Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Lilibeth

I was happy to find Thaddea recovering some of her old vigor once the pressure of leadership was removed from her shoulders, though Orin, Pharo and I still doted on her as though she were-and she was-a precious gem requiring meticulous care.

Burdie's heavy-handed control of her daughter didn't lighten after Lilibeth's successful attempt to stand up to her mother. In fact, if anything, the pressure only worsened. I loved Burdie with all my heart, but she was a force to be reckoned with and refused to listen to anyone, even Gabriel, her own husband, when it came to Lilibeth.

"I don't know what to do with her," Gabriel confessed to me during a quiet walk in the woods after a particularly nasty battle over expectations of Lilibeth's future. "Burdie just can't seem to let go."

"You know her," I said. "She would never take no for an answer, nor back down from a fight. And Auburdeen always gets what she wants."

Gabriel's grin was small and sad. "She does, indeed, my friend."