Rowan
Everything was set with time to spare. Shasta and I had overseen the building of the funeral pyre and gotten some other things together for the ceremony. There were still a few hours until the sun went down, which was traditionally when these things began, so I went to find Kendria.
When I told her about the plans to give her mother a real funeral, she had just looked at me with red eyes and the dried tracks of previously shed tears on her face. I could feel the weight of her crushing grief, and it was all I could to not let it bring me down too. I wanted to stay with her to offer what comfort I could, but she had turned away from me, pulling the covers almost over her head and retreating into herself. I'd left her in her room with Tamara nearby at that point, so I could help with
