The Monster of Creasy's Hollow (Defenders of the Rift Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

plan. The last time he had rushed
head-long into an altercation with humans, he had been banished from
the earth for a very long time.
    He was determined not to make that mistake again.

    *****

    Chuck Douglas sat in his study, reviewing texts, trying
to decipher what might have happened earlier in the day. He had
already confirmed that the blue energy wave was indeed a sign of a
successful summoning. That didn’t tell him what, or who, had
been summoned, but it did confirm his worse fear. The spell had been
successful.
    He hoped that whoever had worked the spell had taken the
proper precautions. Summoning was, as he’d told the others,
dangerous in the extreme. Only the most skilled, or insane,
practitioners used them. Binding a creature from another dimension to
your will was a way to get things done, to get information, to
accomplish any number of things.
    Doing it wrong was an invitation to disaster. A disaster
that usually began with the death of the summoner, and went downhill
from there. Essentially, a summons that didn’t have all the
necessary precautions in place left the summoned beast a free entity,
able to roam at will and do as it pleased.
    Just the thought of such a monster loosed on a small
town like Creasy’s Hollow made Chuck shiver. Creatures like
that wreaked havoc for fun. Destruction, death, and mayhem came
naturally to them as breathing. It was ingrained in their very
nature, and there was no changing that.
    He set the book he’d been reading aside, rubbing
his eyes. He was tired, and his eyes burned from three hours of
almost continuous reading. And while he had confirmed his earlier
guess, he was no closer to finding out exactly what had happened. He
had leaned back in his chair when he heard Chip come inside. His son
came to the door of the study, and knocked lightly.
    “ Dad, I think something is wrong,” Chip said
hesitantly.
    “ What do you mean, son?” Chuck asked, not
really paying attention as he searched for another book.
    “ I heard something really weird outside just now,”
Chip told him. Chuck stopped what he was doing, giving Chip his
undivided attention.
    “ Weird how?” he asked, frowning.
    “ It was like a howl, or something,” Chip
told him. “But it was wrong. It wasn’t a dog, I know that
for sure. It was too deep for that. It almost sounded like when
someone grinds gears on a straight shift transmission. It was loud,
too,” he added.
    “ You just heard it? Just now, I mean?” Chuck
asked, suddenly very interested.
    “ Yeah, when I was taking out the trash,”
Chip nodded. “I know monsters don’t exist, but. . .it
really sounded like some kind of monster howling. Or growling. Maybe
a combination of the two. I can’t really describe it.”
    “ I’ll take a listen,” Chuck promised.
“Probably was someone grinding gears,” he tried to laugh
it off.
    “ I don’t think so, but maybe,” Chip
looked dubious. “Anyway, I’m done with my chores, and
already got my homework. I’m gonna play for a bit, and then go
to bed. Okay?”
    “ Sure son, go ahead,” Chuck nodded. “Have
fun.” He watched his son depart, then headed outside. Slipping
his shoes on at the door, he stepped out into the night, listening.
Dogs all over the neighborhood were howling and barking, causing
quite a ruckus. There could be any reason for that, of course, but it
was still unusual. A dog or two barking here and there was one thing.
This sounded like every dog in Creasy’s Hollow was up in arms
about something.
    “ Not good,” Chuck shook his head. This was
another bad sign. It was possibly a sign that whatever had been
summoned was on the move. Possibly even here in town. Even a smaller
creature could wreak havoc in the small town. There were very few
defenses against them. Most of them were arcane in nature, and would
require experienced practitioners to execute.
    Experienced and powerful.
    Chuck wasn’t sure his small group was up to such a
task, either.

Chapter Four

    The