Ricardo Pinto - The Chosen

'What do you want, Nephron?'

To explain,' said Osidian, dropping into Vulgate.

Carnelian crossed his arms and continued to glare at him.

'You aren't going to make this easy, are you?' Carnelian glowered more darkly. 'OK, OK.' Osidian scratched his head. 'I meant to tell you.' 'When?'

‘Several times. Before the election I even thought of sending you a letter, but…' 'But what?'

'You were deep in the Sunhold. I was reluctant to give it to your father and afraid to give it to the Ichorians in case it should fall into my mother's hands.'

'It wouldn't have made any difference even if you'd sent it. By then it was already too late. You had plenty of time to tell me.'

Osidian looked at his hands, then up again. 'I did tell you my name. Well… one of them.'

'Am I supposed to be grateful?'

Osidian's face darkened. 'You could make a vague attempt at seeing it from my point of view.'

'Your rank, you mean, Celestial?' asked Carnelian, returning to the Quya.

'No,' replied Osidian, grimacing.

Carnelian could feel his anger cooling. 'What then?' he said, trying to reheat it.

Osidian grew taller, stiffed out his heavy-sleeved arms.

'Everyone has always known who I am.' He let his arms drop to his side. 'When you obviously did not… well, I went along with it.' 'Playing with me.'

Osidian's chin dropped to his chest. 'No,' he groaned. He looked at Carnelian. 'No. No. No. It was that… that you allowed me to forget who I was… to forget the election.'

The election.' Carnelian thought about how close the result had been, how even now, Molochite was under sentence of death. He lost his grip on his anger and let it leak away.

Then we went down to the Yden,' said Osidian, light seeming to shine from his face.

Carnelian saw again the glittering lagoons, the smell and touch of him.

Osidian looked at him with longing. 'After that, the fear of losing you was greater than my fear of losing the election.'

'You were so cold when we were coming back,' said Carnelian.

'My father was dead,' said Osidian, a note of pleading in his voice.

'I didn't know that.'

They were both measuring the space between them. 'You know it now.' Osidian looked at him with hunger. 'But..Carnelian was overwhelmed by grief. Osidian came closer. His hand touched Carnelian's shoulder.

Carnelian looked up at him. 'But you're to be-' Osidian interrupted him by covering Carnelian's mouth with his own. He lay down on top of him. The sharp brocades of his court robe scratched into Carnelian's skin but Carnelian did not care. Osidian pulled up to look at him. His eyes and breath were fire. Carnelian buried his face in the small part of Osidian's neck that was exposed. He drew him closer, gasping as the metal brocades bit deeper into him. He pulled him closer still. It was an exquisite pain.

When Osidian saw the weals his robe had gouged, only Carnelian's smiles allayed his remorse. 'I would bear much worse for you.'

Osidian kissed the pain away from each wound. Then he straightened up and began to struggle out of his robe. Propped up on his elbows, Carnelian looked on entranced. 'Are you just going to watch?' grimaced Osidian with his head caught.

Carnelian grinned and nodded. Osidian looked like a white butterfly pulling itself from the crusty prison of its chrysalis. Once free he unfolded his arms like wings. Carnelian sighed as Osidian slipped his warm alabaster skin past his.

They lay intertwined like sun-warmed serpents, firm and hot against each other.

Osidian lay in Carnelian's arms as peaceful as a sleeping child. Carnelian touched his body with wonder, examining the vessel that would hold the coruscating energies of the Twins. He shuddered at the thought, and Osidian nuzzled closer. Carnelian ran his hands over him as if he were feeling the pale yielding marble for hairline cracks that might allow the ichor to weep through.

Carnelian stroked Osidian's birthmark. 'It really does look as if it was left by a kiss.'

'Some of the Wise have argued that it made me unsuitable for the double Godhead.'

'Unsuitable?'

They said that it was the mark of the Black God.' 'And the God Emperor must be both Twins and not favour one above the other.' Osidian nodded.

Carnelian lay back. 'How did you come here?'

'I came to see the Lord Suth, to thank him for his help.'

'You mean, to see me.'

Osidian lifted his head and looked at him solemnly. 'I owe your father the Masks and will not forget it' 'You came as yourself?'

Osidian grinned. 'I came disguised as one of the Lesser Chosen of my House.'

Carnelian bit him. 'My Lord seems much given to passing himself off as someone else.' He looked over at Osidian's discarded robe. He should have noticed the lack of ranga. 'Why the disguise?'

'I didn't want to be mobbed by the Chosen.'

Something occurred to Carnelian. 'You did come with guards?'

The Quenthas. They're outside your door now.' 'Two girls?'

'Girls? Those girls could fillet a half-dozen of your best guardsmen without breaking into sweat.' 'I do like them.'

They like you too. There was a boy.' 'My brother Tain.'

Osidian raised an eyebrow. 'Brother?'

Carnelian stiffened. 'Do you have a problem with that?'

Osidian adopted an expression of appeasement, flapped his hands. 'Brother it is.'

Carnelian relaxed. 'He's been through a lot. We've been close since we were children.' He reached up to smooth the frown from Osidian's forehead. 'I know it isn't worthy of one of the Chosen, but there it is.'

Osidian squeezed him, kissing him passionately. 'You could do nothing that was unworthy.'

Carnelian smiled. 'You think not?'

'You've even chosen the Gods for a lover,' said Osidian, grinning.

Carnelian put his fingers to Osidian's lips.

Osidian kissed them and lay back. 'Who did you think I was?' When Carnelian said nothing he turned to look at him. 'You blush, my Lord,' he said in Quya.

Carnelian could not look him in the face. 'I thought you were. ..'

'Who?'

'A sybling.'

'A what?' cried Osidian. 'How did you work that out?'

Carnelian hid his eyes with a hand. 'Well…' He peeped at Osidian. 'You look a bit like the Lords Hanus…'

Osidian looked horrified. The expression softened. 'I suppose… my grandfather sired them… but a sybling?' He made a big show of feeling his shoulders. He blew out. 'I didn't think I had a second head.'

Carnelian blushed again. 'I know it's stupid, but when you told me you had a twin… and you seemed embarrassed about telling me who you were… well, I put two and two together-'

'And ended up with a sybling.' Osidian chuckled, shook his head. 'I see… no wonder you asked no more questions.' His face went very serious. His eyes looked deep into Carnelian's. 'And even then, you went with me… the Yden…'

'You're beautiful,' said Carnelian and it was Osidian's turn to blush. 'Besides, I loved you for who you are.'

'Love?'

Carnelian looked away. 'What am I supposed to call you?'

Osidian pulled Carnelian's chin back. His eyes were a furious green. 'Whatever you want.'

They lay wrapped in each other's sweat. Osidian's arm lay over his eyes. Their legs were intertwined. Carnelian was staring at the ceiling.

'What about your taint scars?' he said suddenly.

'What about them?'

'You only have them down one side.'

Osidian lifted his arm off his face and looked at him with one eye. 'Even you must've realized by now that I was fathered by a God Emperor?'

Carnelian punched him and Osidian laughed.

'But the blank side is on your left, the mother's side.'

The God Emperor's paternity goes on the left because of the sinistral nature of Godhead.'

'I see,' Carnelian said and resumed his staring. A little while later he sat up. 'Can I see your blood-ring?'