Chapter 10
Rune helped the last two women to the forest and looked back to see where Stone was. He was aiding the other two guys. She thought they would make it and turned her attention to the wraiths screeching and screaming as they came down in swoops around the fae.
Rune swung her sword at them, but they were just out of reach. They just kept moving while she tried to fight them. Iris used her slingshot to hit one of the wraiths. It knocked her from the sky, and she fell to the ground, stunned.
"Great shot. That's the way to go." Rune was glad she helped Iris across the desert to reach the forest. The slingshot, bows, and arrows were the best weapons to use against the wraiths.
She realized that working as a team let them help each other in different ways, whereas working alone meant using only what they had available.
Rune tried to hit the wraiths, but they kept out of her reach. At least she could keep them away while Iris hit them and knocked them out.
Once Rune saw Stone and the others were in the forest, she and the women began moving faster until they could reach the forest on the other side, and that's where they would then travel to the Hawk Fae castle.
When they finally made it to the other side of the forest, they could see the castle off in the distance. Men on horseback wearing regal clothes met them from the kingdom, pulling extra horses behind them.
"King Tiernan has sent us to fetch you," the guard said. “We brought extra horses so that you can ride double.”
Vesper turned into his wolf and dashed across the field. Several of the other wolves did too.
Rune looked at Stone, knowing he didn't know how to ride a horse either. She didn't know about the other wolf fae. But running as wolves suited her fine.
Stone smiled, pulled her into a hug, and kissed her. "We made it, and you did great."
"So did you." She was so surprised he would kiss her in front of the others, but she loved it.
Then they both shifted and ran off to the Hawk Fae castle.
"I take that as a no," the guard said, laughing, and they followed behind at a gallop.
Yeah, they might not get there as fast as if they were riding horses, but this was a wolf way.
When they arrived, it was time for dinner.
She wondered how the others would view her actions with Pari, but she couldn't help what she had done.
She still bore the marks of the stones Pari had thrown at her, two of them striking her in the face.
Pari had hit her hard enough that she could have knocked Rune out. Luckily, she hadn't.
She wondered if Pari was still in the competition or had been sent home, as Maeve had been.
If they based it on making the others fail, they should have sent Rune home.
But they hadn't. Then again, Maeve had tried to kill her, and Pari's actions could have too.
At least Rune had saved Pari by pushing the button to call for a dragon to return her to the Phantom Fae Kingdom.
She thought that someone else pushing a fae's emergency button wouldn't have worked, but maybe it did only in a life-or-death situation.
She hoped that Vesper wouldn’t win, though she had to admit he had arrived at the Hawk Fae Kingdom the fastest of all of them.
They were served a feast of roast beef, rice, beans, pears, and tons of other food. But Rune just wanted to wash off the sand she felt all over her clothes and skin where it had worked its way in.
Stone actually sat next to her this time, surprising her. "You did a good job handling Pari. I'm not sure what I would have done if she had tried to have me killed." He reached over and touched her cheek below where it still hurt.
"I'm glad she's alive, but I hope she's sent home." Rune piled beef, vegetables, and rice onto her plate. “Though Vesper tried to have you killed also.”
“Typical, yes.”
"I heard what you did about the human baby, protecting it from the others who wanted to win the challenge and turn him into a changeling," a gray-haired man said to Rune. “My name is Gevus.” His bright blue eyes smiled, but he was not of fae blood. No fae aura surrounded him. "Congratulations."
Was he a human?
"He would have been a burden, and truly, I believe if someone had turned the baby into a changeling, they would have had to leave the competition. But maybe that would have been a good thing. One less competitor." Rune really didn't mean it though.
Gevus smiled. "I'm a changeling."
Her jaw dropped. "No." She felt bad that she had said that too him.
"And I can read minds. I know you didn’t take the baby because you didn't want to remove the child from his family. You forced the others to stay away. And Stone wouldn't have taken the baby either. The other wolves would have, if you hadn't stopped them."
"Wow, I've never met a changeling before. Or someone who reads minds."
"I've been here for the Hawk Fae King Teirnan forever.
But he's not the one who stole me from my family.
He befriended me when he was exiled to another castle, where he lived as a prince while his father ruled.
Though I never knew my family, I know they must have suffered for my disappearance.
The police would have looked for me everywhere and accused everyone of stealing me.
But you saved that baby and his family from going through the pain and suffering.
Even though you would have given him a good life here. "
She was glad to get confirmation that she had done the right thing about the baby, though she was certain she had.
Stone said, "I agree with you. I'm glad to meet you. I've never seen a changeling before either."
"You're lone wolves. I totally understand. So how do you think you're doing in the trials?"
"Okay. I mean, it's hard to tell what the right way is to handle these situations," Rune said.
"Exactly. The prize is to lead the packs, bringing them to peace and cooperation, and working together. You need to always think in terms of how to bring people together."
"Not win against them," Rune acknowledged.
"Exactly. And in this last challenge, you accepted that truth and worked to assist each other to help others."
"But I cut the rope bridges, getting rid of our competition in the Rope Bridge Trial," Rune said.
"Aye. And you saved the smallest competitor, if you know what I mean.
Lolita would never have made it if you hadn't interceded.
You could have cut her rope too, but you didn't. And it wasn't because you didn't think she would win anyway.
You hoped she could find the idol first, and you were proud of her for winning the Escape the Room challenge.
Just continue what you're doing and prove you have what it takes to be leaders, even if you don't want to be. "
"We're lone wolves," Rune said.
"Sometimes a lone wolf can make the best leader. Pack members who must take over two packs might not get along as well because they favor their own pack over the other. But the two of you don't have that consideration." Then he smiled at Rune. "Except you have each other."
"We're lone wolves," Stone reminded him.
The man smiled again. "Who have found a common mission and come from a common background."
That was true, Rune thought.
Then the feast was done, and the dragons waited to return them to the Phantom Fae realm.
Rune was so glad they could ride on a dragon, which was exhilarating in and of itself, and didn't have to try to go across the treacherous sands of No Man's Land again.
Once they were in the Phantom Fae territory, they didn’t have any need to stay overnight there, so they were taken back to the game location late into the night.
It was so late when they returned to the gaming facility that it was time to go to bed.
They were told they would see their advisors in the morning before breakfast. What Rune didn’t expect was for Iris to be moved to her room.
She liked having a room to herself. She just hoped Iris wouldn’t try to kill her as Maeve did.
Then again, Rune had helped Iris across No Man’s Land to safety.
As soon as Iris entered the room and shut the door, she hurried over to give Rune a hug, shocking her to pieces. She didn't trust any of the fae in the two packs except Lolita and wondered if Iris was planning on spying on her for her packmates.
“You probably figured out that my roommate is gone,” Iris said.
“Pari?”
“Yeah. She tried to get the sandworms to eat you. I couldn’t believe it when she started throwing rocks at you.
That was an ugly thing to do. Anyway, I was told that her leg is still numb, and because of her trying to kill you and her leg being useless, she was sent home.
” Iris got into bed. “If you didn’t know, that’s why they sent Maeve home also. ”
Rune realized that pack members needed to work together, not kill each other, or they wouldn’t have a pack to manage.
"I'm so thrilled I was chosen to room with you, though Lolita looked so disappointed. But she still has Xena as a roommate." Iris began unpacking her bag.
Poor Lolita. Of any of the fae, Rune wouldn't want to be stuck with Xena.
She figured Xena would try to eliminate Rune next.
Xena was a gorgeous, amber-furred wolf who surrounded herself with a circle of admiring yes-wolves, isolating and humiliating any female who threatened her alpha status. Evil.
Iris could talk all she wanted, but Rune planned not to speak with her as much as possible, not wanting to give away any of her secrets.
Iris finished unpacking and putting her clothes away as Rune climbed under her covers, planning to sleep, turning away from Iris, and closing her eyes.
Rune listened to Iris sit on her bed, not lie down, not pull her covers over—their sensitive hearing would have picked up all of that—and she didn't seem ready to sleep yet.
"I want to help you win the challenges," Iris said.
Rune opened her eyes and turned over on her side facing Iris. "Why?" She really didn't believe her.
Irish shrugged. "We're here because we need to have new leadership for the two packs.
You and Stone are natural-born leaders. I love seeing you share your winnings with Stone.
I believe you could lead the packs in the right direction.
Despite Lolita being the smallest wolf, you take care of her like she's one of your pack, not like she's an outcast as the others do. "
"And you?" Rune knew Iris hadn't behaved any differently than any of the others toward Lolita.
"I'm a beta. What can I say? You and Stone are alphas, but you have heart.
Xena and Vesper are alphas also, but they rule more by bullying than anything else.
They have no empathy for anyone else. If either of them takes over the packs, we'll continue to quarrel. I think you and Stone can change that."
"Maeve and Pari tried to kill me. I don't see how taking charge of a couple of packs would work when the people we would rule want us dead," Rune said. So much for not speaking much to Iris.
"That's only at the games because they want to win so bad."
"But not you."
"I don't want you dead. I'm glad Maeve and Pari were sent home. Once you and Stone began winning and you helped us at No Man's Land, offered us the chance to tackle the pirarucu—"
"Which you didn't accept."
"Yeah, I know. Did I mention I'm a beta? Despite wanting to be on your side, I'm part of a pack, and I don't want to be an outcast."
"Like Lolita?"
"Uh, yeah. But you and Stone started winning and helping others.
I mean, you're clever and resourceful. When we were all fighting each other to get across the rope bridges, you cut our ropes and sent us into the river.
I was shocked. But then I realized something.
You got us to stop fighting. And we lost the chance to get the idol. "
“Hmm,” Rune said.
“Of course, my packmates think I'm going to reveal stuff to them about you, but I'm not."
Which was just what Rune had thought.
"I'm willing to help you win the challenges in any way that I can. Oh, and Caspian, Elon, and Silas feel the same way."
Well, that was good news if Rune could trust them. She needed to tell Stone privately when she could.
“Vesper is furious though. He said you’ve already forced two of our people to go home, reducing our chances of one of the packs winning. He believes he is the only one alpha enough and smart enough to win. But you and Stone keep thwarting him.”
Rune knew Vesper hated Stone because he was a true alpha and real competition. But she hadn’t expected Vesper to feel that way about her too. Though she knew he was really angry with her for selecting him last to be on her tug-of-war team.