Free Born of Magic (Channeler Series) by B. McMurray

myself with it anymore. We set up camp. My body felt so drained I moved like I was sleepwalking, and prepared for sleep. Aton started a fire out of some roots he pulled out from the walls of the cave.
    Most of the cave appeared to be solid rock, except for the pockets of dirt where roots from unseen trees came in. I wondered where the roots went, but didn’t bother to ask—the idea of sleep had begun to take over my thoughts. We both wrapped ourselves in every blanket we had and went to sleep.
    The putrid stench made its way into my nose once more, waking me in a far more unpleasant way than I preferred. We packed in a hurry and Aton embarked further down the cave, the stench growing worse as we went deeper into the mountain.
    "This path will take us under the mountain, but we will need to pass through quietly. Within this mountain lies a gigantic cavern, it was once a magma chamber hundreds of years ago, but a powerful mage took the magma out of there."
    “Some travelers found the cavern and began settling there. I think they chose it because the walls are lined with iron and the base of the cavern is lined with rich roil. They eventually mined a few holes out to allow a river to pass through it. It’s said that after years of living underground their skin turned pale white and their eyes pure black. They’re said to be less than friendly to outsides.”
    "What sort of mage could do that? Hollow out an entire mountain?" I asked.
    The idea of a mage being so powerful fascinated me. Would I ever be capable of such feats? I couldn't help but dream of the possibilities of what I will achieve, cities that I will help create, and the lives I will change.
    "No one knows. He disappeared after that—probably killed himself in the process. This tunnel we’re going through passes just along the cavern, and we don't want to draw any attention. Use the clarity of Etherea to guide you through the darkness. We shouldn’t use torches here."
    After he finished talking, I noticed that in Etherea the mist lit the way. I could see the ground perfectly and was able to move in the darkness with ease.
    The smell became so strong it seemed as though I was right next to whatever it came from. Aton looked back at me and placed a finger over his lips, "We're about to pass by there now."
    Ahead of us I saw an opening on the left side of the tunnel. A light flickered through it and against the opposite wall. As I passed it, I peered through the gap. I couldn't help but gasp at the sight. I stopped and stared at the colossal cavern, far bigger than Saltren, with a massive city at the center. Around the city there were farms, trees, even livestock. The city had dozens of towers, taller than any tree I had ever seen, with flames atop of them, lighting the entire cavern. The walls glistened with moisture on the shiny metallic walls. The iron looked like a waterfall that had been frozen in place. Running through the center of the cavern and city was a steady moving stream.
    We stood far above the base of the cavern. The opening to our tunnel was at least a few hundred feet high, with no way down from where we stood. As I realized this, I backed away from the edge, keeping my distance so I didn't fall down. Aton was now a good distance ahead of me and I hurried to catch up.
    Not paying attention as I walked—still mystified by the sight that had graced my eyes—I bumped into Aton. He cried out in fear and grabbed onto me, "Watch where you're going. You could have pushed me into it."
    "Into what?"
    He turned around and pushed me back, pointing to a gap in the pathway, "You need to be more careful." He then turned back around and peered across that gap that blocked our way. He let out a long sigh, threw his bag down, and started to search through it. "Unless we can find a way over this, I don't know how we will make it there. Other than going directly over the mountain, which is suicide."
    I couldn’t imagine having to tackle the rest of the mountain.