Chapter 20 - A Visit from the Dead

Aryana moved quickly through the palace's hallways, her mind a maze of uncertainty and fear. After Cyrus recovered, Ramin passed out in the doctor's wing, and rumors of magic began to circulate. She couldn't get rid of the unsettling sensation that something sinister and invisible was snaking through the kingdom's center. She was reminded of the time Cyrus turned with his back to her, his peculiar, unnatural tail fluttering in and out of sight. It was all unexplainable. As Aryana went inside her room, Veloria was already there, going about her daily business. The maid turned to meet Aryana, not realizing the pandemonium that had been going on since the morning, but she saw the fear on her face right away. “My lady, you look troubled," Veloria said softly as she paused her hands over the mountains of clothing she had been organizing, "What has happened?” As Aryana struggled to make sense of the whirling events, she slumped down hard on the window-facing chair, “Cyrus," she began,