Secret Novel Chapter 35: What Needs To Be Done (Patreon)

Lightning fired up into the sky and promptly dissipated as soon as it rose above the hedge, and Madeline grunted in frustration. Her feet were slipping every time she deflected a bolt fired at her.

“Little witch, you need to stand your ground!”

“What does it look like I’m doing, Victor?!” Madeline half yelled, half groaned as she planted her feet firmly on the ground. He was going harder on her. Harder than he had been the past few weeks, and Madeline knew why. He was getting more and more frustrated with her every time she deflected his attacks away from her instead of back at him.

“It looks like you're slipping and refusing to act!” He was in his truer form. One set of hands were on his hips while the others played with visible balls of magical energy.

“I am acting! I’m protecting myself, like you taught me!” She was also getting more frustrated with him. She had stated many times that her intentions were to be able to protect herself and make sure she could get away. Not attack back. Even the offensive spells she did use were more of distractions than anything that could do real harm. Like making a ball of light appear in someone's face to blind them for a second, or the opposite and darken their vision.

The beyonder growled at her. “I am trying to teach you how to survive, not prolong the fight by running away. The mages have seen you twice since you killed one of their own, and they are still looking for you, little witch. You need to let them know that it’s a mistake to look for you!”

She felt angry tears making their way out of her eyes. He kept bringing up that she killed Marcus. That she had killed another person, and that meant she could do it again. Meant that she would need to do it again. She didn’t want that, though. She didn’t ever want to hurt anyone again. “I’m not attacking back! So fucking stop telling me to! I won’t do it!”

“You will need to, Madeline!”

“No! I can run! I can make sure they don’t hurt me and that they won’t find me. That’s all I need.”

“It is not, little witch” he growled in frustration, letting the magic he was holding loose at her.

In a split second of action, Madeline reached into the ground with her magic and pulled at the roots around her. They sprouted and wrapped around her feet just in time for her to focus on and deflect the lightning coming at her. Thanks to the roots she didn’t budge an inch. “See! I stood my ground and didn’t move. Happy?!”

He swore in his strange native tongue. “You think that is helpful? Tying yourself to the ground? Now you are a sitting target. Have I taught you nothing?!”

“No, because all you’re trying to teach me is how to kill. I’m not fucking killing, you stupid beyonder!”

“You live in the Maze! It is kill or be killed in here!”

“No! I am a friend of the Maze. Its inhabitants aren’t going to hurt me.” Carver had told her she would be safe. That those who called the maze home wouldn’t attack her. Or at least most of them wouldn’t.

“The mages call this Maze home, too, little witch. They will kill you. They have tried before.” He stopped yelling but his words were far more a growl than language.

“They’ve tried and here I am.” She gestured to her Garden. “I’m still alive and safe because I ran away.”

“No, you are alive, safe, and able to run away because you did not the first time. You,” he pointed at her with a clawed finger, “killed a mage so that you could be here today. If you had not done what was necessary you would not be here.”

“Stop telling me I killed him!” The tears were really coming now. “I know I killed Marcus. I know what I did, and I don’t want to do it again!”

“You might not want to but you might have to, Madeline! They will not hesitate to kill you, what do you not understand?!” He threw his hands up in the air at her.

“I don’t understand why you're so insistent on me killing people, you goddess damn psychopath! I can survive without having to kill again!”

“Then it will be on your head, little witch. I am trying to teach you that life is not kind. Sometimes it is kill or be killed, so you have to be ready for that or you will die!”

“I fucking know life isn’t kind! You saw how I looked before! You know how that felt for me, for twenty five fucking years! Don’t tell me life is hard!”

“I was not talking abo—Fuck! You aggravating little—” He cut himself off and stormed back and forth.

“What? ‘You aggravating little’ what?” She went to take a step close to him in her anger, but the roots still kept her tied to the ground.

“I am not going to resort to name calling like you! I have more respect for you than that, little witch.” The growl he gave her mimicked the one when he thought she was a mage.

“I don’t think its name calling when it’s accurate, you murder happy beyonder!”

“I am getting really tired of you! I am not murder happy, I am realistic.” Now he stormed up to her.

“Oh really? And if you hadn’t fucked up in making our pact wouldn’t you have freely and happily go out to murder as many mages as you could?”

“That is personal, not because I just want to kill them! They chained my sibling! They hurt zim for no reason other than being who ze is! But you would not understand that!”

“Wouldn’t understand?! My own sister, who helped me find myself and my name, called me a man and a freak because the mages took her! Turned her into a murderer! They were going to kill me just for being of switched hearts! How do I not understand the hate?!”

“Exactly! And when they tried to kill you, you stopped them by doing what you needed. You killed that man, Madeline! You took his life! Accept it and recognize that you might have to do it again!” He was in her face now, and whether she stood her ground because she actually wanted to or because the roots still held her she didn’t know.

“Go fuck yourself, Victor!” she screamed in his face. “I don’t want to see your stupid fucking face, you thoughtless, heartless monster!” As soon as the words left her mouth the beyonder was gone. She was alone in her Garden and as the roots fell away, she fell to her knees crying.