Until Darkness Ascends

CHAPTER EIGHT

Cordelia couldn't stop crying. On and on beads of tears streamed down her cheeks. Malachi tried asking her what was wrong, but she remained silent. He pegged her hysteria as a product of Altair going to stand before the Gods for trial.

That wasn't the reason.

The reason she was so distraught is that she was there, seeing the trial from afar. She listened to Altair say he wanted nothing more than to die. Death was the ultimate gift for him. Life was his punishment. She was the reason he was still being punished.

And that tore her apart. She craved life, freedom to do as she wished. She wanted nothing more than to simply live and live with great joy.

But he wanted an end. He had lived more than enough. He had suffered enough and loved and laughed for too long now.

She wanted to give him his wish. She wanted to give it to him even if the thought made her incredibly sad.

"Malachi?"

"Yes?"

"You want your Dominus to be happy, right?"

He rose an eyebrow. "Yes."

"And you would, perhaps, help me make him happy without him knowing?"

"Cordelia, this is getting sexual in a strange, borderline creepy way."

She scoffed, wiping her tears with a smirk. "It's not."

"Yes, if you wanted to do something to make him happy, as long as danger didn't come to you or anyone else, I would help you."

"Tonight, could you introduce me to Zeus?"

Malachi began to shift. "Cordelia, I would have to tell him. That's-"

"I know. It's a lot to ask, but you'll be with me. No danger would come to me and I am not to anger Zeus. Please, Malachi, you can listen to everything I say to Zeus and if you find that it's inappropriate, you tell Altair."

Malachi didn't respond. She didn't get an answer because Altair rounded the corner. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes, and it amazed her. He was so unhappy, crippled by the darkness of history, yet he tried to make her feel better. It lightened her heart.

She smiled in return. "How did it go?"

"They didn't make a decision. Come, Cordelia, let's take you to your chambers."

#

As Dominus, he was situated within his own wing separate from the Olympians and other archangels. Within his quarters, he had another bedroom that posed as a guest room. As they came to her door, he unlocked it, carrying her inside. He sat her on the bed.

"It's been cleaned and polished, but it may not be to your liking. We can discuss changes tomorrow."

"It's great, Altair."

"There is a restroom through that door and a closet through the other. I already send a request for female attire. Someone should be here tomorrow to take your measurements and tailor whatever you'd like. And my room is right next to you. If you need anything-"

"I'll ask," she said, teetering on the edge of the bed. "Can you teach me how to walk now?"

"It's late. You've been up for a while."

"I know, but what if I have to use the restroom at night?" Sure, it was a good enough excuse, but it wasn't the real reason why she wanted to learn how to walk. With walking came independence and mobility, and she craved both. If she would give Altair what he wanted most, she had to be able to move freely.