It was true this hidden heart of the forest bore no undergrowth; the cool matted carpet of the aisles seemed to quench the glowing fragments as they fell.

Escape might be difficult, but not impossible, yet every moment was precious.

He leaned against a tree, and sent his voice like a clarion before him: "Teresa!" There was no reply.

He called again.

A faint cry at his back from the trail he had just traversed made him turn.