"Go through there," Eleanor said, pointing at the narrow passage with stone walls on either side.
Handing Lyra to her, Jack moved through the passage first, bracing himself for the worst.
His mind raced with images of Mary's half-eaten body, or worse—nothing left but blood.
The worry gnawed at him.
But when he stepped into the wide, open area of the cave, it wasn't her body that he saw—it was the remains of at least 150 screechers.
They were dead, scattered in various gruesome ways, their limbs, organs, and black blood splattered everywhere.
If it weren't for the obvious blade slashes, he would have thought some other creature, far fiercer and stronger, had been responsible.
'Mary…'
"Jack, can you…" Eleanor's voice brought him back.
He pulled Lyra out of the passage and hoisted her onto his back.
Eleanor followed, her eyes widening in shock at the carnage before her.
