"This is snow tea—shipped from a faraway place. There's not much left, and soon, it might disappear altogether."
"Legend has it that snow tea grows in the crevice between ice and water, a resilient plant that requires no air, drawing nutrients from water. The moment it meets sunlight—that is the instant it matures."
"And that moment only lasts until noon."
Ryan told a beautiful tale, one that made a hint of yearning flicker in Mihai's eyes.
That's why—those who never lived in Furnace City would never understand what it meant to survive in the seam between fire and ice, and how bleak the future felt there.
"It must be a beautiful world."
"Yes, very beautiful. Like the world blossoming for the first time."
Ryan finished and brought out some of the snow tea. Seeing the golden and silver-tinged leaves, Mihai's eyes lit up as though she could pounce on them.
"This is a gift for you, Lady Mihai—to thank you for helping me acquire so much grain."
