Chapter 12: Stop

They locked us in the east wing within the hour.

Corbin did it smoothly, from the middle of the circle, in a voice that carried.

"The Apex has suffered a shock," he told the kneeling Council.

"For her safety and yours, she will rest under guard until the Seat can meet."

Nobody argued.

My Voice had worn off by then.

The wolves were getting up off the grass, rubbing their knees and looking at each other.

Six guards walked the four of us up the stairs.

They didn't touch us, and they didn't look us in the eye.

The room they put us in had one window, one door and a lock on the outside.

Dad sat down on the narrow bed and put his face in his hands.

Hattie put an arm around him and started telling him a long story about her cousin's goat.

I stood in the middle of the floor, and I turned to Ansel.

"Why did that work?" I said.

He was leaning against the wall with blood dried under his nose.

"Which part?"

"The Order. I said stop, and the Speaker's Order broke.

"Orders from the Speaker bind the Apex. You told me so yourself. Why did mine win?"

He closed his eyes.

Then he opened them and looked at me.

For the first time I could see everything in his face at once.

"Because I'm yours," he said.

I heard Dad's head come up behind me.

"Say that again," I said.

"In the Trial Hall I put my hand in my pocket and said the old words under my voice.

"It's called the Yielding. An Apex can hand the black cuff to another wrist while that wrist is in the ring."