A Long and Speaking Silence

Description

On the banks of the Ya-lé River, the town of Luntien marks the start of the rainy season—until refugees arrive from the sea, carrying grief that unsettles every familiar story the locals tell about “foreigners.” Cleric Chih, newly set on the road and still learning what it means to be a true cleric, is drawn into listening, recording, and helping as violence and fear ripple through the community like unpredictable weather. With their hoopoe companion, Almost Brilliant, Chih must navigate the thin line between compassion and danger while uncovering a mystery that seems to reach back to their own distant life in the abbey of Singing Hills. Blending lyrical storytelling with sharp emotional insight, this installment of the Singing Hills Cycle explores memory, belonging, and the power—and peril—of bearing witness.

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