My mind was spinning; nothing made sense. Yes, I’d questioned Ventaros. Technically, I’d even disobeyed him, but it had been right for the situation. Meshin wasn’t happy, but was that with me or with what Dzurala had said? Deneven had seemed to be hedging when she’d pressed him. Why had Nirellen made sure to promote me before this meeting?
I looked back and forth between the three of them as they sat staring at me, waiting. The only one with any expression was Dzurala, and she just looked a little smug.
“I thought at the end of the six-month rotations, I was supposed to choose for myself which branch to go into.”
“Hah!” Dzurala crowed, and she smacked the table. “See?”
“That’s true to a degree,” Veron said, smiling. “But if it can be shown you aren’t suitable for a particular branch, t
