The Automaton's Whisper. The Clockwork Heart Saga, #2

Now marked as dissidents, Callen Vex and his allies-Tessera Vale and Brother Gannon-are forced deeper underground, their fight against the Ministry of Progress escalating. The city of Veridia grows eerily silent as the Ministry isn't just about control; they are developing a terrifying new form of automated warfare, merging forbidden magic with advanced clockwork to create monstrous, sentient constructs known as "Iron Sentinels." These Sentinels are slowly replacing the city's human guards, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Tessera uses her airship to smuggle vital parts and information, while Brother Gannon leverages his underground network of dissidents and sympathetic citizens. Meanwhile, Kerro, Callen's loyal automaton, begins to exhibit increasingly complex, almost sentient, behaviors, hinting at a connection to the older, more powerful automatons that once protected Veridia's founders. The team learns of the "Clockwork Heart, " a legendary, ancient device said to be the true power source of Veridia, now hidden or corrupted by the Ministry.
In The Automaton's Whisper, they face profound moral dilemmas as they must sometimes destroy the very machines they love, knowing they've been twisted for malevolent purposes. The narrative builds to a daring infiltration of a Ministry research facility, where they encounter the first fully functional Iron Sentinel and discover the terrifying scope of Minister Halric Dorne's ultimate weapon.