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Back Seasons of Chaos
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

“It’s odd,” I say in a low voice, almost to myself, as I watch the smazes weave through the holes in the vents. “I’ve never seen a snake in the Observatory before.” As long as I’ve lived here, there have only been the crows, bees, flies, and smazes—the creatures Gaia uses as vessels for magic. If it were an ordinary pet, it wouldn’t be kept in a tank inside a locked office. It would live in the menagerie with all Gaia’s other creatures, until it became a host for some dead Season’s soul.

No, this snake is different. Its eyes aren’t ordinary at all. They remind me too much of Gaia’s.

Kai’s shudder ripples the surface of the pool. “I hate snakes. That one was creepy. Like the one in the painting in the gallery.”

I turn sharply to face her. “Which painting?”

“The one of Chronos and Ananke.”

Sweat beads on my lip and I wipe it away. I’ve marched past that painting a thousand times on my way to and from the Control Room. It’s the only representation of Ananke that exists on the campus. In it, she’s depicted as a serpent. And Kai’s right. The eyes of the snake in Lyon’s office are the same as the ones in the painting—the same as Gaia’s. Diamondlike. Faceted, like the crystal eye in the staff.

I can’t believe I didn’t realize it before. Those eyes. The similarities.

“We should go,” Kai says. “The Guards are going to come looking for us soon.” She takes a few steps toward the other side of the pool, but I take her by the arm and drag her back through the water, keeping us out of earshot of the smazes.

“What if the snake isn’t a pet?”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Why else would the snake be kept in Lyon’s office, apart from all Gaia’s other creatures and spies, if it isn’t special? If it isn’t worthy of a place closer to Chronos?” As my excitement rises, so does my voice. It takes everything inside me to tamp my adrenaline down. “What if the snake is a host for Ananke’s magic?”

Kai shakes free of my grip, her face paling. “Then I vote we leave it alone. There’s a reason that thing is in a cage.”

I corner her, forcing her to hear me out. “Don’t you see? Michael must have trapped her soul when he killed her and put her magic inside that snake.” She stares at me the same way I’d stared at the images projected on Lyon’s desk, both mesmerized and too afraid to look away.

“So?”