The story is set in 1319 and focuses on the solitary questof14-year-old Ailis. She lives in a castle above Rhine River as
acompanion for the count´s niece. We learn that she is different fromthe others, with an ability to hear sounds normal people cannotperceive. Her father, a hunter, wants her to help him, but Ailis hateshunting and stands up for the rights of weaker beings.One day her father and the count capture a little girl using arune-covered net. Showing no mercy, they throw her into a deep well ontop of the nearby mountain with its eerie
atmosphere and derelictfortress. Ailis is very upset, unable to
understand what is goingon.The count, who has always been a just man, urges her not to talkabout what she has seen.Ailis withdraws, becoming taciturn and moody. To make matters worse,herparents forsake and leave her. An outcast from both court and family,she has no one to turn to. The young smith who trains her is the onlyone who takes care of her.When a musician with golden eyes performs at the castle, Ailis realizesthat there is something under the surface of his melodies. Through hismusic she gets a glimpse of a world that seems to be mor real thanreality. However, he warns her: her heightened perception can also be acurse, because she could be lured by the deceitful beings from Faeriewho wield magical powers. Ailis has to avoid the eeriemountain-especially the echo. Nonetheless, Ailis wants to find out thetruth for herself and disregards his warning...There are conflicts between Christians and followers of the old faith,Druids turn up, we hear about a burnt-down village and the Pope´sstone. When the narrative shifts to the Eifel, we are given finedescriptions of the landscape dominated by extinct volcanoes.Durind the course of the story, Ailis is forced to mature and seethrough the lies of others. There is never an easy solution. Not allenemies can be overcome by the use of swords. There has to be anotherway-involving the power of music.All in all, the novel is a refreshing interpretation of the Loreley legend. At times it is reminiscent of Stone and Flute by Hans Bemmann, but unlike that Loreley containsno stories within the story and is more suspenseful, though lessinsightful. Some characters are quite weird and their motives are noteasy to understand. You will not find any warm characters like in The Lord of the Ringsfor example. Kai Meyer has a strong feel for the fantastic and writesin a serious tone and a fluent, visual style. He is particularly goodat evoking a gloomy, eerie atmosphere. An intriguing tale with a lessonabout the importance of looking beneath the surface of things.