Garinor looked at them and decided that he couldn’t let them have the stone. “I will face this labyrinth of yours.”
The man rubbed his hands together. “Then we take your horse as payment.”
“But—”
“You’re in no position to bargain, boy,” the woman crooned. She raised her hands into the air and then belted out a strange call that sounded like a sick cat. Several members of the camps came forward and crowded around Garinor and though these people didn’t hold weapons against him, he knew for certain that he couldn’t escape them.
The woman pointed to the eight men and women around him, ignoring the others nearby. “To face the labyrinth, you will need the guidance of these members of our clans. Half of them will tell you the truth, but the others will tell you lies. With that guidance alone, you will need to find your way through the maze and either escape or die in the attempt.”
Garinor fixed his jaw and nodded curtly. “Fine, then what advice do you all have?”
The robed man cackled. “Oh, no, no, no, you will not have your clues now.” He whistled low and slapped his knee. “But you’re a funny one, aren’t you? No, it’s our challenge so you’ll play it our way. And that means you will get your clues when we give them to you. For now, we march.”
The eight clan members held a code of silence so resolute that when one of them stubbed his toe he didn’t even cry out in pain. The two leaders followed behind the pack while Garinor was ushered along in the middle, thoroughly blocked from escape. They headed southeast and, with all the people around him, Garinor didn’t have the chance to enjoy any part of the area. His mind remained focused on what challenges he would face in the coming labyrinth.
At last they approached a wide, open field lined with numerous fences. Garinor could see that each fence was disguised with hedges on each side, making impenetrable walls that spanned as far as he could see. Atop the maze was a flat roof that blocked out the light and would prevent him from using the sun as a beacon to guide him through.
The group filtered into the first main room of the labyrinth. It took time for Garinor’s eyes to adjust to the darkness. While luminescent moss on the walls offered a hint of light, it was otherwise unlit. As he surveyed the room, he noticed three doors, one of which they had just come through. The eight members of the clan split into two groups and went through the other doors, vanishing from sight.
The robed leaders remained with Garinor, but even then he felt that he couldn’t pass by them. The man held out his hand. “This is your last chance to hand over the bloodstone and thereby free yourself of this ordeal.”
“No. I am ready for this.”
“Very well.”
Garinor glanced back at the two doors and asked, “Which way am I supposed to go?”
The leaders laughed at him. The woman took on a haughty voice and declared, “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.