Garinor looked at the people gathered around him and decided he needed to face their challenge instead of giving up the stone he had found. “I will accept your challenge.”
The robed leaders stared at each other and frowned. It was obvious they were expecting him not to accept. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. I cannot give you the stone, so I must accept the challenge.”
“Even though it may cost you your life?”
“Even so.” He stared at them and did not flinch under their disapproval.
“Fine then. You’ll face the labyrinth tomorrow.” He was taken back to the tent and set there for the rest of the rainy day. The gag was replaced, and his bonds were tightened, but at least he was out of the rain. He was soaked through and the only reprieve he had was that a blanket was thrown over him at the start of the night. He didn’t think he would sleep at all.
Yet he did. His eyes opened just after dawn and he looked around the tent, seeing it empty. That didn’t ease his mind, for he was still bound and gagged. He noticed that his clothes had dried, and he didn’t feel as if he would be sick from sleeping all wet and soggy. He realized that he hadn’t been woken up throughout the night and he guessed that everyone else in the camp hadn’t cared about sticking to the pattern. He wondered if maybe he weakened their own resolve by remaining firm in his.
The camp came alive and bustled with activity, but it wasn’t until early afternoon that Garinor was taken out into the ring of people again and the gag was removed. The woman frowned at him and asked, “Do you still plan to accept the challenge?”
“I do.”
She shook her head with obvious disdain, but then she explained, “Around you sit members of our clan and each holds a piece of information. Half will give you that information outright. The other half will give it to you in reverse of the truth. Your task will be to gather the information and to seek the answer yourself. Fail, and death will await you.”
“I understand.”
The leaders stood up, as did the rest of the circle. “Very well then, you will go now to the labyrinth. May you seek a way of escaping.”
As one, the group all moved southeast off the road. The eight travelers kept him secured between them and he couldn’t escape. He tried asking for their clues now, but they refused to answer. It seemed that this ritual was to be taken seriously. When Garinor turned around, he noticed that the robed leaders were following behind the group, their faces set in stone. He wondered if this trial was going to end his life or if he could indeed escape.
He was taken to a large field into which a great labyrinth had been erected. Tall fences sectioned off the whole thing and acted as dividing walls within the structure as well. Each fence was covered in bushes and vines so it was impossible to see within. A thick, dark roof rested on top of it, keeping out the daylight and therefore making it hard to discern in which direction the paths led.
They walked into the first room of the labyrinth and there the group halted. Garinor glanced around and wondered at what he saw. It was absolutely enormous, and he noted there was a total of three doors, one of which they had just come through. Along the walls was a strange glowing moss that acted as a light source, though a dim one at best. It obscured the surroundings and cast everything into a hazy glow. Garinor shook his head, wondering what he was getting himself into.
The leaders waved their hands and the other eight clan members broke into two groups and went through the other two doors. Garinor stood there alone with the leaders who looked at him in disdain.
“Are you certain you won’t part with the bloodstone and therefore relieve yourself of this challenge?”
“I’m certain. I need to keep this stone.”
“Very well,” said the man, disappointed.
Garinor looked at them and then at the two doors behind him. He shook his head. “Which way am I supposed to go?”
The robed figures laughed at him. The woman cleared her throat and announced, “The path to your left is the only correct way to go and in it you will find the information you seek.”
After this, the man added, “The other path is the right way to go and in it you will find your way.”
Garinor frowned at them. Clearly not only the eight clan members were part of the ruse that was meant to guide or mislead him. He grimaced and thought about their words.
The woman said her path was the only correct answer, but Garinor wondered if that was true. There might be more than one way to arrive at the final goal and so he thought perhaps she was lying. However, the man was at least partially telling the truth, for the other path was on the right side of the room.