Page 79 of Broken Forced Mate
“She’ll want to know why someone is mass-producing magical weapons powered by stolen Amanzite. That kind of operation threatens the balance she’s spent centuries maintaining.”
“You think Thornridge is planning something bigger than conquering our territory?”
“I know they are. The scale of their weapon production doesn’t make sense for a regional conflict. They’re preparing for something much larger.”
Jay pulls out a communication device. “She’s still in town. Let’s send for her.”
Theodore, who has been standing nearby, nods and starts composing the communication to the matriarch.
“What about our fighters?” I ask Oren. “Do they understand the situation?”
“They know we’re facing overwhelming odds against an enemy with advanced weapons. They’re here anyway.”
“And if we ask them to hold defensive positions for hours while outnumbered?”
“They’ll do their job.”
The confidence in his voice reassures me. Grayhide fighters have a reputation for stubbornness that might serve us well in the coming battle.
“Positions need to be finalized before Thornridge scouts get close enough to spot our preparations,” Theodore warns.
“Then we’d better get moving.”
Chapter 22 - Raegan
The matriarch arrives with an army I didn’t expect.
Lydia steps out of a convoy of vehicles that seems to stretch for miles, followed by fighters from at least three different territories. Llewelyn warriors in their distinctive blue and silver armor walk alongside Ambersky shifters, while robed figures I don’t recognize bring up the rear.
“How many did she bring?” Wyn asks, appearing beside me as we watch the procession.
“More than we hoped for,” I reply, though the coordination challenges are already obvious. Traditional pack fighters don’t move the same way as Llewelyn’s disciplined units, and the robed figures seem to operate by completely different rules.
Lydia strides over to us and says, “I brought specialists. Witches from the eastern covens, battle mages from Llewelyn, and healing units from multiple territories.”
“Can they work together?” Oren asks, joining our group.
“They’ll have to. Your enemy isn’t limiting himself to conventional warfare. We can’t, either.”
She’s right. The magical weapons Thornridge deployed require supernatural countermeasures. But watching the different groups establish their own separate camps, I wonder if we’ll spend more time coordinating our allies than fighting our enemies.
The Llewelyn forces move with such synchronicity that it makes our pack fighters look chaotic by comparison. Their commander, a stern woman with silver hair, makes her way over to us.
“I’m Captain Morwen,” she introduces herself. “My units are trained in adaptive assault tactics and magical weapon countermeasures.”
“Have you faced anything like what Thornridge is using?” I ask.
“Similar technology during the border conflicts ten years ago. The key is disrupting their power sources before they can achieve target lock.”
One of the robed figures floats toward us, pulling back her hood to reveal an elderly woman with detailed tattoos covering her hands and forearms.
“Elder Nettle,” she says by way of introduction. “Eastern Coven representative. We’ve brought thirty-seven witches specialized in battlefield magic.”
“What kind of capabilities?” Wyn inquires.
“Illusion work, magical barriers, energy disruption, and healing enhancement. We can also provide scrying support to gather real-time intelligence.”
“Brief me on the current situation,” Lydia commands.
