The next morning, Sabrina was up and dressed before dawn. She made her way to the stables to ensure Schön would be saddled and ready to go before heading to breakfast, pleased to see she'd arrived before Warren. The delegates from the other covens were already there, likely in a hurry to return to their homes and share what they'd witnessed, and Sabrina purposefully chose a seat between Aster and Gunter, enjoying the chance to speak further with both the witch and the warlock.

After breakfast, bags were gathered and horses were brought from the barn, sending the courtyard into a flurry of activity, for which Sabrina was grateful, as it took some of the attention off her, even though she could feel Warren's gaze watching her morosely from a few feet away.

Jessa gave Sabrina a wrapped pack of food from the Zurasammen kitchen to eat on the journey back, and Sabrina thanked her for the kindness, stowing the food in her saddlebags before turning to say her goodbyes. Hermann and Jessa offered hugs and their deepest appreciation for her visit, thanking her numerous times for coming and promising to connect with her mother soon.

When it came time to hug Warren, Sabrina did so as quickly as possible, and then immediately turned her attention to Schön, focusing on climbing up into the saddle rather than inviting Warren to come and visit the Hexen or implying she'd like for them to write one another.

Birds were just beginning to call out when Schön stepped onto the packed dirt road, and Sabrina let out a deep sigh of relief, even as she glanced over at the Schwarzwald. The forest appeared especially menacing in the early morning light...fog rolled slowly between the trees, thin tendrils wrapping around trunks and branches, pausing occasionally as if to peer outwards, studying Sabrina as her eyes followed its movement.

"Well, Schön," she said, turning her gaze away from the woods and settling it between the horse's twitching ears. "We did it. We did what Mother wanted, and we survived to tell the tale. Let's go home."

Schön nickered her agreement, and they set off at a brisk pace, as if Schön, too, was eager to return home. Sabrina hoped the other horses had been kind to her, but since she had no way of asking, she simply stroked the horse's dappled grey neck and recounted everything she'd experienced during the trip, from her efforts to avoid Warren to the things Celestine had shared with her.

The journey passed quickly, and before Sabrina knew it, the castle turrets were in sight, and she couldn't keep from bursting into a smile when she saw the oversized windows of her workroom glinting in the fading sunlight. Schön's ears perked up and she swished her tail happily, breaking into a trot Sabrina didn't even try to slow until they reached the front gate.

Sabrina quickly dismounted before leading Schön through the arched doorway, across the courtyard, and into the stables. As they stepped inside the barn, Tante Louisa poked her head around a corner, a wide grin immediately spreading over her face.

"Welcome back!" she exclaimed, putting down the bucket she'd been carrying and hurrying over to Schön, rubbing the horse's nose before giving her a hug. Only then did she turn her attention to Sabrina. "And welcome back to you, too!"

"It's nice to be back," said Sabrina, handing the reins to Tante Louisa before wrapping her own arms around Schön's neck. "Thank you for everything," she murmured. "You're better company than almost everyone else I know."

Schön nickered and rested her head contentedly over Sabrina's shoulder. While Sabrina wished she could remain and enjoy the embrace, her mother was undoubtedly waiting for her, so she hugged the horse one final time, then untied her valise, slung the saddlebags over her shoulder, and made her way inside the castle.

Her mother was sitting in the armchair by the fire when Sabrina walked in, and she quickly rose to her feet. Hurrying forward, she wrapped her arms around Sabrina, which was admittedly a nice surprise.

"Welcome home!" exclaimed Marlene. "It seems like you've been gone so much longer than just two nights. How was your trip?"

"There's a lot to tell," said Sabrina, setting down her larger bag before reaching into the saddlebags and pulling out the account she'd written for her mother. "I wrote down the most important things so I wouldn't forget them and also so you could refer back to them."

"That was very wise of you," nodded her mother, and Sabrina grinned at such unexpected praise. "I'm sure you're exhausted," continued Marlene, "and I'll certainly read your account, but do you feel up to talking for a moment?" She gestured towards the other seat by the fireplace before sitting back down in her own armchair.

Sabrina sank onto the thick cushion, a welcome comfort after so many hours in the saddle. While she assured herself she'd truly been missed, a small part of her mind warned that her mother was only being so kind because Sabrina had something she wanted...information.

But then again, she could easily read Sabrina's written account of the events at the Zurasammen coven, so perhaps she simply wanted to spend time with her daughter after being apart but didn't know how to say as much.

"It was certainly an eventful trip," began Sabrina, and her mother smiled.

"How was Warren?" she asked, light from the fire flickering across the gold broach pinned to her dress. "I'm sure he was thrilled to see you."

Sabrina blinked, having expected her mother to begin firing off one question after another about the Nichts and the Schwarzwald. Who cared about Warren when there were more important things to discuss? Warren didn't affect the Hexen coven, whereas the recent actions of the Waldkonig genuinely might.

"Warren was fine," replied Sabrina, hoping her intentionally cool tone would convey how little she wished to speak about the warlock. "I think he was upset the picnic he'd planned for us was canceled, but it couldn't be helped. In fact—"

"—Oh, that's too bad!" interjected Marlene with a frown. "What a lovely thing for him to organize. I hope you made it clear how disappointed you were not to be able to spend time with him."

Sabrina stared at her mother. "I went on this trip as a representative of our coven," she said, "to gather information, not to spend time frolicking with Warren."

"There's no reason trips have to be all business and no fun," reprimanded Marlene, smoothing the wrinkles across her lap of her dark blue dress.

"Do you want to hear what happened with the Nichts or not?" snapped Sabrina, a wave of exhaustion sweeping over her. "If you only want to talk about Warren, I'm tired from traveling and would prefer to go to bed."

Something flashed across her mother's eyes, but Sabrina couldn't tell if it was surprise or anger...or possibly a mix of the two.

"Of course I want to know what happened with the Nichts," Marlene said. "I was simply hoping you would also have good news of a personal nature to report, as well."

"I don't," replied Sabrina. "I don't have anything good to say, especially about Warren. I interacted with him when I had to, but I was first and foremost focused on being a good delegate...being a leader. I thought that would be more important to you than my interactions with some boy."

Marlene sighed. "The two don't have to be mutually exclusive, Sabrina."

This was hopeless. Sabrina slid forward until she was siting on the edge of her chair, ready to rise and walk away at any moment.

"Mother, the Nichts entered the Schwarzwald without permission. Hermann said they've done so before, but this time was worse—a man was killed inside the forest, right in front of the others. They saw him dragged underground by tree roots. The remaining Nichts escaped, and one of them set fire to the forest, but the Schwarzwald immediately put it out. The flames disappeared, and ash and burn marks were scrubbed clean by new growth. It was like the fire never happened."

She clasped her hands together, resting her forearms on her knees. "The Nicht who set the fire was attacked by vines that moved like snakes. The Waldkonig murdered him right in front of me...in front of everyone. There was nothing we could do."

Marlene's eyes grew wider the more Sabrina spoke, and at this last revelation, Sabrina's mother raised a hand to her mouth and gasped as she sank back slowly in her chair.

"After that," continued Sabrina, "a mass of brambles sprang up out of nowhere, forming a brand-new barrier I can't imagine anyone getting through. No one is certain what to do next, so they're going to write you...and on that topic, you could have told me representatives from other covens would be present, since you obviously took the time to write them and let them know I'd be coming in your place."

Even given her own history with her mother, some part of Sabrina still expected the woman to appear ashamed, or at least embarrassed, at being caught in such blatant scheming, and she found herself surprised when Marlene merely shrugged, acting as if this was the least important information her daughter had shared since coming home.

"I had every confidence you would do well," her mother replied, "but it was an excellent opportunity to allow you to think and act on your feet. There aren't many chances for you to do that here, and those are important skills for any Sprechen to possess. Clearly, my faith in you was well-placed."

Sabrina didn't care about doing well in a game she didn't know the rules of, much less a game she hadn't even known she'd been playing, and her anger drove her to her feet. Enjoying the feeling of looking down on her mother, for once, she said in the coldest tone she could muster, "I did what you asked, which means my part in all of this is over. Good night, Mother."

And with that, she made her way to her bedroom, grabbing her suitcase from the foyer and depositing it on the floor of her bedroom before closing her door. She was disappointed to find herself shaking, but before she could gain control of herself, tears rose in her eyes.

Why did everything involving her mother have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she be proud of the role Sabrina had played rather than being more interested in how things had gone with Warren? Wasn't there anything she could do to make her mother happy?

Sabrina sank down on the edge of her bed, sadness, anger, and resentment all mixing together inside her. She wished Celestine was there or that she had a way of speaking to her. She would know what to tell Sabrina, even if it was difficult to hear.

Although, truth be told, Sabrina suspected she knew what the other witch would say.

"You have to decide who you're living for, Sabrina," she whispered, picturing the words coming from Celestine. "Is this your life, or your mother's?"

While Sabrina's heart immediately produced an answer, her mouth wasn't ready to acknowledge it, so she curled into a ball on her bed, tears running down her cheeks. Again, the sense that choosing one future meant losing the other welled up inside her, and she briefly wished she knew more about each, possessing a better idea of exactly what she would be committing to, as well as what she'd be giving up.

If only there was a way to know more about her future...

And then it struck her—the Seers! They would be able to see more of her future than even Celestine had sensed. Of course, she'd have to visit them in such a way that word of her endeavor didn't make it back to her mother, but Sabrina could see to that.

Sniffling as she wiped away her tears, Sabrina nodded to herself. While she wasn't personally friends with any Seers, one quickly came to mind, and tomorrow she would track down Heloise and convince the other girl to help her, no matter what it took.

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