Chapter 143

Eli took a deep breath and stepped into position at the first opening in the maze. Even though he knew Kit had entered through the middle passage, he was confident this would be the fastest route to work his way through. His goal was to reach the center, where the fountain was located, before the princess got there so he could see which path she took headed out. He doubted anyone else would catch her before she got to that point. In fact, he wondered if anyone would catch her at all considering the expression of determination she’d worn on her face when the princess had shot off into the labyrinth.

He was aware that Pierce felt overly confident about his abilities. The Representative from Metfirth had moved over to the center once the women had entered, and he still had a grin on his face. In fact, he seemed to be going over something in his head, and it looked to Eli like it might be a list of turns. It wouldn’t surprise him at all if Rona hadn’t told Pierce how to navigate the maze. It was evident the queen wanted him to win because she could control him. Not just the maze run, either. Rona wanted Pierce to be Duke.

“Don’t worry. I won’t spend so much time smooching Junno that I can’t slow him up,” Cassius whispered in Eli’s ear as he headed over to the second opening. Eli’s eyebrows raised at the other Representative who gave him a subtle wink before proceeding.

Puzzled, Eli attempted to return his attention to the maze itself, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Cassius had meant by that remark. “I don’t care who wins, but it won’t be him,” Reeve commented on his right. “Besides, it’s about time you and Kit had a chance to talk.”

Eli turned his head then. “You aren’t saying the rest of you are throwing the race are you?” He wanted to win, but not because the others weren’t trying.

“No, of course not,” Reeve corrected, glancing around to make sure no one else was paying them any mind. “I’m just saying, no one would be put out if that was the case.”

Eli nodded but had nothing else to say to the Representative from Erast Hollow. He noted that most of the Representatives were lined up outside of the center of the maze; only four others stood behind Reeve and Eli, and none of them were of any concern to him. Down the way, he noticed Jate and Landon were also in the center near Cassius and Pierce with Drake and Danyen at the very far end, next to Gavin and Zane. Eli thought Kit would be happy if the winner came from one of those nine men and not the others.

On the queen’s command, they all took off, and Eli moved quickly ahead, letting his instincts guide him. There were subtle ways to tell whether or not the maze wall he followed was continuous before he reached a corner or a turn. He could tell by the planting at the bottom, the way it was trimmed, and the evenness at the top of the wall. He was also aware that there were alcoves between some of the hedges where one could conceal oneself. Kit wouldn’t do that—not right away, and only if she heard someone coming up on her. He needed to keep his footsteps light, but he also knew she wouldn’t be anywhere near where he was right now, not unless she’d strayed far off course, and he knew his girl well enough to be sure she wouldn’t let that happen.

The winds picked up, and he could smell the rain forming on the horizon. He thought he might find her before the skies opened up, but he prayed there would be enough lightning in the distance to scare the queen off of her overlook. He was certain she was watching him like an eagle, ready to accuse him of cheating at any turn. Exactly how one might do that was beyond him, but if she could think of a way to charge him, she would.

Over toward the center, he heard some giggling and thought Cassius might’ve caught up to Junno. The thought brought a smile to his face. He’d always loved Kit’s grandmother. If the queen had any idea just how fond Junno was of Eli, her rage would light the queen’s hair on fire.

He also heard another commotion, the sound of a scuffle and wondered if that had anything to do with Pierce. While he couldn’t be certain, he had to assume Cassius and Reeve hadn’t meant they were the only ones who would do their best to prevent Pierce from gaining an unfair advantage, and Landon and Jate had been with him. Perhaps they were in on the scheme as well. No one knew more than Jate how much Kit detested Pierce. On the ride over, Eli had been completely filled in on the conversation in the Representatives’ leisure room he’d missed the day before and was thankful Kit had so many men looking out for her.

In fact, he was aware now that Kit knew that there were others. As he tore through the maze, careful to work his way toward the center fountain without getting too far toward the exit yet either, he thought about the implications Pim’s words had revealed to the princess. Until yesterday, she’d been mostly in the dark about the conditions of the citizens of the realm, though Cassius admitted he’d mentioned it to her once before. Once Pim said those secret words to Kit, the curtain had been drawn back, and the princess had begun to realize there was more to all of this than she could ever imagine.

He wouldn’t let his mind drift too far away from the task at hand. He flew past one of the noblewomen without stopping to even register who she was, and when she called after him that he forgot his ribbon, he didn’t slow. There was no rule that said he had to ask for either a ribbon or a kiss, after all. He had only one ribbon in mind, and reaching Kit had nothing to do with winning or prizes as much as it did her protection. If he got to her first and helped her get out of the maze, she wouldn’t have to concern herself with any of the other Representatives, including the cunning one who was still shouting somewhere over near the center entryway that he was being stalled. Eli wondered what in the world Cassius was doing but couldn’t slow down to investigate.

Pierce wasn’t his only concern, however. There were others, Representatives who didn’t understand what Kit’s role needed to be moving forward, those who came from families loyal to Rona or of such wealth they couldn’t care less about the common people, those being hurt by the queen’s selfish ways. The only way to ensure that Kit wasn’t forced to bed someone she wasn’t interested in was to present himself as an option—while giving her the chance to walk away the winner herself if that was what she preferred.

Only the sound of his own breathing and the rustle of wood chips beneath his feet was audible now that he’d put some distance between himself and the other contestants. From the outside, the circumference of the maze didn’t look so daunting, but once inside, it was easy to see how one could become lost. There were so many passages, hundreds of twists and turns, it was easy to get confused and stray away from the path out. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of the Representatives, or even the ladies, got turned around and ended up heading back the way they came without even realizing it.

So far, he hadn’t run into a single dead end, and he wanted to keep it that way. The longer he ran through the maze, the easier it was to tell which way he should go. Only the occasional giggle or shout of amusement hit his ear from time to time back behind him. He wasn’t surprised not to have seen any of the other ladies either since he doubted many of them would’ve made it so near the center circle by now.