We left the settlement and the Ashen Sands clan behind and started our journey. I felt like I was back at the beginning, walking for hours with nothing around me.
But now I had an expedition team of twenty-five warriors, with me being the twenty-sixth, and I was trained and stronger. So my current situation couldn't even be compared to then.
Despite all that, the desert remained unforgiving and punishing to whoever was brave or stupid enough to test it.
Some of the warriors were physically exhausted, even though we had rations and water, and some were comparing the heat to what it was before the worlds awakened.
"Water," muttered Jamal, one of the younger warriors walking beside me.
His voice was raspy, and he squinted to protect his eyes against the glare. "If I don't drink soon, I'll die here."
"You won't die," I said, though my throat felt like sandpaper as well. "Keep your mouth shut and conserve what little moisture you have."
