They followed the stream back to the trail and resumed hiking, feeling refreshed. They walked for a few hours through the seemingly endless Forbidden Forest before stopping for lunch in the middle of a cluster of four oak trees. The elves had done well packing their bags, and they ate a combination of meats, cheese, and fruits. The elves had also replaced the tarps with thinner and lighter ones that folded up much smaller in Spence’s and Caleb’s packs.

“Hey, Caleb,” Spence said.

“Yes?”

“Can you train me in hand-to-hand combat? I’m dead in the water when my staff is charging, at least without using my potion.”

“This ought to be good,” Trey said.

“Sure. Why not?” Caleb stood and walked into a large clear area outside the tree cluster. “Hands or daggers?”

“Daggers. But let’s use sticks instead.” Spence searched the ground until he found a stick around a foot long. Caleb found a similar one.

“OK. Let’s see what you’ve got. I’ll instruct as we go.”

Spence studied Caleb, who stood still with his hands hanging by his sides. He slowly closed the gap, but Caleb still didn’t move. Spence raised the hand with the stick beside his right ear—still no movement. Then he charged. He was nervous he might actually plunge his stick into Caleb’s head or shoulder if Caleb didn’t defend himself.

Then Caleb moved. He smoothly switched his stick to his left hand, stepped to the side, grabbed Spence’s right wrist with his right hand, and spun him around to face the other direction. He placed his stick against Spence’s throat. “You’re dead. You can’t project your intentions so far out. Try again.”

Trey and Morgan applauded and laughed. “Nailed it,” Trey said.

Spence’s cheeks warmed slightly. He had to learn this, but he had a lot to learn. He paced away a few steps and turned around to face Caleb. He approached cautiously, this time holding his stick in front of him. Again, Caleb stood there calmly and watched. When Spence was three feet away, he suddenly lunged forward and tried to stab the stick into Caleb’s belly.

Caleb stepped to the right and grabbed Spence’s wrist again. This time he pulled Spence toward him. As Spence fell off balance and tumbled forward, Caleb slapped him on the back with his stick, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Spence landed with a heavy thud. “Better. But you always have to maintain your balance. Try again.”

“I bet that spider mantis feels stupid,” Trey said. Morgan cackled loudly.

Spence regained his feet and shot Trey a glare. Trey might have changed some, but he was still good at hurling insults. Once again, he faced off against his adversary. Spence held his stick in front of him again and approached in the same manner. This time, instead of lunging, he jabbed his stick forward.

Caleb stepped to the side and struck Spence’s stick with his. Spence managed to withdraw his stick without losing his balance. “There you go,” Caleb said encouragingly.

The two circled each other and jabbed and swung their sticks. Caleb continued instructing Spence as they went. He taught Spence how to parry, sidestep, and use his free hand to punch, push, grab, and pull. Soon Spence was sweating profusely and puffing hard, while Caleb was barely winded. Spence kept going, though. Caleb was still much quicker, but Spence had come a long way by the end of the session. He couldn’t get a kill shot on Caleb, but he could keep him on the defensive for a while and somewhat defend against Caleb’s attacks.

They finally sat with Morgan and Trey. Spence drank deeply from his wineskin. Caleb sipped on his. Spence felt a little better now. He knew he needed more training, but he had gained some confidence. Morgan asked Caleb to train her next, and Spence lay on the ground with his head on his pack and watched the two. Morgan was surprisingly quick, and her slight frame presented a smaller target to an enemy. She could never overpower a big man, but she could carve one up pretty well with a sharp knife.

“Think you could take her?” Trey said, elbowing Spence.

“Whoever fights her better take her out fast. She could de-boy you in the blink of an eye.”

“True dat.”

After the impromptu training sessions, they packed and continued the journey. The afternoon was a perfect temperature, and the walking was easy. The trees were old and mature where they walked, but the forest became thicker and more tangled to the north, just as it had in the pine forest.

They all remained lighthearted and in good spirits. Spence didn’t hear as many rustles in the trees as they distanced themselves from the tree city. Caleb said he thought at least one or two elves still tailed them, but he didn’t know for sure. They saw an occasional deer and turkey, in addition to the squirrels.

“So, Morgan, you want to be a nurse, right?” Spence asked.

“Yeah, or possibly a doctor if I can stand college that long.”

“How about you, Caleb? Any plans after high school? Or just prepping?”

“I don’t know. My dad has always been convinced the world as we know it would be over by now. I’ve never really thought much about what I’d do if it didn’t end. Prepping doesn’t pay the bills.”

“Well, what do you like besides the outdoors?”

“Nothing. Well, I wouldn’t mind being a forest or park ranger. Then I could be outside and still train and prep for something bad.”

“That’s a good idea,” Spence said. “What about you, Trey?”

Trey flexed his left bicep and kissed it. “This body was built for two things. One of them is football.”

“Oh, God!” Morgan exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, and that would be what the ladies say about the other thing,” Trey replied.

Morgan bent over and made a loud retching sound.

“And that would be the next thing the ladies say,” Caleb said.

Spence and Morgan erupted in laughter. Caleb’s personality was also starting to show. He had a dry sense of humor and a surprisingly sharp wit. Trey only scowled at all three of them.

“So, you’re going to play football, and then what?” Spence continued.

“Well, if my NFL dream doesn’t work out, possibly physical therapy. Then I could be a football team trainer or strength coach. Working for a pro or college football team would be pretty sweet.”

“What about you, Spence?” Morgan asked.

“Well, after my wreck, I gave up on the idea of going to college. I mean, I wouldn’t be able to do it without a helper unless it was online. But if I did go to college, I’d think about computer science. That’s something I could do even paralyzed, and I’ve always loved computers and programming. It would be awesome to create computer games. Maybe I could make the next Warcraft. Or…I know, the next Nibiru! I’ll call it…Fantasy World!”

The other three laughed. “You know, that ain’t a bad idea. The game starts on Earth, and then the party is teleported to a fantasy world. They have to complete a quest to get back,” Caleb said.

“Dang! We might be on to something!” Spence exclaimed.

“And we would be the gods, creating the world and the quests. Each quest would be unique, with different monsters and challenges,” Morgan added. “Oh, but we’re featuring some powerful women in our world.”

“As long as they’re scantily clad,” Trey said. He grinned at Morgan’s scowl and continued, “That would be a good movie or book too…or a series of books and movies. Every book would feature different people going into the fantasy world.”

Caleb stopped walking, and the others halted too. Spence began to say something and then saw the look on Caleb’s face. He didn’t need telepathy to know they all shared the same thought simultaneously. “Holy crap,” Caleb whispered, his lips barely moving.

“Do you think?” Spence asked. “Just for entertainment?”

“Why not?” Caleb replied.

“Makes a lot of sense,” Morgan added.

“We’d better keep going,” Spence said, looking nervously around them. They had probably said too much already.

“Yep, that’s a heck of an idea. When we return to Earth, we can work together making a game and a book,” Caleb said, and then he turned and continued walking. The others followed him.

***

“They are very perceptive, indeed,” Artemis said.

“Yet still wrong,” Odin replied.

“But should we be concerned with how much they have already deduced?” Ra asked.

“It is of no consequence. They will never construe our true intentions. They think this is merely a game. And in the end, they have no choice but to do what we need them to do. They can theorize as much as they wish,” Enki said.