“Just tell us about the maze,” said Joe impatiently.

“Fine,” Merlin sniffed. “To begin with, it was made of eleven-foot hedges of Devil’s Snare, which made it dangerous to get close to the walls, until we started carrying balls of magefire.

“Then there was the size of the labyrinth. It covered several acres and was absurdly complicated, but every turning looked the same. I think there were spells on it to prevent anyone from getting out without the leave of its owner. Or at least, there were booby traps that would cause you to become disoriented, or that would transport you instantly to a different point in the maze. The four-point charm wasn’t much help, because we had no idea which direction led to the way out. And then there were the creatures.”