The stairwell ended at a pair of tall, reinforced steel doors—heavy, imposing, marked with the faint, worn crest of the Black Fort. Beyond them: Vorin. The traitor. The top floor. Everything.
Aris pressed her ear to the cold metal, listening.
Muffled voices.
Laughter.
The clink of cups.
They're celebrating.
Confident.
Drunk with power.
Perfect.
She pulled back, nodding at Kael. "At least two inside. Maybe more. They're relaxed. Not expecting you."
Kael's jaw was hard, his golden eyes cold. "Good. It will make this faster."
Aris grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could charge in like a hero straight out of a bad story.
"Wait," she hissed. "You are not walking in there like you own the place. They'll shoot you before you finish your dramatic entrance. We do this my way."
"Your way?"
"Distract. Disable. Disarm. No speeches. No staring contests. Just win." She tapped her temple. "Smart, not loud. Remember: I still need you alive long enough to sell you."
Something like respect flickered in Kael's expression.
"Your way," he said.
Aris grinned, sharp and quick.
She stepped back, raised her leg, and slammed her boot directly into the door lock.
It shattered.
The doors flew inward.
Chaos erupted.
Two guards spun, reaching for their guns.
Vorin – a broad, scar-faced man with a sneer permanently etched onto his face – shot to his feet from the lord's chair, spilling wine.
Aris didn't give anyone time to think.
She threw a small, loose metal pipe she'd grabbed from the armory. It hit the first guard square in the face.
He went down.
The second guard fired wild.
Kael moved.
He blurred across the room, slammed the man's gun hand upward, and drove his elbow into his ribs. The guard crumpled.
One breath.
Two enemies down.
Only Vorin remained.
The traitor stared at Kael, face pale, then sneered. "You survived the fall. Impressive. But you think you can take back what's mine?"
"Mine," Kael corrected. His voice was ice.
Aris leaned against the doorframe, cleaning her nails with a knife, completely unbothered.
"Y'know," she said casually, "for a traitor, you're really bad at this. No extra guards. No traps. Just… wine and ego. Disappointing."
Vorin's gaze snapped to her, furious. "Who is this brat?"
"Me," Aris smiled sweetly, "the person who's gonna loot everything you own after he kills you. Try to look impressive while it happens. I like my loot stories dramatic."
Kael's lips almost twitched.
Almost.
"You think she can save you?" Vorin laughed, reaching for a hidden gun at his waist.
Aris's knife left her hand before he even touched the grip.
It buried itself in his wrist.
Vorin screamed, stumbling back.
Kael closed the distance in one step, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.
The room went silent.
No more laughter.
No more bravado.
Just a traitor, and the lord he'd betrayed.
"You turned my men against me," Kael said, quiet and deadly. "You killed anyone loyal to me. You burned my outposts."
"I wanted what you had!" Vorin gasped. "Power! Respect! The fort!"
"You had respect," Kael said. "You chose greed."
Aris wandered over to the lord's table, picked up the wine bottle Vorin had been drinking from, and sniffed it.
"Ooh, this is good," she said. "Definitely keeping this. Also, can we hurry this up? I've got storage rooms to plunder."
Kael didn't look away from Vorin.
"Final chance," he said. "Surrender. Live."
Vorin laughed, bloody and bitter. "You'll kill me anyway."
"Probably," Kael admitted.
He slammed him unconscious.
The body slid to the floor.
Silence.
Aris blinked.
"No dramatic speech? No evil monologue? I'm offended."
Kael turned to her, the cold fury fading from his eyes, leaving only exhaustion.
"It's over," he said.
Aris stared at him.
At the lord's chair.
At the fortress they'd just reclaimed.
Then she grinned.
"Over for you," she said. "For me? It's just getting started. Now c'mon, my lord. You've got a wine cellar to show me. And I've got a fortune to steal."
Kael actually laughed.
Outside, the Wasteland waited.
Inside, the Black Fort was his again.
And Aris?
She was still going to sell him.
…Probably.