“Not me but yes, a version of me from a future that now will never happen. He warned us that the facemask doesn’t work on Leaky. You don’t happen to have a milder version, do you? Maybe not so effective, but also easier to adapt to and get control of?”

Vadeshex shook his head. “The one your friends wear is the mildest one I’ve ever been able to breed. Facemasks are invasive. They’re not for everyone.”

“How did you choose Loaf?”

“I didn’t,” said Vadeshex.

“It was just chance?”

“It was Ram Odin who chose. He observed, and he said, Loaf, and no other until Rigg is ready.”

“So he judged us and knew who was strong enough.”

“It isn’t about strength,” said Vadesh. “It’s about self-­mastery.”

Umbo chuckled. “And here I thought my future self was terribly wise and analytical, to come up with that.”

“He was wise to explain it to you that way, though, don’t you think?” asked Vadeshex. “The woman is apt to flare up at anything, isn’t she?”

“You don’t know her.”

“Once you brought the jewels into Ramfold in the era you arrived in, Ramex knew she was important and he went to the roadhouse as a customer. He has seen her temper. It’s a marvel to behold, but then she’s filled with regret and self-recrimination. Like you.”

“We know what self-control looks like in other people,” said Umbo, “and wish we had it for ourselves.”

“Oh, you have it,” said Vadeshex. “It just doesn’t kick in until you’ve already said and done things you can’t unsay and can’t undo. Though of course you can. But it does cut out a chunk of reality and discard it in the invisible dustbin of lost futures.”

“You saw me save Kyokay.”

“And saw you cause a disastrous change in futures.”

“How can you know that?”

“You were carrying the jewels. They came back in time with you when you undid your mistake. Any future in which you carried the jewels—on the knife or in a bag—and then come back with them, we have a record of it, at least the part surrounding you. But when you send a message, the jewels don’t come back, so those futures are lost.”

“If I send a message, I don’t run the risk of copying myself. The world can find a use for two Riggs, but I can’t even find a use for the one Umbo.”

“There you go. You couldn’t stop yourself from that bit of self-pity.”

“I didn’t try to stop myself.”

“But you feel contempt for yourself for having said it, yes?”

Umbo shrugged. “If you have food for them, can you bring it?”