Their Fireheart

Chapter Thirty Three

Aelin

Cassian let out a low whistle as we took in the cavernous space in front of us. Standing at the top of a small staircase, the six of us paused as the flickering torchlight revealed an expansive stone chamber, hidden directly below the sewers that snaked beneath the ground of the Shadow Market. But that wasn't what had us halting in our tracks.

No, it was the bones that decorated every square inch of the colossal chamber.

Skulls and bones were carefully arranged like precious artwork, embedded into the numerous alcoves, inlaid into every single wall. Starting at the foot of the stairs, even the floor and ceiling was lined with bones of varying shapes and sizes - making it seem as though the entire structure was made of nothing but that which was once encased in living flesh.

"I'd heard the rumors that the Shadow Market was built on the bones of the god of truth," I mused. "But I never thought it was more than an urban legend."

From his stunned silence, Chaol hadn't either.

"They certainly got the bones part right," Aedion breathed, looking around with wide eyes.

I couldn't contain a faint snort of amusement at that. Yes, they did. Even without knowing how far it extended, the sheer amount of bones that we could see was ... staggering. I tried not to think too hard about how they had collected them, or when. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of skeletons worth down here.

Rowan set down his torch into a shallow trough that lined the wall, the bottom glistening with dregs of oil. The flame ignited quickly, illuminating another hundred or so feet as it lit up the wall before wrapping around a corner.

We still had no idea how far it went.

"Those legends may have had more correct than just the bones. This isn't any old catacomb,'' Rowan said grimly. "This was a temple."

He was right. Once I was able to take in more than the overwhelming mass of bones, I saw that the space was littered with altars, benches and even a dark reflection pool in the far corner. There was no doubt this had once been a place of worship.

Of what kind, I wasn't sure.

I had to bite back a groan at the thought. The last place I wanted to be was in the temple of some bastard god. Especially when we didn't know what they stood for.

"There's writing on the bones," Aedion said, striding down the steps and crouching on the bone-laden floor to examine it more closely.

I grimaced, disliking the idea of treading upon bones of unknown origins, but the rest of us crept down the steps after Aedion. A moment later, he stood, walking over to the nearest wall. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, I watched as my cousin raised a hand to trace whatever was engraved there.

"Every bone has some sort of engraving, in every language - all in different handwriting," Aedion marveled as he moved along the wall. "Listen to this one here: 'I am a liar and a thief. I took my sister's husband and laughed while I did it.'"

Cassian had moved to the other wall, his eyebrows raising as he silently read whatever grabbed his attention from the writing that littered the wall.

Glancing back at us, he swallowed. "None of this ... I don't think these were good people."

Scanning the bone temple, a shudder crawled through me. There was something ... familiar about the confessions carved into shards of bone that I didn't want to consider too deeply, but I also couldn't deny.

"Let's just focus on finding the hellfire for now," I murmured, stepping down onto the bone floor.

Glancing back at my violet-eyed mate, I wasn't surprised to find his expression tight and reticent. If I was right, I knew his instincts had to be screaming at him as well.