Page 35 of The Prince's Curse

Haldric scanned the courtyard before gesturing to some nearby rocks. “Evocations are the simplest and what you have the most practice with, so we’ll start there. Whoever can elevate their stone with runeflame the longest wins. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Benjin clenched his jaw, his light gray eyes flashing with determination.

Seeing him like that, so focused, stirred an uncomfortable feeling in Haldric’s belly. He shoved it down. “Right then,” he said, clearing his throat. “Let’s begin.”

The trial lasted upwards of ten minutes. Benjin put up more of a fight than Haldric had expected, sustaining his concentration surprisingly well despite his sloppy spellwork. In the end, however, Haldric’s superior technique won out, Benjin’s rock clattering to the dirt when his focus snapped.

Benjin glared at Haldric as though the failure was somehow his fault. “I choose Compulsion next. First to force the other out of a circle drawn in the dirt wins.”

Haldric felt a ripple of unease. “Hold on. Compulsion’s one of the more difficult disciplines, and we’ve barely covered the requisite runes. Perhaps a simpler challenge first to—”

“Compulsion,” Benjin insisted with a defiant stare. “You got to pick the last challenge, so now it’s my turn.” He raised a mocking brow. “Unless you’re afraid you’re not up to it.”

Haldric sighed, resigned. “So be it.”

He tried to settle his worries while Benjin etched a crude circle in the dirt with a stick. They’d gathered a bit of a crowd by now, several servants and guards stopping to watch. Haldric even spied Mistress Yaz peering out from a slate in the wooden stable. He considered urging them away for their own safety but decided to leave them be for now. None of the magic he or Benjin were using should be particularly dangerous, even for someone of Benjin’s skill level.

Besides,Haldric thought as he took up position across the circle from Benjin.I have to admit, this is actually kind of fun. And it wouldn’t hurt for the people to see their prince as more than an incompetent replacement for his lost sister.

Benjin called, “Ready. Set.Go!”

A thrill coursed through Haldric as he channeled his runeflame in a wash of blue and silver, beginning to weave a Compulsion to trick Benjin into thinking hewantedto step out of the circle. Before he could even finish forming the nascent enchantment, Benjin’s iron will slammed into him, shatteringhis concentration. There was no subtlety to Benjin’s technique, no finesse. It was raw command—the inescapable urge tomove.

But that didn’t make the brute attack any less effective.

In the blink of an eye, Haldric stood just beyond the circle, trembling from the residual touch of Benjin’s will upon his mind. He glared at the apprentice, straightening his back.

“A command that crude wouldn’t hold more than a second or two at most. Not to mention how much of your runeflame it must’ve wasted. Such magic is highly inefficient and risks damaging the target’s mind if you’re not careful.”

Benjin shrugged, fixing him with a smug look. “And yet, it worked just fine on you, didn’t it?” A slight notch appeared in his brow. “Besides, I never would’ve kept pressing if I felt it hurting you. Not bad for my first real Compulsion, huh?”

The sheer joy in Benjin’s voice defused most of Haldric’s annoyance. It was hard to stay upset when Benjin was so excited over his success. Besides, hehadwon the round fair and square.

Tied one-one, Haldric selected Restoration next. He won handily when he managed to repair a rusted sword they had someone fetch from the nearby armory far faster than Benjin.

Benjin followed up with Conjuration, challenging Haldric to see which of them could fill a jug of water the quickest. Drained as he was after his stunt with Compulsion, Benjin still narrowly pulled off another win, even if he sloshed as much water over the jug’s sides as he got into the jug itself.

Haldric had to hand it to Benjin—despite his other flaws, he certainly had a gift with runeflame. Perhaps Dexil had been right to select him as his apprentice after all. Another year or two of the same training Haldric had received, and Benjin would likely surpass him.

He would’ve expected that thought to leave him depressed. Instead, he was astonished to find it filled him with a weird sort of pride—one that had him close to smiling at Benjin each timetheir eyes met and sent warmth heating his skin at their casual banter.

By the time they were readying themselves for the fifth and final challenge, Haldric realized he was grinning wider than he had since Melisie’s passing. Somehow, being with Benjin made it easier to set aside the mask of the confident prince and live in the moment.

It was Haldric’s turn to select a challenge, and he considered the remaining options. Benjin struggled the most with Divination and Protection, so Haldric knew he’d be likely to win if he picked either. Both disciplines required a certain finesse that Benjin lacked.

Yet, as badly as Haldric yearned to triumph over the apprentice, he didn’t want to win by default. He wanted to know that he’d earned his victory. That meant selecting a challenge that would play to both their strengths.

Recalling the artistry of Benjin’s fire puppets, Haldric gestured to a stack of firewood stacked against the stable’s wall. “I choose Alteration. We’ll each pick a log and shape it into a new form. Whoever manages the best design wins.”

Benjin appeared taken aback. “Best by who’s judgment?”

Haldric glanced about the courtyard and the sizable crowd they’d gathered. “I suppose by our own. It’s not like anyone else here can be trusted to remain impartial—not where their prince is concerned.”

Benjin smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “That requires that you trustmeto be fair.”

“I do.” The instant admission caught Haldric off-guard, and he was even more surprised to realize he actually meant it. Hedidtrust Benjin. By the Goddess, when hadthatstarted?

Benjin’s grin faded, his wide eyes almost vulnerable while he stared at Haldric.

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