Origins Of The Magdon: Vercovicium: The Magdon Series, #1

By Tobey Alexander

Welcome to the world we have forgotten. A place where the myths of history that have been omitted from history still linger in the shadows.

I challenge you to dare and enter the darkness, tread along forgotten paths for I promise they lead to a world of adventure.

Introducing the “Origins Of” The Magdon Series. A collection of five novelette length stories charting the key events in the life of Archy who at the age of sixteen is thrust upon a path of adventure, discovery and excitement.

Book 1 “Vercovicium” at Hadrian's Wall, Summer 1911 Archy is given the chance to spend his summer at the excavation of a Roman Fort called Vercovicium. One fateful day Archy stumbles across a buried tomb. Braving the dark Archy sets off in exploration and discovers a long forgotten part of history. The events of that summer open a new adventure to Archy that will change him forever. 

Although short in length these episodic instalments focus on Archy in a way that makes the story accessible across all levels of reading. Aimed at 8+ readers, it is my hope that these stories can be ones that encourage a sense of adventure in future generations and rekindle that same sense in adults too. By limiting the length to between 10,000-12,000 words I hope that each story will slowly develop upon the mythology of The Magdon and also create a story that everyone can immerse themselves in and enjoy.

These stories were born from a white-lie I told my own children and whilst it would be easy to create a full length novel from the premise I wanted to ensure the story could reach all ages, all imaginations and all levels. Every story, when separated, will give you a little more insight into the shadowy depths of forgotten beasts and lay the foundation of a bigger world. The story grows with the reader and with the main character Archy. My hope is that each instalment will offer you just enough to feel satisfied but leave you wanting more as I pick five key events of Archy’s life from the tie he first rediscovers The Magdon, aged sixteen, until his inevitable test some twenty-one years later.

To find out more you may want to visit the official author website:

gmsfootprints.wixsite.com/tobeyalexander

Or else visit the official Facebook site at:

facebook.com/TheMagdon

Thank you for trusting your imagination into my hands and rest assured The Magdon myth has a lot more in store beyond Archy’s adventures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tobey Alexander
• Release date: Apr 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311618108

Book preview

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Copyright © 2016 by GMS written as Tobey Alexander

All rights reserved.

Cover design by Tobey Alexander / CreateSpace.com

Book design by Tobey Alexander

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Published using CreateSpace self-publishing services. All enquiries directed to the author through CreateSpace services or visit www.footprintsontheotherside.co.uk

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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-I-

ORIGINS OF THE MAGDON:

VERCOVICIUM

Vercovicium

A stone fort built AD124 at the site of Hadrian’s Wall in the parish of Bardon Hill, Northumberland, England.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One – Introducing Archy

Chapter Two – Welcome to Vercovicium

Chapter Three – A morning for exploring

Chapter Four – Into the unknown

Chapter Five – The darkness beneath the ground

Chapter Six – Facing the Nivag

Chapter Seven – A narrow escape

Chapter Eight – Flash and fever

Chapter Nine – The new path ahead

Reference

Dedicated completely to my children who inspired me to create the Magdon and the history behind it. Thank you for feeding my madness.

Prologue

The world beneath the one we know

Consider this book to be an invitation.

This is not a story dragged from the imagination but instead a reminder of the world we have forgotten over the centuries. It is easy to accept the world we live in and forget the things that happened long ago.

For those happy to live in this world, then perhaps these pages are not for you. What is contained within this book is the truth of what we have forgotten. If you can live without that knowledge, then I advise you to turn away now.

If you wish to understand that there is more beyond what we know, then read on.

Picture a cobweb dancing in a morning breeze. Our world is but a single strand of that web. But how many other strands does the spider spin? Each strand is connected to the next, feeding a path from one to another and all the while offering each other support. If you take one strand away the web begins to fail; it starts to crumble, and the same is true of our existence. We are but a single strand of a very intricate and complicated web.

Vibrations from one strand can echo across all those to which they are connected.

I’m certain you have heard of Robin Hood, King Arthur and his Excalibur, the Loch Ness Monster. These are familiar but for every story that has survived the passage of time, there are a handful that have not. This book will force you to question your belief of what is fact and what is fiction, what is a myth and what is truth.

Bring yourself through