The drums returned before the next nightfall.
Kael woke to the sound, heart pounding. The entire camp was already in motion—men strapping on armor, women sharpening blades, children huddled in fear. The rhythm was closer now, shaking the very air.
Brann's face was grim as he buckled his swordbelt. "They've found us."
Selene stood near the palisade, silver eyes glowing. "They'll want the binder. Alive, if possible. Dead, if not."
Kael's blood went cold.
The whispers surged instantly. Yes! Fight them! Bind them all! Feed!
Kael stumbled back, clutching his chest. His chains writhed under his skin.
Brann gripped his shoulder hard. "Listen to me. You stay near me. Do not let them take you. Do not give them more than you can bear."
Kael nodded shakily, though he wasn't sure he could control it.
The first horn blast split the night. Then they came.
Figures poured from the ruins—Ash-Bound raiders. Some carried torches, others jagged weapons. Their bodies were scarred, their eyes burning with fanatic light. And some… some dragged slaves behind them, men and women whose skin was burned with black sigils, eyes hollow.
Kael's stomach twisted at the sight.
The raiders hit the palisade with a roar. Arrows flew. Spears thrust. The camp erupted in chaos.
Brann charged forward with a bellow, sword cutting down the first raider over the wall. Selene moved like water, her hands weaving sigils that sent bursts of silver light searing into the enemy.
Kael stood frozen—until the whispers screamed in unison. NOW!
Chains erupted from the ground, slamming into a raider who had vaulted the wall. They coiled around his limbs, dragging him down. His scream cut short as the shadow ripped free, stabbing into Kael's chest.
Power surged. Hunger flared. Kael gasped, staggering, then flung his hand again. More chains burst forth, dragging down two raiders at once. Shadows poured into him, filling him, drowning him.
Selene's silver eyes snapped toward him. For once, her calm cracked—just a flicker of awe, and fear.
Brann roared. "Kael! Control it!"
But Kael couldn't stop. Each shadow he bound made him stronger, faster. Each voice in his head louder. The battlefield blurred into red and black. He lashed out again and again, chains writhing like serpents.
The Ash-Bound faltered. Fear spread through their ranks as they saw what he was. But their leaders screamed louder, driving them forward. "The binder! Take him alive!"
Kael staggered as half a dozen raiders rushed him. He raised his hands, chains snapping out. But something was different this time.
The shadows resisted.
Instead of dissolving into him, they clawed back. Their whispers turned to screams—not of hunger, but of rage. For a moment, Kael felt them pulling at him. His vision swam.
He screamed, forcing the chains tighter. One by one, the shadows broke, flooding into him. But the effort left him trembling, on the edge of collapse.
Brann appeared at his side, sword cleaving through another raider. His face was a mask of fury and fear. "Enough, Kael! You'll kill yourself!"
Kael gasped, the whispers drowning everything else. "I… I can't—"
Selene's voice cut through the chaos, sharp as a blade. "Then don't fight the chains. Guide them!"
Her silver eyes locked on his. "Bend, Kael. Don't break!"
Something shifted. The chains no longer felt like shackles but extensions of himself. Instead of forcing them, he pulled gently, guiding their hunger rather than resisting it.
And for the first time, they obeyed.
Chains erupted around him in a storm, sweeping raiders aside, shattering weapons, dragging shadows into him. The battlefield froze in shock at the sight. Even Brann hesitated.
Kael stood in the center of it all, chest heaving, chains coiling around him like living serpents. His eyes burned with faint black light.
The Ash-Bound faltered. Then, with a roar, they broke and fled into the ruins, dragging their wounded. The drums fell silent.
Silence hung heavy over the outpost. Survivors stared at Kael with fear and awe. Whispers spread. Binder. Cursed. Weapon.
Brann's jaw was clenched, his sword dripping black. Selene's smile was faint, her silver eyes gleaming with something like triumph.
Kael swayed on his feet, trembling. The whispers inside him were louder than ever. But for the first time, they weren't only hunger.
They were waiting.
Watching.
And Kael wasn't sure if he had bent the chains… or if they had bent him.