt when she looked deep into the forest, and when she ventured just far enough away from the hedge that she couldn’t see it. These people were what was out there in the forest. They were the rulers of the forest. The forest where all the creatures in the Maze had fled to once the mages took control. “How did you get into my Garden?” Madeline repeated, even though she knew the answer.

“The same way you enter into my forest,” Queen Demanor said in a tone that was very close to being genuinely pleasant.

“How did you know where my Garden was?” She, nor her guards appeared happy with Madeline’s continued questioning, but Madeline needed to know how someone found her Garden. For if one person could find it, maybe the mages could, too.

“We have known about this Garden since the war.” The smile was still strong but with little to no emotion now.

“How did you learn that I now lived in the Garden?”

The guard who spat at her was about to speak again, but the queen held up a hand. “Does the how really matter, witch?”

“Yes. This is my home, and you are the first to find me, so I do wish to know how you did it.”

Her lips for the first time pursed, losing the smile. “You entered my home, and I know all that goes on in my domain.” If that was the case, wouldn’t they have come sooner? She had been going into the forest for months now. Before Madeline could even respond the queen continued. “Our journey to you has been long, witch. Does your kind no longer honor the values of hospitality? Will you not invite a traveler in and offer a warm pot of tea in these cold times?”

Madeline had only a moment to process what she was asking, and whether it would be a good idea or not. For one they already knew of her and her home, so it might not be best to piss them off, and two, she had started to form relations with other beings again so would it not be best to find more allies in the Maze? Before she could respond, the queen and her guards were already moving forward to make their way into her home. That also happened to be the moment a hand from behind her, pushed Madeline forward and out her door.

“No,” a deep voice said from behind the witch. “We do not offer hospitality to those who enter another’s domain uninvited.”

Madeline was a little proud of herself that she didn’t yelp in surprise at the sudden reappearance of her actually invited guest. She looked back to find Victor, who was back in his taller four armed form, coming up to her side. His tail closed the door behind the two of them. “Victor, you’re back.” The witch was surprised at how much relief she felt seeing him again, even if he was in a scarier form. Even his horns were longer. He didn’t respond. He only stared at the halted group of sylvins. She followed his gaze and found the smile hadn’t come back to the queen’s face. She now wore an expression of annoyance.

“Beyonder…” The words came out dryly. “I am not surprised to find that such a weak person would gain their power from such a thing as you.” She said in a way that sounded like she had forgotten Madeline was right there and could gather that she had just called her weak. The blue eyes glanced at her mismatched ones as if suddenly remembering that she shouldn’t speak so openly. A smile returned to the queen's face. “I am sorry, but I do not believe it is the place for a beyonder to question the will of those who chained them. Your kind witch here was about to offer us something to eat and drink, and a punishment might be in order for a being defying their command.”

Madeline noted that the queen was using gender neutral pronouns for her, which was a plus and made her hope the potions had made her appearance androgynous enough to question whether she was a man or woman. She didn’t understand what Queen Demanor meant by Victor being chained and under her control and punishment, though. Victor wasn’t her slave.

The laugh that came from her beyonder guest started deep inside him. It grew and grew till it became worrisome enough that even the sylvins looked concerned. Then it stopped so suddenly the silence was jarring, and the look in his eyes and on his face could have made the bravest men Madeline knew quiver in fear.

“You think I’m chained?” The words came out in an almost growl but not quite. Madeline managed to glance at the Sylvins and away from Victor to see the panic in their pupilless eyes. She was sure that was how she looked when Victor broke through her protective circle.

“You aren’t chained?!” The queen and her guards took a step back in fear. The guards all drew the weapons Madeline hadn’t seen them carry up until this point, but none of them dared brave a step forwards closer to Victor, even if it meant more protection for the queen.

The features of Victor’s face shifted subtly but enough to display a deeper appearance of something beyond this world. The smile Victor showed them was something that felt like it came from Madeline’s childhood nightmare of demons. “No.”

The queen managed to take a few steps back to put herself in the middle of her four guards and looked at Madeline in almost horror. “You did not chain him?! You bound him by nothing?!”

“No,” the witch said plainly, only the tiniest bit confused as to why that was such a terrifying thing. For as much as Victor could piss her off and fight with her, she never felt threatened by him since he learned she wasn’t a mage. They weren’t mages so he wasn’t going to immediately hate them. “Why would I?” Only after saying that did she actually realize that yes Victor was a terrifying being that should absolutely be feared regardless of if you were a mage or not.

“Why would you not?! He’s a beyonder!”

“I am, and I am a guest of the little witch. I am free to come and go as I see fit, and do as I please thanks to her kindness and trust.” He stepped closer to Madeline’s side in an almost protective manner. His tail encircled her low to the ground. “Maybe you have forgotten what witches are capable of in the time they have been gone. They are not the mages who seek to take power from others, they live alongside magic and power and gain their own through working with others.”

The queen and her guards looked between the two in a mix of awe and fear, and Madeline felt a little good about it. The queen had called her weak, which may be true since she is still very new to magic, but she was strong enough to summon a beyonder. She was also foolishly brave enough to allow him access to her home without any real restraints other than not hurting her. She did have to wonder what other witches might have thought about the pact she had made with Victor. They might have thought her foolish, but it seemed to be working out so far.

“Now, there is one matter left to be resolved before you take your leave from this uninvited visit.”

“And what would that be?” the queen asked, trying to get some resemblance of composure back.

“I know of your ways, sylvin. A guest to another’s home and sanctuary, invited or not, must present an offering of worth to those they intrude on, unless otherwise specified that they are allowed there as they see fit.”

Madeline was a little surprised to hear the queen give an almost growl of her own. “Of course you would know of our ways… Fine,” the fake smile came back to her face. “I offer the use and access of my forest to the witch, and will forgive any prior transgressions of her having used it up until this point.”

Victor nodded. “That is a worthy off—”

“Wait!” Madeline called out, remembering something. “I already have permission to use the forest as I wish. I’ve had it since the Maze led me to this Garden.”

“Oh really?” The queen said snidely. “And why would you believe you have permission already?”

“I have it in writing.”

“What?” Both Victor and the queen said at once.

“Hold on,” Madeline said before rushing into her home. It didn’t take long for her to find the letter in the study before she came rushing back out. “Here,” she said pointing at the fourth bullet point on the list of quirks and information she needed. “I have permission to use the forest as I see fit, with no need of offerings because I am the guardian of this Garden.” Victor leaned in and took a closer look before laughing, while the queen gave her a death stare.

“She does have it in writing, sylvin, and I have a feeling you already knew she had permission. I’m sure you have your own records of this arrangement. You need another offering of worth,” the beyonder said with an impressed smile.

“Fine.” Though she said that, she had to think for a minute before pulling a stone off of the crown she wore on her head. She then tossed it to Madeline, but Victor snatched it out of the air before she could catch it. “It is a useful tool for speaking to a crowd. The enchantment will allow those all within a small domain to hear your voice. I am sure it will come in useful for you as you try to stay hidden away in your Garden.” The smile could only be described as shit eating.

Victor studied the stone with a sigh. “This is sadly an offering of worth.”

“Good, now we will take our leave.”

One of the stones on her crown crumbled into dust before a sudden and strong gust of chilling wind blew through Madeline’s garden. The forms of the sylvins appeared to flow with the wind before they disappeared nearly as fast as Victor did. Madeline just stayed there blinking at the now empty space. How her simple, quiet, lonely life had changed in only the span of a week.

Victor now took a step in front of her to grab her attention. “Now as impressed as I am at you proving to the sylvin you already had the gift she offered, what the fuck were you thinking when you were about to let them into your home?”

Madeline blinked and met his eyes. The way he made her sound like an idiot already brought back all the annoyance she felt towards the man. “I don’t know! They just fucking showed up, knocking on my door. I thought it was you being polite and not just appearing out of nowhere and scaring the shit out of me!”

“As if an invited guest needs to knock,” he scoffed at her. “How stupid do you have to be to let an uninvited sylvin into your home and offer them tea?!”

“I didn’t offer them anything! I was confused at how someone found my Garden and they were just about to push their way in before you showed up.” She felt the anger inside her build.

“And you were just going to let a sylvin into your home?!”

“I don’t even really know what a sylvin fucking is!”

He looked at her with a pure look of confusion, before putting his head in a hand. “How did you ever manage to summon the likes of me? How do you not know what a Sylvin is? They live next door to you!”

“Well I’m sorry that I don’t have a fucking teacher to actually tell me what I need to know when I need to know it! All I have is fucking books and I’m doing the best I can. I’ve had magic and a library’s worth of books for only a month and a half, so I’m sorry I’m not the greatest witch who ever lived!” She threw her arms up at him before turning away and storming back through the door into her home.

“You could at least be thankful that I saved you.” He stormed after her, though his longer strides made him look slower and less intimidating.

“I don’t even know what you saved me from. You just look at me like I’m an idiot and expect me to somehow suddenly understand something I don’t know.” He growled, and Madeline wasn’t sure whether it was at her or not because she refused to look back at him as she plopped herself down in her chair. Her tea had grown a little cold.

“Sylvins are tricky beings with rules and etiquettes that they expect others to follow even if they don’t know or understand. If you gave them hospitality and food when they were uninvited you were basically telling them you will bow to their will. That you would have to do as they tell you with no questioning. It would have been the equivalent of them chaining you.”

“Well then, thank you, Victor!” She finally looked up at him and could see the annoyance on his face. He stood in the doorway, staring down at her. “Is that what you want to hear? Thank you? Then there you go, thank you for saving me from a life of slavery.”

“You could actually sound thankful, little witch.”

“I am!” She yelled at him, and surprised both herself and him. She meant it. “I am thankful that you saved me, Victor. Truly. I’m just pissed that you keep talking to me like I’m an idiot for things I don’t have anyone to teach me about. Sure I have books, and Eda’s tome is very thorough, but it doesn’t give me all I need in the order I need it. You were so impressed with me when I summoned you for being self taught, and now it feels like you judge me for the very thing you were impressed by!” Madeline felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Let him see how upset he made her.

Victor took a deep breath and sighed. “I do forget how new you are to magic given that you managed to summon me,” he conceded before sitting himself in ‘his’ chair. His features finally softened back to his ‘normal’ self and the horns shortened. “There is still so much for you to learn, but the fact that you are as far as you are is a wonder of its own.” Madeline felt the anger in her start to fade. “Even if your lack of knowledge is infuriating.” And the anger didn’t fully disappear. With one of his four arms, he set down the offered stone on the table between them.

She looked at the stone. It was small and round with a symbol carved on it. If it wasn’t for the symbol and the ability to see the magical mist it would have just been any random stone to her. The enchantment wouldn’t even help her considering the point was to stay hidden. “I would have preferred cheese,” Madeline admitted with a sigh as her stomach rumbled. The laugh that bubbled up in Victor was the most genuine she had ever heard from him. The anger inside of her melted away with the sound and she couldn’t help but chuckle herself.

[I'm happy to finally be showing you guys more of the Maze and inhabitants. With this story I was always worried that since Madeline was the only character for so long that people would lose interest and never get to the parts of new characters.]