"Black God's Shadow" by C. L. Moore(1934)

Originally appeared in Weird Tales December 1934.

Plot: Jirel of Joiry must return to the land of the Black God because the soul of Guillaume cries out in agony. Once there she chases his black shadow by streams that try to capture her, through woods haunted by shadow-eating trees, and eventually she must fight the Black god in his temple to win the prise she seeks, Guillaume's peace.

Monsters:

Firefly Plants - Growing in straight rows in a field, Jirel lets one loose and then has to fight it off.

Guillaume's Shadow - Guillaume's soul has been transformed into a hideous black shape that emphasizes his evils while hiding his goodness.

Shadow-eating Trees - Guillaume's shadow flees into the shade of trees who try to devour him while they attack Jirel with vines and branches.

The Black God - Jirel meets the Black God once again, now in a different temple, and must fight his depression and gloom to free the little goodness that resides in Guillaume's soul.

History: This story finishes the story arc begun in "Black God's Kiss". Jirel can not dabble in sorcery and come away unstained. Guillaume's soul calls her back to the evil land of the Black God. Moore is smart enough to know that the terrors of the weird landscape must be different so nothing she experienced before is the same this time except for the killer sunlight. The evil shadows are reminiscent of those in A. Merritt's Creep Shadow! (1934). Moore acknowledged him as the writer who inspired her to try her hand at writing.

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