The Seasons that Fall

The Seasons that Fall SEASONS DUOLOGY BOOK ONE H.E. SHOWS READHEAD PUBLISHING Copyright © 2023 by H.E. Shows Cover design by Selkkie Designs Map design 2023 by H.E. Shows All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. to my sisters who always made growing up feel like a fight to the death & to my children whose sibling rivalry has only just begun Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Acknowledgments About the Author 1 In the Land of Season “Quilo, the Winter King, is dead.” Brey Sullivan let the words sink into the silent bedroom. He watched as snow filtered in from the drawn window. A snowflake spiraled around the room on a phantom wind until it nestled gently on top of the king’s perfectly placed hands. Brey tore his eyes away from the sight. “We must call on the Four.” 2 In the Land of Texas Orla Fletcher sat on the edge of her messy bed. It was dark outside. Little light filtered in from the open window. The flickering of the broken lamppost on the edge of her parents’ house scattered shadows around her room. A small tick reverberated off the window shutters. She turned her head away from her phone to look out the window. Another tick sounded and then another. Orla stood and carefully padded over to the window to peer into the gray night. “Shh,” she hissed to the two dark figures running up to the house. “You’re going to wake up my parents.” “Well, hurry up,” Angela called from behind the bushes lining the property. Orla pushed against the window screen. It popped out easily. She threw a leg over the windowsill and slid out of the window, landing in the flower bed with a scrunch of leaves. She picked up the window screen and gently placed it back over the window. She didn’t push too hard, not wanting it to snap back into place and make it impossible to get back in later. She met her two friends on the edge of the front yard. They grabbed her by the shoulders and squealed with delight. “Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you,” Samantha sang close to her ear. Orla covered her ears to try to beat out the echo of their voices, but it was no use. “Shh,” Orla said, holding in a laugh. “If my parents wake up because of y’alls’ big mouths…” Orla trailed off. “No worries.” Angela pointed off into the distance. Orla followed Angela’s pointed finger and saw the outline of Angela’s car hidden in the woods a few blocks away. “We have a getaway car,” Samantha said with a wicked grin. Orla ran after her friends. Her heels clicked against the paved road as they snuck away. Angela hopped into the driver’s seat. “You two go push,” she said. “Why do we have to push?” Samantha whined. “Because it’s my car.” Angela put the car in neutral and waved to them to start pushing. “But it’s my birthday.” Orla rolled her eyes. “Oh, hush, just push,” Angela laughed. Orla walked to the back of the car. With her hands on the bumper, she and Samantha pushed the car farther down the road away from Orla’s house. Once they were far enough away, Orla saw Angela’s hand waving from the rolled-down window. “Get in.” Angela cranked the car. Orla and Samantha slid into the car. Orla looked back at the outline of her house, where her sleeping parents were. “Let’s party,” Samantha shouted. Orla threw a hand over her mouth, and Angela burst into laughter. “Not yet.” Orla held in her own laughter. “Your parents can’t hear us in here,” Samantha mumbled through Orla’s hand. “Ew.” Orla took her hand away from Samantha’s mouth and wiped the spit off onto her pants. “And you never know, my parents might have super hearing. They certainly never let me far from their sight.” Orla sighed. “Where are we going anyway?” “It’s a surprise,” Angela and Samantha sang together. Orla rolled her eyes and sat back into her seat. “You know I hate surprises,” she mumbled with arms across her chest. She met Angela’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Stop crying. It’s going to be a great night,” Angela said. “You bet it is.” Samantha wrapped an arm around Orla’s shoulder and brought her in for a tight hug. Orla couldn’t help but mimic the huge smile on her friend’s face. Knowing her two best friends, Orla was sure to have a night to remember. “It better be for me to risk sneaking out,” Orla said, pushing away from Samantha and settling back into her side of the back seat. “It’s not like you don’t do it all the time.” Angela shrugged. “Well, if my parents would let me go out like a normal