Seven months ago I joined the abbey to attempt a vitally important endeavor: to translate scriptures into the current idiom. The abbot made me promise not to pursue it, but it's that kind of attitude that has made Yao less accessible to the people. I am convinced that a clear translation will turn the tide of unbelief in our country.

My father is livid that I left Searos, and he cannot forgive my mother. Mam was raised to follow Yao, and she thought she would be able to convert my father. But his adherence to the false gods was never about faith; Earl Searos decided long ago that they would benefit the family's standing. After he funded a series of temples, one per god, there was no question of returning to Yao. Mam has finally accepted it; in her last letter she said she will move back in with Granna Glynnis. It's about time.

I've tried to make friends here but my status gets in the way. They try to curry favor with me. There's one lad with a cheerful mien, but his manners are unspeakable. I let Alstet and Gregor know about my secret project. They think it’s wonderful that I’m subversive against the abbot, but they can’t seem to catch the vision of its importance. You would think that since they’re commoners, they would understand how badly a relevant translation is needed. All they see is the potential profit in selling prayer books. That’s what I have to work with.

The abbey is located in my mother’s hometown. Cedo is an old monk here; he was her teacher, before she married and moved to Searos. He’s decent enough--everybody likes him. I can't make out what he thinks of me. Well, no matter.

I'm seventeen, medium height, with a sturdy build and dark brown hair. I used to wear silk, but the clerics have toughened me up with rough wool. I can fence a little and I'm an expert rider. Now I am learning to farm on the abbey's labor days. Today is my turn in the scriptorium.

How do you feel about your father? Why is your father useless?

What will you do once your work is finished? How will you make it available to the masses?

I’m my father’s first son, so I’ll inherit his holdings. A country manor, some farms, our house in the city. He’s not greedy, I’ll give him that. Father was handsome once, and sometimes he can still turn on the charm if he wants to—that’s how he won my mother, when she was young and foolish. But he’s a harsh man, very demanding, and none to bright. Every day he spent at home, the entire household tiptoed about. Mam used to think she could convert him, but now she just stays out of his way. It would be wrong to say I hate him. Let’s just say, we don’t see eye to eye.

Why is your father useless?

Father curries favor from his own brother (Earl Searos). He’s the worst sycophant at court! The Earl hates it. Because Father makes poor decisions, my uncle won’t give him any meaningful responsibilities. But don’t tell Father that! To hear him, you’d think he’s the Earl’s right-hand man. I don’t know if he’s too proud to admit it or just too thick to figure it out. It’s disgraceful.

Of course I’m an embarrassment to him too. How many important men send their heirs to an abbey, let alone a Yaoish one? He’s afraid it makes him look weak. Ha!

What influenced you to make you so faithful to the real gods?

There is only one God! Yao the Creator. The dragons are his priests, and I know they are real. My mother and grandmother saw one, years ago. They taught me the truth from the cradle. Mam refused to hire nannies since the Mehda’s influence is so prevalent in Searos. Instead she hired a tutor, a Yaoish monk. When Father found out, he fired the tutor and sent my baby sister to be raised in Iduna. That’s where out country “imported” the Mehda pantheon from, so she must be completely indoctrinated by now. I don’t know if Mam will ever be able to forgive him.

Why is your abbot against your work? Surely it is wise to battle the forces of ignorance and heresy?

It’s a sad fact: the Church leaders think they are the only ones fit to teach from the scriptures. They spend years learning to read a dead language, studying the commentaries, debating the finer points among themselves. They fear that if anyone can read the sacred texts, the meanings will be misinterpreted. In my opinion, they want to protect the misleading teachings that they have concocted! If a dragon were about, he would put them in their place. That’s my best hope, but its been so long, I don’t look for one anymore. In that regard I fear I am as bad as Abbot Kedric.

What will you do once your work is finished? How will you make it available to the masses? Where do you see yourself in five years' time - if indeed you have finished your task by then?

I’ll figure something out. This is a huge effort; the work of years. I don’t expect to finish anytime soon. In the meantime I hope to gain influence within the Church, convince others to my way of thinking. The Mehda priests copy prayer books by the dozens, and look how far their ideas have spread. We should do the same. I’m sure I will find followers among the younger monks.

Will you ever return to Searos, or have you developed a taste for monastic life?

I'm Fiona, by the way. I can tell you that because nobody here knows how to get to my world, so they'll never find out it was me that said these things.

There are plenty of people who can read the present-day language. The nobility, the merchants, many of the better-paid servants, and all the Yaoish monks can read, at least well enough to manage sales transactions, inventories, and the like. Most of the populace cannot read at all, but the point is that the better-educated monks have a monopoly on scripture, whether they mean to or not. Many monks cannot read the scriptures because they were written long ago; the language has so changed as to be almost unrecognizable.

No, I’m not scared. The worst Abbot Kedric can do is kick me out of the abbey, and write letters to prohibit my access to church libraries throughout Tuan. That would seriously hamper my efforts.

The misleading teachings are formulated from obscure passages that are ambiguous at best. They’ve been around as possible interpretations for a long time. No one gave them much credence until Yao withdrew his dragons. Many people lost faith in Yao, especially since it seemed there was no longer a way to be redeemed from sin and thus assured a place in the afterlife. The Mehda gained many converts, and the Yaoish church lost influence and position.

The Yaoish monks gradually stopped preaching about the dragons, perhaps due to popular pressure or perhaps feeling their own faith shaken. They unearthed and popularized the ideas of blessing sacrifice and penance, even though there is disagreement about those interpretations in the church. Blessing sacrifices supposedly assure redemption after a person has died, and penance is the way to “pay” for sin here on earth. I strenuously disagree with both ideas, and want people to be able to make up their own minds about what the scriptures say. There is story after story about Yao’s faithfulness even during such periods as this; the dragons always return. How can the people be encouraged when such stories are withheld? Abbot Kedric and others like him are so desperate to hold on to what they have; they fear divisions and dissension if their views aren’t respected.

So you're saying dragons redeem people from sin? Or they did, before Yao called them away? What else did they do? Did they live among people or in eyries of their own?

What are the Mehda and what do they believe?