FASHION STYLE FOOD ALPHABET

  I woke up in a cold sweat. Above me, I saw my mother's worried face, smiling at me with relief. "You always get into trouble. Did something tempt you, devil, to touch Magus's equipment? Oh, Father will grant you! You're welcome!" she threatened, but hugged me tightly and said, "You're lucky Mr. Magus guessed and rushed upstairs. Or you would never have woken up. He and Father sat over you all night until he lifted the spell from you. He said that if it had been someone else, not the innkeeper's son, he wouldn't have bothered at all. And he was as angry as hell at that. Then he asked if there was a witch living near us, or someone who could cast spells and spells." When Dad told him about the gusli player, he said he didn't have time and had to continue north. I jumped up as if struck, got out of bed despite my mother's protests, and ran through the kitchen. I burst into the room, where Dad was aiming at me. I passed him, avoiding th...

  Papa's scream, calling me to the yard; I had to clean up after last night's supper. At the site of the priestess's death, I found no trace of yesterday's fight; the entire yard was stained with a mixture of ash and mud. Of course, I was the lucky one who had to clean it all up. Memories of last night flashed before my eyes like a nightmare. Today, during the day, I wasn't so sure that all these terrible events had actually happened. There was only one way to find out for sure. I had to go to the Frisian temple. Cleaning took me until noon, plus an hour. All this time, Xenor hadn't shown up. But I was afraid to look in his window. I asked Papa where our guest was, and that got me a headache. I didn't dare ask again. I kept glancing at the temple, but Mother Dhora was nowhere to be seen. An hour after noon, the mayor came to Papa, as he put it, "to get well," and reminded Papa that Mr. Delmonte was coming tomorrow. Papa calmed the mayor and said th...

I My name is Mitch. Simply Mitch, without any nickname or surname. I have a curious story to tell you, which, as it later turned out, was the beginning of extraordinary and terrifying events initiated by a mysterious wanderer named Xenor. These events unfolded in the land known in this part of the world as Longend, from which I come. And it happened like this: Longend lies northeast of Indswijk, the castle of our graciously reigning prince Rupert de Wett. It is a small settlement: twenty farms, a sawmill, a temple to the snow goddess Frisian, Zimbewald's mill, and my father's inn, "The Red Dragon." By the way, I don't know where my father came up with that name (when my grandfather ran it, it was simply called "The Inn"). As is common knowledge, dragons are intelligent, if vicious, creatures. However, they inhabit the warmer southern regions of Lydia, not, as Mayor Crambwell used to say when finishing his father's fourth barrel of ale, "the damn...

  It was a summer afternoon when a young officer of the coast guard of the city of Indhir—the main port of the invisible island of Indhirland—was informed by one of his subordinates of an approaching ship. Standing on the city wall, the captain looked in the direction indicated by the sentry. A small boat with a green-and-white sail floated on the calm waves. Gently gliding across the water, the boat quickly approached the shore. The captain was a relatively young elf from a noble family, descended in direct line from Duchess Ellanour, sister of the Land's current ruler—King Pencidall the Holy, Head of the Order of the White Lily, a very popular cult of the goddess Kharonaey. The Paladins of the Order themselves tended to refer to their patroness as "Lady Kharonaey," which seemed inappropriate, to those not closely associated with the religion. The captain narrowed his eyes, focusing on the boat. To enhance his already excellent eyesight, the elf muttered a spell. A momen...

  We were sitting late one afternoon in the back room of Hagensfeld's shop. The mysterious warrior who had come to our aid turned out to be a paladin from the Templar Order – guardians of the Temple of Kharonaey the White Lily, located on the mythical island of Terra! We all gasped in disbelief. Every child had heard the tales and legends of Terra, but no one believed in its existence. It was said that only those bearing the mark of an archangel could reach the island. The path and location of the island itself were unknown. Over time, people lost faith in the legendary island's authenticity. Only thanks to the elves and their tales did the memory of the land of Indhirland on Terra survive to this day. The knight stared wearily at the hearth. His name was Khail Walverde. He had been sent to prevent our would-be tormentor – the sorcerer Xenor – from his mad quest to awaken dark forces. With their help, he and his followers sought to restore the old order, when the chaos lord Ast...

  I woke up late in the afternoon. I was lying in Mrs. Rhona's bed. She herself wasn't home. My whole body was throbbing with intense pain. Every movement, even the slightest, made me want to howl. Still, I had to admit that Mrs. Altersberg had done a fantastic job. My wounds had stopped bleeding. I was weak, but more or less unharmed. I remembered the ring. My belongings were nowhere to be found. Panic gripped me. Had the woman gone to return the ring? I dragged myself out of bed. I limped to the kitchen and looked out the window. She was standing in the street, talking to a woman. She held a shopping basket in her hand. I calmed down a bit. I carefully lowered myself onto the stool. I thought of poor Woodpecker, probably grieving in the darkness of the oval chamber. An idea occurred to me. I couldn't trust the man who'd forced me to break into the royal treasury. Meanwhile, the lock on the door creaked, and Lady Rhona appeared on the threshold. "Gods!" she e...

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Boniface. BONIO to my friends. I owe the nickname "Sticky Hands" to my profession. For I must tell you that I belong to the thieves' guild operating in the largest city in the lands – CHARLESDAM. This city lies on the coast and is the capital of the kingdom of WINDHIR. It was built centuries ago by the elves on two picturesquely situated islands connected to the mainland by bridges, at the mouth of the LESDAM River, which flows into the ERPHA Sea. The city was conquered three hundred years ago by the great CHARLES the Conqueror and rebuilt into an impregnable fortress. It is protected from the land by fortified walls and a naturally flowing river. From the sea, the entrance to the harbor is guarded by four towers soaring high into the sky and a flotilla of fifty ships, ready to repel any attack. Did I say I belong to a guild? Well... The events I became embroiled in by a certain WALTER DE something or other meant I could no longer ...