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Stafii
Uncanny Voices in the Night
A voice that knows the right name, and a rule you only get to break once. Book 2 of the Carpathian Chronicles.
The book as a beautifully typeset collector’s PDF and as an EPUB, plus extras you won’t find in any store: the Dossier with family tree and chronicle, the booklet “The Customs Behind the Book” and five phone wallpapers. All DRM-free, with the extras also available as EPUB for Kindle, Kobo and other e-readers.
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Both Collector’s Editions + “The Chronicle”
More than two ebooks: you get both books as Collector’s Editions with all the extras – plus “The Chronicle”, available only in this bundle.
- “The Village of the Hanged” and “Stafii” – each as EPUB and as a typeset collector’s PDF (A5)
- 2 Dossiers with family tree, places, rules and chronicle (PDF + EPUB)
- 2 booklets “The Customs Behind the Book”, explained and sourced (PDF + EPUB)
- “The Chronicle”: both books in one timeline – bundle only (PDF + EPUB)
- 10 phone wallpapers
- DRM-free, instant download after payment
Subject to our Terms & Conditions · Right of withdrawal · Final price – small business under Sec. 19 German VAT Act, no VAT charged
Bought separately, the two Collector’s Editions cost €17.80.
What it is about
A year after his first book, the narrator returns with Lena to the village at the foot of the Carpathians — for the wedding of her cousin Ana. He hears of Florica, Lena's great-aunt, who answered a voice at seventeen, was found the next morning in the marsh, and then spent forty years by a window waiting for that voice. And on the wedding night he learns firsthand what the family's rule means: whoever answers is lost. Stafii is a true story about love, inheritance, and an ancient voice that knows exactly whose name to call. Book 2 of the Carpathian Chronicles.
The family's rule is short and hard to keep: whoever answers is lost. It sounds like superstition for as long as nothing calls. At first the narrator only hears other people's stories – Florica at her window, the old man from the nursing home who was found in the marsh. Then a voice he knows calls his own name.
Stafii is not an afterthought to Book 1 but the continuation Book 1 announced. The same village, the same family, one year after the first book came out – this time for the wedding of Lena's cousin Ana.
Based on true events
The second book works with what was told as well: accounts of people who vanished, of women brought back changed, of a voice standing at windows at night. Romanian tradition calls those voices stafii – a word that means more than "ghosts".
Which part of that is folk belief, which is memory and which is an explanation for something nobody wanted to explain, the book does not decide for the reader. The customs themselves can be read up on: in Legends & Customs and in the glossary.
The folk belief behind the story
The rule that you do not answer at night is not something invented for a book. It belongs to a web of names, hours and precautions handed down over generations. Three of them are explained in full here:
Whoever answers is lost – the night voices
In the Carpathians one rule holds: if a voice calls your name at night, do not answer. Where this superstition really comes from.
Stafii – meaning of the Romanian ghost word
Stafii is the Romanian word for ghosts and specters — the namesake of Corben Vale's second book. Where the term comes from.
Bride Theft – a Carpathian wedding custom
In Romanian villages the bride is “stolen” at the wedding – a game with a ransom. Where the custom comes from, and how serious it once was.
Sample chapter
The opening pages are available as a PDF – no sign-up, no email address. New to the series? The Village of the Hanged introduces the same village and the same family.
Book 1 and Book 2
Stafii is Book 2 of the Carpathian Chronicles and begins a year after The Village of the Hanged. Both came out on 15 October 2026. Book 2 stands on its own, though the rules it leans on are set up in Book 1.
Editions and languages
The book is out as an ebook in seven languages: German, English, Romanian, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Each edition is translated in its own right. The book is available at all major retailers. The price shown applies to the eurozone; retailers in other countries charge their own local prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Stafii" mean?
Stafii is the Romanian plural of stafie and means the spirits of the dead who have not come to rest. Unlike the English "ghost", it is not a word from horror stories but everyday language: it means what returns from someone who has died and stays – a voice, a shadow at the window. Explained in full on What are Stafii?
Can I read Book 2 without Book 1?
Yes. The plot stands on its own. Readers who know Book 1 will understand why the family reacts the way it does.
Is this a sequel or a separate book?
A sequel: the same village, the same family, one year after the first book came out. This time the reason for the return is the wedding of Lena's cousin Ana.
When was it published?
15 October 2026, the same day as Book 1.
Which languages is it available in?
Seven: German, English, Romanian, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
Read on
The Forty Days
For forty days, folk belief in the Carpathians says, the soul does not know it is dead – it comes home, a candle burns. Where this custom comes from.
Why Seven Years? Graves in the Carpathians
In parts of Romania the dead are dug up again after seven years, the bones washed and buried a second time. Where this custom comes from.
Deochi
Praise without the counter-word, then a headache and yawning: what Romanians mean by deochi — and how nine embers in untouched water give the answer.
Both books of the Carpathian Chronicles are out in seven languages and available in every major store.