A Plague of Shadows

A Plague of Shadows by Travis Simmons Page B

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Authors: Travis Simmons
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I won’t leave you!”
    “You have to,” Dolan said. “As soon as I know everything is safe here I will follow.”
    “Where are we going?” Rorick asked, confused.
    “To Agaranth,” Dolan said. “Through the mirror upstairs, across the rainbow bridge, and to my sister and brother, Mattelyn and Fortarian.”
    “The fifth world,” Rorick said with a nod.
    “How does everyone know about these things except me? Does everyone believe in them?” Abagail wondered.
    “Why wouldn’t we? It’s gospel,” Rorick said.
    “Right, like you guys trust everything that’s gospel.”
    “Abbie, there isn’t time for this, go pack, the both of you, and I will catch Rorick up,” Dolan commanded, and his daughters obeyed.
    In her room, and by herself, Abagail was alone with her thoughts. Her head was nearly dizzy with her thoughts.
    Mr. and Mrs. Keuper, she thought. It was all she could think about, that and the shadow. If it had happened any earlier in the day, she would almost think that the shadow she’d seen in her father’s study was the same shadow that had killed Rorick’s parents, but it hadn’t, and it wasn’t.
    Had it been outside with them earlier? Had it been in the woods? Was it looking to kill her and Rorick, and when she turned back home, it sated itself with the murdering of his parents?
    She sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes trained on the wooden framed window and the darkness of the night beyond. Occasional flashes of lightning created clipped images of tree branches across her bedroom floor. The light illuminated her bare feet and the well-worn carpet where her feet landed every morning.
    She dug her toes against the familiar floor. This was home. How was she to give it up? For so long she’d thought about leaving home and starting a life of her own, but it had always been under different circumstances. Either Leona would have been older and able to handle more of the chores, or her father would have somehow been miraculously cured.
    But now, it just felt like she was leaving when there was so much that wasn’t ready for her to leave. Who would tend the bees? If her father did, would he catch the shadow plague too? Who would make sure the fire was built every day? Her father wasn’t strong enough to keep Hafaress’ Hearth going all the time, that’s why she and Leona did it more often than not. If the hearth went out, would the darklings come for him?
    But the darklings already came despite all of our protections.
    Bile swirled in Abagail’s stomach and her head felt faint. She lowered her head into her hands and tried not to think about all that needed tending. She didn’t have a choice. If she didn’t learn to control this plague, it would consume her, and then kill her family.
    Maybe he will let Leona stay with him, she thought. But that wasn’t right either. Would Abagail really beg for Leona to stay, knowing that the darkling could be outside, knowing that they would come at any time and maybe. . . .?
    She couldn’t think of that either , because if she thought of that then she’d realize just how much danger her father was in.
    But why wouldn’t he come with them? What did he still have to look after that was so important he might risk his life to see it through?
    She shook her head and stood with a sigh. She’d never gone further than town before, let alone to another world. They’re real, was all she could think. The world of fire, the world of ice, the world of the gods, the world of wyrd, they were all real to her now, not just myths and legends.
    What was she to pack? She started with a couple changes of clothes, not really paying attention to if they matched or not. Half an hour later she was packed, and the bag was small. So obscene that so much of her life could be dwindled down to one, half-full bag, but there it was.
    She got dressed in her warmest breaches and a heavy tunic. Not all of the worlds would be summer, right? Abagail had to imagine that one of the worlds might

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