A Plague of Shadows by Travis Simmons

her.
    “When is all of this oddity going to end? The other worlds are just supposed to be myth! The shadows don’t grant sorcerous powers, they only spell your doom. What is happening here?”
    “Abagail, the nine worlds exist, maybe they’ve only been myth to you, but I’m from Agaranth originally. The two of you were born there. When the shadow came to that world it chose my sister quickly. She learned how to work with the shadow, how to control it when so many people were falling to its power. I didn’t think it was safe there, so I took the two of you and brought you here, across the rainbow bridge, and to O, where the shadow hadn’t come yet.”
    “Is that when mother left?” Leona asked.
    “Your mother left long before that,” Dolan said, but wouldn’t speak further of their mother.
    “So how am I to get to this mysterious aunt?” Abagail asked.
    “Agaranth is dangerous,” Dolan warned.
    “You told us, darklings rule there,” Abagail said.
    “No, the darkling only consume, they don’t rule. Many creatures have been taken over by the shadow, but they are mindless, without reason and unable to rule. Humans still rule there, as do other races.”
    Abagail thought of the purple fairy she’d seen come out of the mirror.
    “The shadow is still trying to take over, but the humans have it on a leash of sorts. They are using the power of the shadow plague within them to hold their ground. They have learned to control it, and Matty can teach you how to control it as well.”
    “When does she leave?” Leona asked.
    “This is insane!” Abagail said, standing and walking to the kitchen, away from her father and sister. The knife was still on the floor, so she picked it up before anyone questioned why it was there. She placed it in the sink and turned back to them, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. “I can’t go anywhere, there’s too much to do here. You need help, and Leona isn’t able to provide all of the labor. There’s no one else to help you, even if there was someone to help, I don’t know anyone who would help.”
    “Rorick would help,” Leona pointed out. At the mention of his name Abagail’s stomach tightened. For a moment it was hard for her to breathe through the vise that constricted her chest at the thought of him. She was leaving him behind. She couldn’t leave him behind. She didn’t want to leave him behind.
    But if I stay I die! And that’s when she knew she had to leave. She was already arguing with herself why she needed to go, all of the reasons to stay were just excuses.
    Dolan seemed to notice the look in her eyes and he nodded.
    “I know what this means to you, Abbie, I know it’s hard. But this is your life we’re talking about. If you stay you are going to die. You can’t not use the power. It will come out of you in times of need, like you saw today with the darkling. Until you can learn to control it, the shadow plague will work on instinct.” Dolan came to her, but this time he didn’t touch her to try to reassure her. She didn’t think he could have made her feel better even if he’d tried. The father she’d known before, the one who had all the answer and could make everything right in their home wasn’t there any longer. This was almost a stranger, someone who knew things and had kept silent.
    Abagail turned away from him so he didn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. She didn’t want him seeing how much it bothered her.
    “This is your life, ” he said again. “I can’t hold you here all of your life. You would have had to move on at some point. I just hadn’t planned on it being so soon.”
    Abagail didn’t say anything. She didn’t trust her voice.
    “You should pack,” Dolan told her. “You will have to leave as soon as—”
    A frantic pounding on their door made Abagail jump.
    “Abbie, please, open up!” Rorick yelled from the other side of the door.
     

 
    Abagail didn’t have to open the door to know that