When was the longest Irene had gone without talking to another person?
The thought struck her as she went up the mostly unbeaten mountain trail, the evidence of weathering more than the evidence of travel. Each time she saw the few signs of worn stone or trail, she wondered if it was only her family who had made those signs of life.
Even though she was all alone in this desolate place, it felt so alive because of the signs of living and surviving. Her own family's perseverance made her smile.
However, after a few days of loneliness and only her horse to talk to, Irene recalled something her father told her. It was advice he got from his mother when the only people she traveled with were children who hung onto her and didn't offer much in terms of conversation. She was unable to relax for even a moment, worried about monsters that could undoubtedly cause harm to the children she had brought with her.
