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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

“Do you smell that?” one of them asks.

“Smell what?”

“Something sweet.”

I breathe shallowly, reaching into my pocket for the nail file.

“Can’t smell anything over the fumes.” The Guard flips on a few more switches.

“Hey,” another one says. I catch the reflection of his transmitter light in the chrome frame of the stasis chamber across from me. I don’t dare move. “Control Room’s calling. Commander needs us upstairs. She says it’s urgent.”

The Guards’ boots move away from me. My held breath pours out of me as their voices disappear. Lifting my head, I peer over the stasis chambers. A few are still dark, but several more are lit, the blinking yellow lights on their control panels set to standby.

My stomach turns. This room . . . it’s just a giant holding cell.

Doug’s Guards are hunting freed Seasons, forcing them back, abducting them through the ley lines and tearing them from their new lives, as if he could ever put this place back the way it was. As if any amount of Reconditioning could ever make a freed Season forget what they had.

Enraged, I look around at the dozens of chambers waiting to be occupied. How many, like Jack and me, like Chill and Poppy, will be ripped out of each other’s arms tonight?

I grab a heavy fire extinguisher from its mount on the wall. Careful to avoid the occupied chambers, I swing it into the closest empty one, shattering the dome and smashing the control panel. If the stasis chambers aren’t online when the hunting party sets out, they’ll have no way to bring those Seasons back. I ruin every empty chamber in the cavern, one by one.

When I’m done, I stare at my bleeding hands. I won’t let Doug turn this place into the prison it was. We worked too hard and gave up too much for that.

I will not let him use me. I will not let him hurt Jack, or Chill, or anyone else.

If Doug wants to experience the power of Gaia’s magic, if he wants to know what kind of destruction it’s capable of, then I will find Gaia’s magic, and I will show him myself.

38

But Not a Ghost

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JACK

My eyes fly open. I reach across the bed for Fleur, but my arm hits the back of a couch. My leg flings over the side as I struggle to sit up and remember where I am.

A thin band of light seeps through the gap under the door of my dorm room. Shadows move on the other side of it. There’s a metallic shake as someone tests the knob.

I ease off the couch. A key scrapes into the lock.