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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

The magic of Time may feel insignificant when held up to others, but it’s more powerful than you may yet realize. You possess the gift of life lived in the moment, the power to pause and see the beauty and wonder all around you, so you may better remember who you serve and why. And in those frozen solitary moments, it serves to remind you that even the greatest of rulers can only truly move forward and effect change in the world in synchronicity with those around us. This lesson—the lesson of companionship and trust—I derived great joy in watching you master. It is, perhaps, the greatest gift I could have given you. And it is the reason I felt ready to hand over my staff to you, by way of Doug, and to move forward into the next cycle of my life. We are both only changed from one form to another. . . .

With this key and my blessings, I leave you to your kingdom, and to Fleur. May you serve it well together.

With pride in all I’ve seen in you—both past and future,

Daniel Lyon

PS—This room has been neglected and would benefit from a full-time curator. I believe you may already know a person well-suited for the job.

A smile chases away the lump in my throat. I pull my phone from my pocket and click through my contacts. Auggie’s voice mail picks up.

“Hey, Auggie, It’s Jack. Give me a call when you get a chance. I’ve got a project I could use an expert’s help with.” As I disconnect, I can’t help admiring how perfectly Lyon’s plans always seem to fall into place, even in his absence.

I tuck the book under my arm, leaving the door to the restricted room wide open when I leave. The lights turn off on their own as I exit the room, the same way they’ll turn on again for the next Season who comes here looking for answers.

62

And We Moved on

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FLEUR

Jack’s late for dinner. Kai assures me he’s on his way and will be here before the evening’s entertainment is over. Like every night, the dining hall is full to the brim, every Season, Handler, and staff member packed into one room, the clatter of trays and silverware and chatter almost deafening. A snowball soars over our table, catching Julio in the shoulder as he stuffs the last of his garlic bread into his mouth. His head snaps up, a scowl on his face, until the chanting starts.

“Ju-li-oh! Ju-li-oh! Ju-li-oh!” Soon, everyone in the room is shouting his name, pounding their forks on the tables. A blush burns his cheeks as he reaches for his new guitar—a shiny, full-bodied acoustic Amber bought him a few weeks after they settled in here.