"They won't," I cut in. "Not soon enough. We likely have six months before their probe turns truly threatening. During that window, we fortify the kingdom, neutralize Ironwood, and ready ourselves to retrieve Alaric securely."
"Six months," Martin echoes. "And within that span, we are expected to prevail in a civil war, preserve our coalitions, and somehow arrange safe passage into a cursed realm?"
"Yes," Kael and I reply in unison.
Silence settles briefly. Then Theron speaks.
"What is our strategy?"
We devote the next two hours to mapping it out.
Priority: Ironwood. They pose the most urgent danger, actively seeking to fracture the kingdom. We must either reclaim their allegiance or subdue them entirely.
Second: Strengthen our alliances. Shadowpeak wavers, yet other packs remain pe
