Page 74 of Broken Forced Mate
But the cost of pushing my abilities beyond safe limits might be higher than I realized. My vision goes fuzzy as we reach the extraction point, and I collapse just as our backup team arrives.
The last thing I see before unconsciousness takes me is the horizon, where Thornridge forces will soon launch their assault on everything I’m fighting to protect.
Chapter 21 - Wyn
The extraction team brings Raegan back unconscious and bleeding from her nose.
“Get the medic,” I bark to Theodore as they carry her into the command center. Her skin looks gray, drained of color, and her breathing comes in shallow gasps.
“What happened out there?” I ask Jay, who led the backup team.
“We’re not sure. We found her collapsed at the rendezvous point with one of our intelligence specialists,” he reports. “Both of them were barely conscious. Raegan kept muttering about weapons and timelines.”
The medic arrives and starts checking Raegan’s vitals. “Psychic exhaustion,” she diagnoses after a quick examination. “Severe overuse of abilities. Her brain needs rest.”
“How long until she wakes up?”
“Could be minutes or hours. Depends on how far she pushed herself.”
I pace the small medical area while the medic works. Every minute Raegan stays unconscious is another minute we don’t have critical intelligence about Thornridge’s plans, but more importantly, it’s one more minute I don’t know if she’s going to be okay.
“Sir,” Theodore calls from across the room, “the intelligence specialist is awake.”
I hurry over to where our rescued operative sits propped against the wall. She’s beaten and exhausted but alert.
“Report,” I tell her.
“They have weapons powered by stolen Amanzite,” she begins as her debriefing training kicks in. “Magical constructs, unlike anything I’ve seen before. Cannons that can level buildings. Devices that drain life force from a distance.”
My blood runs cold. “How many?”
“Dozens in various stages of completion. They’re mass-producing them.”
“For what purpose?”
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t discuss strategy in front of prisoners. But the scale suggests they’re planning something far beyond taking our territory.”
Theodore frowns. “Could they be planning to attack multiple regions at once?”
“Maybe,” the specialist responds. “The weapons are designed for portability. Easy to transport and deploy quickly.”
“But why would they need so many?” I wonder aloud. “Even conquering our entire territory wouldn’t require that level of firepower.”
Raegan stirs on the medical cot, and I rush back to her side. Her eyes flutter open, and when she opens them, they seem unfocused and confused.
“Wyn?” she whispers.
“I’m here. How do you feel?”
“Like my brain’s been turned inside out.” She tries to sit up, but the medic pushes her back down.
“Stay still,” the medic orders. “You need rest.”
“We don’t have time for rest,” Raegan protests. “They’re attacking at dawn.”
“Dawn?” I check the clock. “That’s less than ten hours from now.”
“Mordaunt is coordinating the assault. From what I heard, they’re using a three-pronged attack designed to overwhelm our defenses and seize the Amanzite reserves.”
