What he didn't Burn -Bound by Dark Series- Story 9.5 by E.Kane
They made camp where the borderland stone rose just enough to break the wind. No wards were drawn. No banners hung. Nothing about the place announced importance. That, Nyx knew, was the point. The fire burned low within a shallow ring of stones, its flame contained, disciplined. It crackled softly, more presence than threat. Beyond it, the forest pressed close, ironwood silhouettes twisting against the dark, their roots half-buried in ash and old magic. Nyx sat with his forearms resting on his knees, his gaze fixed on the fire. Not lost in it. Measuring it. He could feel the fire beneath his skin still, steady, coiled, alert. It hadn’t vanished when he chose restraint. It hadn’t punished him for refusing its release. That unsettled him more than the ambush had. Across the fire, the Empress watched him. Not openly. Not constantly. Attentively. “You held back,” she said at last. “Yes.” The word came easily. The truth behind it did not. “That cost you,” she continued. He didn’t answer ...
