ColumbinaIn the end, the journey took a day longer than even Sofia had guessed. For two days they travelled a narrow pass between the looming peaks of the mountain on their right and the dark shadows of Ravenna forest on their left. They had to rest the horse frequently as the road grew steeper, pulling off the road to allow room for other travellers to pass. On the first night out of Malo they camped at the edge of the forest. Balto didn’t want to stray far from the road. Though it was a warm evening, he lit a huge fire and kept it burning all night. Mina caught him glancing anxiously at the nearby trees often. He still did not speak much, but his face spoke eloquently of his fear of the dense forest.
Sofia drew Mina away from the fire that night so Balto would not overhear, and taught h
