The Dead Elf

Tragedy befalls a jolly December day when a Christmas elf falls from the top floor of a department store to the icy pavement below. But why was he up there and not on his shift? And could it be related to a string of thefts from the store? In this short story, Alma Easter, the cake-loving old-lady detective, thinks she knows the answer.At a time when Ardalia was still young, the krongos, people of the rock, and accomplished builders, ruled the world. Their cities were legendary, unforgettable. But soon, a split occurred between the Northerners and the Westerners. Valshhyk the Immolated, god of fire and destruction, took the opportunity to expand his territories and destroy almost everything. A mage, Ekelran, had to resort to the greatest sacrifice in order to give the world a chance to carry on. This mythological, not to say cosmogonic, story describes in a few pages the genesis of the four great civilizations of Ardalia and the most significant events preceding the Ardalia trilogy. For those who have read The Breath of Aoles, Turquoise Water and The Flames of the Immolated, it offers an interesting shift of perspective. For others, it permits an easy introduction to the details of the universe while furnishing a complete synoptic history from a different viewpoint.As a bonus: the five first chapters of The Breath of Aoles are also included.