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THE AQUATIC MAZE was ht walls There were four doors in and out of it, one in each of its four external walls From the center where I would be left, it usually took five or six et lost

But in the Trial, you had to drag around a heavy rock - half your weight - which slowed you down With the rock, eight or nine

In addition to the rock, there was the water to deal with As soon as the Trial began, the h hoses froround strea your way through the er, you were in serious trouble - because the maze filled to the top in seventeen minutes exactly

"It’s important not to panic," Vanez said We were down in one of the practice mazes, a smaller version of the Aquatic Maze The route wasn’t the same - the walls of the Aquatic Maze could be moved around, so the ood learning experience "Most who fail in the htening when the water rises and the going gets slower and tougher You have to fight that fear and concentrate on the route If you let the water distract you, you’ll lose your way - and then you’re finished"

We spent the early part of the night walking through theme how to make a map inside my head "Each wall of the maze looks the sa ed piece of floor, a crack You must note these small differences and build your e where you’ve already been, you’ll recognize it and can i no ti how to make mental maps of the es were easy to remember - a chipped stone in the top left corner of one, a moss-covered stone in the floor of the next, a bu of the one after that - but the farther I went, theit beca new in every corridor, because if I used a mark that was siet the two confused and end up chasing !" Vanez snapped when I cahth tiruood enough," he barked "You have to tune out all other thoughts Forget the Trials and the water and ill happen if you fail Forget about dinner and breakfast and whatever else is distracting you Think only about the hts completely, or you’re dooave it my best shot, and within an hour I had i off all other trains of thought was the solution It was boring, wandering through a maze for hours on end, but that boredom hat I had to learn to appreciate In the Aquatic Maze, excitement could confuse and kill h, Vanez wrapped a long rope around my waist and attached a rock to the other end "This rock is only a quarter of your weight," he said "We’ll try you with a heavier rock later, but I don’t want to tire you out too et you accustomed to this one first, ht, then try you on the real thing for a short tiive you a taste of how it feels"

The rock wasn’t especially heavy - as a half-vaer than a huon corners or in cracks, which meant I had to stop and free it "It’s i," Vanez said "Your natural instinct will be to tug on the rope and free it quickly, but more often than not that worsens the situation, and you wind up taking even longer to fix it Seconds are vital in the maze It’s better to actyourself than to act hastily and lose ten or twenty"

There ays to stop the rock and rope fro so much When I came to corners or bends, I had to seize the rope and pull the rock in close to et stuck And it was helpful to give the rope a shake every few seconds - that kept it loose "But you have to do these things auto to think Your brain should be fully occupied withelse must be done by instinct"

"It’s useless," I groaned, sinking to the floor "It’d take et ready for this I don’t have a hope in hell"

"Of course you do!" Vanez roared Squatting besidea sharp finger into the soft flesh of my belly

"Ow!" I slapped his hand away "Quit it!"

"It’s sharp?" he asked, jabbing runted, jabbed ine how much sharper the stakes in the Hall of Death are," he said

Sighing miserably, I hauledup the rope, I gave it a shake, then started back through theout the walls, as Vanez had taught me

Finally we stopped for a meal and met up with Mr Crepsley and Harkat in the Hall of Khledon Lurt I wasn’t hungry - I felt too nervous to eat, but Vanez insisted: he said I’d need every last bit of energy when it ca?" Mr Crepsley asked He’d wanted to watch me train, but Vanez had told him he’d be in the way

"Re on the bones of a skewered rat "To be honest, though I put on a brave face when the Trial was picked, I thought he’d be - excuse the pun - out of his depth The Aquatic Maze isn’t one of the more brutal Trials, but it’s one you need a lot of time to prepare for But he’s a quick learner We still have a lot to fit in - we haven’t tried him in water yet - but I’o"

Harkat had brought Madam Octa - Mr Crepsley’s spider - to the Hall with hi her bread crureed to take care of her while I was concentrating onaway from the vampires, I struck up a conversation with the Little Person "Managing her OK?" I asked

"Yes She is easy to take care of"