Where Darkness Dwells: A Novel (Song of the Solas Book 1) by Andrea Renae

Author:Andrea Renae [Renae, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-25T23:00:00+00:00

An eerie wailing reverberates through the trunks of the trees and makes the hair on my neck stand on end.

Not again, I say, except the words don’t actually come out.

“What’s that about?” Shemai puffs as he runs over to me, much too excited.

I snatch up the lantern and get to my feet. “Don’t know,” I say, then call for Korvin. He stares down at his cupped hands, shrugs, and releases the fortunate amphibian.

“We should hurry.”

Korvin catches up to us, and I hand him the squirming bag. We head back toward Utsanek, following the direction of the hunting call.

Can there already be another sola? I swallow hard to try to convince my stomach not to eject its contents. Shemai runs ahead, eager to find what all the commotion is about, but Korvin hangs back with me. He wears a familiar expression of concern.

“What are they like?” he asks quietly.

I look at him as we walk. “What are what like?”

He twists the mouth of the sack in his hands. “The solas.”

I don’t want to talk about this, I think. But I’m done with avoiding the hard stuff.

“I’ve only seen one, but it was . . . beautiful.” I shrug. There isn’t another word for it.

“Are they dangerous?”

My brow furrows as I ponder. The one I shot had seemed so gentle. So . . . intelligent. I try to shake the image of its eyes boring into mine.

“No, I don’t think so.”

Korvin sighs. “I don’t understand why we are supposed to . . .”

The scraping of our shoes seems oppressively loud.

“Kill them?” I finish.

He nods.

“That’s not the agreement we have with the kaligorven.” Even saying their name has the power to frighten me.

Korvin is not satisfied. “Wouldn’t it be better to let them live among us? What if we could . . . I don’t know . . . find a way to make the Vale a place where they wanted to dwell. Couldn’t we have light and let them live?”

This honest line of questioning makes me uncomfortable. “It may be better for them, but there is so much more to this than simply having light to live by.” There’s much about them and the Shrouded that he doesn’t understand. That I don’t understand.

As we approach the northeast entrance to the city, we both grow quiet. Shemai slouches against the gate, his face communicating his impatience.

At least he waited for us, I think, which is more than Rhun would’ve done at his age.

Even though an atmosphere of uncertainty hangs over the three of us, I can’t resist making a detour at the maevotér’s house. As I get down on one knee and lace my fingers together to hoist Korvin up, a smile chases away his troubles. He climbs up, and Shemai tosses him the bag with a fit of wild giggles. Korvin dumps the frogs in and hops down. We stumble away, barely able to contain ourselves.

“Remember,” I wheeze when we are at a safe distance, “if you get in trouble, tell him Belwyn did it in memory of Rhun.

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