Garinor didn’t know if the last clue had been the truth or not, but he decided to trust the man. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. He wanted to keep a tally in his head of truths and lies because he had been told that half of the clues would fall on either side of honesty, but it was difficult when, even after going into the next area, he still did not know.
Garinor walked toward the door and opened it. Like before, he saw nothing until he let the door close behind him. He wondered absently if he could get back into the previous room, so if this room was incorrect, he could return, but once the door closed shut it was gone. He couldn’t even feel it in the wall.
The darkness exploded into a dim greenish glow, sparked with flashes of gold. When his eyes adjusted to the sudden change, he realized that he was now in a tall, well-populated forest. Countless trees surrounded him and he couldn’t help but marvel at whatever magic was taking place here. The air was crisp and vibrant, and he wanted nothing more than to settle down and absorb the peace and tranquility.
Before he could do so, however, a bird swooped through the air, squawking madly at him. It pecked at his hand, and soon it was joined by several others. The birds pursued him, alternately shrieking and pecking, trying to propel him onward. He shooed them away and managed to keep them from biting his face, but they nonetheless forced him to move along. He passed countless trees as he fended off the angry flock until he came to a place where the birds turned away.
A small clearing appeared before him and there stood a woman covered in leaves. The more he stared, the more she seemed as if she were wearing a dress of leaves. They rustled gently when she moved. She laughed with a lightness to her tone as he greeted her and sought her information.
“You have come this way because of a lie,” she said. “But here you can correct your path.” She turned and pointed to two wooden doors. “To my left you will find a way that will lead you to danger. To my right you will find a path that leads to the end of this maze.”
Garinor frowned at this advice, for it was as nondescript as the others and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to link all these ideas together into a coherent end. But he could not stand there forever and so he had to choose.