Ironbound

In the Iron Empire, only the strongest are given a chance to Ascend. Castor has always wanted to fuse with a Cor Heart — an otherworldly metal that would let him bind a Symbol and manipulate the elements. When his chance is interrupted by a vicious attack that leaves his home in ruins and his family in peril, Castor is conscripted into the Legions and bound to a Symbol he never wanted. He must now survive the Iron City, enemies in the frozen North, and clandestine traitors within the rusting Empire — all while seeking revenge.

Lost and forgotten, Castor is a prisoner of the very Iron Empire he once served. He guards a dangerous secret — that he has bound a second Symbol — with his life, knowing the Censors would execute him on the spot if they knew. There is only one path to freedom and vengeance: earning it through spilling blood for one of the great Houses. The dead gods stir in their rotting slumber, dangerous enemies stalk his new master, and Castor must learn the secrets of his Cor Heart and reach new heights of power before it is too late.