Under a White Blanket

To get there faster, Hope flew all the way to the Forest of the Damned. Immediately after she took flight, the extent of the damage the storm inflicted upon the city of Giza was on full display.

Even though they had been repairing and reconstructing for two months already, the view horrified Hope. She remembered how that city gleamed in the sunlight the first time her gaze encountered the limestone houses. Now everywhere was rubble and dust, nothing to reflect the light.

As she left the city of Giza behind her and that image disappeared from her sight, Hope breathed the fresh, cold air deep inside her lungs. But when she looked down again, she saw that the ravage stretched out far beyond the capital city.