Free A Lament of Moonlight by Travis Simmons Page B

it couldn’t exist any longer.
    “That actually stopped all time on O?” Ruby asked.
    “Well yes, it wouldn’t do for me to stop the time only here for then the planet would be all messed up wouldn’t it? I mean if tha t happened when time resumed the n it might be the same time here as it is half a plane t away!” She laughed. “Dear Lady that would be awful wouldn’t it? Yes, it stopped all time on O, I imagine there is a bread maker in mid kneed somewhere in The Great Realms right now.” They had no idea what she was talking about. In their thinking O was made up of their continent The Middle Garden and the ocean which flowed to the edge of the world. They knew nothing of life outside of O let alone someone so far away baking at this time of night. But Samarra brought them all back to the present.
    “ Cailleach Bheur is the servant of a D ark Goddess, a Goddess that does not belong on O, but came her e a long time ago. She came here from a distant pl anet, following the beliefs of her humans.”
    “Helvegr!” Abigail said.
    “Yes, that is the path you are currently on. The path to Hel. Hel is an evil Goddess, one of destruction and great dark powers. She came here with the humans from another planet, as did many other creatures and powerful forces that had never lived on O before.
    “Now, I will show you more about the humans that came here later, but for now you must understand the reason for all of this darkness plaguing your home is because of Cailleach Bheur . She has taken up a spot in Eget Row, and she is corrupting the tree of man, what you call Evyndelle.”
    “But why would she do such a thing?” Melvin asked.
    “Because she wants to make a world perfect for Hel and the Dark Goddess’s family.”
    “There are more of them?” Ruby asked.
    “Hel is not alone. She has two brothers. They are not our concern right now though; we are talking about Cailleach Bheur .” At the mention of the Dark Goddess Abigail couldn’t help seeing the image of the half rotting woman again.
    “As I said, Cailleach Bheur is at the tree of man, corrupting it and tainting the wyrd that sustains mankind. She must be stopped, and she must be stopped tonight before the shadows overcome O.”
    “But Eget Row is so far away!” Melvin said, fear coming over him and anxiousness that they had to go right away.
    “It is, but there is a tear in the fabric of reality not far from here, we should be able to use that tear to travel there. It is this tear that Cailleach Bheur is using to send her shadows to this place.”
    “Why are they attacking us?” Abigail asked.
    “Because you are harbingers of light. You are the children of those people that came from the stars. The people that came from the stars changed many things about O. Now it is up to those descendants of the star people to set things right.”
    “And Cailleach Bheur is our way of setting things right?”
    “No , fighting the shadows, the chaos that has befallen this world because of your coming, that is how you set things right.”
    “I don’t believe this ,” Abigail conceded shocking everyone .
    “Then maybe it is better that I show you,” Samarra hiked up the copious sleeves of her gown and spread her hands out on the table. In the center of the round table a light blo omed and spread out as if air was being breathed into it. The orb expanded and grew until it was like a little sun had come to rest upon the table.
    “Now, reach into the light, and you will see.” There was slight trepidation. Melvin moved first, and when he moved so did the other two. Their hands sunk into the warm light that felt like water on their wrists.
    Instantly the light flashed and they were no longer in the sugar shanty, but leagues away. When the light cleared from her eyes Abigail stood in a long tunnel of some shiny, hard material. Along the tunnel there were windows, and the windows looked out onto stars.
    Lights hung above her, red and orange, and they were flashing