Floating Stars

Chapter 20: Renaming

"Okay, Astrid, can you find me the Càdallain?" Celeste spoke over her shoulder to her new apprentice.

Naomi had decided that the best way for Astrid and True to feel like one of the family was to get to know her sisters better. Therefore, she got Astrid to shadow Celeste and True to shadow and learn more light magic surgery from Vicora. Astrid was wary at first, she didn't understand why she couldn't just work with Naomi. Having to interact with anyone but True and the first mother figure she had ever trusted proved to be incredibly hard. This was understandable, seeing that all she knew of the world outside the trio was hatred and ill treatment.

But Celeste tried her very best to make Astrid feel welcome, putting her best efforts into watching what she said around her. She tip-toed around any subject of conversation that would spark a trigger within her helper.

"Astrid, dear, have you managed to find it?"

Astrid made her way around the jars displayed on shelves that lay at a variety of levels. She tried to remember back to what Naomi taught her about how the variety of nature medicines were grouped. The strange new place and different company was a distraction to her.

"Astrid?"

Epiphany zapped into Astrid's mind. "Vital leaves!" she said to herself under her breath, then made her way to the green labels. In no time at all she picked out the Càdallain.

"So, you're making a sleep concoction?" Astrid asked with genuine interest.

"That is right, well done." Celeste smiled and reached for the jar that Astrid set down beside her. "This one in particular is for the Fiosolim in our direct neighbourhood."

"Fiosolim? The seers?"

"Yes, they have always struggled to sleep, that family," Celeste began. "Of course there is little wonder, inducing visions all day every day."

"Do they not do anything else?" Astrid asked as she watched every step that Celeste took to measure and mix the ingredients together.

"Very rarely," Celeste said with no inflection in her voice. "Do you see that deep blue colour it has now?" she questioned her apprentice whilst pointing at the full flask sitting in front of her. Once Astrid nodded her response she jumped into the rest of her lesson. "It turns that colour when you have added a perfect balance of Càdallain, Ciùiros and the smallest pinch of Ghea-mach. If you put too much Ghea-mach in, what do you think will happen?"

"They would not wake up," Astrid answered with no hesitation.

"Not for how long?"

"Forty-eight hours."

"Correct! Naomi has taught you well," Celeste gushed. "Yes, mixing Càdallain and too much Ghea-mach can induce a two day long coma. Also, the other thing you must remember, is that once an individual wakes from this coma- depending on the dosage- they tend to lose parts of their memory. The capacity forgotten could stretch to the day before taking the concoction to early memories of childhood. That is why it is crucial to get the measurements exactly right."

"I didn't know that," Astrid said, her eyes fixed on the dark blue liquid that lay calmly in its glass container.

"Oh, that's surprising, all Slànacus are told this because Fiosolim rely on us to get it mixed correctly. If they lose any of their memories, it could be catastrophic!" Celeste said with a squeak. "Why wouldn't she tell you?"