Fr’Nj’s chant was Phil’s composition, and I think it’s his best poetic writing for the series: good enough that we had no trouble repeating it twice after this, in Chapters 19 and 21.

Had we included the cantankerous Astr’x to challenge Rachel on her lack of enlightenment, this scene would’ve been more of a battle between faiths that disagreed on the details but not really the essentials, with Fr’Nj caught between Astr’x and Rachel as, um, peacemaker. As it is, Rachel is in a position to see the benefits of Fr’Nj’s faith almost immediately, and she’s certainly broad-minded enough to believe that there are multiple paths to the Heart of All, much as Fr’Nj will soon recognize Rachel as a champion of life. If you want throat-ravaging arguments between two people who should be on the same side and one person in the middle trying to settle them down, the next page will have you covered.