"Hm, I remember you mentioning you were adopted into a witches coven," Karl said to Sabine. "But...wild women? I thought you said it was in an old fort?"

Sabine finally released Karl's hand from her teeth, but she remained holding his arm around her. She turned her eyes to him. "It was. Meesei probably means herself and Ahnasha. But the coven I grew up in was still traditional in many ways. You could call them wild women."

"What made you leave?" Karl asked.

Suddenly, Sabine looked into the water. She took a moment, maintaining her smile, to think. She glanced up at Lunise. Lunise was looking curiously back. Sabine's smile faded.

"I was turned by some bad Hircine worshippers when I was very young." Sabine spoke quickly. "My sister Ariel tried to help me. When she realised she was hurting me trying to cure me, she smuggled me out. She let me go into the wild because my beast spirit was not trained. Then I wandered and I found Meesei, Lorag, and Ahnasha."

Sabine took a slow, shivering breath in and out.

Karl had a look of concern. "She tried to cure you?" He looked down and up. "Sabine, your heart is racing. Are you okay?"

She stiffly nodded. "Yes. It took much to be at peace with it. It is still unpleasant to remember but I want to be able to be able to talk about it."

Under the water, Lunise's free hand squeezed Meesei's wrist. "I am sorry that happened to you, Sabine." Lunise was more sincere than anyone present had heard, excepting Meesei. "It must have been awful."

"It was a long time ago," Sabine said. Her brow pinched. "There is much more to the story. It is not a story for a night like tonight. And Meesei helped me to heal in ways only a treeminder could, so it is not such a large problem anymore." Sabine's smile returned as she looked at Meesei.