“Which is another reason not to dig them up right now,” said Ram Odin.

“I really don’t want to know whether they’re still there,” said Noxon. “Because if they’re gone, it means our mission failed and we needed them to destroy the human race.”

“So we don’t wait for the flyer,” said Ram Odin.

“It’s time for us to get on with our mission,” said Noxon. He held out his hand. Ram Odin took it.

Noxon sliced rapidly forward in huge leaps, until he reached a time with human paths nearby. Then he sliced his way ahead until their original marker appeared. And beyond. And beyond. Until there were paths of people in airplanes flying overhead. Lots of them.

That was when they hiked their way out. Within a half hour, they were among tourists.

“Of course, we don’t have passports,” said Ram Odin.

“What’s a passport?” asked Noxon.

“Believe me, Noxon, up to now we’ve only been dealing with time-shifting, the laws of causality, computers that lie, and perfidious talking mice. Now we’ll be dealing with bureaucrats. This is when it gets complicated.”

Chapter 19: Council of War

CHAPTER 19

Council of War

The time-shifters and their friends gathered beside the stream where the Larfolders assembled to tell tales, to learn to walk, and to make decisions that required speech. Their intention was only to greet each other, as Olivenko returned to them from Odinfold, and Umbo, Loaf, and Leaky from Ramfold.

Inevitably, they gave an account of themselves. Loaf and Leaky had a baby to explain—though of course it was Umbo who did the explaining, because he had rescued Square before removing the future in which he had been born. That tale could not be told without a mention of the Rebel King, and of Captain Toad, the ugly soldier who was leading raids all over Stashiland.

“I don’t know if we should go to war,” said Param, “merely because it seems we’ve already done so.”

“I think we always intended to,” said Rigg. “Why else did we send Olivenko to study military history and strategy? Why else did you need to learn to slice backward as well as forward in time?”

“But now that we’re face to face with it,” said Param, “I don’t know if I have the stomach for it.”

“Maybe that’s why the people I met spoke only of the Rebel King,” said Umbo.

“Even that is significant,” said Olivenko. “Rigg’s the son of King Knosso. Shouldn’t they be calling him ‘the rightful king’?”

“Only after we win,” said Umbo. “Right now, if Haddamander’s soldier came through town and somebody remembered you ever saying ‘the rightful king’ about Rigg Sessamekesh . . .”

“You’re missing the point,” said Loaf. “‘The Rebel King’ isn’t referring to Rigg. Rigg is obviously Captain Toad, and he isn’t making any claim to the Tent of Light. The Rebel King is the husband of Queen Param.”

“I was afraid of that,” said Umbo.