Page 70 of The Chosen Fae

Rune figured Xena would try, as mad as she was.

Rune now had to make it across the rope again, shimmying out and praying she didn't lose the flag out of her belt. She could imagine the flag falling into the net and Xena grabbing it. Rune made sure it was secure again and then began making the long way across the rope.

At least Xena couldn't jump up on the net to grab at her. It was too far below the rope.

Then Xena couldn't even move toward the end of the net because Silas wouldn't allow her to. Rune couldn't have been prouder of him for living up to what he said he would do to help them. She hoped that if Iris and Elon were on Lolita's and Stone's challenge, they would help them out if they could. She was just grateful that Silas was aiding her.

"If you don't let me go…" Xena screamed.

"I would capture it from Rune if you would back off," Silas said, but Rune didn't think he meant it.

Rune just had to concentrate on moving her hands and feet around the rope until she could reach the other end.

Xena had made a little progress moving on the net toward the end where Rune was headed, but Silas stopped her again. Rune swore that if she received something from her sponsor that Silas could use if she won, she was giving it to him to thank him for her win.

Then she reached the end, climbed off, and headed down the tower as fast as she could without dropping the flag or falling herself. That would be a very bad end to a very good run.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the tower, she ran to where the wooden wall was, but on this side, there were rails like a ladder that she could use to climb up over the wall. Once she climbed to the top of the wall, she leaped down to the other side and ran to the creek to cross the log.

Here, she took her time. She was afraid she would lose the flag if she fell in the creek. There wasn't anything bad in the water, she didn't think, and she figured she could swim across it, but she could just imagine losing her flag and spending forever to find it in the deep, dark flow of water.

She slipped twice and paused to catch her breath, and then she made it across and was glad to reach the other side and solid land. And then she saw the flag stand that hadn't been there to begin with!

She stuck the flag in the stand. She saw two more nearby. They had to be for Stone and Lolita's challenges. And then she had a thought. She could stay here and wait for them to show up with their flags, or she could take off and help one of them.

She saw the Game Master appear and smile at her. "You won."

"Can I help Lolita with her challenge? It won't negate winning this flag, will it? If Xena or Silas come and find it in the flag stand?"

"Nope. It's all documented that you found it and returned it to its stand. In the meantime, you can rest here and wait for the others to show up, or you can help someone else with their challenge."

"Thanks!" Rune raced off in the direction that she smelled Lolita, Caspian, and Iris had gone. They had said they were going to help Rune and Stone and Lolita, so maybe she didn't need to aid Lolita.

But if they were only saying so and didn't mean it, Rune would be there to assist her. She wondered if the Game Master or someone else would tell Silas and Xena that Rune had won the game and they had lost so that Silas could release Xena and return to the flagpole area.

When she finally reached the cavern, it was quiet inside.

Nothing was there—just gradients of black folding into more blackness, the ceiling lost somewhere above where the wet stone was just as dark.

A thin trickle of water caught what little light existed, threading down the rock face in a narrow line. Wet stone and something darker beneath it, the kind of damp that had been accumulating for centuries, heavy with the musk of the colony of bats roosting overhead. The moss gave off a clean scent that cut through the deeper reek of guano.

Rune smelled Caspian, Lolita, and Iris's scent as she moved through the dark cave, though with her wolf sight, she could see.

A girl screamed. Rune’s heart skipped a beat. It had to have been Iris or Lolita.

Rune’s heart beat like crazy, her skin chilling with concern.

"Lolita!" Iris shouted, her voice filled with panic.

"Lolita!" Caspian's voice was just as rife with concern.

"What has happened?" Rune called out, her voice echoing off the walls. She feared Lolita had hurt herself badly.

Some areas were narrow, others were wider, and some opened into cavernous areas. The floor was rocky and slippery; the footing was difficult to maneuver. Rune shifted into her wolf and moved more sure-footed through the cave.

"Rune?" Caspian called out. "Lolita fell in a hole."

Rune shifted. "Go get something that we can use as a rope."