Prunella and Bensiabel both toss and turn in their beds that night. Although she still fears for her life, the thoughts that consume her mind are of Bensiabel. Is he truly Noita's son, the son of an evil witch? Surely a witch's son could not be so handsome, so kind. And yet, he obviously has the same powers as his mother. Silently weeping, she falls into a troubled sleep, and in her dreams Bensiabel takes her into his arms and spirits her away from the witch's house.
Bensiabel is crushed because of the terror and disgust Prunella obviously holds in her heart for him. He believes she must be as lonely as he, and had thought she would be overjoyed by his company. If only she could understand that he is not evil, that the only reason he taught himself the witch's craft is to help the two of them gain freedom. Tears slip down his cheeks as he gazes listlessly at the ceiling, alternately plotting his escape and dreaming of his love.
The next morning, Noita shouts up the stairs. "Prunella, it's time fer yer second test! Get down here now!" Prunella obliges with a deep sigh. Her mind is racing. Will she be able to pass the test on her own? Impossible. She has no powers. Will Bensiabel help her again? Perhaps, but he will probably still want a kiss in return. He is handsome, but her conscience will not allow her forget that he is the son of a wicked being, that the blood that runs through his veins is tainted.
Prunella joins the witch in the kitchen. Noita lifts up a large sack from the floor. "I'm goin' out fer a bit, girl. Take this sack o' wheat and make me some bread. If ya ain't done when I get back, I'll kill ya." She storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Already Prunella knows the task is impossible. The kitchen does not have the tools necessary to grind the wheat into flour. Even if it did, she would still need time to make the dough and bake the bread. Noita's trips out of the house are always far and few between, and she is never gone for long. Still, she tries. She takes a large, cast-iron frying pan and begins to smash the wheat with it, trying desperately to grind it into flour. She begins to sob as she realizes how hopeless her situation is, and that she will surely die when Noita returns.
"Prunella, Prunella, my love, please don't cry." She hears Bensiabel's voice, and turns to face him, swiping at her tears with the back of her hand. "I will turn the wheat into bread for you, if only you give me one kiss."
She shakes her head sadly. "No. I will not kiss the son of a witch."
Bensiabel drops his head. He had seen that she is no longer fearful of him, and was hoping she might change her mind and kiss him, but now he knows she is still revolted by his lineage. He moves past her, takes the wheat in his hands, and uses is powers to turn it into bread. Prunella feels guilty for accepting his help without offering payment, and she also feels sorry for making him upset, but she allows him to do his magic and does not go to kiss him. He hands her the loaf of bread, and she catches the glitter of tears in his eyes before he disappears.
Almost as soon as he is gone, Noita bursts into the room. "Ah, done making the bread I see. Yer getting along good in yer studies. Soon yer testing will be done, and I'll grant ya full powers, and yer'll be as powerful as me." She glares at the girl. "Unless someone helped ya with the test." Prunella stares quietly at the kitchen floor. Noita's black eyes burn. "Well, we'll see who wins in the end, girl. Tomorrow I'm a-sending ya to another place. I want ya to steal the crystal ball offa Rhia, an ole rival o' mine. Don't let her catch ya, or she'll kill ya fer sure. Don't come back without it either, or I'll kill ya myself. Now go and do yer chores, girl."