Lunetta Starwick's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

Lunetta studied the silver book at her workshop table as dawn light crept through the window. Each recipe her ancestors had written taught her something new about timing and temperature. Some teas needed boiling water while others required barely warm liquid. She tested a calming blend using dried chamomile and a pinch of starflower dust. The mixture turned pale gold and smelled like honey. She sipped it slowly, noting how the warmth spread through her chest. This one worked for nerves, not pain. She wrote the result in her notebook and moved to the next recipe. Her family had spent lifetimes learning these secrets. Now it was her turn to add what she discovered. By midday, she had tested five blends and understood her craft better than yesterday. She needed fresh air and a break from the steam and scents filling her workshop. The forest path behind the village called to her. She grabbed her collection bag and headed out. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees as she walked deeper into the woods. Small white flowers dotted the forest floor ahead, glowing faintly in the shadows. She knelt beside them and recognized the bell-shaped blooms immediately. They looked like tiny lilies hanging from curved stems. At night, these flowers would shine brighter, lighting the path for anyone who walked here after dark. She touched one gently and felt coolness against her fingertip. The ancestors' book had mentioned flowers that held moonlight even during the day. She picked three stems carefully and placed them in her bag. Back at the workshop, she would dry them and test their properties in her next tea blend. Perhaps they could help fairies who struggled to sleep. The forest offered more than she had expected, and each discovery brought her closer to healing anyone who needed her help. She continued along the path until she spotted a clearing filled with white and yellow blooms. The chamomile patch stretched across the ground in thick clusters. She knelt and breathed in the gentle scent that reminded her of rest and quiet. The petals looked soft against the yellow centers. This plant appeared in many of her ancestor recipes, always for calming blends. She had dried chamomile in her workshop already, but seeing it grow wild showed her how much the forest provided. She gathered several stems and tucked them beside the lily flowers in her bag. The afternoon walk had given her two ingredients she could test tonight. Each step into the woods taught her something new about where healing plants lived and how they grew. She turned back toward the village, ready to experiment with what she had found. By evening, Lunetta climbed the stone steps to the glass dome she had built on the hill behind her workshop. The structure rose above the treeline with a telescope pointing toward the sky. Light blue seats curved along the inner wall where she could sit and watch the moon move through its phases. She settled into one and opened her notebook to a fresh page. The moon hung full and bright tonight, its light streaming through the glass. Her ancestors' book had taught her that plant power changed with lunar cycles. Some herbs worked best under a full moon while others needed darkness. She would track the patterns here and learn when to harvest each ingredient. The dome gave her a clear view of the sky throughout the year. She wrote the date and moon phase at the top of the page, then noted which plants she had collected today. Tomorrow she would test the lily flowers and chamomile under this moon's influence. Each night spent watching would teach her more about timing her healing teas perfectly.