Page 105 of A Lady’s Guide to Fae Kings

She took off running.

Molly sighed. “Well, now all I know is that she can’t win. I’m not losing to her.” She glared at Roman, then at Pippa. “So get going.”

“Splendid,” Pippa muttered, peering up at the spiraling mound. “More climbing.”

Her legs already felt as if they were made of milk pudding. Her lungs were scratchy with exertion. No one had told her the Labyrinth involved so much running, and swimming, and climbing. Or the feral need to punch Fae spectators in the throat. She had expected more riddles, more tricks.

The path to the top wound around the hill, steep and arduous. Long. Pippa already wanted to lie down in a patch of chamomile flowers and sleep.

“Too slow,” Molly snapped, even though she was coming up behind Pippa. “Move it.”

Pippa tried. She wanted to tell them about the Red Grimoire and the spell but knew they wouldn’t believe her. They would think it was a trick so she could win. And it might not matter, because she wasn’t sure if she could keep going. She could feel her pulse in her thighs and inside her skull. Her calves twitched. Everything hurt.

And that was before she walked right into a door.

She rubbed the tip of her nose with a yelp. The door had appeared out of nowhere. It was made of thick oak planks, the hinges shaped like silver owls. A moth was painted over the keyhole.

The key.

She was still wearing it around her neck on the red velvet ribbon Lachlan had given her, but she had mostly forgotten about it. It was her prize for defeating the Red Ladies. Was this the advantage it gave? A door to be unlocked?

Pippa fit the key in the lock and turned.

When the door swung open, she stepped through the archway and onto the top of the hill. Molly and Hellebore stepped out of their own doors, having also won a key. It was definitely a boon not to have to crawl up the rest of the steep hill.

It would have been even better if there wasn’t a furious monster waiting for them.