Bruni and I were promoted from Inquisitor candidates to full Inquisitors with little fanfare. Unlike Tash and Vovo, who got to march with their fellow candidates and celebrate in the mess hall, our career required a quieter reception. We toasted each other, just the two of us, in our little dormitory. I brought a bottle of sparkling wine to Bruni’s room and poured two glasses, but neither one of us was in the mood to drink it.
“Have you gotten an assignment yet?” Bruni asked.
“Nothing. You?”
“Yes,” she said, but she was uncharacteristically quiet.
I stared, agog. “You have an assignment? What is it?” I demanded. I had assumed she would tell me everything. She wasn’t one to play demure about her work.
“Can you keep a secret?” she asked. It was not a real question. It had become a runni
