At this moment, the temperature Shard felt was about 60 degrees, which shouldn't be too unbearable for him. However, the intolerable heat was clearly the supernatural power of this bizarre Sand Sea at play.
The Tree Father never places Shard in a safe spot initially. The thought of "desert" immediately brings "giant worms" to mind, yet Shard felt no vibration on the sand surface. Only later did he realize that the intense heat and sunlight threatening to melt him was the real danger; he couldn't remain in place any longer.
There were no signposts in sight as the rolling sand dunes stretched to the horizon without change. So, Shard began running in the direction he faced, but he didn't feel the wind could dissipate the heat from his body as he ran.
