The Magnus and the Maiden

By Philip J. Sipkov and Rebecca Head

The Magnus and the Maiden is the story of a group of intrepid youths raised on a hidden island and led by the maiden Kasmira that venture into the mysterious mainland. There they encounter the Magnus, the warrior emperor of the mainland and the keeper of the Cards. Of all the mysteries they seek, it is the Cards and the wisdom granted to th

• Language: English
• Publisher: aois21 publishing, LLC
• Release date: Aug 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781941771075

Philip J. Sipkov

A native of Washington, D.C., Phil's life has revolved around two passions - books and horses. He refers to them as the indoors and outdoors of his existence. He was a bookseller that eventually became a manager of a small bookstore. He was a stable hand or "mucker," an exercise boy/rider, and a groom for members of the the foxhunting clubs. In time he managed a small riding academy with his wife and daughter. Through it all, the books proved to be his mainstay. He has been an employee of the Library of Congress for the past 27 years. As for the horses - they are still his passion - but not his paycheck.

Book preview

1. THE BRASS AND IRON MEN

I ache all over from hours of hiding silent, almost motionless, in a tree high over the forest floor.

A chill wind is rising, shaking the heavy treetops and making my own tall tree sway and shudder. I’m tired and stiff but don’t dare move for fear of being detected.

Detected by the deadly metal-clad creatures below.

The cold I feel is no hardship compared to the torture of having to stay silent for so long, and the fear of what will happen to my companions and me if the men below us decide to look up.

And the cold is no hardship compared to the guilt I feel—and that I know my friends Jen and Kasmira are feeling, too. For it’s we who are responsible for these barbarians’ coming here, to our vulnerable island, in the first place.

Now the men in the clearing below have started building a fire.

My spirits collapse. They’re going to cook a meal, perhaps make camp here. Some of them begin removing their metal clothing.

I suddenly want to scramble down from my perch, leap into the clearing, and run away as fast as I can. But this would be insane. Though I’d have the advantage of taking them by surprise if I ran, and would be almost certain to escape, my sudden appearance would give away the others’ hiding places.

And when the metal-covered men looked up—when they began to shout to each other and shake the trees that surround the clearing, and beat the lower branches with their staves and spears—what would come tumbling down would be men, women, and children, dozens of them, a whole village of them, all of whom have been watching these intruders’ every move. Watchful in the thick greenery but weaponless, we’ve been observing the brass-and-iron-clad barbarians’ search for their quarry—for us.

ascane

2. ASCANE AND THE MAINLAND

Our island, Ascane, had always been peaceful, thanks to a permanent cloak of mist that’s hidden us for centuries from any seafaring adventurers from the far-away Mainland. According to our elders, the Mainlanders have an ancient mythology in which we figure as a fantasy race of beings—human like them, but living in harmony and peace with each other and the natural world around us. They’ve heard legends of our arts, our music, our craftsmanship, our ability to communicate with the monkeys that inhabit our thick forests. They’ve heard that some of us can fly.

And of course we on Ascane have heard stories of the Mainland. There are warriors there, and seafaring folk who sail in dragon-headed ships, and people who eat the flesh of beasts, and people who ride horses