Daniel Oriel and the Watchers

By Oliver Franklin

Okay, so Fischer’s dead... Fair enough, but there are still plenty of others out there. And what about friends and family members – are they safe...? Apparently not! This story starts with FIRE, the war is hotting up and almost anybody is game now! The kids have little idea of what they’re messing with. Now the Coven will show them what! They’re furious after the death of one of their own. Kidnaps... coups... political activism... When the Minister doesn’t show up for choir, Daniel knows something is amiss. The question is: what is the underlying issue, the driving force in this cosmic fight? Enter the Watchers! Daniel’s adventure now takes on a supernatural dimension, which was really inevitable from the start. Yikes! Read this one, if you dare...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oliver Franklin
• Release date: Dec 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781005654511

Oliver Franklin

You will read some of it in the books...

Book preview

Daniel Oriel

and the Watchers

by Oliver Franklin

Copyright © 2013 Oliver Franklin

The author has asserted his moral rights

First published in 2016 by Buddlewood House

Cover by P J Truscott – https://pjtruscott.wixsite.com/pjay/

Logo by angwerproductions.co.uk. Typesetting, page design, layout by DocumentsandManuscripts.com

The right of Oliver Franklin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright, design and patents acts pertaining. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this work may be made without written permission from the author.

Before you read this book, please read the first two Daniel Oriel books, so that you get the background to this story.

Daniel Oriel and the Body in St Aldate’s

Daniel Oriel and the Coven

Chapter 1

Firestorm

Thursday night at St Aldate’s was always reserved for choir practise. Reverend Blake started the tradition and, as everyone was used to it, the new minister thought it best to continue with the same routine. Reverend Watson was equally enthusiastic about music – both traditional and modern – and, like his predecessor, was firmly rooted in the Conservative Evangelical wing of the Church of England. (Indeed his views were pretty strident, namely, that those in the High Church ought to go and re-join Rome, which is what they wanted, after all, and why should the Liberals bother going to church if they didn’t even believe…?)

Daniel was standing in the second row of the stalls, along with three other tenors. There were sixteen choristers, men and boys, when everyone turned up. As this was only a rehearsal, they didn’t bother with their robes and surplices. Some of them were wearing business suits, others, like Daniel, had their school uniforms on, and old Basil was standing there in his raincoat and muddy boots. He’d come straight from Dunstone Farm.

When he arrived at St Aldate’s, although he left many things as they were, Reverend Watson also introduced some new items. Notably, he started a women’s choir and, to cater for the growing number of university students attending the evening service, he set up a church band. They played modern choruses with an upbeat tempo, which proved very popular. In fact, the Sunday Evening Service had become the most well attended service of the day.

Of course, Mark had been coming to church again in recent months and he was happy to advise the new music group, being in a well-established band himself. He even graced choir practise, occasionally, to watch his brother’s performance. Presently, he was recording the choir with his phone, intending to post the video on the November Criminals’ YouTube page, his idea being to vary the content and introduce a new, spiritual dimension to the otherwise mundane material.

Daniel found he settled reasonably well into the tenor part and began wondering if baritone might be his final resting place, as he was more comfortable at the lower end of the range.

As they ended a finely tuned rendition of My Song Is Love Unknown, the organist turned and gave everyone a round of applause. Then, someone came bustling through the front door unannounced!

Daniel looked up and saw his own mother hurrying down the aisle in great distress.

‘Mum?’ he ventured.

‘Forgive me, Reverend Watson. Sorry everyone,’ she gasped. ‘Boys, we have go home at once. Something dreadful has happened…’

Taken aback, Daniel bid his colleagues goodbye until Sunday and, with his brother in tow, followed his mother out of the church to the car, which was double-parked in the street outside.

Twenty minutes later, Mark and Daniel were staring, wide-eyed, at the local television news. There had been a massive house fire in the middle of Alexandra Road, a little way across town and incredibly… unimaginably…

Kavanagh’s house had burnt to the ground earlier in the evening. It was clear from the pictures that the roof was gone and the walls collapsed, blocking the road with debris. The houses on either side were also damaged and had been evacuated for safety, as well as the houses directly opposite. Police and fire crews were there in force and reporters had also arrived on the scene but, thankfully, they were being kept out of the way at the far end of the street.

The news report was now showing footage shot from a helicopter and, even though the fire was largely out, many hotspots remained. A huge pall of smoke and steam rose up hundreds of feet into the air. There were floodlights, fire engines, high-viz jackets, paramedics and everywhere, the general feeling of commotion.

And…

It was confirmed that Kavanagh’s parents had both died at the scene from smoke inhalation. Daniel was devastated and his brother, horrified. Indeed, the only good bit of news was that, mercifully, Kavanagh had gone to visit his grandparents after school that day. They lived in nearby Watlington and he had escaped the blaze.

As they ate supper the next day, still feeling very subdued, it dawned on Daniel that his friend was now an orphan. So, maybe –

‘Mum, Dad, can we adopt Kavanagh?’

His mother and father exchanged glances. It was a surprise but didn’t seem entirely out of the question and, since they