“Call yourself what you want, and do whatever you think you must,” said Rigg. “If we prevented every death, the world would soon fill up, and what would we have accomplished? Kyokay would have got himself killed eventually the way he killed himself by accident that day. It’s not our responsibility.”

“It’s all my responsibility,” said Rigg Noxon. “And you know that as well as anyone.”

“What have I created here?” said Ram Odin, looking back and forth between them.

“You’ve created nothing,” said Rigg. “We are who we are, and you didn’t make us, even if we have some seed of you and at some point along the way you intervened.”

“Whatever we are,” said Rigg Noxon, “we’re what we made ourselves, by our own choices, by what we did with the opportunities that came along. Just like you. We’re not machines.”

“But I am,” said Vadesh, who was standing in the door. He looked at each of them in turn, and laughed. “Two for the price of one. You really need to be more careful what you do, Rigg A and Rigg B. Or you’ll run out of souls to populate these bodies that you accidentally make.”

“Shut up, Vadesh,” said Ram Odin.

Vadesh fell silent.

The machines obey Ram Odin. But they also obey me, thought Rigg.

And then, because both Riggs were, in fact, Rigg, they proved that in this case, at least, they still thought alike, for both of them drew out the bag of jewels. Two complete sets now. And Rigg Noxon still had the knife—the one that Rigg had given back to Umbo on the beach in Larfold.

“See?” said Vadesh. “See how you clutter up the world?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Richland, Washington, in 1951, Orson Scott Card grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He lived in Brazil for two years as an unpaid missionary for the Mormon Church and received degrees from Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. The author of numerous books in several genres, Card is best known for Ender’s Game and his online magazine, Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show (www.oscIGMS.com). He teaches writing and literature at Southern Virginia University and lives with his family in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Also by Orson Scott Card

PATHFINDER

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people,

or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents

are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events

or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

SIMON PULSE

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

First Simon Pulse hardcover edition October 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Orson Scott Card

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

SIMON PULSE and colophon are registered trademarks

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Designed by Mike Rosamilia

Jacket design and illustration by Sammy Yuen Jr

Author photograph copyright © by Bob Henderson, Henderson Photography, Inc.

The text of this book was set in Cochin.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Card, Orson Scott.

Ruins / by Orson Scott Card.

p. cm.

Sequel to: Pathfinder.

Summary: To prevent the destruction of his planet, teenaged Rigg Sessamekesh,

who can manipulate time, must assume more responsibility when he and others

travel back 11,000 years to the arrival of human starships.

ISBN 978-1-4169-9177-9

[1. Science fiction. 2. Time travel—Fiction. 3. Interplanetary voyages—Fiction.

4. Space colonies—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.C1897Ru 2012

[Fic]—dc23

2011052745

ISBN 978-1-4424-1428-0 (eBook)