The next morning.
The heat was stifling. Even at dawn, there was not a drop of dew on the leaves. The elm leaves were curled and parched, and the road ahead seemed only to grow drier.
They emerged from the mountains and passed through a village. The seedlings by the roadside hung their heads in a lifeless slump. Their color had long faded from the tender green of spring to a sickly, withered yellow, even though the crops had not yet begun to sprout ears.
Chapter 40