Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7)

by Sarah J. Maas

But when the Little Folk appeared before a gargantuan boulder, when they then vanished and reappeared in a sliver cut into the rock itself, bony hands beckoning from within, Rowan found himself balking. The creature dwelling in the lake beneath Bald Mountain was a mild threat compared to the other things that still hunted in dark and forgotten places. But the Little Folk beckoned again. Lorcan appeared at his side. “It could be a trap.” But Elide and Gavriel walked toward it, unfazed. And behind them, Aelin continued as well. So Rowan followed her, as he would follow her until his last breath, and beyond it. The cave mouth was tight, but soon opened 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 so deep in the earth that even the ...