The sun had not yet set, but the clouds outside the window were already stained crimson. Fine sand swirled low in the hot wind, making the air feel stifling.
After looking over his gains, Xia Lun sat on a cushion behind the long table and quietly drank hot water.
Though evening was approaching, the heat indoors was still frightening without a Black Sandstorm. The moment the water went down his throat, sweat sprang from his pores. The merciless sun outside seemed determined to draw every drop of moisture from his body.
In perilous Evil Serpent City, the heat had been the least of his concerns. Once he was out of danger, though, the desert's unnatural heat became hard to bear.
White Line lay listlessly across the table, too drained to move. Even the black hair at her temples seemed to droop.
"Do we have any chilled fruit?" she asked softly.
"The Golden City has plenty of fruit. Cantaloupes kept in ice cellars, sweet as can be." Scarface Elder gripped a fan and shook his head as he fanned himself. "Green Tree Fortress used to have an ice cellar too, but no one maintained it, so that's gone."
The Great Leader coughed and tapped the table. "Forget chilled fruit. We don't even have fruit anymore. Things are bad."
"What do you mean by 'things are bad'?" Xia Lun wiped the sweat from his face.
"Where do I start?" The Great Leader rubbed his forehead. "Our most urgent problem is the lack of people. From Ravenhold to Green Tree Fortress to Perch Fortress, the entire Tree Shepherd Organization has fewer than three hundred people left, young and old. We barely have enough hands to maintain the Green Wall."
Xia Lun's eyes shifted, but he did not speak. Scarface Elder gave a sudden