For a long time, I simply stood there and watched Maria’s corpse as bile rose to the back of my throat. I didn’t know what to say or do, and it felt like my entire world had come crashing down in one swift motion.
Ganalorn reached out a hand to comfort me, but even that did nothing to fix my troubles. I felt his touch, but I found no joy or solace in it. No doubt he could feel the pain burning through my soul, and he would understand why the sight of her mangled body would trouble me so.
Even more surprising was the fact that, right before me, Maria transformed from her normal appearance into an old crone, with thin wisps of grey hair that looked at least a hundred years old. The magic had gone. If she was Miranda's elder sister, then this, was her real appearance.
"Arrelia," Ganalorn
