The birds surrounded Daphne and pushed her towards one side of the mountain where there was a deep, dark hole. She didn't want to go in the hole, but whenever she tried to go in a different direction, one of the Parliament would be there, their beak sharp and ready to peck her. So far, they had just bitten her on the hands, but she knew if she tried to escape again, they would bite her in more painful places. She felt the sharp stings in her palms and she felt sick when she saw the blood.
So she was herded into the hole and inside there was a wooden stair that led down, down, down. There was no light, so she only knew she had reached the bottom when her feet unexpectedly touched dirt. She felt her way along the walls and wondered whether she should stay where she was or move along further. Could there be a way out of this?
HELLO, DAPHNE BLACKWELL. There was a voice. It was a voice unlike any she had ever heard or, perhaps more accurately, like every voice she had ever heard,
but all layered on top of one another. WE ARE THE DISCORDANT SYMPHONY.
"Oh," she said. "I can't really see you in this darkness."
DARK? the Discordant Symphony said. IS IT DARK?
"Yes," Daphne said. "There's no light at all."
THERE IS ALWAYS LIGHT, the Symphony said. LOOK.
There was a bright flash of light and Daphne's eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough so that she was temporarily blinded. She shielded her eyes from the bright light.
WHY DO YOU AVERT YOUR EYES? the Symphony asked. DID YOU NOT WANT LIGHT?
"It's too bright," Daphne said and then, since she seemed to compulsively apologize, said, "I'm sorry. How do you see?"
OUR SIGHT DOES NOT WORK LIKE YOURS. WE DO NOT REQUIRE LIGHT. WE DO NOT KNOW DARKNESS. WE DO NOT HAVE EYES NOR EARS NOR MOUTHS.
"Then how are you talking?" Daphne asked.
WE DO NOT TALK, the Symphony said. WHAT YOU ARE HEARING IS NOISE, THE MOTION OF AIR. WE ARE THAT MOTION. WE ARE ALL MOTION. WE CAN MOVE AND MAKE THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT YOU HAVE EVER SEEN...
Daphne shielded her eyes further as the light became brighter.
...OR WE CAN MAKE A DARKNESS SO IMPENETRABLE, YOU CANNOT CONCEIVE OF ANYTHING DARKER.
The light vanished and Daphne lowered her hands, but when she reached out to touch a wall, there was none. She was in a sea of darkness. She couldn't feel anything, couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. All she knew was that there was ground beneath her, but she could have been on an island surrounded by silent waves and she would never know about it.
She sank to the ground and wrapped her hands around her knees. Suddenly, she was very, very scared.
"What do you want?" Daphne asked.
WE ARE THE DISCORDANT SYMPHONY. WE WANT NOTHING. WE WANT WHAT YOU KNOW.
"But I don't know anything!" Daphne cried.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING, THEN YOU KNOW NOTHING, the Symphony said.
"I wish I did know about the Nothing," she said. "I would tell you, really. But I don't."
VERY WELL.
"You believe me?" Daphne asked quietly.
WE CAN HEAR THE LIES FROM TRUTHS. BUT THE PROPHECY STATES THAT YOU WILL WIELD THE NOTHING AND THUS YOU SHALL DO SO WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF IT. THEREFORE, WE MUST KNOW MORE.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
The bright light came back and Daphne shielded her face again.
WE WILL LEARN THE WAY WE ALWAYS LEARN.
The light became brighter and Daphne covered her eyes, but there was a buzzing her ears and it was making her skin crawl. She wanted to lie down and pull a blanket over her head, but she didn't have a blanket. She missed her home and her bed and her parents so very much.
WE WILL SHOW YOU.
And then the world disappeared.
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