It came to Mary now that her mother had been right, after all; Mary had been born for this. In sixteen years she'd shot along the shortest route she could find between life and death, as the crow flew.

Summary

This quote suggests that Mary's mother knew all along that Mary's purpose in life was peculiar and intertwined with mortality. The phrase "born for this" suggests that Mary was destined to navigate the thin line between life and death. The image of shooting along the shortest route between life and death, much like a crow flies, indicates that Mary has been navigating this path swiftly and directly for sixteen years. This potentially implies that Mary possesses a keen understanding or ability related to matters of life and death.

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