Page 66 of The Brotherhood

Beth looked at him, his arrogance taunting the wrong hormonal nerves. “You say that as if romance is some kindof irrelevant fantasy. You, who are isolated in this mountain, convinced that you’re the ones who understand the world, that you have some greater grasp of truth because you’ve studied chaos and broken it into theories and equations. When’s the last time any of you held a crying child? Or sat beside someone who was dying? Or gave up something you wanted just to make someone else’s life a little easier?”

“So you believe… love prevents chaos?” Noctis asked, carefully.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “And at the very least, it’s theonlything that makes chaos bearable.” She inhaled, trying to steady the fire burning in her chest. “Chaosisn’tsome unstoppable force. It’s what happens when people stop loving each other. When they become selfish, when they turn inward, when they stop choosing to care. I don’t need to understand chaos to love. I need to understand people so that I can love them so that no power, not even chaos, can touch them.”

Silence followed. Heavy. Thick.

“Tell us, Miss Sweetling,” Colton practically drawled. “What about your little…giftofpersuasion.You can make people do whatever you want. Assuming you believe in free will. How does this fit in with your love theory?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Graves,” she returned, matching his tone. “I didn’t give myself this ability.”

“Maybe chaos gave it to you,” he suggested with a grin.

“Maybe God did,” she returned, flatly.

“Ohhhhh,” one of the apprentices murmured, implying a weakness.

“Are you telling me you all are godless and faithless here, too?”

“Not I,” Zahir said with a raised hand.

“Nor I,” another said.

“Well, I am,” Colton said with a smug grin. “Does that mean I’m anagentof chaos?”

“Not necessarily,” Beth said, holding tight to her temper. “It could just mean you’re ignorant or stupid.”

The eruption of snickers, including Sinrik’s brought a stinging guilt to her neck as she held the arrogant gaze across the table.

He sat forward, grin asstoicas ever. “Well, then why don’t you put your money where your mouth is little lady, and show me what you got.”

Her head barely shook in disbelief. “I will surely not.”

“Aww, come on,” he beckoned with open mock. “Tell me to do something. Command me like you commanded Mr. Mayhem’s soldiers.”

“That’s enough,” Sinrik said, his words hard.

“Ahhh,” Colton said, gesturing to Sinrik with a proving hand. “The Master has spoken. Indefenseof the little lady.” He gave her a single nod with raised brows and shit eating grin. “Howquaint.”

Beth turned to Sinrik, her anger officially overflowing. “What are we doing here? Are we done? I’m done.”

“Let cool minds prevail,” Nexus pled.

For some reason, his eternal patience snapped what little she had left. “Yes, let the cool minds prevail,” Beth said, standing, her napkin falling to the table like a severed tie. “And when they do, maybe you’ll see what’s been in front of you all along—that the only chaos worth studying is the one you’ve created for yourselves. You sit here, dissecting destruction like scholars at a feast, writing theories while real people bleed, while real lives crumble under the weight of problems that your equations will never solve. You have locked yourselves away in this tomb, you have buried your humanity beneath endless,uselessphilosophies. And despite all your brilliance, all yourknowledge, you willneversee the simple truth—thatlove—not your precious chaos—is what moves this world. Your chaos theories are as hollow as this mountain. And mark my words, Kings,” she said to the four that should have known better than all of them. “Bothwill crumble beneath your foolish,arrogantfeet one day.”

CHAPTER 15

Run

Sinrik stilled, the moment Beth finished speaking.

He angled his ear, listening, focusing his senses on the air, right as the stone beneath his feet lightly vibrated.

Beth looked at him and the sight of her fear sent a wave of panic through him right as a tremor rocked the room. “What is that?” Sinrik demanded to the Kings.

They all exchanged frantic glances, looking up and around.

The room jolted and Sinrik lunged for Beth. He scooped her up and cradled her in his arms, running for the exit. Before he cleared it, another tremor hit, the stone groaning and torches flickering. Everybody ran for the main doors even the Keepers.

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