The Summoning by Christopher Gallacher (best book club books for discussion .TXT) 📖

As the day dawns, Brother Nials starts his morning prayers, as usual. The abbot had started waking the other Brothers too. It was painful to get used to, the early mornings, but to the more experienced monks it was second nature. The morning routine of the Dukesborough Monastery was long and painful; get up at dawn, two hours’ praying before an oat porridge breakfast, then more praying. Again, it became second nature to the more experienced monks.

Almost the same second the clock struck noon, the Dukesborough Town Watch had arrived. Sergeant O’Flannigan came first, followed by his two Lance-Corporals.
‘We’ve been having some reports about this here Monastery, Brother Herod.’ he said, half-heartedly. He had never really believed in all the Monastery’s routines; ‘Religion clouds your judgement,’ he said. A problem too, was that he did not really agree with his placement here at the Monastery. ‘What’re they going to do other than pray at a Monastery?’ said he.

Brother Herod looked surprised. ‘Is that so? Do come in then, Sergeant, and your men. You have my permission to inspect the premises.’ The other Brothers looked up, disturbed from their praying; the Abbot simply clapped his hands to get them focused on their prayers again.

The Watch squad inspected the rooms; the strange incense candles, their money-boxes, and a copious amount of wine cups in the Abbot’s room in particular...
Sergeant O’Flannigan concluded that there was nothing out of place for the Monastery, and he would tell the Major at the Watch headquarters that he was wrong, once again; if it weren’t for Lance Corporal Robinson with his annoying, tinny voice. ‘We haven’t checked the crypt, Sarge.’ The Major had warned Sergeant O’Flannigan to look thoroughly. ‘We haven’t indeed, Lance-Corporal.’ said he, almost aggressively. He took a torch from its holder on the wall, and managed to light it from a nearby sconce. Down they went into the crypt, with Sarge at the front; both inexperienced juniors at the back.

When Sergeant O’Flannigan was just about to head back, saying ‘There’s nowt to see here- let’s go back.’ his hobnailed boot happened to strike a skull on the floor in his stride. He directed the light from his torch at the floor, aghast, and looked at the dust from the skull. ‘Let’s see what we have here...’ he said as he continued further into the crypt.
Next he found a coffin with a child’s skeleton in it. The flesh had rotted away, so it must have been ancient. Next to the sleek timber coffin was a pile of tiny skulls, maybe half a dozen. This intrigued the Sergeant to investigate further; maybe the Major wasn't so wrong after all. Down the long, winding steps which bore further and further into the earth they went. Next they found a purple diagram etched onto the floor, which glowed ominously. It had a triangle; an inner circle; a whale’s tail and a fish head, with a runic script circling the whole diagram, which pulsed like a heart.

Sergeant O’Flannigan had remembered seeing such things in the Watch booklet... something about demonic worship; he thought... yes, that was it- a summoning circle! Bewildered by his discovery, he told his men to return to the headquarters, and report with news. With his torch still lit, he bent closer to the summoning circle, touching the writing softly with his gloved hand. Behind him he heard air fluctuations; he turned round to be crowded by four cloaked figures. ‘What do you think you’re doing down here, Sergeant? Not that it matters- there’s no way now that you can stop The Summoning.’

Publication Date: 12-19-2011

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