"He reached inside to retrieve it, his fingers closing around a hard, smooth object roughly the size and weight of a plum. It was cool to the touch, but not unpleasantly so, and began to warm from the heat of his fingers even as he drew it out of the twisted remains of the tree. It resembled a clear glass marble, the perfect size to fit in the palm of his hand, just slightly too large to close his hand completely around it. A pale golden light, not strong enough to illuminate his surroundings, flickered within."