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wasn’t sure
exactly what she’d been expecting; stories of what the cave looked
like were sparse and incomplete, and none of them meshed. From what
she’d heard of Evie’s underground hide-away, the cavern could be
one of many things: It was a vast stalactite-filled hole sporting
an underground river and a waterfall. Or it was a lush underground
rainforest with mushrooms and grass and vibrant blooms. Some
suggested it was filled with crisscrossing bridges and tiny
trickling streams. Others insisted it had luminescent creatures
lighting the cave from above. Some even claimed it had a cabin in
it. Dahlia seriously had no idea what kind of image to draw in her
mind.
    Until she stepped out into
the actual cavern – and realized that it had all of those things.
    “ Holy ginormous geodes …”
she muttered softly. She stood in one spot and slowly turned,
trying for the life of her to take it all in. But she had literally
never seen anything so amazing or beautiful, and she was a fae
who’d lived a very long time.
    The cavern was enormous, stretching the
length of two football fields, its ceiling so high up, it was
barely visible. Bioluminescent mushrooms, algae, and flower blooms
carpeted the ceiling and part of the walls. They shed enough light
to mimic the sun just after twilight; it was a soft, warm and
welcoming glow.
    A massive waterfall against one wall poured
fresh, clean drinking water into a small river that ran through the
center of the cavern. It was wide and deep enough to go swimming
in, but not so wide or deep that it was daunting. The water was
crystal clear, and the river divided the cave’s ground into what
effectively became islands. Each rounded island was connected by
small, intricately carved wooden bridges.
    Some of the bridges had ivy and various
flowers wrapping through their carvings. Dahlia was fond of gardens
and flowers, even though Poppy and Lily would never believe it of
her. She kept that more feminine, softer side of herself hidden
because it had always bothered her enough to be the Tuath fae she
was. Tuathans were notoriously stunning, and sex was at the core of
their existence. Appearing any more feminine than necessary was
like a nod to that sexuality and a twist of the thorn in her side.
But true to her name, she did secretly adore flowers. Even so, she
didn’t recognize any of these blooms here. They were exotic and
shimmering, magical in nature.
    Other bridges possessed gas lights that
flickered invitingly. Each separate island had a single tree that
grew from thick grass or soft-looking moss. The branches of these
trees stretched over their islands like Banyan tree benches,
waiting to be climbed. The buds on these branches were brightly
colored, and some looked to be bearing fruit as well. It looked
like some sort of Disney World water or theme park or both.
    The air in the cavern was the perfect
temperature, not too hot, not too cold. The waterfall provided a
far-off static, the rivers babbled and flowed at a constant,
calming pace, but most inviting of all was the small thatch-roofed
cottage that rested on the biggest island at the center of the
cavern.
    Smoke curled from the single chimney in the
cottage’s roof, but the air in the giant cave remained pure and
fresh. It smelled clean in here, like rain. More magic, no
doubt.
    All along the lower half of
the walls of the cave, crystals of various colors and sizes grew
and glimmered, dressing the cavern in what looked like gemstones.
Dahlia slowly made her way over to the nearest of them and ran her
hand along shimmering jewels of yellow, pink, and blue.
“Unbelievable,” she whispered. Some of them were gemstones, both precious and
semi-precious. These in particular were multi-colored sapphires. A
female Tuath fae of her age and upbringing would know them
anywhere.
    She dropped her hand and pulled her gaze
from the stones to the house at the center of the cavern. She
stared at it in silence a long moment. Finally she asked,