For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The silence that followed the guardian's last words was almost worse than the battle itself. Liam stood completely still, his eyes moving slowly across the landscape as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. The six creatures were gone. The cracks that had covered the earth had disappeared. Even the strange pressure that had filled the air moments ago was nowhere to be felt.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
The mountains stood exactly where they had been before. The open field stretched ahead of them beneath the pale sky, and the horses were still gathered nearby, their heads moving restlessly as they tried to understand the strange atmosphere. Nothing appeared damaged. Not a single mark remained from the battle that had just taken place.
Liam looked down at his own hands.
Then he looked at Tatiana.
Then Leonid.
Then Irina, Agatha, Mary and Gregor.
Everyone was still there.
Nobody had been injured.
