“Where’s your smaze?” Lixue asks me with a cutting smile. “Oh, wait. I’m pretty sure your guard dog—and your magic—just turned up in a stasis chamber in the gymnasium in the north wing. I guess Sampson turned on you, too. Too bad,” she says with a careless shrug. “You two defectors deserved each other.”

I hold up my hands. Keep my voice calm. “Kai Sampson left because she knew this place was spiraling out of control. Doug’s going to bring this entire place down. All we want to do is put things back the way they were. To restore the balance. There’s still time to do the right thing and let us go.”

“Put things back the way they were?” She barks out a laugh. Her eyes slide to Chill, Amber, and Julio as they climb out of the shaft behind me. “What do you think we’ve been trying to do? Do you have any idea how many Seasons are loose up top? Do you have any idea what happens when they can’t survive out there alone? They’re in the wind, Jack! Their territories are deserted! And these storms and quakes and fires and floods are the result. People are dying! They’re dying everywhere! And it’s supposed to be our job to keep the world balanced! To keep control of it!” Her eyes well with tears, all casual pretenses abandoned to rage. “This is all your fault! This all started when you and your girlfriend decided you were too good for this place. Your selfishness started the rebellion that got us here. All Doug wants to do is restore order to chaos.”

“He is Chaos!” I shout. “Don’t you see what’s happening to him? He can’t control that much magic. It’s going to rip him apart. And when it does, everyone in this place is going to be in the wind right along with him.”

Her twisted scowl is full of contempt. “Then how about you go first?”

Her flame roars as she advances toward us. The other Guards follow, one wielding a lance of ice, the other a sphere of churning water. Julio, Amber, and Chill take up positions beside me. There’s a hiss of fire, a crackle of ice, and a rush of water as they prepare to counter the attack.

Suddenly, the ground shakes, throwing Lixue to her knees. We all reach to steady ourselves as the tremor takes hold. Plaster splinters, falling in chunks from the ceiling. A crack splits the marble floor with a deafening snap.

Lixue backs away from it, touching her transmitter.

“Chronos, do you read me?” she shouts. A squawk. Chatter over the radio. A Guard’s voice is broken by static, the words too garbled to catch. “Chronos and the Spring . . . up top . . . not answering his . . .”