At first, Mericlou thought that they had passed all the way through the mountain and into the Orobia basin itself, but there was no haze to obscure the perfect illumination that was like a clear day. Her eyes adjusted to the surprisingly brilliant light, and high overhead, she could see the ceiling of the cave, which encased a spectacle unlike anything she had ever seen before.
"By the maker …" she slowly whispered in near muted astonishment.
Was it a greenhouse?
No, it was too big.
A forest?
No, it could not be a forest, not inside of a cave, at least. And the trees, though plentiful amidst the vibrant and varied plant life, were spaced too conspicuously far apart.
"Welcome to my garden," Aldrec said. He stepped out on the landing and spread his arms, as if to embrace all that lay before them.
The cavern was beyond immense; its domed ceiling, hundreds of feet high, was covered in blazing white runes. It was supported by scores of fused stalactite and stalagmite columns, fifty times more massive and ornate than even the grand marble pillars of Lusea's marketplace. The cavern's sheer staggering size led Mericlou to wonder if it was natural, or if someone had actually hollowed out the bowels of the very mountain that cradled Skainhart in order to create it.
Aldrec coaxed her along a dirt path, and Janette could see that landscape was an entire subterranean ecosystem, as long as the skyscrapers of Sakar were tall, and housing plants of all shapes and sizes The ground was a mixture of lush grass and peat moss, out of which grew thousands of trees and shrubs, with flowers and fruit in unfamiliar colors and shapes. Distantly, Mericlou heard the rumbling of a waterfall, and noticed that the ceiling was high and vast enough for there to be a layer of thin, wispy clouds. There were even birds flying overhead.
Entranced in a way she had never known, Mericlou followed Aldrec deeper into the garden. She moved -nearly dancing- from plant to plant, feeling the texture of their leaves, smelling their flowers' varied fragrances, basking in their exotic beauty, and marveling at their varied sizes, shapes, and colors.
"Like a child in a toy store," Aldrec observed in amusement. "I see you like it."
Mericlou's wanderings had taken her to the base of a tree-like plant that grew incredibly high, like the redwoods near Nebaru in the Garushnit Kingdom. Its broad, purple leaves converged in a bunch near its top, making the plant seem like an umbrella for giants. At its top, several round, green fruits hung in an inviting bunch, but forever out of reach.