Stars (Ascension Short)

Stars Part II

The sandstone walls were claustrophobic as he wandered the halls.
His thoughts hummed with a persistence that came with disturbance.
Bolden stopped outside a room, hesitating as he debated entering.
He raised a talon to brush aside the silk covering.
No... it's not my place. He thought, lowering his talon and continuing down the hall.
He could only hope that his partner was firm but gentle when he told her.
Who was he kidding? Victoria would sentence anyone who discovered their secret to death. That was the way she remained in control.
Fear was a powerful weapon. Bolden knew that. Fear was the only thing that kept him in line. Fear was the only thing that prevented him from speaking out against some of his partner's more drastic actions. He did his best to keep her from making a mistake that could cost her her life but it wasn't easy when she snapped at him for the smallest things.
Keeping her from becoming her own worst enemy was a difficult task. Yet it was a task he had been given the day he was chosen as her partner. He hadn't had a choice in the matter. That was fine. It was the way things worked. The way things had always been from the beginning of time.
He could only hope that she did right by their daughter when she gave her orders. Valor's safety was at stake. The safety of their world was at stake.
That was not something that they could risk becoming public knowledge.
No. It certainly was not a risk that they could take.