* * * * *
Once the meeting had dispersed, Teresa waited to send out a message to Isela and Ivy, since she knew that they were more or less in accordance with her ideas. It was several days before she got any response from either of them, but when she did, they said that they would rather meet in person than discuss anything over a message.
There was a pond that was close to where Teresa lived, surrounded by trees but otherwise distant from the rest of the populated world, that of wolves or otherwise. She was able to relax on the bank, Ivy against a tree, and Isela was comfortable pretty much everywhere. The two of them arrived together, but they all wordlessly settled in before Teresa said anything. They knew the conversation would not be over quickly.
“We need to go about this differently. We need to communicate with the Ironborn somehow. I will not allow for any more of our good people to die because Coren won’t approach this in a way that he knows is the only way to avoid all-out war.”
Isela nodded slowly, but she wasn’t sure how they were going to accomplish any peace, even though she wanted them to be able to. “But the Ironborn refused to even listen to our messenger. They threatened her life. How would we even get them to listen to us?”
Ivy was actually the one who spoke next, and she sounded more confident speaking her mind with the two of them. The rest of the Council was what intimidated her. Especially the males, since she was not yet mated, and therefore she really didn’t want to look less appealing to anyone. “More importantly,” she still said in a soft voice. “How do we get it past Coren and the rest of the bloodthirsty? Even if we do get the Ironborn to agree to peace, how in the world would we get the rest of the Council to listen to us and agree to the terms we come to?”
Teresa sighed and addressed Isela’s concern first, since she was the one who had responded first. “I have contacts with the Ironborn.” She admitted in a whisper that barely skittered across the top of the water where she relaxed into their ears. “They’ll listen to what we have to say at least. I know that. Coming to an agreement might be a whole different matter, but I know they’ll listen to us.”
Isela was a little surprised, but she was also quite impressed that Teresa had such contacts after so little time in the Council. It had taken her a long time to build up a base that she felt was reliable enough to really utilize. “Well, that’s more than I thought we had. So they’ll listen to us.” She looked over at Ivy and nodded at her before she looked back at Teresa. “But Ivy’s right. How do we get the rest of the Council to agree to whatever we can get the Ironborn to agree to?”
Ivy was surprised by Isela’s support, but it gave her even more confidence in herself, and she waited to hear what Teresa might have to say about that. Teresa looked down at the water around her legs, and it started to create a whirlpool around her that slowly wrapped up further around her legs as she stood there.
“We’ll do whatever it takes. If they don’t come to some kind of understanding that will work, the Ironborn will destroy us all. Many, many more of our people will die. The Ironborn might not have had as much of a chance before, but with Candra and the Shadowborn,” she’d met him of course, but she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to reveal to the two of them just yet, “they’ve turned this whole thing around. This is now about survival. And when that happens, it’s time to let the wolves inside us do the controlling. The wolf will keep us alive. It always has, it always will. And as wolves, we know that when something stands in your way of surviving…you destroy it.”
Ivy shivered a little and then she dropped her voice to a whisper again. “You sound a little like Coren.”
Teresa glared at Ivy, but she didn’t answer harshly. “No one has ever questioned Coren’s intelligence. Only his wisdom. I might sound like him, but I’m not the fool he is. I don’t overestimate our power and underestimate our enemies. I put my support behind the side that is going to win. And right now, it’s hard to tell who that is. But I’m hoping that maybe it won’t go to a war. That’s the point of talking to the Ironborn, after all.”
Both Isela and Ivy nodded and they buried themselves in their element a little more to try and relax, since it was definitely stressful going into a situation acting against the Council they were a part of. Eventually, after they all felt a little more relaxed, Teresa spoke again. “Well, then. We’re in agreement. Let the games begin.”
* * * * *
It was two nights before the next Fulness when Teresa finally received a message back from Nick by way of the messenger. The boy came back fearful and still shaken by his experience with the Ironborn, but alive and unharmed at least, and he stood in front of Teresa looking around nervously. “My lady, I am…instructed to tell you that Nickel, Alpha of the Ironborn, has declined your request for peaceful settlement at the present time, but he wishes you to know that he continues to wish you and your people no ill will.”
Teresa nodded and then sighed as she looked away for a moment. “Did he say anything else?”
“Yes, my lady. He asked me to deliver a further message to you, with his strictest hopes that you will, as a
