"Let's go in," I said finally. I had been trapped in the desert after sunrise before and it had been an entirely unpleasant experience. Worse, if a sandstorm arose, the chances of survival were slim to none. The only choice that assured us of getting out of the sun in a timely fashion was to go into the city. Kendrel, Culak, and I moved sown the shifting sand wall that marked the edge of the excavation and slid partway on a dune to the bottom of the basin. My clothing would be filled with sand for my efforts, but it was the quickest and likely safest way to reach the bottom of the basin.