They left the river and plunged into the forest and there the heat
closed in more mercilessly than ever--humid, stifling heat that felt
like a soggy blanket wrapped tightly round the body.
The trail lay plain and clear. The Cytha now, it seemed, was intent
upon piling up a lead without recourse to evasive tactics. Perhaps it
had reasoned that its pursuers would lose some time at the river and
it may have been trying to stretch out that margin even further.
Perhaps it needed that extra time, he speculated, to set up the
necessary machinery for another dirty trick.