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into a larger passage. Aelin illuminated the
space, bathing the black stone walls in a
golden glow bright enough to see by.
But her flame was dwarfed when they
entered a massive chamber. The ceiling
stretched into gloom, but it was not the height
of the chamber that made him halt.
Nooks and alcoves had been built into the
side of the rock, some equipped with bedrolls,
some with what seemed to be piles of clothes,
and some with food. A small fire burned near
one, and past it, tucked against the wall, a
natural stone trough gleamed with water,
courtesy of a small stream.
But farther into the cave, on the other side
of the chamber, flowing right up to the black
rock itself, a great lake stretched into the
darkness.
There were countless subterranean lakes
and rivers beneath these mountains—places