Garinor was not about to hand over the bloodstone after working his way so deeply into the labyrinth. He decided instead to take the right path. He stepped through the door and into the inky darkness, steeling himself for the next phase of the challenge. But even though he was ready to meet the unexpected, he was not prepared for what he saw.
Fires raged in every direction, bursting from the ground and falling from the sky. The whole area was lit by a crimson and golden glow that made his eyes water. The heat was unbearable, and he wondered if he had somehow found his way into a volcano. He dodged fiery projectiles left and right as he tried to make his way through the treacherous field. He tried counting the number of rooms he had visited, but he didn’t think he had met all eight of the clan members yet. Thus he kept his eyes forward, trying to find one here who would guide him.
The fires flashed about from all angles, forcing him to duck and weave, even roll on the charred ground. It was exhausting work and he couldn’t keep up that pace for long. Sprinting when he could, Garinor was determined to make his way through the room as quickly as possible. But when he hoped to reach an exit, he saw only a hill.
Climbing the hill was not easy, for the fires dashed about and chased after him or rolled down the incline toward him. He hopped over an errant fireball and ducked under another. It had been hard enough doing so on the flat landscape; up a hill was torture.
At last Garinor crested the hill and all the fires died away to a strange calm. He scanned for the person who would give him his next clue, but he didn’t see anyone. Dejected, he chose to keep moving the same general direction, and so he jogged down the other side of the hill and made his way through the silence.
At the bottom of the hill there was a small doorway. It was only the height of his knees and he could only go through it by crawling. He couldn’t remain in the fiery room, though, so down he went, pushing open the portal and pulling himself through one four-legged step at a time.
As expected, there was total darkness on the other side of the portal. He waited until the door closed before he tried to look around to see where he was.
He found himself crouched on the floor underneath a table. There was a carpet on the floor and a fireplace. He also saw several other pieces of furniture in the area, as well as a chess board, a variety of weapons, and a smattering of plants. The room even housed a small pond, complete with a simulated beach. He understood instinctually that each object in the room represented something that was part of the labyrinth.
A door was nearby. Just one. He rose to his feet and approached it carefully, pushing it open and entering an adjacent room, where two robed figures sat reading scrolls of parchment.
The woman rose up and greeted him. “I see you have ventured through the labyrinth and you have returned to us at last.”
The man stood up beside her and nodded. “A worthy bearer of the stone, I must say.” He looked at the woman. “It seems that all our work has now been completed.”
She sighed. “Oh dear. But perhaps we can keep the labyrinth up for others who might venture this way.”
“And, what, charge admission for it? I’ll not see our ways turned into some mild amusement!”
“You never have any forward-thinking, do you?” she berated him. “You would rather sit and let our life’s work waste away.”
“It’s not a waste! We know now that one of destiny has claimed the stone!”
Garinor could see that they were winding up for a full-scale argument and so he intervened. “Pardon me, but could you explain what’s going on here?”
The man, whose face was beet red by now, lowered his hands and turned to Garinor as if seeing him for the first time. “Oh. Well, we were charged with protecting that stone you found, to ensure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“And for that you made me risk my life?”
“Yes,” said the woman. “For only one of courage should wield that stone.”
“But, what does it do?”
“There is a prophecy—” the man started.
“Yes,” Garinor interrupted. “I know of it.”
The man harrumphed at the intrusion. “Then you know of the scepter. All we know is that the stone and scepter should be brought together.”
“Yes, so don’t lose it,” the woman added.
“Where do I go now?”
“There is a cave far north of here, at the base of the mountains,” the woman answered. “And you should seek it out.”
“How will I get there?”
“Go north,” said the man wryly.
The woman looked at Garinor. “We will give you a horse that knows the way. Come.” She led him outside and brought him to a dark brown horse that was saddled and ready for departure. “You must go now and journey north without delay. Your destiny awaits you.”
Garinor nodded and climbed onto the unfamiliar horse, then took the reins in his hand. He looked back for a moment at the two robed figures below him. “I think I understand. The brown versus the white. Truth versus deception. You helped me to see that both are parts of the journey and that I need to beware as I go onward.” With that, he snapped the reins and was on his way.