burn together

Granted, it is what I want you to do…. You would be better than her. Better than all of us.

What? Are... Are you telling me you think I should take over when the war is won? Why? You spent so long trying to kill me, why would you say that now? Unless he's trying to turn you against the entire rebellion. Make you as much like him as Coin is.

"Yeah, apparently neither do I."

Apparently not. But it should have been, Erica silently adds.

It's simple enough. I gave August Winslade a plan weeks ago - a plan that would work. I just have to get an audience with the right people, and they'll take me into the Capitol themselves. We'll have our people back by the end of the week.

If she were.. yes. You probably would win the war. But the possibility is low. After all, we fear what we don’t know, don’t we?

Katniss took one step back. No. That's what you want me to do. I want to end your... game. Otherwise I'm just like you. Like Coin.

They don’t know what she’s done. What I’ve done. They don’t know what happens here, I don’t know what happens there. They wouldn’t hide her, no. They would welcome her. As president of the secluded Panem, they would most sincerely welcome her onto their lands.

And if she were to run there, we'd have nothing. She'd be gone. It would win us the war, but... but at what cost? It would put Coin in the President's chair, and then what? It would all start again, over and over, an endless cycle of tyrants that would burn the country to the ground if it meant being king of the ashes. More countries, all at the disposal of the President of "secluded Panem". That was too much power for anyone.

Curiosity killed the cat. Still, his voice was low. After all, this was a secret only he knew. And he never got the chance to tell Savera, either. Not that he ever would have. There are 16 other countries besides Panem. A considerably lower amount of what there once was. And we are cut off from all of them, due to a choice Panem’s founders decided on long ago.

And they would hide Greenlaw? Despite what she's done, despite what all of you have done? They would protect her? 

So it did pike her interest. It almost made him smile. As he turned towards her, his eyes darted to the guard at the end of the hall. He wasn’t paying any attention to them. Still, he had to be safe. He stepped towards the bars, as close as he could without touching them. His eyes were trained on her, now. Right where he wanted her. Panem is not the only country, Katniss.

Because we’ve made promises.

Katniss watched Snow pace, her eyebrows creasing. He'd done this last time, too, and it had only slightly surprised her then, but to see it again was jarring. He'd been so collected in the Capitol. Calm. He was a snake in the grass, all he had to do was wait for his prey. It would come to him, sure enough. She'd never seen him pace before, because everything had simply walked right into his jaws, tasted his poison... And so she had. But there were bars between them now, she realized. Her presence was tantalizing. He was no longer a snake. He was a cat who couldn't have its prey.

Well, you certainly weren’t forced to come down here. You could have easily denied the request and let me rot alone. “Powerless.”

I agreed to come down again because it's a lot faster to find out whatever you know like this, and if that means ending the war faster, then so be it. In that, at least, I can agree with Coin. She wants to end this war, no matter what the reason. 

Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact that I actually know how to run a country and if she’s going to do it, she’ll need all the help she can get. He tilted his head to the side. Running this measly district is nothing compared to running all of them.

No. I destroyed it to send a message across Panem. That apparently didn’t work.

You're wrong. You sent a message across Panem, it just wasn't the one you wanted to send.

Don’t worry. I prefer Katniss.

Good. Me too.

"Don't apologize. You're not bothering me. They don't have me doing anything down here, not even propos anymore. In fact, they're making sure I can't do anything."

And how do you propose to do that?

I already proposed how. The tunnels. Even Winslade said it was genius and it would work. And you're going to take me. Or whoever Coin assigns on the mission. But I'm going, and I'd like it to be you.

A gateway to you.

Don't you dare say you destroyed Twelve for me. That blood is on your shoulders.