He raised the blade and for a moment considered shattering the shrine outright. But Lyra grabbed his arm. "No, if you break it in a wrong way, the backlash could tear this cavern apart."
Kelvin's jaw snapped, but he lowered the weapon and asked. "Then what?" "Then we will leave it," she said bitterly. "We leave it, and remember: we have only seen one den and one servant."
Her eyes lifted, dark and resolute. "The Hollow holds worse." By the time they limped from the cavern mouth, the sky outside had darkened again. The mist was heavier and the air was sharper. Behind them, the skeletal totems still loomed, faintly glowing though the Alpha was gone.
At a moment the cavern rumbled. At first, it was a low vibration, that is like the growl of the earth itself. Then the sound deepened, rolling through stone and marrow until dust shook free from the ceiling. The skeletal totems rattled as if it was in salute to the abomination slumbering in the depths.
