At the visitor compound, the three mayors gathered in Orth's suite. So what if Dane found out about their after-dinner meeting. Everyone had to keep an eye in the back of their heads anyway, whether or not they were directly on the Capitol's radar at any given moment.

Levy, standing in front of the curtained balcony door in the sitting room, spoke first.

"Well, this is just great. Now we're stuck. The non-combat victors showed that fighting skills aren't everything. The tribute struck by lightning had enough time and everything she needed in the arena, to build a shelter before the storm hit. And this year, that bug bite wouldn't have been nearly fatal if that boy had known his medicinal plants. That's why we talked about expanding our tributes' training in the first place."

"The Capitol busted us, Scorp. You and Costa didn't exactly rise to the challenge." Orth plunked down on the sofa and slipped off her shoes. "I used the only leverage any of us have. I have to hand it to President Dane, though. I never saw that poker hand coming. And don't get the wrong idea about me. I have absolutely no desire to make waves, much less start an uprising. I just wanted Dane to remember where he gets some of his muscle from."

"I still can't believe you tried to strong-arm the President, Godlove. Especially on his turf. And Scorpio, would you get all that luxury stuff out of your brain cells for a minute. It's clouding your thought processes. We have something far bigger to worry about now."

At the bar, Halifax tossed back one drink and then another before addressing Orth again. "Thanks a lot for telling Scorpio and me that the Peacekeepers aren't all from the Capitol. Whatever that's about, please don't enlighten us further. We're lucky Dane didn't have all three of us executed on the spot."

"Take it easy," Orth said in mollifying tones. "Dane could go after us anytime, anywhere. But he's sophisticated enough to appreciate that living can be worse than dying, especially if you're always watching your back. Dead people don't provide goods, services, labor, or entertainment. Besides, what would either of you do with that knowledge? Unless you're planning something against the Capitol."

An awkward silence followed as Levy and Halifax considered Orth's words. Perhaps Dane had concluded that Orth would defiantly continue District 2's illegal training, no matter what he said. When the three of them were unexpectedly trapped in front of the President, she decided to have her fellow conspirators share the risk of being targeted for retaliation or punishment. Besides, Levy and Halifax hadn't anticipated the poker game either.

Orth finally said, "Look, we're still here; and we can still continue the combat training. We just have to forget everything else we wanted to do."

Halifax poured a third glass, carried it to the big armchair and flopped down. "I suppose so. There's still the Capitol training before the Games. Our tributes will already know how to handle weapons. We could tell them to skip those stations and concentrate on everything else. First aid, edible plants, camouflage, whatever. With six of them, they could cover all those bases in a week."

The mayors weighed Halifax's suggestion for a few minutes. Then Levy spoke.

"I see where you're coming from, Costa. But it's too risky. The Gamemakers might notice if our tributes suddenly stop going to the weapon stations altogether. And if they tell Dane, the kids will be finished before they start."

"Scorp's right. Dane figured we'd rather have half a loaf with only the combat training." said Orth. "We haven't really lost anything here. Remember the Ninth Games, when Belladonna Grant from Two won? It was her idea for the alliance to collect all the food from the Cornucopia at the beginning, so that the other players wouldn't have it. They've been doing that every year since. And it's had an unexpected benefit. When tributes don't need food, it frees up the sponsors' money for other gifts like medicine or tools."

"So that's it, then." Levy crossed the room to the bar. "Our tributes will continue as they've been doing, choosing for themselves which skills to focus on during the Capitol training. We can only hope that they choose well, so that in the arena the odds will be in their favor."

"Better save some of that hope for us," said Halifax. "In case President Dane decides down the road that watching us squirm has lost its entertainment value."

A/N: Godlove Stein Orth was a real person, a United States Congressman who represented Indiana from 1863 to 1883. I came across his name in a history book, and couldn't resist borrowing it.