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.