The Brides of High Hill

Cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels without their usual companion, the memory spirit Almost Brilliant. Their task is to escort the Pham family, whose fortunes have fallen, to the estate of Doi Cao. The Phams hope that their daughter Nhung will marry Lord Guo, a wealthy widower much older than she is.

The welcome at Doi Cao is lavish, with banquets and fine hospitality. The estate is odder than it first appears. Whole buildings stand empty and guarded by protective relics, and the servants keep their distance from the guests.

Lord Guo's son is afflicted, and he offers warnings that nobody can make sense of. Chih and Nhung begin exploring the grounds together, and clues start to gather around the fate of Lord Guo's earlier wives.

This is the fifth novella in the Singing Hills Cycle, set in the empire of Ahn. It works as a gothic mystery in the form of a haunted house tale. As with the rest of the cycle, it stands alone and can be read in any order. Whether Nhung's marriage can restore her family depends on what Chih and Nhung find behind the guarded doors.