Goodwin's magic restored a great deal of Cedric's tower save a few patches of stone that would need a mason's touch, but with the floors and roof safely solid, the investigation into the cause of the accident could begin. Needing to feel like she was being of some use, Sofia joined the elder sorcerer in the tower with a recovering raven perched on her shoulder, hoping his knowledge of the workshop and the events leading up to the explosion would prove useful.
"Alright Wormwood, from the beginning..." Sofia glanced to him as she entered the workshop. "What happened?"
"We were at the table," Wormwood began, Sofia stepping into place. "We were brewing a new pest repellent for the gardener. It's a benign mixture to humans, safe on plants, all natural ingredients you know, but insects and slugs can't stand it. In previous mishaps, it's covered the floor in a wispy foam, but never anything that put us in peril."
"What ingredients did you use?" Goodwin asked.
"Oh, now what all was in there... some fermented wheat, one dragon pepper, a pinch of sea salt, dryad dust, then a sample of whatever plant you're trying to protect. It's a newer formula, but we used it without issue last year."
"Can you think of what could have been different?" Sofia asked. "Like, which sea the salt came from or where the dragon pepper grew?"
"Nothing sticks out in memory, but I'm not always with Cedric when he resupplies his stocks," Wormwood heaved a sigh. "I honestly thought I'd be of more help than this..."
"Fret not, my avian friend," Goodwin assured him as he began circling the main workshop. "That is why we are here."
Sofia smiled. "That's right. You can at least point us in the right direction."
"Quite right," Goodwin agreed as his eyes narrowed on the residual damage on the stonework. "And speaking of direction, here's a curiosity: why does the stone look like it took more damage than the wood and tile roof?"
Sofia and Wormwood took a look for themselves and yes, it did seem that oddly enough the stonework had far more cracks to it.
"Now maybe the roof doesn't look as bad because the weaker material didn't resist the blast as much... However, knowing the power it takes to crack stone, the initial blast ought to have done far more damage even if it gave way quicker."
"So... the power of the blast didn't spread out like a sphere, but a circle?" Sofia deduced.
"That's what I'm venturing," Goodwin said with a stroke to his beard as he went into deeper thought on what would cause a peculiarity like that.
"I couldn't tell much being at the epicenter. It was hell regardless of which way it went," Wormwood cocked his head to pick at the itchy splint on his wing.
"Dragon pepper is the only thing in that potion with any real kick to it, but neither of you seem to have trouble breathing or seeing. The same with dryad dust - you'd be sneezing up a storm."
Sofia looked around the floor where plenty of objects had been restored, but not put back in their proper place - the ingredient bottles being amongst them. She gathered up every single one and brought them to the table rather sheepishly. "Let's suppose Mister Cedric did make a mistake... He's mixed up bottles before. Would any of these have caused an explosion?"
Goodwin joined her at the table as the two went through bottle after bottle, jar after jar, Wormwood doing his best to recall what all they had set out for the day in question that might have caused a mix up, but so far everything was in order.
"Maybe I'm forgetting something, but we only had two other potions to brew and they were even less volatile," he put his wood wing to his head, straining his memory for some detail he might have overlooked.
Goodwin had a theory, but reluctant to share it proceeded on his own to open each of the pesticide's ingredients, swipe his finger inside to collect residual remains, and taste each on his tongue. He spat furiously after the dragon pepper, but after recovering and trying the last, the dryad dust bottle, he took a long pause and checked the label.
"What is it, Mister Goodwin?" Sofia asked.
"It was labeled wrong..." Goodwin told her. "That's not dryad dust, but powdered volcano vole... An honest mistake, they do look similar, but couldn't be more drastically different..."
Sofia didn't understand why Goodwin's tone was so grim. Wasn't it a good thing that they found out what happened?
Wormwood hopped onto Goodwin's shoulder to inspect the bottle himself and when he saw it, he looked back up toward the princess. "Sofia, Cedric didn't make a mistake..."
"What do you mean?" She asked, and was handed the bottle to examine. She understood their shift in tone when she saw the label, 'dryad dust' written in her own handwriting in pretty purple ink. It was at the end of last summer when she helped Cedric organize his ingredient cupboard, including labeling new bottles. She was the one who mixed up the ingredients, meaning the fault for the accident was hers. The tears and guilt landed hard, bringing the princess to her knees.
The revelation didn't make anyone feel better, only worse, and what added to her pain was the fact none of Cedric's family blamed her. She knew the importance of forgiveness, but couldn't accept it when a life was at stake. This wasn't like breaking a window or running through the halls in muddy boots, Cedric might never wake up! How was she supposed to live with herself knowing she was responsible for the death of one her dearest friends? She didn't think kindness could hurt, but it broke her heart when Winifred took her into a tight embrace and tried to comfort her. How could she do that to the inflictor of her beloved son's accident?
"Sofia..." Calista approached the princess in the hall after the revelation was over and Sofia wanted nothing more than to run to her room and cry behind closed doors. "Sofia, wait."
She paused and the younger girl caught up to her, taking her hand and holding it up to the to her chest. "Please don't leave him. You're Uncle Ceddy's best friend!"
"I can't imagine he'd want me there... to have his own apprentice be the cause of all this... Calista, how am I supposed to live with myself if he dies? I can barely stand the weight of it crushing against me now...!"
"Then don't abandon him! Do everything in your power to help! If he... if he does die, then at least you can say you did everything you could... I don't imagine that'll make you feel much better, but Uncle Ceddy would want you to be there with him, I'm sure. He might not ever say it, but I know he really likes your company, and if it's true he can hear us talking, he's probably sick of grandma and mom going on and on." Calista smiled a little, trying to find humor in a rather dark area, and Sofia had to agree with her. Cedric's threshold for annoyance was very low, especially where his sister was concerned. She didn't think she was much better, but there was a knowing twinkle in Calista's eye that convinced her otherwise.
Author's Note: A bit short. I'm still trying to remember how this site works. I know I said I'd try to keep it light, but having a 10 year old deal with the fact she caused a serious accident that may or may not kill someone she cares about? ^^' Things should lighten up soon. I prefer good endings as the real world has enough bad ones.
