Affinity Witch

Chapter 20: Talking with Celestine

After writing out thoughts and questions to be explored further once she was safely back in the privacy of her workplace, Sabrina turned her attention to recording the objective facts of what she'd observed, and the day passed swiftly. Before she knew it, the lengthening afternoon shadows reaching through the terrace door caught her eye, and she realized it was time to change for the evening meal.

Sabrina was annoyed to find Warren seated next to her at dinner, but she did her best to hide it, reminding herself she was going to walk with Celestine afterwards, and after that she would retire to bed before leaving early the following morning...she might as well be nice to Warren in the final minutes she would be forced to spend with him.

Warren started speaking almost as soon as Sabrina sat down, and she listened politely, nodding at the appropriate times, until all the guests were seated and Hermann tapped the side of his knife against a goblet, silencing all other conversations.

"Two lives were lost today," he said somberly, his normally jovial expression nowhere to be seen. "While there is nothing we could have done to prevent it, I would like to hear everyone's thoughts about where we go from here."

Everyone seemed to have an opinion on that topic, and Sabrina listened closely as the other delegates put forth their ideas, which ranged from not intervening with the Nichts' plans and letting them suffer the consequences of their own actions to attempting to broker a treaty between the Waldkonig and the local Nichts.

"What do you think, Sabrina?" asked Hermann after everyone else had offered an opinion.

Sabrina considered her words carefully, not wanting to come across as being overly  supportive of the maniacal forest ruler.

"Based on what I know of the Waldkonig, I can't see him willingly signing a treaty with the Nichts. There's no upside to him if he does...he doesn't gain anything. He also doesn't stand to lose anything by keeping to himself, which makes it almost impossible to force his hand. If we can't change his behavior, that would seem to indicate we ought to focus on changing the Nichts' behavior."

Many people around the table nodded their agreement, and while Sabrina loved the feeling of being listened to and having her contribution valued, she also knew what she was expected to say next in her role as emissary.

Taking a sip of her wine to wet her throat, she added, "Having said that, I would ask you to wait until my mother has heard my account of today before making any final decision. This isn't something to be taken lightly, and my mother and my coven deserve to know what happened this morning before further actions are taken."

"Well said, Sabrina," smiled Jessa. "Once everyone returns home and has had time to share these troubling revelations, letters will be sent determining our next steps. Nothing need be decided tonight."

Conversation around the table continued, although it shifted away from recounting the events of the morning to speculating about the Waldkonig and the nature of his power. While Sabrina would have preferred to listen to the discussion, Warren kept learning over and asking her questions that were clearly thinly-veiled attempts to draw her into a more private conversation, asking how her food was and did she like the wine and was this similar to the meals the Hexen ate.

Sabrina tried to answer as quickly as she could to get back to listening to the others, but each time she did, she found herself wondering what had just been said and how it tied into the answer being given, making it impossible to gain anything meaningful from the conversation.

When dinner was over, she rose swiftly to her feet as Warren did the same. Celestine was about to exit the dining room, but she caught Sabrina's eye and grinned before slipping outside, where Sabrina assumed she would be waiting in the courtyard. Rather than giving Warren a chance to ask her to do something with him, Sabrina turned towards him and smiled.