### 349

As soon as you step into the ruby corridor, the horseshoe arch turns completely opaque. You try to go back, but the milky-white barrier will not let you pass. Soon, the skull appears once more, but this time its message chills you to the core:

> 'The path you have chosen leads to the heart of the maze,
> And there you are doomed to eke out your days.'

It is a prophecy that will be fulfilled. You have ventured too deep into Zahda's maze, and the exits are now closed off forever. It may interest you to learn that you survived at the core of the maze for three weeks, a feat that earned you the respect of Lord Zahda, but one that did not persuade him to spare you your life.

Your life and your quest end here.

Text copyright © 1986 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1986 Gary Chalk.