“Yes, you did,” she said. Rising, she retrieved her satchel and pulled out bread, which she bit into without excitement. It wanted to stick in her throat, and the drying crumbs made her aware of a burning thirst. Her bottle still hung around her chest, and she quickly unscrewed the lid and took a deep swig. Nearby, Leontios also seemed to struggle with a mouthful of desiccated food. Coughing, he gulped down water and sighed with relief.
“The water is amazing,” Violet said. “It’s so… fresh. I don’t know how else to say it. I can taste that it’s wholesome.”
He nodded. “It is an elixir, as I said. It imbues life like no other water can. I am so glad it has retained its potency for all this time.”
“It’s a good thing the water is still potable. We were restricted to very dry foods in order t
