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Chapter One - Verse3,459 words
Chapter Two - Chorus3,992 words
Chapter Three - Bridge4,386 words
Chapter Four - Coda4,900 words

Chapter Four - Coda

“Th-that’s not how it happened.” Still trembling, Adagio blinked rapidly and pressed a hand to her roiling stomach. The sudden return to the sunny, serene cloudtop left her feeling queasy and unbalanced.

Oh? I had no idea you were an expert in ancient history. Pray tell where my memory errs.

Adagio gritted her teeth and fought back a wave of nausea. “Bravura wasn’t killed! He left on a quest to get some secret weapon and never returned.”

Is that not what you saw, land-thing? Dazzle drifted in and out of the cloudtop in front of Adagio, but somehow his luminous eyes never strayed from hers. Bravura left this world and gave to your elders their greatest weapon. Did you not see the people and how they raced to tear him apart? How do you think that they felt on the next day? During the next week?

“What?” Adagio said, her brow furrowing.

The crooked smile flashed out from behind the cloud. Whatever else our elders may be, they are crafty, Adagio. They win because they know how to turn situations to their greatest advantage. In the memory, you witnessed it first hand. Turn the citizens’ fear into rage. Rage drives thoughtless action. Actions such as these lead to regret, and regret fosters lies.

Adagio swallowed back another heave, but it was easier this time. The slow, steady cadence of Dazzle’s speech seemed to calm her twitching nerves. “So… so you’re saying that they all just… what? Pretended that something else happened?”

In a way, though it is not quite that simple. You see, the truth stands only with those that bear witness to it. To another, whatever words they hear are their truth, and that is the one that spreads. Dazzle rose from the cloud. Coiling his lower body, he sat opposite of where Adagio hovered. The next day brought hand wringing and finger pointing. Some blaming others in the community for hastiness. Others confusing vital details in the heat of the moment. Still others, the ones in the back, remembered offering words of caution and restraint. Did you hear those words?

Adagio shook her head.

Neither did I, but it is amazing how many apparently said them. For the next few weeks, the stories were full of tragic heroes. The hippocampus laid the back of his hoof across his forehead. If only someone had listened to them.

“But why would they do that? They wanted him dead, so why pretend that they didn’t?” Adagio slowly sank to the cloud top and sat upon it. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin upon them.

Why do you suppose all of those good citizens were there in the first place?

Adagio tipped her head to the side and looked away for a moment. “Well, because of the trial, I guess. It was an important one, right? Bravura was a big war hero.”

Any war is overflowing with heroes, Adagio. Both your kin and mine care little for them, truth be told. Bravura was a hero, but not of war. He was a hero of the people. The kind of champion that you aspire to be.

A shiver went up Adagio’s spine.

Those citizens were there because Bravura had spoken against the elders from his newly acquired position of power. He’d proven himself by leading fighters to victory in several key battles. Dazzle rolled his eyes. That the war rages on even centuries later tell you just how very important those battles were in the scheme of things.

Adagio found herself nodding. Frowning, she forced herself to stop.

Heroes are tricky things, Adagio. The elders brought him back in order to display him, a trophy meant to amplify their own glory, but he didn’t cooperate. Instead of working to reinforce their message, he decided to use his standing to change things. On the day that he was awarded his medal, he stood before your people and spoke to them. He talked of the futility and waste of the war. He spoke of independence and change, and when the elders tried to silence him, he fought back. At first, the elders tried polite recommendations on behavior, followed quickly by firm insistence. All dismissed by Bravura as he continued to speak over the next few weeks.

“They were starting to listen, weren’t they?” Adagio said after swallowing loudly. “The people were beginning to think he was right.”

Perking up, Dazzle’s smile spread. Exactly! And that is why they were lining the streets. Not because he was some hero of a battle they barely understood, but because he was saying and doing things that they dared only in their dreams. He was their dreams!

Adagio shot to her feet, fists clenched at her sides. “Then why didn’t they fight? They would have won!”

Dazzle curled his lip. Have you ever wonder why bravery is admired, Adagio?

Her face twisted as she attempted to follow the abrupt question. “Huh?”

Of course not. Courage comes as natural to you as drawing breath. He pointed to a passing seagull. But consider nature. When the osprey tucks into a dive, does the gull ready itself for the impending attack?

Adagio watched the gull wheel slowly, drifting on the strong coastal breeze. It cried out, then disappeared behind a cloud. “No,” she finally answered.

Dazzle licked his lips. I can speak from experience. Gulls are not ready to meet you in battle. They flee. They hide. They duck behind their peers, hoping that they will not be the one that the predator takes today. Your kind and mine are no different, Adagio. Most of them would prefer to run. They will fight only when backed into a corner.

Adagio’s nose wrinkled, and she worked her tongue around her suddenly sour mouth.

Oh, how that galls you, Adagio! Dazzle tried to lift her chin, but she batted the hoof away. For a girl who wants to end all the fighting, you gravitate so readily toward it. It is second nature to you. Do you understand why? Has the gull taught you anything?

“Stop smiling like that.”

The hippocampus blinked several times. That’s not—

Adagio stood, and her hair bristled out. “I said stop it! You’re just like them. Always acting so smart, like I’m some kind of idiot.” The hippocampus opened its mouth, but Adagio stepped forward and poked it in the nose with her finger. “I fight with them because no one else will. It’s not like I like it! I just want them to leave me alone so that I can sing and be with my friends. Everybody wants that!”

Blind girl! Will you not see? Dazzle unwound itself and rose. Undulating, the hippcampus climbed, and twisted through the air until he towered before her. He snarled when she stood firm, her jaw set. They are unlike you! They don’t want to be free! Not in the way that you or I do. They want freedom without sacrifice. They want it handed to them. That is why you will not succeed! You fight, Adagio! It is who you are, but you must learn to pick your battles if you wish to win. Right now, you are fighting education. I offer you a hoof, but you swat it away. You would march down to your people and squander all of your potential in a single, breathtaking display of power. Save it, Adagio! Conserve your power for when you can most effectively use it, and by doing so, save all of our people!

Adagio set her hands on her hips and glared back at the hulking monster. “Then what am I supposed to do? I won’t fight in the war. You’re saying that no one will listen to me, and that I can’t beat the elders, so—”

Your mind draws too many straight lines. Dazzle flowed through the air before her, twisting and turning. You must swim through unexpected channels. Set plans within plans. Enlist aid where you can. Make allies. He stopped, suddenly very close to Adagio. Quietly dispose of enemies.

Adagio’s reflection in Dazzle’s massive eye seemed uncertain for a moment before her brows angrily knitted together. “But that’s everything I’m trying not to do! I don’t want to lie and trick people like my father and all of his friends! I don’t want to do that stuff!”

Snorting out a small cloud of moisture, Dazzle edged closer. His maw was inches from her nose. To win, you must be flexible. This system can only be dismantled from within.

“No!” Adagio whirled. Crossing her arms tightly across her chest, she tossed her head. “I’m not doing that.”

Behind her, the hippocampus sighed. Then what will you do?

“I don’t know, but not that. I’ll figure something out.”

Well, you had better think fast, crawler-of-land! Your sire awaits your return, and within him, hunger burns. You are to be offered up to the elders as a magnificent weapon, and you can be sure that he expects to be showered with rewards beyond measure. Dazzle’s voice suddenly felt cold and dark in her mind. You are but a tool in a society that values utility over lives, and what do we do with tools that do not function as expected?

“I won’t let them!”

Adagio took a surprised step back when the hippocampus leaned in, nearly banging his forehead against hers. And you will be as Bravura was: an ineffectual footnote! Another chain clamped around the neck of your people! Floating backward, he looped in tight circles and bared his teeth at her. All because Adagio cannot look out and read the way the currents run!

Swallowing hard, Adagio fought back against a rising tide of anger. “There’s got to be another way,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

Dazzle stopped his twisted, agitated path through the air before her. His eyes clouded for a moment, and he looked away. Know this, Adagio. I have navigated these murky channels for centuries. I once thought as you do. He turned and held her with his intense stare. There is no other way. The currents run too deep. You would stand with your hands out to stop the water’s flow, but it is so much stronger than you imagine. It will take you. You either swim in its flow, or it drowns you.

Adagio let her hands fall back to her sides with a disgusted sigh. “And the only answer is to just do what they want? Somehow that’s going to change things?”

Again, you think only in straight lines! Change does not come from a single action. It is an accumulation! Adagio, this will be your life’s work as well as mine! It will take decades or more!

Adagio’s eyes bulged. “Decades?”

We are Joined, Adagio. Decades will be as nothing to you. It is but one reason why your elders are so jealous. He rose into the air and waved with a beckoning hoof. Come. Join me in song and things may become clear.

Adagio tapped her foot on the cloud as the monster soared above her. She wished that she had something to throw. “What are you doing?”

A low baritone rolled out in response. The rich melody flowed around her, and sent her hair streaming out. For a few moments, it traveled through scales and simple octave shifts, then settled into one side of a well known duet.

Adagio winced. The effect was jarring without the proper accompaniment. Each time the female voice should have joined the song, a terrible, gaping silence grated at her bones. Almost against her will, she rose.

And she sang.

~~~

Rising, Adagio spread her arms wide. Dazzle undulated through the air below her, and their shadows seemed to dance together across the cloudtop. When her stanza came, the words, clear and vibrant, rolled out of her.

Dazzle pointed to a nearby cloud. Maintain the song, but observe.

Adagio wasn’t sure she could have stopped if she’d wanted to. Her pulse was pounding in her ears. Her heart raced. The song was intoxicating. It had always been her joy to sing, but Marcato had been her only worthwhile partner. Only he could match her in range and power, but their harmonies were imperfect. His register just wasn’t low enough.

But this! The pairing was so complementary that tears stood in her eyes. Adagio fought to sing through her wide grin. Tilting to the side, she cut over the hippocampus to get a better look at the clouds he’d motioned to. Below her, they twisted and flowed as though sculpted by the hands of a skilled potter. At first, they were but basic shapes, but soon transformed into people and buildings.

Dazzle dropped his voice slightly, and she responded automatically. What had been a simple, stirring tune now felt as though it carried secrets. The cloud below them split into several sections, the largest of which bore a striking resemblance to Adagio. A tiny cloud hippocampus curled up on her shoulder and whispered into her ear.

There we are, Adagio. And see what comes for us.

The vaporous image of Adagio’s father pulled himself from a nearby cloud and walked toward them. His chest was puffed out, stiff with pride. He towered above Adagio, but when the cloud hippocampus whispered into her ear again, her father seemed somehow less impressive. His stance was suddenly comical.

Perception is a matter of perspective and experience. Your sire’s wrath once terrified you because it was all that you knew, but now I have shown you greater threats. I will tell you which ones are worth worrying about…

Adagio watched herself draw her misty hands to her breast and bat her eyelashes. Her father drew back, surprised, but soon nodded and puffed his chest out even further. Turning on his heel, he motioned for her to follow.

Adagio had to fight to maintain her composure. She didn’t want to spoil the song, but his stride was so self-important that she nearly burst out laughing. Instead of leading, he seemed to be merely escorting her as she walked with regal purpose behind him.

… And which threats can be neutralized and used to further our goals.

Clouds on all sides melted into familiar faces. They were crowding around her father, and he was introducing Adagio to them. All the while, Dazzle continued to whisper. Adagio dismissed some with a toss of her head, and followed others to still more richly dressed sirens. She laughed with some. Argued with others. Here, she stood firm. There, she nodded meekly and danced as they did.

And where does this lead us, Adagio? What have we gained?

Adagio blinked, then gasped. The clouds around them trembled as the music wavered, but Adagio forced her voice to begin again, and when it did, the song swelled. What had seemed sly and secretive now blossomed into a stirring battle hymn.

There is no need to speak, Adagio. I can read your thought, and you are catching on.

It had been so subtle that she hadn’t noticed at first, but the crowds that she had been walking toward had over time fallen behind her. Now, as she continued on, they followed. With each encounter, their numbers grew.

Time. Patience. Cunning. These will be our tools. Raw power is not always the key to victory. Leaders are seldom crowned after a single battle. Lifetimes are spent tending to the coral so that it grows in accordance to plan. See them, Adagio! See how they follow! You can be the one to light the path that seems so dark. They are frightened, but each of them hungers as you do. They just need time to become brave. They need to be shown that it is possible. Both of our races are dissonant, and dissonance always seeks to resolve. Together, we can be their resolution, but these changes won’t come overnight. Remember Bravura. Remember his failure and do not repeat it!

Arms spread wide, Adagio felt her hair streaming away behind her. Her heart hammered in her chest. Their song had reached a crescendo, and the air around them rang with their voices. Below, the clouds had formed into ranks, and they lifted their hands to Adagio. She reached out for them, wishing she could hold them all in her palms. The air trembled with power as the song concluded.

For a moment, all was still. Adagio realized that she was crying, but for once, she didn’t feel like hiding it. Below her, the crowd adored her. They needed her, and she loved and needed them.

And then they fell away. Caught in the chaotic swirling of the returning coastal breeze, the clouds began to pull apart. The wind tore at their arms and faces, and for just a second their expressions of love transformed into fear and desperation. Instead of trying to embrace her, they were reaching out desperately for help. Their mouths opened into unheard screams.

In seconds, they were gone.

“No!” Adagio shot forward, but Dazzle snaked his tail around her waist and yanked her back.

That is the wrong way. He motioned in the other direction to a hole in the clouds. Through it, Adagio could see the ruins of the ceremonial dais and the shattered cliffs they’d left behind. Our path starts there. If you truly wish to save both of our races, you must return.

Adagio pursed her lips and shot the dais a hard stare. “Back to my father.”

Dazzle nodded, but shot her his lopsided grin. Yes, but as the master this time. Your sire is rigid and dull, yet considers himself endlessly clever. I have planned and executed schemes the likes of which he could never understand the basest element of. I will guide you. He will be humbled without even knowing it. In such a time as will draw your breath away, he will be working for us. They will all be working for us, and once they are, we will change everything!

She felt an unfamiliar grin creep across her face. It twisted up on the left side in a way that her smile never had before. It felt good, but it disappeared when a thought flashed through her mind. “But they’ll exile us if—”

Then we must ensure that we do not get caught. Dazzle’s eyes flared red for a moment. Adagio squinted when he transformed into crackling energy and disappeared into the gem at her throat. I have erred many times and learned from each one. Let me show you the way! Your elders await your return with a servant’s chain to clamp around your neck. They will seek to limit and control you, lest you turn on them as Bravura did. Capitulate. Let them think you are their tool, and exile is unlikely.

“But what if they do?”

Is that fear that I hear? The oily, mocking tone was back. And I thought you to be brave.

Adagio stomped her foot. "Well, what good is any of this if we aren’t there anymore?"

You cling to your world because it is all you have known, but beyond these lands, life goes on. Our cause would, as well. I have secrets they would gladly kill for, Adagio. There are ancient rituals. Lands beyond our borders where easy prey lies. Gates to other worlds. Strength is gained in many ways, and a barred door can only hold for so long against those who return with power. One way or another, our people will be free as long as we continue to fight for them.

Something clicked. “They… they exiled you. Back there in that cave, the other hippocampi banished you for life.”

Yes, but that—

“What would you have done if you’d won?”

The presence in her mind seemed to draw back, confused. What?

Adagio paused her descent and crossed her arms. “If I’d lost the Joining, then I’d just be some thrall for you to use, but you’re not with your kind anymore. You can't change them. So what would you have done with me if you’d won?”

If I had won? Adagio, you are learning, but you still have a long way to go. The waters through which we are to swim are dark and their currents treacherous. You must learn to read the flow. If I had won? Dazzle chuckled, so low that it was almost a growl. We are now joined in mind, body, and purpose. You and I are working together to make real all of the changes that I have ever desired.

A twisted smile flashed in her mind’s eye.

Adagio, that is the very definition of winning!

~~~

As she descended, Adagio angled to the left. Back to the sun, she spread her arms wide. Below, her shadow fluttered across the rapidly approaching cloud top.

No. Not here. Farther to the left.

“Why?” Adagio gritted her teeth for a moment, but forced herself to relax.

The silky voice in her mind sniggered. You’re still a soloist at heart, trying to make a grand entrance. But who benefits from that?

Adagio pursed her lips.

Correct. No one would benefit from it. What kind of entrance would help our cause?

Adagio paused, her feet just inches above the cloud. Cupping her chin in her hand, she thought for a moment. “One that makes my father feel important.”

Exactly. You desire to see him humbled, so you would fly out of the sun. You would see his eyes smart while he squinted up at your brilliance, but that does not advance our cause. Let him think that you are weak, and that his scheme has worked. As long as his plan and our plan swim alongside, it suits us.

The grin crept across Adagio’s face again. “Should I fall?”

I’m sorry?

“Should I fall?” Adagio dropped to the cloud’s surface in a heap. “I could fly down like I’m hurt, then just fall right at the end. I could land at his feet.”

The hippocampus sniggered again, and in a moment they were both laughing. Yes, I think that will do nicely.

Adagio allowed herself to sink into the cloud, picking up speed as she fell. For a few minutes, the world was dark and featureless. The vapor’s chill touch embraced her. She was shivering, but it was pleasant this time. It felt like anticipation.

The air tore at her hair, and she couldn’t help but gasp as she punched suddenly through the bottom of the cloud. She was falling face first toward the ocean.

Remember, true strength often appears as weakness. Let him believe that your spirit is broken and your body helpless.

Wiping the grin from her face, Adagio let herself go slack. She tumbled through the air, only to fan her wings, stabilize, then lose control again. Falling and regaining control, she angled for the cliffs.

Good. Now find your final reserve. He must believe this is the old Adagio. She is tired and bloodied, but still willful. She will attempt the grand entrance, but will fail.

Adagio nodded. Setting her jaw, she spread her wings wide and shot for the outcropping on which her father stood. Fresh blood still glistened on his face and neck, and it had streaked down the remains of her father’s tattered ceremonial robes.

Maintain the act! the hippocampus growled when she opened her mouth. The blood is still fresh because we have only been gone for minutes in this world. Our time spent together has happened at the speed of thought. To him, we have only just disappeared.

Below them, Forza’s arms twitched as if unsure whether to try to catch his daughter or not. Adagio did not make it an easy decision. Her face was fixed into a rigidly regal expression, but she allowed her eyes to sink slowly closed several times, and with each, she dropped several feet in the air. While her father fidgeted, she twisted left suddenly, and plummeted the last few feet to slam into the ground in front of him.

The hippocampus whispered something to her, but the pain blocked it out. Very real tears leaked from her eyes, and her mouth was suddenly bloody. She’d somehow bitten her tongue.

“Get up,” Forza growled, hooking his hand under her armpit and hauling her to her feet. “Your battle with that monstrosity has left the cliff unstable.”

“I… I can’t.” Adagio let her head loll to the side and her eyes droop halfway shut. Her voice sounded thick around her swollen tongue. “I’m too tired.”

Forza pursed his lips for a moment. “I suppose I’ll have to carry you.” Kneeling he wrapped his arms around her and lifted.

Remember our goals, Adagio. He is full of pride. Feed it. He will be so busy basking in his own glory that he will fail to notice that he stands alone. That is the course. Be rational where you can be. Speak honeyed words where necessary. Above all, use what you have been given in unexpected ways. Each must believe they see the true Adagio. We must ensure that none are correct.

Adagio forced a theatrical tremble into her arms, then wrapped them around his neck. Swallowing, she mumbled something into his chest.

Forza stopped abruptly and looked down at his daughter. “What was that?”

“I said that… that you were right.” She turned her head to stare at anything but him. “About some things. I saw it all in the battle. They’re monsters, and we have to fight them.” Adagio felt her father tense. “Put me down. I can walk now.”

Forza cleared his throat. “I think not. You’ll only slow us, and that I cannot risk.” With a small grunt, he settled Adagio into a more comfortable position. “I’ve carried you this far through life…”

Adagio’s hand gripped his shoulder tightly, then relaxed. “I just didn’t know. No one told me how terrible it all was. It was… confusing. That… that thing wanted to tear me apart, and when it couldn’t, it started telling me about our races. It kept talking about secrets and plans and stuff I just couldn’t understand!” Adagio worked a small shake into her voice. “I… I…”

“But you mastered it?” Forza’s eyes were hard, but they sparkled like rubies.

Adagio touched the jewel at her throat. “Yeah.”

“And what will you do with it? Terrorize your teachers? Use it to guard your door while you sleep the morning away?”

Calm. The word enveloped and cooled her anger when it flared. Let him lead for now.

“I don’t know, okay?” Adagio made a show of pulling away, but collapsed against him when he resisted. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Silence stretched out between them as Forza picked his way down the broken steps. Adagio let her head bounce against his chest. “What you will do is serve,” he said suddenly.

Adagio did not reply, and he grunted. She grinned into his chest at the added spring in his step. “Are… Are Sonata and Aria, you know… going?”

“It could be arranged. Their families won’t be pleased, of course, but it can be done.” Forza turned a corner and slid against the wall as the pathway narrowed. “Duty to society comes first in all things, Adagio. Remember that.”

Adagio fought back against rising bile.

Yes, do remember this moment. We all live in a society of individuals. Each paying lip service to the whole while tearing down everything that might help anyone but themselves. But we will be the mortar that holds, Adagio! We will bind them! We will be the resolution of the dissonance! Remember that when their hypocrisy makes you ill.

Adagio nodded, then smiled when her father grunted again. He’d thought she was agreeing. “I’ll… get to see Marcato?”

Forza stiffened for just a moment, then swallowed. “I can make sure that you are placed in his unit.”

Adagio clamped her jaw shut.

Did you think he did not know? Marcato died years ago, but it is the spur with which he has driven you. Too useful a tool to be discarded.

The sour taste of rage filled Adagio’s mouth, and she swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the plan. “Then maybe I’ll go.”

She felt her father tense. “There is no ‘maybe’, Adagio! It is your duty!”

Adagio tilted her head back to glare at her father. “I said I’ll think about it!” She allowed her eyes to flutter closed for just a moment and added some extra weariness into her voice. “I’ve got to think about a lot of things. I was wrong...”

“What?”

Good, but be careful. Never too much at one time.

Adagio yawned. “Nothing.” Laying her head on his chest once more, she closed her eyes and let him carry her down the mountain.

Author's Note:

If you are interested in a little more, there is an unused epilogue in my scraps story.

It can be found here.

Keep in mind that it's unused for a reason, though. I didn't end up caring for it, so your mileage with it may vary. A little bit of it ended up getting moving into this final chapter, so some of the dialogue might feel repetitive.

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