From out of the murk wriggled a tumult that disrupted Oscar's attempt at quiet, once more isolated in his cell in the Palace Depths. This time however, he remained unbound, finding a calm that existed down there not present on the rest of Starfire Mount.

  Despite his exclusion, he was never really alone. The golden-brilliance of the Will was ever-present, its servants encircling him, though far enough still to not muddle his concentration. That was until something strange piqued his interest.

  The careful footsteps of the many attendants and courtiers hastened through the corridors like distant raindrops on a ceramic roof. Overwhelming was the Crown Paramount's presence – though lessened of late – as it extended outward from where he sat in the throne room; any other within it's radius obscured within his embrace.

  The augurs, who skittered around the Palace grounds like flecks of sand, were chaotic chaff within the Will; bickering and uneasy more than usual. He wondered what it was that was causing this disquiet.

  Like light sources in an endless expanse, Oscar's perception of the community extended far beyond the Palace and out across the planet; a bastardization of the ability that he and his father shared. Where the Crown Paramount's power was a gift of the Will – to wield it as an equal – Oscar's was stolen; taken at the blasphemous moment of his birth. Or, at least, that's how the augurs saw it.

  In the dark of the royal quarters, west of the Great Hall, Oscar was aware of another. Struggling to tap into the wordless quiet, Nín was attempting to do as Oscar had shown him over the last few days. He was reaching, writhing about like a lizard in a sand pit, Oscar could feel his brother making slow progress.

  Resentment for Nín had begun to fade as well. Surely Nín, or whoever he had been before being touched by the augurs' magics, had not asked for this. Nor did Oscar maintain any allusions to being properly accepted by the augurs, especially not now.

  Still an infant by any measure, Nín was doubtlessly coming to terms with his reality. He was opening himself to the Will more with each passing day. Soon the time would come, Oscar thought, to allow him a glimpse beyond the Golden Veil.

  Time would come when his brother would need to confront all that was the Will. For now, Oscar had told him of the nameless, of the augurs, of the other functionals like the admirals and the captains, and even such special cases as the spectres, semi-autonomous agents that operated peripherally to the Will, but not nearly as unbounded as Oscar was capable.

  "Odd", he thought aloud, questioning how and why his mind had chosen now to conjure up images of the spectres. The answer suddenly became clear when a certain familiar spectre , exiting the blanketing embrace of the Crown Paramount, stepped into clear visibility within Oscar's vantage point of the Will. Also obvious now was whatever issue had irked the augurs so keenly was following around this particular spectre like a plague.

  "Nalusa Falaya, good to see you again," Oscar whispered to her from out in the black.

  "Paramount's grace, Oscar!" Nalusa said as she fought to maintain composure. "Only you can sneak up on a spectre like that..."

  "The Will isn't protesting," Oscar said.

  "It should be," Nalusa said, her soothing wordless voice scratching at a pleasure centre at the back of his mind. "Oscar, I'm busy. Just tell me what you need of me."

  "What news have you brought? You've got the augurs in a tailspin, more-so than usual."

  "I can't say, my order demands secrecy in service of the Will. You know that," Nalusa said, her footsteps hastening again toward the east wing.

  Oscar smiled. "It's good to see you again."

  "Where are you?" Nalusa asked, her temper subsiding.

  "I'm not in my quarters, I can see you're there looking for me."

  Frustration boiled in her with that. "Well, if you don't want me to come see you..."

  "I'm here, Nalusa," Oscar said, revealing his presence to her within the Will. Others would have seen his ping as well, but Oscar knew it was doubtful they cared.

  Six minutes later, Nalusa opened the door to Oscar's cell, stepping through with a mark of confusion on her face.

  "Cozy," she mocked. "You thought this spartan hole would help ingratiate you with the augurs?"

  "Deluded I may be, but I only ever seek to serve the Will and its desires."

  "What about your own desires, Oscar?" she asked, standing in the open doorway.

  Looking upon her slender frame in a tactical skinsuit, a figure designed to serve the Will in matters of efficiency and stealth, Oscar couldn't help but feel a certain pull towards her. Her face was soft and unassuming; nothing like the exaggerations of the augurs nor utilitarian visages of the admirals or the attendants for that matter.

  There was a time in the past where he was less than faithful to the path of the Wordless Quiet, a time when the two of him had shared more than words – more than their thoughts.

  He had long since set out to rectify his place in the world, to prove to the others that he could be a pivotal part of the community. Maybe it was a foolish quest; a fantasy. Whether or not it held any truth to it, he couldn't now, especially not when his father had placed the burden or rearing Nín on his shoulders, give into such base desires... could he?

  Rushing towards him, she didn't give him a chance to protest, pushing her body up against his. His nerves melted into her as they grabbed hold of each other. His hands found her waist, forcing her into himself as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

  Tearing and pulling like wild, she removed him from his robe. He was more careful, removing her skinsuit and dropping it to the floor as it peeled away.

  "I–" he started to say in a momentary bout of thought.

  "Shut up, Oscar," she said, pressing his lips against hers.

  ...

  Several hours later, when Nalusa had left his cell, Oscar followed her through the Will as she walked the steps up from the depths of the Palace, back through the Palace proper, and out the east gate. He let her see him too, deliberately exposing himself within the Will. She was radiating in a shape estranged from the stress-filled torrent that had left the throne room earlier that day. And less surprising, Oscar was happy to have seen her again too.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Before she passed out of the Palace grounds and out into the wider community where her presence would begin to muddle with the rest of the population, Oscar asked her again; "What news was it you had to share?"

  "Ask your father," she said, her smirk resonating within the Will, causing some of the nearby augurs to shiver in disgust.

  Oscar smiled.

  "Ciao, Oscar," Nalusa said, before passing the threshold into the masses.

  His father...

  Oscar had seen the Crown Paramount's decline quicken, especially in the last few days since the introduction of his brother. His work had never been easy, as just like the crown, the Will is heavy to behold. Despite his resolve as a reign-bearer of the Will, a shield that maintains the sanctity of Ghede and all of it's people against all wandering evils, his strength had begun to fail him.

  Perhaps that was why he asked Oscar; to bear some of the burden in training Nín.

  "I can feel your prying, son," Ti Malis' booming presence spoke throughout the Will. Every word, every thought from him, radiated a hopeful warmth and welcoming.

  "Come to me," Ti Malis said, "and bring Nín Bonwadé."

  After retrieving his brother from a dreamlike trance where he was exploring the many avenues of the Will, the two of them made their way to Ti Malis' throne in the Hall of the Functionals. As they entered Oscar's stomach began to growl as he caught sight of a feast set out on their father's table.

  "My sons," Ti Malis said behind a weary grin, "join me, please."

  From either side of the large table attendants pulled out chairs ushering them to sit.

  Oscar sat and gestured for Nín to follow. Despite the days Nín had spent learning and growing, he had only had a few choice encounters with his father and Oscar could see the hesitance in his face. Ti Malis smiled welcomingly and nodded, and Nín sat as the attendants pushed in their chairs.

  "Now then. It's good to see you boys in the flesh," Ti Malis said. "Rest, eat, relax; I'm sure each of you are needing the energy after your... exertions."

  Oscar rolled his eyes. Nín nodded, apparently having not sensed his and Nalusa's encounter through the Will in the way the all feeling Crown Paramount would.

  "What news, father? Did Nalusa bring in something noteworthy?" Oscar asked. Nín paused and raised an eyebrow mid bite of a large flank of mutton.

  "Nalusa is one of our spectres," Ti Malis explained. "An agent of the Will; a scout of sorts."

  "And she was here?" Nín asked. "Was it something... bad?"

  "Not bad. Not anything of the sort," Ti Malis insisted. Oscar leaned in. He knew something tangible had to be upsetting the augurs.

  "It wasn't nothing," Oscar pressed.

  Ti Malis sighed a deep laboured breath. His head was heavy and he had barely touched his plate. Dark circles wrapped his eyes in a way Oscar had never seen.

  "Has the Will seen fit to show you the story of how we came to be here, Nín?" Ti Malis asked.

  Nín shook his head. Unwilling to put down his meal due to a ravenous hunger Tarrare would be proud of, he took another large bite.

  "Then let me tell it. We are not native to this world you see," he began. "We came here on vast starships on a journey taking many generations. Deep in our past, those that would become our people – primitive and so different – landed their Starfires on what they believed a barren, desolate world. A surprise to them then that upon setting foot upon the surface that they found it to be alive!"

  Ti Malis paused as a coughing fit overtook him. He waved over an attended who was already hurrying over with a glass.

  "Father?" Oscar asked with concern.

  After downing the glass he took a few more heavy breaths and continued.

  "I'm fine. Where was I?"

  "Living planet," Nín said between chews.

  "Ghede was alive! At first our ancestors recoiled, afraid of what lay beneath their boots. That was until the one such soul, the bravest of them, opened themselves up to it and allowed the living planet within itself. That was the first Crown Paramount."

  "The living planet is the Will?" Nín asked, putting down his mutton, his hands still dripping in sauce.

  "We are the Will. Together we make the community of the Will, we commune as one in Wordless Quiet," Oscar answered.

  "Very good, Oscar," Ti Malis nodded, "together we are one mind."

  "And the Crown Paramount holds it all together?" Nín asked.

  "You catch on quick, brother," Oscar said, impressed.

  "And so you see why our work is so important. We are the voice in the dark," Ti Malis said, "And with my health failing that will become your burden. Only the Will knows when that may be."

  "But why me? Why not Oscar?" Nín asked, his doubts resurfacing.

  It was then that the Crown Paramount's gleeful grin relaxed.

  "Oscar knows my love for him," Ti Malis said, turning to face Oscar. "The fact remains that the augurs and the Will require a master tailored to lead them, one born within the Will. Oscar, for all his strengths, was born outside of it."

  "It just doesn't seem fair," Nín said, dejected. Ti Malis continued.

  "My sons... one of blood, one of brood. Together you can both rule."

  Stunned into silence, Oscar turned to his father.

  "You heard me. I and the Will am in agreement. You are something special, Oscar, something that has never come before," Ti Malis said, taking his hand with a shaking frailty, before taking hold of Nín's. "You both are. Together you can balance each other – be the opposite sides of the same coin, one from inside and one without."

  "You told the augurs about this?" Oscar questioned.

  "Bah!" Ti Malis scoffed, "they are subservients of the Will, not wielders like us. They will do as the Will demands."

  "I don't know, father... I can't say I expected this."

  "What did you expect, Oscar– that I'd let the augurs string you up on my death bed?" Ti Malis said.

  Oscar nodded.

  "Never, son. Your creation may have been out of the norm for how we do things, but the Will always seeks to understand what it does not."

  "So we're sort of co-rulers?" Nín asked.

  "Indeed," their father said with a smile.

  "Rulers of what exactly? I've done as Oscar showed me and dove into the Will wholeheartedly, but I still don't quite grasp what it all is," Nín said, frankly, "am I meant to?"

  "In time," Ti Malis said.

  "What ever happened to the ships?" asked Nín. "Oscar said our people came to Ghede in ships."

  "It pleases me that for someone so young you are so keenly observant," Ti Malis said. "It is true that we came here in landing craft – or the Starfires as the Will first knew them. The smaller of them were broken down and incorporated into the original structure of the Palace atop the marshlands, long since buried deep beneath layers of concrete and stone."

  Oscar returned to the delicious plate in front of him, having heard this story many times in his life. How wonderful it was to hear it for the first time as a boy, he thought. The mutton today was exceptional as well, the sauce sweet and tangy with a hint of mint. Tarrare, to his own chagrin of not being able to consume everything personally, was most often responsible for organizing the kitchens, with Domery and a number of lesser augurs working to prepare the various courses. Today he had outdone himself.

  Along with the mutton main, were sides of stewed lentils, steamed dumplings, and an amuse-bouche of various marrow spreads on fresh-baked breads.

  "That's it? The ships are gone then– no trace left?" Nín asked.

  "The landing ships are unfortunately gone," Ti Malis affirmed, "They did however originate from a larger progenitor ship."

  "The Rys," Oscar said. It was his turn to talk with a mouth full of food, "A generation ship; one said to one day return and usher our people back into the wider cosmos, to spread the Will and with it the warmth back to our own origin. It is the Promise and Myth"

  "Promise, yes. But I wouldn't be so sure to dismiss it as simple myth," Ti Malis said, brandishing a smirk that shone through his weakness.

  Oscar dropped his fork.

  "What news, father?" he pressed, seeing where this was going.

  Nín looked between them, lost.

  "Spectre Nalusa Falaya was in my throne room today, as you are aware."

  Oscar nodded, impatience showing on his face and emanating within the Will.

  "Among her duties as a spectre, she is to live a life sometimes apart from the Will for extended periods; on expeditions far outside the light of our home. While in course of marking potential targets for culling into the Will she was able to glean navigational data of particular interest from a sect of the humans."

  "You're saying...?" Oscar said excitedly under his breath.

  "Yes, Oscar, Nín," Ti Malis said, "Nalusa has proven an adept implement of the Will; she has discovered the last known location of The Rys."