The boys shook their heads. “No, Dad,” they answered, almost in unison. They were more than each other’s best friend; they were so close they were almost the same person. It was the way Sikari had wanted it, essential for what would be expected of them someday. They had been trained in the martial arts and were both remarkably gifted, schooled especially in geology and the sciences; their IQs tested even higher than his. They both were slated to enter Harvard next year, but that would change now. College couldn’t teach them what he could; he could offer them the world, literally. They’d be too young to succeed him, even in ten years time, but Balan’s death had left him with no choice. Sikari would be around to guide them for the next thirty years or so and if he started grooming them now, they’d be ready ultimately to take the helm.

The problem was, he only needed one of them.

He had known this day would come, which was why he had bought twins, so he’d always have a back-up, the heir and the spare. But now he had to choose one and he wasn’t sure how. They were doppelgangers and their temperaments were the same, as far as Sikari could tell.

“When did you get home, Father?” Archer asked, his tone casual, and duplicate sets of blue eyes looked at him.

“This morning. You boys were in the gym. Listen, we have a problem.”

“What?” Archer asked.

Harris cocked an eyebrow. “Arch did it,” he said, and the twins laughed, echoing each other.

Sikari smiled, for show. “Listen to me. This is serious. You have been preparing for this day your whole life. You just didn’t know it.”

The two boys fell silent and blinked at exactly the same time, which Sikari found eerie. They’d had their own language as toddlers and he’d always wondered if they were talking about him.

Princess Ida began to peck at Archer’s loafer, but the boy didn’t notice.

Sikari said, “I need one of you to succeed me in the family business, when the time comes. But I need only one of you. I assume you both want to ascend.”

“Of course,” they both answered, and suddenly neither looked over at the other, their gaze fixing on Sikari.

“So how do I choose between you?’”

Archer smiled crookedly. “Whoever can catch Princess Ida gets the job.”

“Great idea!” Harris clapped his hands together, like punctuation at the end of a sentence. “How about it, Father?”

“Ha!” Sikari laughed, and this time it was genuine. They had no idea of the enormity of the position they were vying for. It was like drawing straws to become President of the United States. For some reason, the absurdity of the notion appealed to him. He smiled to himself. “But nobody can catch Princess Ida.”

“I can,” Archer said.