The narrow bridge above the Abyss led to a vast cave on the far side. Everything here was shrouded in darkness, but this darkness was not simply the absence of light. It was more like another kind of energy had gathered here, blacker than asphalt, thicker than tar, dimmer than Raven feathers.
Light was like an unwelcome intruder, seemingly rejected here, able to illuminate only a very limited area. But Deathstroke's super-hearing allowed him to hear the sound of flowing water echoing from the darkness below.
The underground river lay at least six hundred meters beneath the three of them. Its rapid current suggested sheer cliffs all around, and it flowed ever downward, likely toward an underground sea that sunlight would never reach.
Seeing the two humans following her, Leaf turned and continued across the bridge, still talking about the river.
"The ravens help us fish beneath the Abyss. There is a kind of white fish in this river. They have no eyes, but they taste just as good as the fish with eyes in the lake outside."
Hermione was still carrying the fish Strangle had caught. It had been meant as a gift for Three-Eyed Raven.
"Do you eat fish often?" Enchantress asked the little woman leading the way. This big fish was nearly taller than a Child of the Forest.
"Mm, if there are too many fish in a given year, we eat fish to maintain the balance in the lake." Leaf did not turn around, her attention fixed on the ground beneath her feet. "But most of the time, we eat mushrooms."
"Then what if there are too many humans on the continent one day?"
Hermione asked a rather pointed question. The white bones they had seen along the way inevitably made her think in that direction.