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Back Seasons of Chaos Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. Epilogue
  66. Acknowledgments
  67. About the Author
  68. Books by Elle Cosimano
  69. Back Ad
  70. About the Publisher

Her knuckles whiten around her bow. She nods once, the faintest dip of her chin, as if she knows I’m watching. Her mouth moves, her lips forming a single silent word: Go.

She juts her chin once toward the tunnel. Her hand slides from the bow to the neck of a water bottle, prying it open as the others continue talking between bites of bread. She sets the bottle down beside her and reaches into her pocket.

What is she doing?

Without a sound, she withdraws a spool of fishing line. She glances up at me as she ties the end of the clear filament to an arrow hidden under her outstretched leg.

Understanding burns the last of the fog from my head. I start backing down the tunnel. That’s all the cue Kai needs.

She rolls onto one knee, lifting her bow and taking aim at the torch. Poppy shrieks, ducking her head as the arrow finds its mark. Kai jerks hard on the string, yanking the torch from its hole. The others recoil from the spray of sparks as Kai pulls the torch across the ground, dragging it hand over hand toward herself. There’s a shout and a hiss as she empties her water bottle over the flame, plunging the cavern into darkness.

I turn, feeling my way through the tunnel. Kai plows into my back, pushing me deeper into the cave.

“Faster!” She takes my hand, pulling me behind her. Arrows rattle in the quiver under her arm. There’s scuffling in the chamber as the others scramble after us. Amber calls my name and Julio swears as the catacombs swallow us whole.

28

A Deeper Roar

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FLEUR

I’ve been drifting in and out of sleep for an hour, probably more, my heels hanging over the end of the sofa in Doug’s apartment. The security alarm chimes, and I sit up fast as the door flies open.

Doug storms into the room. He strips off a pair of black leather gloves and tosses them on the arm of the sofa as he drops into it, releasing an angry sigh. One of the gloves slips over the edge and falls on the floor, leaving a smear of red on the fabric. I kneel and pick it up.

“Why is there blood on your hands?” I ask. The leather is soaked, staining my fingers. I catch a hint of peppermint and pine. Winter magic.

My breath comes quick when I remember the feed on the TV screen. Doug was carrying his scythe when he visited Chill’s cell.

But this blood isn’t Chill’s. Only faintly tinged with residual hints of magic, it smells too human, as if it belonged to a Winter once.

My mind reels back to Doug’s argument with Lixue. The incident at the south portal. Something about a breach . . . “Whose blood is on your hands?”

Doug laughs under his breath, and my knees threaten to buckle.