The
Storyteller's Book
The
Chronicles of Midway Book 1
by
Kevin Fleming
Genre:
SciFi Fantasy
“
… you
must realise and accept, neither me, your mum, nor either of you are
human.”
Nick
and Mel are 14 year old twins living normal lives with their parents.
When they discover an ancient book in their attic and read from it,
strange events begin to happen around them. Something has been
awakened which prompts their parents to take them away to a town
called Midway where they reveal to the twins that they are not human.
They had been hidden on Earth, brought up as though they were human,
awaiting the right moment for the truth to be told.
When
their parents mysteriously disappear on their first night away, they
are forced to discover for themselves what their roles are in the new
lives they’ve been thrown into. They struggle alone as they try to
understand and balance their past human lives with their alien
destiny. When the book they discovered at their home is stolen, it
falls on the twins to recover it. The book has a lot more power than
they realised, and if they fail, it will not be they who suffer, but
the whole human race.
Along
the way, they meet an array of characters, some will become friends,
some will become enemies, who can they trust? For now, they can trust
only each other.
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Mel looked to her right and saw some large
rocks a little way down the hill. There seemed to be a gap cut into the
hillside and a pathway made.
Celeste saw her looking. “You have seen
something of interest to you, Melandra?”
“It’s just where those rocks are, does it lead
to something? Is there a cave there?”
Celeste walked in front of them and led the
way moving gracefully towards the mysterious rock strewn pathway. “Come,” she
invited.
The twins followed her along the path towards
the large rocks and discovered a huge hollow had been dug into the hillside.
Partially undercover, the cavity had been strengthened with walls and a ceiling
of stone making it appear as a vast, open, dome-shaped cavern carved out of the
terrain. They were struck by the remarkable structures that stood tall and
still within the expanse; there were twelve sets of stones of varying heights
arranged in a rough circle with a stone slab in the centre raised up on a
chunky column like a table. Each of the individual structures forming the
circle were set up like doorways made up of two tall, sturdy, upright slabs
with enough gap between for a person to pass through. Above each pair was a horizontal
cross piece that connected the two to complete the doorway appearance. Flat on
the ground beneath each set was a stone on which the structure stood. Some of
the sets were raised above the ground on platforms with as many as ten stone
steps leading up to them.
“It looks a bit like Stonehenge,” Mel
observed.
“There are many similar stone arrangements on
Earth built by our people for similar use to these. They have largely remained
inactive these last few hundred years.”
“Inactive?” Nick was curious. “What did they
do when they were active?”
“They acted as portals. The structures you see
before you are known to us as the stone portals; each one a gateway to the
world below, and are very much active.”
The
Mines of Kothkish
The
Chronicles of Midway Book 2
When
Sebastian, the brother of their friend Celeste is abducted by the
rogue faction known as The Malum-Atra, twins Nicholas and Melandra
Wigg are first in the queue to help the Shreen Angels in their quest
to find and rescue the unfortunate victim.
As
the situation escalates and the full extent of the danger to Midway
and the whole human race is revealed, Nick and Mel face a race
against time to locate where Sebastian is held.
Do
the Mines of Kothkish with their glowing caverns of billions of
precious stones hold the answer to the mystery of Sebastian’s
location? What role does Elaine, the human girl with the unusual
gifts have to do with finding the abducted Shreen Angel? And what is
the secret that has been hidden in Little Meesden for two hundred
years?
Find
out as we meet friends and foe, old and new, as once again Nick and
Mel fight for the survival of the human universe.
From
facing evil snow creatures to diving into lakes of fire, share in the
exciting adventures of Nick and Mel in the second of the Chronicles
of Midway series, The Mines of Kothkish.
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A fluorescent light flickered into life as
Glynwidden flipped the switch. It looked like a typical cellar that no-one ever
went in except to dump some old washing machine or rusty bike or broken lawn
mower. The cellar was so cluttered with all sorts of old, broken, rusting
objects, there was hardly any room to walk.
“See they’ve cleaned this place up a bit,”
said Glynwidden.
“You mean it was worse than this?” Mel asked,
in surprise.
“You should’ o’ seen the place, full o’ Midway
technology, they couldn’t leave it for anyone to stumble across, not that I’d
‘ave let ‘em, nobody gets pas’ me.”
Nick looked around trying to spot something
that looked like a portal, but he saw nothing apart from four brick walls and a
load of rubbish. “So how do we get to Midway from here?”
“Follow me, Me Lord.” Glynwidden beckoned them
as he pushed past some tangled metal and walked between two work benches to
stand facing the wall. “D’you see this brick wall ‘ere?”
The twins edged closer. “Yes,” they answered.
“All you ‘ave to do is ignore it’s there.”
Glynwidden stepped into the wall and disappeared.
Nick and Mel looked at each other. “It’s a
portal!”
Glynwidden poked his head through and looked
at them. “No it’s not, it’s a screen. Come on, what you waitin’ for?” He disappeared
again.
Nick and Mel bumped into each other trying to
get there first. It was Mel who won the race reaching the wall and disappearing
from sight. As soon as she’d gone, Nick followed, emerging in another dimly lit
room where Mel and Glynwidden stood next to each other.
It wasn’t really a room, it was more like a
mini quayside inside four walls with a roof. Apart from the narrow paved area
on which they stood, the rest of the room was full of choppy water with a small
wooden rowing boat bobbing about on it.
“Why is there a boat in the cellar?” asked
Nick.
“You’re not expected to swim to Midway, Me
Lord,” Glynwidden answered, placidly.
“But there’s no way out,” protested Nick.
“What’s the point of having a boat …”
“Nick,” said Mel, sternly, “you’ve just walked
through a solid brick wall, is it beyond the bounds of possibility that one of
these walls is another screen?”
“Oh, I never thought.”
“You’re right, Me Lady, that’s the way to get
to Midway.” He pointed across at the far wall. “Through that screen’s an ‘idden
portal.”
“Doesn’t it need oars to move it?” Nick asked,
sheepishly, noticing there were none.
“You jus’ get in an’ it takes you.”
“Why didn’t the investigators find this
place?” Nick asked.
“They were lookin’ for ‘ow the previous Lady
o’ the Lodge got to Midway an’ back all the time, but they didn’t find this
place.”
“Why didn’t you tell them?” Mel was curious.
“Never asked me, that’s why. Told me to keep
out o’ their way, so I did,” Glynwidden said, holding his head up proudly.
Nick and Mel laughed. “Good on you,
Glynwidden.”
“Disrespect gets you nowhere, not wi’ me it
don’t.”
“You don’t mind if we use this boat then?”
“Not at all, Me Lady, it’s not for my use; you
already know I’m always ‘ere, never leave the place.”
Mel looked at Nick. “Are you ready for this?”
“D’you think we should go without telling
anyone?”
“Glynwidden knows.”
“But what about Mum and Dad?”
“We’re supposed to give that message to
Alioth. We’re meant to get involved, Nick, isn’t one of us meant to become the
custodian of Midway? We can’t be afraid to take chances.”
Nick looked at Mel for a moment, then,
deciding she was right, stepped into the boat which wobbled, so he quickly sat
down. Mel cautiously followed her brother stepping a little more carefully into
it which caused another lesser wobble due to Nick’s weight stabilising it a
little. She sat down opposite him.
“Now what?” Nick asked, looking at Glynwidden.
At that moment the boat, of its own accord
moved smoothly away from the narrow landing towards the far wall. “How do we
get back?” Mel called to Glynwidden.
“Same way as you’re goin’ Me Lady, in the
boat.”
The boat lined itself up to head directly
towards the dark brick wall. Nick had his back to the direction it was moving
so he turned around to get a better view. Instinctively he braced himself for
the bump, but instead, the front of the boat passed smoothly through the wall
as though there was nothing there. Mel saw her brother disappear along with the
front of the boat before she too passed through.
The
Warlords of Shreen
The
Chronicles of Midway Book 3
Nicholas
and Melandra Wigg have already met Hadad, the only warlord still at
large, but now they are faced with a plot to release the other three
warlords trapped within collectors.
When
Nick and Mel enter the dream room, a story of great tragedy, loss and
regret is revealed as they discover Malvern, once a colleague of
Rufus, is behind the terror that is the Malum-Atra. Insane with fear
and hatred of the human race, he is searching for a way to open the
collectors, thus unleashing the warlords upon the world.
What
does the secret of Meesden House and the tragic history of the old
railway house have to do with preventing Malvern’s evil
plans?
Join
Nick and Mel in this story of redemption and second chances as they
continue their quest to fulfil their destiny in The Warlords of
Shreen, the third book of The Chronicles of Midway series.
The door to the dream room creaked open and
quiet footsteps walked in. The twins remained on their backs but turned their
heads to see who’d entered, already sensing it would be Rufus.
“I take it the dream room has completed its
story.” His sombre tones acknowledging the effect it had had on the twins.
“Why?” Mel asked, calmly.
Rufus looked down at her.
“Why?” she asked again more forcefully.
“Melandra?”
She jumped to her feet and stood unsteadily as
she regained her balance. “Why does it have to happen this way, Rufus?” She spread
out her arms inviting answers.
“No-one said it would be easy.”
“Not easy?” She looked at the old man, tears
of anger and exhaustion in her eyes. “I can think of ways to describe it other
than … not easy.”
“Melandra, we are in the midst of a struggle
that has gone on for thousands of years to lift the human race to its feet. You
and your brother, whether you like it or not, have vital roles to play. The
fact that Midway has chosen to show you so much is proof that this is the way
it is meant to be.”
Nick was now standing beside his sister. “If
we didn’t go back in time to save Douglas, what would happen?”
“He would die when the bullet hits his heart.
He would not return home. He would not marry Eleanor. The four children would
not be born. Three of the warlords would not be captured. All four warlords
would wreak havoc, resulting in the destruction of humankind. Malvern and his
Malum-Atra would succeed. The universe, this universe would cease its existence
as no life would remain in it and …” He sighed and looked pleadingly at Nick
and Mel. “You know that is not the way it is meant to be.”
The twins stood defiantly before Rufus looking
him in the eye but saying nothing.
He made one final plea. “The human world is
once again reaching out to you.”
The twins took a last look at Rufus, and
knowing what they had to do, walked past him through the door leaving the old
man alone in the dream room.
Carnival
of the Otherworld
The
Chronicles of Midway Book 4
Join
Nicholas and Melandra Wigg in one more exciting adventure as they
come up against Natasha Moon, Malvern’s evil accomplice, who
together lead the Malum-Atra’s desperate final attempt to destroy
the human universe.
How
would the humans react if Midway was revealed to them?
How
would Midway’s lethal automated defence system respond to an Earth
attack?
Nick
and Mel are faced with these frightening questions and even more
horrifying answers as they do battle with sea spiders, Shreen demons
and the ancient Defender of Midway.
What
were the startling events of several years earlier that unknowingly
affected the lives of many humans in Little Meesden? What was the
tragedy that befell Celeste’s mother? Will Nick and Mel finally
come face to face with their destiny?
Find
out, as these and many more secrets are revealed in Carnival of the
Otherworld, the final book of the series, The Chronicles of Midway.
Although Nick was receiving more information
than he’d heard before of Celeste and the race of angels, more questions seemed
to be dropping into his head. “How much do you know about me and Mel?”
Celeste turned to Nick with a questioning
look. “With what regard?”
“This whole destiny we’re supposed to have. We
were brought here suddenly and told the time of our calling was upon us, that
we had a destiny to fulfil. Are we really supposed to become custodian or
warden, or whatever it is, as people seem to suggest? If so, when? Does your
father know the answers? Because if he brought all the Shreen angels back at
the same time as we came, he must know more about us than we know ourselves.”
“I have asked my father many times about you
and about all that is meant to happen,” Celeste replied, “but his answers are
vague. I do not believe he is hiding information from me, but the more likely
explanation is that he doesn’t know exactly what is to happen.”
“It’s so frustrating knowing there’s so many
secrets.”
“Calling them ‘secrets’ implies people are
keeping information from you, but I do not think that is the case.”
Nick gave a long sigh. “I wish I could open up
a set of wings and fly like you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe so I could escape for a
while and be free from all these problems … questions … secrets.”
“I find no freedom in flying, Nicholas.”
“You must do.”
“Why do you think I fly in the middle of the
night? I have already told you: because my father forbids me to open my wings
in this universe, I must fly without his knowledge.”
“I know. But just to have that ability must be
fantastic.”
Celeste stayed silent.
“I can understand Alioth’s concern if he lost
his wife, he doesn’t want to lose you the same way.”
“Now you are beginning to sound like him,
Nicholas,” Celeste teased.
The two smiled at each other.
In the far distance beyond the silhouetted
shape of the castle, the sky was showing its first signs of morning light, but
Nick’s eyes were beginning to feel heavy. He pulled his dressing gown tightly
around him.
“I think it is time for me to return to the
angels’ suite,” Celeste said, sadly.
“I’m sorry I disturbed your flight.”
“There is no need to apologise, Nicholas, I
enjoyed speaking with you. I do not often have the opportunity to speak of my
own family.”
Kevin
Fleming was born and still lives in Liverpool. He worked for a large
telecoms company for over twenty years before leaving to run his own
business for a further fifteen years.
Having
written short or incomplete stories on and off all his life, he
believes now is the time to put his full commitment into writing more
seriously. Since 2012, he has devoted his time to writing and has
completed a four part sci/fi, fantasy series aimed at ages from 11
years old and upwards, called ‘The Chronicles of Midway’.
He
is mainly interested in writing supernatural, science fiction and
fantasy novels that would appeal to young and old alike. Currently he
is working on another series that would combine all these genres.
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