Shadowed

By Johnson, Kevin, Wade

Book Id: WPLBN0100304095
Format Type: PDF (eBook)
File Size: undefined
Reproduction Date: 5/12/2022

Title:	Shadowed
Author:	Johnson, Kevin, Wade
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Fiction, Drama and Literature
Collections:	Fantasy, Authors Community
Historic Publication Date:	2022
Publisher:	Self-published

Member Page:	Kevin Johnson
Citation APA MLA Chicago Johnson, K. W. (2022). Shadowed. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.cc/

Description
It's called the Next World. Everyone there either disappeared from Earth, or is descended from earlier Arrivals. People, teratorns, great auks, sleuth hounds, short-faced bears, you name it. There are six peoples, or if you prefer nations, in the Next World. Dares who can heal, Aranhas/Simarabos with spirit connections, Bathursts who can turn you temporarily into ghosts. Not to mention "Reapers," like a young man named March. Or the Everetts, aka Shadows, five of whom are determined to end a feud they'd started—by killing him. And they'll pursue him to do so. Follow him. To the ends of the earth—Next World.

Summary
A young man in a world where all the creatures are ones who've disappeared from Earth, or their descendants. He has the apparently magical power to nearly kill with a touch. But is that what he wants to do? Should he do whatever comes easily? An exploration of the Next World, and maturity.

Excerpt
Lightly edited for context: "So, why did you leave?" Arabella said as we headed back to Meetpoint. I was trying to keep an eye out all around, as she appeared oblivious. She wasn't that oblivious. She said, "Oh, don't worry, the guardian says none of your Everetts are near." "Even in the ghost realm?" She looked disquieted then. "Figured that out, did you?" "Wasn't hard." They sure surprised us before. "Guess not." And she started paying more visible attention to her surroundings. We walked for probably a quarter mile, and I said, "Because I thought everyone was dead." "But they were only—" "Wait," I said. "I'm going to have to explain this to them. You can sit in." I had no desire to tell about how stupid I'd been twice. "They won't be up to that for a couple of days." She sounded as grim as I felt. "That's for sure." After several minutes, she said with a hint of surprise, "The spirits have nice things to say about you." "Really? Nothing about going off half-cocked, failing to prepare or predict what my, my nemesis is going to do?" She gave me a reproachful look, then relented. "You know, I'm not used to people second-guessing the guardians." "I have to start somewhere. Although I should start with myself." She stopped, and turned to face me. "What's with you? The spirits approve, why don't you? Why this need to beat yourself up? The Everetts haven't done it enough?" I stood and looked down at her, a full head shorter…I laughed. "Well, that's better, but what for?" I shook my head. "Just noticing you're a head shorter—and a head smarter." She took that in, then half-smiled. "And don't you forget it." * * * I stood atop a ridge, gazing at rock, thrusting a mile up into the air, cold and covered in whiteness, daggers of ice stabbing at the sky, lacking life on its summit surface but shining and glittering, even from here. The Hollow Mountains. Home of the Dares and the City Eternal. Home of life and healing. The wind probably blew…in the material world. The air probably chilled. The Astral World stayed as still as ever, neither warm nor cold, nothing moving, nothing real but life and spirit. And the surface I stand on, I suppose. I existed in a realm where nothing appeared to grow, nothing seemed to change. Eternally inactive.

Table of Contents
One: When We Take a Step Two: Our Shadow Walks Behind Three: On the Day We're Born Four: A Darkness Assigned Five: Our Eyes Turn from Darkness Six: We Try to Walk Away Seven: Its Presence Always With Us Eight: Absence Must Stay Nine: As Time Strides On Ten: Our Steps May Slow Eleven: Shadowed Closer Twelve: We Onward Go Thirteen: Wish We To Be Followed Fourteen: Yearn To Tread Alone Fifteen: Feelings Frustrated Sixteen: Reaping, We've Sown Seventeen: A Journey Shadowed Eighteen: Can Leave Us in Dread Nineteen: Leading Our Lives Twenty: But Secretly Led Twenty-One: We Walk—Run—We're Fleeing Twenty-Two: We Try, It Matters Not Twenty-Three: The Light We're Never Seeing Twenty-Four: The Fate We've Never Sought