Imagine for a moment that your name is Vanithar Gares, you are a sorcerer who never bothered to receive the title of magician. You and a friend ran a shop together. But bad luck, your friend sold the business without your knowledge, incurred debts and ran away with all the cash in an unknown direction. And now creditors are rushing you. If you don’t pay... Oh, it’s scary to even think about it, what will they do to you! Can you imagine? Great. Then let's go! In search of income, you undertake to protect a merchant's caravan from robbers and find yourself in a small town. Immediately after your arrival, strangers and the people who sheltered them begin to die there. The locals convince both you and the merchants that an ancient curse has awakened. It seems that you need to curtail trade and get away quickly. But...But there was a landslide in the mountains, and the only road will be cleared in three days...What to do? You are the only sorcerer guard of the caravan. Protect yourself and those who entrusted their lives to you? Alone, unlikely. But if you accept the offer of the gargoyle Nuka, whose owners were also not spared by the dark forces, then perhaps it’s worth a try. P.S. Many thanks to Yulia Skurkis for the initial proofreading and clear and kind explanation of why the previous version of the novel was no good :)))