The Call
by
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Sunday, VIth of September MXCVI
Twelve leagues south of Cluny
This day started normally enough and then proceeded to fall apart as it progressed. A wagon broke an axle fairly early in the morning and had to be off-loaded while the axle was repaired. The cattle and goats were spooked by thunder and lightning off in the distance, and had to be regrouped. The thunderstorm moved overhead and the sky became ablaze with the bolts forged by the wrath of Thor, criss-crossing the sky, accompanied by deafening claps of thunder. The rain came down in great droplets so fast one could scarcely breathe. Jerome, on his horse right next to me, raised his sword to direct some soldiers back to the road when the sword was hit by a bolt of lightning, which traveled down his arm, through his body and into his horse. Both horse and rider fell instantly to the ground. I jumped from my horse with my ears still ringing so loudly I could hear nothing and ran to Jerome to see if he was dead. I put my head to his chest to see if I could hear a heart beat, but I couldn't tell. I began to call out to Christ in a loud voice, "Christ, don't let him die, he's your servant, don't let him die. Don't let my brother die!" I thought I saw the forefinger of his left-hand move a fraction. The thought came to my mind, "His Heart!" Yes his heart must have stopped. That is it. I beat on his chest both fists several times and then tried to hear if his heart was beating. Yes, there was a beat, fitful, but a beat. Was it my imagination or were his lips turning blue? Yes and he needed air now! Without thinking I bent down and blew into his mouth as I held his nose. Letting the air find its way out I took another breath and did it again and again. I lost count of the number of times but did notice rosy color begin to creep back into his face. I ignored the comment I heard one of the men next to me say, "Why do you bother? Once a man stops breathing he is forever dead." I checked the heart again and found I could hear it beating very distinctly so I continued the breathing routine for several more minutes. Between to of my administered breaths, he gave a cough, at the same time his eyes flew open giving him a startled look on his face as looked up into my face only inches away. His first words were, "What happened?" I answered, "You were struck down by lightning... See there, your horse is dead."
"You bastard! I was free, never so vital and alive, flying above the blackness. Then it felt as though an anchor began to pull me down into the blackness. The blackness was choking me, I couldn't breath—I saw I was being drawn by a silver cord to an image of what looked like my lifeless reflection."
"You were brought back to life," I said to him with the feeling of gratitude welling up in me. Tears fill my eyes.
His answer shocked me. "No, you have it backwards. You brought me back to death from life," he said with anger in his voice.
"Why do you say this?" I asked; hurt that my act was not eagerly appreciated.
"I was free of this world's restrictions and limitations, surrounded by a pervading love, a true bliss, and now I am in pain, lying in the mud and wondering why I am here."
"The Lord must still have a purpose for you in this world," I replied.
"Most likely you are right, but now my right side hurts so much it is hard for me to appreciate this state, having been on the other side."
I was glad the rain had abated while I made an examination of Jerome.
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About the Book
Sir Jon of York is a young man who is deeply in love with Maria, the daughter of his overlord. When she becomes pregnant with Jon's child, her father disowns her and sends her to a convent. Fortunately for Jon, the convent is one half of a dual Abbey, so he follows her and joins the order of the Brothers without taking vows. In addition to his military skills, Jon is a skilled carpenter. He makes use of this skill to make a false panel in the wall that separates the Brother's section of the Abbey from the Sister's section. Jon and Maria meet as often as they can through the secret panel. When Maria is late for their assignation one day, Jon begins to worry. Just when he is about to give up and go on to other duties, he hears the knock of their secret code. He responds and opens the panel to reveal a woman who looks similar to Maria, but is definitely not Maria. Her name is Dona and she has come to tell Jon that Maria has died giving birth to his son.
In the aftermath of Maria's funeral mass and burial, Jon and Dona befriend one another. Their most common bond is their mutual love for Maria. When Jon and Dona decide to leave the Abbey, they approach the abbot and secure not only his permission and help, but also his blessings. Abbot Jacob sends Jon off to join Pope Urban's "Great Voyage". The road is anything but smooth, and Jon and Dona meet many new people and find old friends during their travels. Among the old friends they find is Jerome, who was Chief Knight on Dona's estate in Normandy. Dona had become separated from the rest of her company during a storm, when they were crossing the channel some months before. Dona's husband Philip was drowned trying to rescue the members of their party, after the ship broke up on the rocks. After being rescued, Dona and her two companions are taken to the same abbey where Jon and Maria are staying. Dona rooms with Maria, since they are both pregnant, and thus the ladies have a chance to become close.
Dona is soon sent back to Normandy to care for her son, Jacob, along with Jon's son Michael and his wet nurse, Mona. Jon and Jerome move ahead on the crusade with Robert, Duke of Normandy and his company of twelve thousand men. Many adventures and misadventures follow as the army makes its way toward the Holy Land in their quest to reclaim the Holy Sepulcher.
Jon becomes many things in his journey, from trainer, engineer and leader to healer, counselor and miracle worker. Through the trials and dangers that confront Jon and his companions on their journey, Jon learns just how important it is to remember to keep the Christ in the center of his life. No matter what the particular situation is, the solution always involves God and the Christ. Jon's company even adopts the battle cry "God Wills It!" to demonstrate their belief and their faith in the Lord's hand and blessing being firmly involved in their enterprise.
About the Author
Gary Miles Gantney is a Civil Engineer who lives in southern California. He is married, with five children and one grandchild. Gary was born in Tacoma, WA; the third of four boys born to his Master Sergeant father and his schoolteacher mother. He lived in Morocco, France and England as a young child, while his father served in the Air Force, and then settled in north central California in the late 1950's. Gary relocated to southern California in junior high school. He was active in Junior ROTC in high school, but did not serve in the armed forces, due largely to an injury sustained in early childhood. While Gary chose to focus on engineering, he is interested in all things military. He began researching and writing his book in 1989, working during lunch breaks and frequently writing long into the night. His other interests include photography, Christian mission work in Africa and computer technology.