the Bones of Empire: 2

In the aftermath of a devastating battle at a mountain pass, Kaenas Wynters and his companions-including his brother Damien, the seasoned warrior Rowan, and his wife Lyra, flee the imperial army's advance. Kaenas possesses copper eyes, a mark that has made him the target of an empire-wide manhunt. When the group discovers that the empire is mobilizing not just to defeat them militarily but to specifically eliminate Kaenas, they flee toward Tavros, a free city outside imperial control. Rowan reveals cryptically that Tavros holds answers about Kaenas's true nature and that the empire learned long ago to fear those with copper eyes. The group races through ancient forests toward sanctuary, unaware that their pursuers include specialized mage-hunters trained specifically to track and kill individuals like Kaenas. Upon reaching Tavros, the group gains audience with the city's Council and presents evidence of an imminent three-pronged siege. The Council agrees to an alliance, offering sanctuary in exchange for defending the city. However, the empire's true strategy becomes clear when mage-hunters infiltrate Tavros itself, carrying forbidden seeker's rods designed to track copper magic. During an encounter in the city's central market, Kaenas's copper amulet, a protective artifact created generations ago, reacts violently to the presence of an otherworldly entity that the hunters are attempting to contain. In a desperate moment, Kaenas stops resisting the amulet's pull and merges with the entity, absorbing its presence into himself and gaining unprecedented magical abilities. The hunters recognize him as their primary target, and the chase intensifies.