Caleb led the others past the dragon and fallen tree and toward the rock formation they had spotted earlier. It was dusk when they reached the boulders. Spence struck the butt of his staff on the ground and provided enough light for them to complete their camp tasks. The base of the largest rock provided a sheltered and dry space.

Caleb soon had a lean-to built against the stone and a fire blazing outside one end. The four ate in silence inside the warm shelter. The elven food was still fresh and flavorful. They drank water instead of wine this time, and they were much less lively than the night before. Once they had eaten their fill or as much as they allowed themselves, they all settled into various reclined positions on packs and gear. Trey pulled out his whetstone and sharpened the blade of his ax.

“Are you afraid of dying?” Spence asked Caleb. He often wondered what the seemingly fearless loner thought about during battles.

Caleb lay on his back with his knees bent and his head resting on his pack. “I’d rather not die…but no.”

“Why not?” Spence continued.

“Why should I be?”

“Because you won’t be alive, and you don’t for sure know what comes after,” Spence said.

“Well, the way I figure it, there will either be nothing or something. So, either I won’t know I’m dead, or my spirit will still be doing something,” Caleb said matter-of-factly.

“You don’t believe in a heaven or hell?” Morgan asked.

“Maybe some type of heaven or eternal life…but not a hell.”

“Why not a hell?” Spence said.

“Our lives are a blink in the eye of eternity. What could we do in that brief time to warrant burning and suffering forever? And what about the millions of people throughout history that were never exposed to the Bible and Christianity? Do they have to burn too? And the people raised in other religions? Shouldn’t the punishment fit the crime? Other than a few exceptions, you couldn’t do enough evil in fifty years of adulthood to deserve trillions of years of torture.” Caleb raised his head to look at Morgan. “What about you? You don’t strike me as the religious type.”

Morgan sat leaning against her packs with her arms clasped around her knees. “My family is loosely Christian, I guess—we’re part of the Christmas Eve and Easter morning crowd. I bounce back and forth—between atheist, agnostic, Wiccan, and spiritual.”

“Where are you bouncing now?” Spence asked.

“Well, getting transported to another world, or rogue planet, ruled by four gods from our mythology kind of puts some wrinkles in the Bible story. I think I’ve found another category…‘who the hell knows.’”

Spence and Caleb laughed. “What about you, Spence? I bet you’re a good Christian boy, and you and your parents go to church every Sunday,” Morgan said.

Spence scanned the faces of the other three. Caleb had returned his head to his pack. Trey sat with his back against the base of the rock and stared at the fire, still sharpening his ax head and seeming to pay scarce attention to the conversation. “Well, before my wreck, I was. My family is Catholic, and we went to church pretty much every Sunday all my life.”

“And after your accident?” Morgan asked.

“I prayed hard day and night that I would be able to walk again. After a couple of months, I stopped praying and going to church. If there was a God, I hated him for doing that to me. I had already been dealt a bad enough hand.”

“And now?” Morgan said.

“I’m back to being a good Catholic boy. I realized that maybe this is his answer. I mean, I know this is a messed-up world that makes no sense, but I can walk again.”

“Nothing about this experience has shaken your faith?” Caleb asked.

Spence thought for a few seconds and shook his head. “Actually, it’s probably strengthened it.”

“Why?” Morgan asked.

“Because this is the first time I’ve faced death, and I stare it in the face pretty much daily. I don’t like the thought of there being nothing after this. Or worse, I could go to hell for not believing. So, I’m believing and keeping the faith and hoping there’s a heaven with golden paved streets and singing angels waiting on me. Plus, I’ve prayed before each battle, and we’ve survived, against all odds.”

“I think the Bible left out the part about Nibiru. How do you explain that?” Morgan said.

Spence thought for a moment. “Well, the Bible says God created the heavens and the earth. It doesn’t specify what all the heavens consist of. Maybe early man wasn’t ready for the full scope of creation. Even the pope has said that discovering aliens wouldn’t change anything. They would just be more of God’s creations. So, Nibiru must just be another world he’s created.”

“And what if the gods here are actual gods? Then what do you do?” Morgan persisted.

Spence rubbed his hand through his hair. He wasn’t sure if they should be talking openly about the Nibiru gods. Although so far, the gods of this world hadn’t demanded worship. “Well, then God created them too. So, even though I will respect the gods of this world, I’ll keep worshipping my God. Nothing changes as far as I’m concerned.”

“What if we return to Earth, and you’re paralyzed again?” Caleb asked.

Spence was silent for a moment. That was something he didn’t want to think about. “I guess I’ll just go on with life the best I can and have faith there is a reason for it all.”

“Hmmm…. I wish I had your faith,” Morgan said. “Life would probably be simpler.”

“Why don’t you? Just have faith, I mean?” Spence asked.

“You can’t fake faith. If there were an all-powerful god, he’d know the difference. Maybe I’ll get there someday. Besides, if we survive long enough, this adventure is likely to create or destroy faith in all of us anyway.”

Spence had wondered if something in their quest, in Nibiru, might shake his faith. What if the Nibiru gods are real? What if they have a different creation story than the Bible? But as of now, he had no reason to doubt his faith or beliefs again. He would deal with faith-shaking revelations if and when he encountered them.

“What about all the other religions, Spence?” Caleb asked, continuing his prior conversation. “Are all of them wrong? If so, how do you know they’re wrong and you’re right? There is Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and Hinduism, all with millions of followers. Some of them believe in reincarnation too. Maybe we all just keep living life over and over again, as different forms or people, and never even know when we die. Or at least not until we get it right and then pass on to the afterlife.”

Spence inhaled deeply. He hadn’t counted on getting into this deep of a religious discussion. He was a Christian, but he wasn’t a Bible scholar or one to go out and preach to others. “I don’t know, guys. I just have faith my religion and God are real and true. It’s what I know and believe. Maybe the other religions are valid too. Or they might all be misguided and will have to answer to God when they die. But I only know what works for me. I’m not trying to convert the rest of the world.”

Morgan turned to Trey. “And you, stud?”

Trey continued staring at the fire for a few seconds and then slowly turned his head to the others. “Well, we came from a screwed-up world to a seriously screwed-up world. I’d say if there’s a God, he’s either very hands-off or has a sadistic sense of humor. Guess that makes me agnostic, huh?”

“Sounds like it,” Morgan said.

Spence watched Trey as he returned his gaze to the fire. He was different since his drunken attack the night before—different than he had ever been. Trey wasn’t being obnoxious and bullying or fun-loving and happy-go-lucky. He was quiet and reserved…almost thoughtful. Maybe he was still embarrassed over last night. Or perhaps something else was going on with him. But Spence was especially wary of this Trey. At least with the other two, he knew what to expect.

“We had better take watches again,” Caleb said. “This isn’t the Forbidden Forest anymore. Three hours each should take us to morning. We’d better sleep in our armor with weapons nearby too.”

“I’ll take first,” Trey called.

Spence recalled Trey talking about his staff just a few hours before and remembered the night he tried to take it from him. He wasn’t too tired and thought he could stay awake during Trey’s shift. Then Morgan and Caleb could watch Trey the rest of the night while Spence slept. “I’ll take second,” he said.

“Third,” Morgan replied.

“Guess I’m last.”