Page 26 of Charmed
Wizard Alden suddenly swore and hastily ducked behind a towering pine. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I was so anxious to arrive at the competition that I almost forgot the most important element.”
The air tingled as he lifted his hand. With a few murmured words, he cast a sheen across his face. By all appearances nothing happened. “A disguise spell,” he explained in answer to my puzzlement. “One enchanted to only work for the participants of the competition; anything else would be too exhausting to maintain. The last thing I want is for anyone to recognize me as the prince.”
“Do you fear your title will grant you the position before you have a chance to earn it?” I asked.
“It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“You mean your title has already granted you a position?”
He pursed his lips, which was answer enough. He double checked that his disguise was firmly tucked around him before ducking back into view. He muttered a phrase to summon a tracking spell, but abruptly stopped halfway through and the spell fizzled out. I swiveled my head, trying to see what had distracted him. He was squinting into the group of wizards and witches, staring at a tall young man whose back was turned to us. After a moment, Alden sighed and shook his head, returning to his spell.
This time a glow lit his palm before lifting off his hand and moving smoothly away from the group of enchanters. Silence filled the spaces between us as we trailed the light that led us deeper into the seemingly empty clearing.
Wizard Alden studied the air, as if searching for ripples in the magic. When he found one, he caught hold of the invisible folds of a tent entrance, parted it, and stepped inside.
A woman awaited us, wearing shimmering silver robes that matched her flowing hair. Upon seeing her Wizard Alden immediately stiffened before sweeping into a deep bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Enchantress.”
Her smile was serene as she lifted her hand in silent invitation for him to straighten. “The pleasure is mine. It appears you’ve passed the second component of the first challenge—it’s one thing to decipher and break a magical lock, and another to be able to detect an invisible force.”
She lifted her gaze to the ball of light still hovering at Wizard Alden’s side. “A tracking spell, a simple but effective method. It’s important for an enchanter to possess a mastery of the basics, for the fundamentals are just as valuable as the advanced techniques one hopes to acquire.”
Wizard Alden pocketed his light and rummaged through his robes for a parchment, which a simple spell caused to float into the enchantress’s hand. She caught it easily and rested a pair of spectacles on the tip of her nose to study its contents.
“Twenty years old—the official age of an adult—with fifteen years of formal study, during which you’ve mastered all the essentials and achieved excellent marks, all of which puts you in an enviable position for the upcoming challenges.” She tapped the page and the ink refreshed with additional information for her to continue reading. “It appears your skills have even progressed enough for you to acquire an apprentice. Obtaining the role ofMasterraises you well above many of your peers.”
My breath caught. Surely the prince hadn’t chosen me as his apprentice just to tick off a box in the credentials for this competition? I’d no sooner wondered this when I remembered the parchment Wizard Alden had been scribbling only a few short days ago—apprenticebeing only one item on his list of magical goals. Only now did I realize that the list had been tailored to ensure he had all that was required to earn a coveted position on the Enchanters’ Council.
The realization left me numb with shock, an emotion that quickly rose into anger at being so ill-used. I glared up at him, though apparently amphibian expressions left something to be desired as the wizard didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. But far more concerning than my wounded pride was what this development could mean for me…and Corbin. If Alden cared about me only as a stepping stone in his goals, I couldn’t trust him to have my—and my family’s—best interests at heart, in which case perhaps I should be thankful he hadn’t yet discovered who I was.
Deep in thought over my betrayal, I was unprepared for my role in the entrance requirements when Wizard Alden carefully took me from his shoulder and rested me on the table between me and the enchantress.
“In fulfillment of the first challenge, I present my enchanted object.”
The enchantress studied me carefully. “A frog is a rathersimpleobject to enchant, leaving me to wonder if it’s merely a desperate attempt to arrive with something before the deadline. Did such a simple magical lock really give you so much trouble as to cost you so much valuable time?”
Wizard Alden gritted his teeth. “The lock itself was fine. There were simply…other complications that forced me to depart late.”
He shifted nervously beneath the force of the enchantress’s frown. “Indeed. I imagine it was quite difficult to get away from all the responsibilities vying for your time…Prince Alden.”
He immediately stiffened. For a long moment he remained rigid…before his shoulders finally slumped in defeat. “I knew the moment I saw you that you’d be able to see through my disguise, Head Enchantress Ivy.”
“It was impossiblenotto when I’m so familiar with your magic,” she said. “Particularly disguise spells, one of the basic fundamentals I taught you in the early years of your training. Though you did an admirable job with the charm, I’m too familiar with your style not to recognize it, especially when you performed it so hastily, a mistake you often made while under my tutelage. It appears you’re still prone to rushing through even the simplest spells rather than giving each one the care and thought it requires.”
Wizard Alden flinched at the words and lowered his eyes.
“However,” the enchantress continued, much more kindly. “Your technique is, as always, excellent.” She made a mark on the parchment before turning her attention to me. “Even with your obvious difficulties in arriving, a frog is still a step below your usual work, though I’ll reserve judgement until I see the enchantments you cast.”
At her use of pluralenchantmentsWizard Alden bit his lip. In the rush to arrive at the entrance challenge before the deadline, we’d had little time to discuss other charms he could use beyond giving me speech, but at least that was the place to start.
“The first enchantment is the spell of communication.” He cast me an expectant glance, my signal to spout words—whether poetry or nonsense, it likely didn’t much matter. However, I remained stubbornly silent, my lingering temper making me less inclined to cooperate. Wizard Alden leaned close to my ear. “Say something,” he pleaded.
Rather than procure words, I ensured my respondingcroakwas as frog-like as I could make it. The enchantress frowned and Wizard Alden cast me a rather desperate sidelong glance, seeming confused that his charm could have already worn off. Against my better judgement, my hardened heart softened in the face of his blatant panic.
“Hello,” I spoke distinctly. “I’m a frog that was recently enchanted by Wizard Alden to understand the mysteries of human communication. Although at first I was annoyed he’d given me speech without my permission, the more I explore the world beyond my swamp, the more I’m coming to enjoy it.” Unsure what else to say, my words ceased.
The enchantress nodded in approval. “Impressive. Rather than taking the easy route in giving it basic speech such as that of a child, you chose the more complicated spell that granted it more advanced speech patterns and ideas.” She made a mark on Wizard Alden’s parchment. “What other enchantments did you cast?”
