Iron Tyrant

Cast into a brutal military camp by his once loving master, Mateo feels like the last six wonderful years of his life have been a lie. With the mysteries surrounding him growing, Mateo knows that his only option is to become one of the supernaturally powerful Duelists and grow in power until he can take his fate into his own hands. That plan is thwarted from the beginning when he gets stuck with the lowest-ranked Root Card against his will, ensuring that his growth as a Duelist will always be excruciatingly slow.

Having passed his initial assessment, Mateo has been assigned to learn the craft of the Dark Wing, the information-gathering branch of the Iron Wing Army. But it quickly becomes apparent that Dark Wing does a lot more than gather information when he is sent to infiltrate an enemy city to pave the way for a surprise attack.

Oathbound to the fifth prince of the empire, Mateo and his friends head north. The Fifth Prince, Isaac Cassius Kell, has been sent from the empire’s capital to the mountainous northern border, and Mateo and his Iron Wing Feather have been sent along to keep him safe. Tasked with guarding and advising the prince, Mateo quickly realizes that the job is more complicated than he anticipated.

Torn apart, both body and soul, and bound to the figure and memories of the Fifth Prince of the Empire of Kell, Mateo has been thrust into the center of a political maelstrom. His siblings want him dead so they can claim the throne, the scheming nobility intend to use him and cast him aside, and his father, the Emperor, fully intends to throw him at every impossible challenge he can find. Yet Mateo was never one to back down from a challenge and he isn’t about to start now.