“Is that so?” Palamedes shades his eyes and looks back the way Camilla came. The dunes appear unending, barely even interrupted by scrub or cacti. He grimaces. “I shouldn’t be surprised. The desert plays tricks; it tries to swallow us whole, literally and figuratively. I can only hope that everyone who appeared out here eventually found their way back.”

It frightens him, this new twist to their already-precarious life. It isn’t only newcomers who woke up in the desert, either; thus far, there has been no evidence that anyone was permanently lost out there, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Or that it couldn’t happen next time.

“Jaune already suggested we remain in pairs whenever possible. Now I’m beginning to think we should always be carrying water. Precautions won’t help newcomers, unfortunately, but at least they might give all of us already here some safety. But I’m getting ahead of myself.” He flashes a rueful smile. “Such serious conversations are better had inside, with something cool to drink at hand. Come on.”