Page 38 of The Chosen Fae

“True.”

"So in a way, it was karma. They made the choices they made. We could see you just wanted to get to the other side of the river, but Pari was trying to pull you off. Because you helped the others across the other side of No Man's Land, you proved you could help others in need and not leave anyone behind. Pari was another matter."

"I didn't want anyone to get eaten by the sandworms."

"Right. A life-or-death matter became important to you. Not just for yourself, but for the others you helped. They should be grateful that you did, but they're not. They still resent you and Stone."

"Because we're different."

"Aye. Which is the crux of the matter. You may not gain alliances from your charitable actions, but the rest of us see them, evaluate them, and score them. So your effort was not done in vain."

Rune nodded, glad for that. Though she would have done so anyway. She still thought that she had more of an ally in Iris now. But it didn't really matter, as she knew she was loyal to her pack, and if they wanted to get rid of Rune, they wouldn't stop trying. She thought they were more afraid of Stone, even though Vesper wasn't afraid of confronting him.

"Go have your breakfast. The next game will start after that."

When Stone met with his advisor, he leaned back in his seat and said, "Well played. Vesper thinks he won by beating all of you to the other side of the forest on the way to the Hawk Fae castle, leaving even his own pack members behind in peril. We can't help but admire both you and Rune for helping the others, though they seem to regard you both as the enemy."

"They have to see someone as the villain."

"They have the other pack to see in that way. But they seem to be targeting the two of you. I'm sure if they sent you both home, they would concentrate on fighting the remaining pack."

"More power to them, but I'm not going home any time soon."

"And Rune?"

Stone laughed. "She will probably outlast all of us."

His advisor smiled. "Keep up the good work."

"Thanks." Now that Stone had an idea of what was the way to go about the challenges, he was ready to take on the next one, in the right way, again. He guessed his advisor didn’t know how the dynamics were changing between him and Rune and some of the other wolf fae, but there was no sense in sharing that information until they knew for sure the others weren’t lying to them.

He headed into the lunchroom and saw Rune eating by herself, but she was having a gourmet feast of salmon, hash brown potatoes, and carrots. Then, when he went up to the buffet, the woman there shook her head. "Take a seat. You'll be given something to eat there."

He smiled. That meant he was getting a treat from his sponsors for his performance yesterday. This time, he didn't care what the others thought of him and Rune. He took a seat next to her and eyed her meal.

She raised a brow. "What happened to us not sitting with each other?"

"My roommate told me we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We might as well make it official."

She chuckled. "All right by me."

Then Stone explained what Silas had said to him.

“Hmm. I’ll believe them about helping us when I see it,” Rune said.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

After eating, the competitors met in the commons to meet up with the Game Master.

"In the next challenge," the Game Master said, "you will take on the Darkland Forest Hunt where you'll track down a wild boar across unfamiliar territory. If you find any hidden traps or quicksand that would swallow unwary pack members, you must leave scent markers or other markings to make the others aware of the danger. We did not set these traps there, but other fae have, so watch yourselves."

"Do we have to fight the boar as wolves?" Stone couldn't imagine fighting something so dangerous when none of them were fully grown wolves, even if they worked together.

"No. Use your weapons' skills. Though if one or two of you—or more—choose to fight the beast as wolves, it's up to you. The task has to be accomplished; that's it. For those of you who have been gifted with magical swords, you won't be able to access their powers in the Darkland Forest. You'll have to wield them as any sword a commoner might own."

"Is there a particular boar out there that's being set free so we can go after it?" Silas asked.

"No. It must be a wild boar, no mothers with piglets or pregnant females. If you kill a mother, you will be sent home."