These past few days, Phoenix Golding had tasted the bitterness of human indifference. Her own father and brothers wanted nothing to do with her; only her mother had never left her side. 'If I can just turn things around,' she thought, 'I'll be sure to properly honor my mother.'
Linden's mother wiped her eyes. Life hadn't been easy for her lately, either. The villagers looked down on her, her husband complained she was a busybody, and her daughter-in-law was constantly whispering poison in her son's ear, turning him against her. Even her grandchildren wouldn't speak to her. But her daughter was her own flesh and blood; how could she be cruel enough to watch her die?
"When you get to your cousin's place, don't be lazy. Work hard, and don't come back to Millstone Peak," Linden's mother instructed.
