The words lingered in the air long after Tatiana finished speaking.
Neither Liam nor Mary said anything immediately.
The cave had become so silent that the only sounds remaining were their own breathing and the occasional scrape of their boots against the uneven stone floor. The little orb of light floating above Mary's shoulder continued to illuminate the tunnel ahead, but its warm glow only seemed to make the surrounding darkness feel even deeper.
Liam slowly lowered his gaze to the ground once more.
His eyes carefully followed the dusty cave floor stretching into the darkness.
Then he quietly spoke.
"…Twenty beasts passed through here."
He crouched down, running two fingers lightly across the thin layer of dust blanketing the stone.
"And yet…"
He held up his clean fingertips.
"…there isn't a single track."
Mary frowned.
Tatiana also looked down.
Now that Liam pointed it out again, it became impossible to ignore.
The floor should have been covered in marks.
