"Craig Shaw Gardner - Wuntvor 01 - A Difficulty With Dwarves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

тАШThe magician, about to begin a spell of great importance, discovers that all his duckwort has gone bad
and he is completely out of eye of newt. And it gets no better! The sorcerer quickly dons his walking
robes and strolls down to the corner alchemist, only to discover theyтАЩve had duckwort back ordered for
months, and what newt eyes they have in stock are far too small and altogether of the wrong color.

тАШWell, the good magician is far too resourceful to let a couple of missing ingredients spoil a perfectly
good spell. The mage quickly returns to his eyrie, and attempts some prudent substitutions, say batwing
and dried salamanderтАЩs blood, with perhaps some chives tossed in to give the whole thing color. And the
potion looks correct at last! The sorcerer begins to chant the spell that will bring his dayтАЩs work to
fruition. But wait! The pot is burbling when it should be boiling! What could be wrong? (See footnote)

тАШThe mage quickly checks a nearby reference work, perhaps the forty-six volume Universal Guide to
Magic, or my own much more concise When Bad Spells Happen to Good Wizards. There, to his horror,
the magician sees that, through an almost infinitesimal error, he has transformed a simple
weather-predicting spell into a conjuration that will destroy himself, his loved ones, and every other living
thing in this hemisphere!

Footnote: The apt student would have known instantly that our sorcerer should have used parsley
instead of chives for coloration.

тАШThe wizard somehow manages to stop the spell in time, but ruins a perfectly good pair of boots in the
process. By now the wise magician will have faced up to one inevitable conclusion: That this day will be
one of misfortune, not only for the wizard, but for all those with whom he comes in contact.

тАШBut the resourceful mage should not despair that the fates conspire against him! Rather, the prudent
sorcerer should take what small advantage of the situation still remains available, and spend the remainder
of the day visiting oneтАЩs mother-in-law or insisting upon an immediate audit by the royal tax collectors.тАЩ

Ebenezum, greatest magician in all the Western Kingdoms

MAGIC FOR THE MILLIONS:

A HOME STUDY COURSE

(fourth edition), General Introduction

It seemed like everybody was sneezing.

тАШOh, Wuntvor,тАЩ Norei whispered. Her beautiful green eyes looked deep into mine. тАШIsnтАЩt it terrible?тАЩ

The sound echoed through the Great Hall in which we stood, perhaps a hundred different wizards
sneezing as one; high sneezes, low sneezes, short little shushing sounds, and huge, long nasal blasts. As
difficult as it was to tear my eyes away from the beautiful young witch by my side, this true love that I had
found at last, the nasal avalanche was far too overwhelming. With great trepidation I turned away from
my beloved and looked down to the far end of the hall.

My worst fears were confirmed. The great oak door, behind which the wizards had conferred in order
to find a cure for my master Ebenezum, had been flung open. The sorcerers, so noble and grand when
they had entered that room some hours before, now staggered out of it one by one, their once-fine robes