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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

“Damn it, we don’t have time for this.” I summon my Winter magic. She reels back from me, shrieking as I grab her broken finger with a freezing hand. Pain like a heart attack grips my chest, and she gasps, doubling over as my magic pours into her. Her wound knits together as the bones in her finger straighten and fuse. When it’s over, I shove her away from me with a groan.

Fleur clutches her ribs, both of us panting as the pain of the magic ebbs. “That magic . . .” she breathes. “It’s going to kill you. No amount of practice is going to save you from that!”

“Only if you don’t kill us both first.” The park swims as I rub my chest, willing the pain to subside. I’ve seen some of the scant video footage of Jack and his friends while they were on the run from the Observatory. I know, in theory, how one weak Season and one strong Season can touch and share magic . . . how they can share power and heal each other. But nothing could have prepared me for this. The sudden loss of energy’s left me woozy and weak. Fleur, on the other hand, looks like she could summon every tree in this park to level me.

Her eyes dart to a branch above my head.

“Buckle up, Chronos,” she says, as I reach for my transmitter. “It’s going to be a very long night.”

30

Against Us in the Dark

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JACK

Kai runs, dragging me behind her, her bow jostling on her shoulder as she whips through the tunnel. Julio’s swearing, hollering for Amber to give them some light. A flame roars, and we break right at a fork, out of reach of the fire, my friends’ voices fading behind us. The blackness ahead is suffocating, disorienting. I can’t tell if my eyes are open or shut.

“How did you do that?” I pant.

“Humans can make magic, too. Sleight of hand. Rabbit out of a hat. Trick of the light. Anyone can do it,” she says, pulling me around another corner.

“But—”

“Keep your voice down. They’ll hear you.”

Kai hangs a sharp left. My shoulder scrapes the wall, the fresh stitches snagging on the rough stone as we change direction. I bark out a swear and jerk her to a stop.

“Do you even know where we’re going?”

She claps a hand over my mouth. I don’t hear Julio, Amber, Marie, or Poppy anymore, and a ripple of panic washes through me. I tear her hand away and hiss, “We can’t just leave them in the dark like that!”

I shield my eyes from the glare as her flashlight flicks on. The soft yellow cone shines up from her pocket, casting creepy shadows over her face.