the sun burns (3)

Now, she was foolish in another way, defying it not with speed but with sheer, stubborn endurance. The air shimmered with heat, distorting the horizon. Nadia squinted, trying to discern stone from illusion.

Her feet sank into the shifting sands, each step a struggle against gravity and the deceptive stability of the ground beneath her. The dunes seemed to ripple like water, a cruel trick of the sun’s burning gaze.

She reached the first of the ruins by midday, collapsing in its scant shade. The stones were cool to the touch, their surfaces etched with ancient carvings. Nadia traced them with trembling fingers, the patterns unfamiliar yet oddly comforting.