Rootmaze Warden

The lantern went green as our bow entered the left channel. Then it found Glade Witch pollen on our coats and turned red.

The Warden stood waist-deep at the fork, as broad as a boathouse door. Mangrove roots made its legs and shield. An old survey marker and a bronze hinge hung inside with six lamps burning underwater. Both arms came across the channel. Roots rose behind us and the current stopped.

Our guide tried the other fork. A prop root struck his canoe at the place his axe had scarred the bank. We bound living bark over the cut and gave the axe into its chest. The red dimmed. One narrow corridor opened, still watched.

It judges what reaches the threshold. Blood and cut roots matter, as do carried fire, stolen eggs, and invasive pollen. Another Warden's lantern colors can affect the decision. It seldom pursues beyond its channel, using roots and current to block or divert passage instead.

Repair can change the judgment. Apology alone cannot. It remembers returning travelers and may keep a route safe for those maintaining banks or clearing debris. Frantic retreat suggests danger following. It often closes behind fugitives, even when that leaves the pursuers trapped on the same side.