Page 34 of The Chosen Fae

"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."