“I’ll admit that I’m getting old,” said Ram Odin. “Struggling for a cause looks like a much better idea to the young than to the old.”

“Because you’re getting tired?”

“Because I’ve seen that reforms are never as transformative as the reformers imagine that they’ll be. Nothing works as planned. What I did definitely made a bad system better.”

“But if Noxon succeeds, and the Destroyers don’t come . . .”

“You want me to make the Lord of Walls go on a long vacation.”

“I think it’s time for you and the expendable Gathuuriex to have the Lord of Walls take a long vacation and let the former Wallmen fight it out among them until the people revolt and make whatever progress toward freedom they can.”

“Because Garden cannot survive one-nineteenth slave and eighteen-nineteenths free. A house divided against itself cannot stand!”

“It sounds like you’re making a speech.”

“Echoing one. So you’re thinking the Walls won’t come down?”

“I’m seeing reasons why they shouldn’t all come down.”

“You’ll see more reasons as we continue these tours.”

“I want to continue as a Wallman for a few more days.”

“Better than being an itinerant Finder of Lost Things?”

“It’s the same job,” said Rigg. “I go back into the past and find out what actually happened. Then I do something about it.”

“Ah, but what do you do.”

“Any complaints?”

“So far so good.”

“I get the idea,” said Rigg, “that while I’m judging the wallfolds, you’re judging me.”

“I already know the wallfolds. You I’m just starting to get acquainted with.”

Chapter 11: In Reverse

CHAPTER 11

In Reverse

Noxon had all the time in the world, and so he walked to Ramfold. Having spent almost every waking moment with Param for the past few months, it was a relief to be alone. Nothing against his sister. He had come to love her, and perhaps even understand her as well as one person can understand another. But he needed to be alone for a while, and this was that while.

Well, not alone. Mice all over him, but they weren’t chatty and that was fine with him. They were sulking because of the rules he had laid out for them. Once they got to Ramfold, they were not free to go off and start trying to populate the place with their species. Because of the facemask, they knew that even when he slept, Noxon was keeping a continuous count, and if he needed to, he could catch them. Well, not so much catch as crush. But that was the deal they made in order to be able to accompany him on the voyage.