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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

I fall back on my knees with the passports in my hands, rocked by that same thrill I felt the day I found the maps and the poems he left for me in the Library of Congress two years ago, on this exact same day, when I figured out what Jack had planned.

When I realized what he was willing to risk for us.

“Jack?” His name comes out on a shaky whisper. How could he think for one minute that he’s not enough for me? That he doesn’t save me with every touch. That he doesn’t complete me with every breath. How could he ever mistakenly believe he’s not made entirely of magic?

11

A World Torn Loose

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DOUG

Lixue watches me from across the dusky room, cupping a flame. Her face and hair are white with plaster dust. She looks at me like she’s seeing a ghost. “Should we go after her?”

Spitting out a last mouthful of blood, I drag a hand through the ash and sweat on my face. My left eye burns from all the dust, and the empty right socket throbs. Gaia’s magic swirls in the orb, casting a pale glow over the room. “No.” My voice comes out raw. “You won’t find her. Not here.” By now, Kai is probably deep in the catacombs, and there aren’t enough of us to split up and track her.

Lixue glances at the staff where it lies across the desk, accepting my answer as if I must have seen the future in it. But it wasn’t Kai’s future I saw that made everything clear to me. It was her past. That conversation she had with Lyon last week had nothing to do with me. Lyon never cared about saving me. Lyon’s only goal was to protect Jack. That was all he wanted from Kai. He convinced her it was the right thing to do—the path to forgiving herself. Every decision Kai’s made has been motivated by guilt, and he manipulated that. Her choices now will be no different.

She feels responsible for all these deaths—the Guards, Gaia, Lyon. . . . I saw it in her eyes—her horror as she watched him die, the way she looked at me. . . . I saw her remorse when he uttered his final words, as if he’d spoken them directly to her: There’s still time to make the right choice.

In that moment, Kai made her choice. She chose Lyon. Which means she chose Jack.

And I’d bet my staff that’s exactly where she’s going.

“What do we do now, Chronos?”

The question shakes me from my thoughts. It takes me a moment to register what Lixue called me.

Chronos.