After lunch, Sabrina reached the Verbinden Bridge, a wide wood and metal bridge that spanned the Neckar River. Dismounting, she patted Schön's neck, deciding to lead her over as she recalled reading how horses sometimes became scared at the different sound their footsteps made when there wasn't solid earth beneath their hooves.

"It's perfectly safe," she assured the horse, whose nostrils flared. "We'll do it together. See, everyone else is going across just fine."

Sabrina couldn't be sure, but it certainly looked like Schön purposefully watched another horse go past, deciding for herself the bridge was truly safe. Unlike the bridge near the Hexen castle, which wasn't very wide, this bridge was meant to allow the passage of numerous carts and wagons each day, transporting goods or travelers from one destination to another. Sabrina was grateful for her map, as she'd only seen the bridge once before, years ago, when she'd come here on a school outing with Maedra and Gerta.

"This is the farthest I've ever been from the castle," she continued in a low, steady voice as she and Schön began to walk. The horse's hooves rang loudly against the iron strips criss-crossing the wooden planks. "I'm glad I'm not doing it alone and that we're here together."

Schön butted her head against Sabrina's shoulder, which made her smile. "I'm also excited to visit another coven," added Sabrina, speaking more from the sheer enjoyment of feeling like someone was listening rather than an immediate need to calm Schön. "Usually everyone comes to visit us, probably because we've got so much space in the castle. But it's going to be fun seeing how other witches live. And not just witches, but warlocks, too!"

Each coven was different, and that meant the makeup of each coven was different. Some, like the Hexen, were comprised solely of female witches or those who identified as female. Other covens were home to male magic users, known as warlocks, as well as those who identified as male. And still other covens were home to anyone who could use magic, regardless of how they identified.

"I wonder why the Hexen are the way they are," mused Sabrina, glancing over the edge of the bridge at the river flowing swiftly past, small flecks of white gurgling up where the water skirted a large rock. "I know the original founders of the coven were witches who left the Schwarzwald when the Waldkonig forced them out, but I don't know much more than that."

She frowned, suddenly annoyed with herself for not knowing more about the history of the Hexen. She'd studied it in school, of course, and easily recalled the basics, such as the Waldkonig banishing all magic-users from his forest before ultimately banishing everyone, including Nichts.

The witches who had managed to escape the Schwarzwald had come upon an abandoned castle where they'd found solitude, restoring the castle to its former grandeur and creating a sanctuary for those who had been displaced from their homes in the Black Forest.

But she didn't know why the Hexen was arranged as it was, formed only of witches, nor could she say how the High Council had been established to govern the castle's inhabitants. Her stomach tightened as she realized she wasn't even truly sure how the Sprechen was chosen...her mother had been the Hexen's leader for so long, Sabrina hadn't known anything else, and she struggled to even imagine a world where her mother wasn't in charge of the coven.

Of course, the information she lacked could most likely be gained through a conversation with the Sprechen, but as always, that ran the risk of indicating more interest in leadership than she felt.

Sabrina scowled, then patted Schön's neck as they neared the far side of the bridge.

"I'm sorry," she said, having lapsed into a silence she hoped the horse didn't take personally. "I was just thinking about how, even when you know where to go for answers, you might as well be completely clueless because of what it's going to cost you to get the information you want."

Schön snuffled loudly and bobbed her head as if in agreement, and soon horse and girl stepped off the wood of the bridge onto the packed dirt forming the road on the other side. Leading Schön a little ways off the path, lest they block anyone's way, Sabrina put her foot into the stirrup and pulled herself up.

As she settled back into the saddle, she did her best to put questions about the Hexen's heritage from her mind, instead reviewing the correct pleasantries for being a guest in someone else's house. She'd slept over with Gerta and Maedra, of course, but this would be her first night outside the castle walls.

"I hope I get the chance to meet some of the Zurasammen metallurgists," she said aloud to Schön as the horse walked on, occasionally grabbing a mouthful of high-growing weeds from the side of the road. "Perhaps they've uncovered things I don't know about. I doubt it, but it would be nice."

The afternoon passed quickly with Sabrina taking regular breaks, sometimes walking alongside Schön, other times stretching and having a snack while the horse grazed or drank.

As the sun began to set behind the distant mountains, Sabrina squinted at what appeared to some sort of building far ahead on the left side of the road. As they drew closer, she realized it was a high wall made of stucco and stone. It was separated from the ever-present Schwarzwald by the dirt road, as well as a wide, gently sloping meadow covered with white and yellow flowers.

"We made it!" smiled Sabrina. "Excellent work, Schön!"

The horse nickered and tossed her head, making her long mane sway, and Sabrina ran her fingers over the coarse white hair, trying to settle the butterflies suddenly fluttering in her stomach. The Zurasammen witches and warlocks knew she was coming. They would be happy to see her—wouldn't they?

As Sabrina neared the wall, she could make out a pair of large double doors set within it, and she watched as they swung opened, allowing three people to make their way out: Hermann Vale, his wife Jessa, and of course, Warren. Hermann waved enthusiastically at Sabrina, and she did her best to smile as she waved back.

When she reached the group, she gently reined Schön to a halt and dismounted as gracefully as she could, wincing slightly at the tug of sore muscles, her body being unaccustomed to spending all day in a saddle.

"Welcome, Sabrina!" smiled Jessa, a friendly woman with vibrant red hair and grass-green eyes. "We're so glad you could come!"

"The pleasure is mine," replied Sabrina, dipping her head towards Jessa. "Thank you so much for having me. My mother sends her regards and wishes she'd been able to come herself."

"I understand how hard it can be to get away," nodded Hermann, a smile stretching broadly over his face. His blonde beard was shot through with grey, although his blue eyes sparkled merrily. "We're so pleased you could come in your mother's stead. And you remember Warren, of course."

Sabrina nodded as a boy a few years older than herself stepped forward, his brown hair glinting with golden highlights that must have come from his father, although his green eyes had clearly come from his mother.

He'd always been quite the talk among the Hexen on the occasions he'd accompanied his parents to visit the coven, and Sabrina knew the other witches her age found him exceptionally attractive, what with his broad shoulders, strong jaw, and inviting smile. She'd thought him intelligent enough and easy to talk to, but hadn't felt anything for him beyond that.

Warren stepped forward and offered Sabrina a deep bow.

"It's wonderful to see you again," he said with a grin Sabrina forced herself to return.

"I'm very pleased to be here," she replied, trying to sound more like an emissary on a diplomatic mission than a girl sent away under false pretenses by her matchmaking mother.

"You must be exhausted from the journey," said Jessa. "I'll show you to your room so you can get cleaned up before the evening meal. Hermann will see that your horse is well cared for."

"She'd prefer to be in her own stall at night," Sabrina explained, "and turned out with other mares in a pasture during the day. Is that possible?"

"Absolutely!" Hermann nodded, scratching Schön's forelock in a way that made the horse's eyes close with happiness. "I'll see to it myself."

Sabrina hugged Schön and thanked her again, thoughts of a hot bath quickly filling her head as Hermann removed her valise and saddlebags before leading the horse towards the stables. Schön's hooves rang out against the stone, and Sabrina could overhear the warlock talking animatedly to her, telling her about the other animals she was going to meet in the stables, which made Sabrina smile.

Turning to grab her luggage, Sabrina was annoyed to discover Warren had already picked up her things, making it clear he would be accompanying her to her room. Trying not to sigh too loudly, Sabrina focused her attention to Jessa and did her best to listen with far more interest than she actually felt as the other witch pointed out interesting features of the architecture favored by the Zurasammen.

Unlike the Hexen in their castle, these witches and warlocks lived in what appeared from the outside to be an enormous inn, constructed of white stucco and dark timber. In some places it was two stories tall, in others, three or four stories, and countless wood-trimmed windows looked out over the courtyard, which was covered with large, flat stones in shades of grey and brown. Window boxes filled with brightly colored flowers added pops of red, purple, and yellow, and sweet-smelling honeysuckle wound its way up numerous trellises.

"Welcome to our home," said Jessa, gesturing towards the building. "Families have their own groupings of rooms, sometimes taking up almost an entire floor...but don't worry, there are main walkways that will take you wherever you wish to go without leading you through someone's home," she assured Sabrina.

"Normally we'd eat in the communal hall with the rest of the coven, but seeing as how it's your first night, we thought a meal with just our family might be more relaxing for you," she added.

"Thank you," nodded Sabrina, appreciating the woman's thoughtfulness. While she wanted to get down to the business of why she'd come, she was also dirty and hungry, and it wouldn't hurt to be clean and well-fed while waiting for the appropriate time to discuss whatever the local Nichts were planning regarding the Schwarzwald.

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