Chapter 6

"Yeah, I know who he is", Brutus spat. "I asked what he was doing here!"

The reaping was only a few days away, and Brutus was annoyed that Marcus called an emergency conference. It was bad enough that he was being forced to start this job a week early, but on top of it, Marcus insisted on bringing the freak of Victor's Village with him.

Marcus motioned for Konstance to take a seat, then he cleared his throat. "When I retire, Konstance will be taking my place as mentor."

Brutus couldn't believe it. "You're kidding me, right? This pansy?"

"Yes, that pansy", Marcus calmly stated as he took his seat at the end of the table.

Brutus turned to Konstance. "You think you're an expert on the arena? Huh? Tell me again, oh great expert, how many kills did you get during the games? Oh, that's right. I remember. NONE!"

Marcus ignored the outburst. "I believe he is the best suited for the position."

"The hell he is!" Brutus yelled, turning his attention to Marcus now. "How about choosing someone who actually won the games?"

Brutus and Konstance glared at each other.

"There are more ways to win the games than by beating someone over the head with a rock", Marcus calmly replied.

When Brutus saw that Konstance wasn't going to back down, he grunted, then plopped down into one of the many chairs surrounding the table. "Fine. Whatever. What's this meeting for, anyway? I thought we already decided which volunteers we were sending to the arena."

"Yes, we did; however, something has come up. Valeria has fallen ill, and even if she recovers in time for the games, I feel that she will be too weak to compete at the level that is expected of a District 2 tribute."

Brutus rolled his eyes. "Great. I assume you have someone else in mind?"

"I do." He pulled several photographs out and placed them on the table. "Her name is Silica Vangrum."

"Never heard of her", Brutus retorted. "Who the hell is Silica Vangrum?"

"I believe Konstance here can vouch for her." Marcus slid one of the photographs across the table toward him. Konstance picked up the photo and casually glanced at it. Then he did a double-take. It was Penny.

"Yeah, like I give a shit about his opinion", Brutus waved him off. "What's wrong with Victoria? Or Cassandra?"

Marcus groaned. "We've been over this already. Victoria is a good sword fighter, but that's all she is. Even if she survived the bloodbath- and there's no guarantee that she would- with her gung-ho attitude, she would storm straight into a gamemaker trap without the slightest degree of caution. And Cassandra, bless her soul, is dumb as a brick. We can't have someone like that representing us."

"But she can fight!"

"How many times must I say it? There's more to the games than fighting! You've been there, you know what it's like. If you don't have the wits for it, it's a death sentence. It's been three years since we've had a victor. This is my last chance to secure one, and I'm not about to send in some thick-headed floozy!"

Konstance looked up from the photograph. "Does this Silica have a twin sister? I swear I have seen this girl in my self-defense classes."

Marcus smiled. "You likely have. She doesn't have any siblings, but she does have several pseudonyms. You might know her better as Penny Tremaine."

"Penny? You want to send Penny into the arena?"

Brutus butted in. "See? Even the pansy thinks it's a terrible idea."

Konstance shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just thought it was an interesting choice. If she really was able to pull off sever alter egos without being caught, I think it's promising." He slid the photo back to Marcus. "It means she's crafty as well as clever, and she's not a bad fighter. I think it's worth a shot."

"not a bad fighter", Brutus mocked. "Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

Konstance shrugged. "All I'm saying is that I wouldn't want to be in the arena with her."

Brutus appealed to Marcus, "You're going to take his word on it?"

"As much as you may want to argue otherwise, Konstance was a victor. If you disagree with my decision, we can always put it to a vote, but I believe you are outnumbered."

Brutus ground his teeth. "Fine. Whatever. At least I still have one skilled fighter to work with."

Konstance studied Brutus. He might seem thick-headed, but he did respect Marcus's decisions. He gave him that much. It meant that there was some sense of honor in him, which was promising.

Marcus sighed. "That's the other matter we need to discuss."

Brutus threw up his hands. "What, now Mason isn't good enough for you either? If top of the class isn't good enough, what is?"

"It's not that", Marcus shook his head. "Mason has withdrawn his application. It is out of our control."

It wasn't something Brutus could argue with it. He simply nodded.

Konstance jumped in. "Why would he withdraw his application so close to the reaping? I mean, he's been training for this since he was a kid, right? Why now, when it's just a few days away? Why would he throw away what he's been working for his whole life?"

"He probably just got cold feet", Brutus retorted. "That's fine, let him go." He waved it aside. "That's why we do this, right? To weed out the cowards. No sweat, Viktor is just as good. We'll just send him instead."

Marcus shook his head again. "No, I believe Konstance has a point. I don't think it would be a good idea to send Viktor this year."

Brutus bolted upright. His chair skidded backward, slamming into the wall behind him. "What are you talking about? Viktor and Mason are two of the best fighters in the academy. What's the problem this time?"

Marcus sighed. "Sit down, Brutus. Please. The evidence suggests that Mason was threatened, and the only person with a plausible motive to do so is Viktor."

"So he showed initiative!", Brutus argued, "Big deal! That should be a good thing!"

"Initiative is good, but blackmail and betrayal is not. In the arena, teamwork is an integral part of the success of the alliance. If someone were to betray the others, it would not only bring shame to the entire district, but it would jeopardize the future of our pacts with Districts 1 and 4. You're taking the alliance for granted! When I was tribute, the alliance didn't exist, and there's no guarantee that it will remain this way. We must work to preserve it. We have to keep the future in mind as well as the present when making this decision."

"Fine." Brutus threw up his hands. "But who else is there? There is nobody else I can think of who is nearly ready enough. I don't want to have to send in another sixteen-year-old who can barely sheathe his own weapon. I don't want to be embarrassed like that again."

Marcus leaned back in his chair. "I know, I know. It's a real predicament, but hear me out on this one. I recently received an application that I think is promising. He's from the outer colonies, so that in itself warrants attention. He's not trained in the classical style, but he is trained. On top of that, he is intelligent, perceptive, and he has a much more compelling reason to win the games than honor. It is not a combination we see very often, and I think we should take advantage of it. This is the last year he will be eligible, so we won't get another chance if we pass this up."

Brutus snorted. "Outer colonies, huh? Sure. And how much did he pay you to say all that?"

Marcus stood up, his smile morphing into a glare of pure hatred, channeled directly at Brutus. For the first time, Konstance caught a glimpse the monster hiding behind Marcus's usually calm demeanor, and he understood why Brutus respected him so much. There was a truly brutal, savage warrior hiding behind that happy mask, and it made Konstance wonder what else Marcus was hiding.

"I do not appreciate being patronized." Marcus said it slowly, emphasizing each word. "I may be retiring this year, but I am still and always will be a member of District 2. This decision is as important to me as it ever was, maybe even more so because it is the last one I will have the honor of making." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then sat back down. When he opened his eyes again, the smile had returned. "Come now, Brutus. You should know me better than that. Think about it. This kid's from the outer colonies. The amount I've paid for suit repairs alone this month is probably more money than his entire family has to their name. I'm asking you to trust me on this one."

Brutus finally conceded defeat. "It's not like I have any other option."

Marcus beamed at the sulking Brutus. "That's the spirit!" Continuing, he turned to include Konstance. "One more thing before we conclude this meeting. I don't want either of these decisions leaving this room. I don't think Silica would appreciate her pseudonyms becoming public, and as long as Viktor thinks he's next in line, he won't cause any more problems. At least not until the reaping, but by then, it will be the peacekeepers' problem. Is that understood?"

Konstance and Brutus both silently nodded.

"Excellent! Then you are dismissed. I look forward to seeing you both in a couple of days."