Later, the abbot returned to the now-dark hall. “Hyran?”
“Yes, Father?”
“I’ve been wondering if you were okay. Is something disturbing you?”
Hyran nodded, and repeated verbatim the conversation he’d had earlier. “I’ve been trying to find the flaws in the argument ever since. I can’t find anything wrong, which means our Great Master is inconsistent. I then tried to think of ways to prove that The Great Master is consistent, but I’ve found that it’s merely a leap of faith.”
“There is nothing ‘mere’ about a leap of faith, Son,” said the abbot gravely.
“Except that leaps of faith cannot be the basis of a sound, logical argument.”
“Why not? These leaps of faith are as factual as anything else. They simply cannot be proven.”
“But they seem awfully easy to disprove.”
The abbot nodded slowly. “They can seem that way, if your logic is flawed.”
“So, what was flawed about my conversation with Varabia?”
“Well.... I shall require some meditation on that question.”
“I thought you might say that.” He stood, and went to leave the room.
“Wait,” said the abbot. “Do you know you missed the evening service?”
Hyran hadn’t, but then realized he had been aware of the growing darkness. “Yes, Father.”
“You might be helped by the night oil.”
“Of course.” He knelt before the older Vle, and they said a few simple prayers. The drowsiness took him as he stood and walked out toward his cell.

Kelwome was quiet, waiting for the dawn. He hadn’t been seen leaving, and so he felt reasonably safe. [Redemption] He went to find Mecora’s house, and found the door open, as usual. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he went in. It was dark inside, but he could see anyway. He went through to the room Mecora shared with her mother. But only Caile was there, clutching a pillow tightly, as if she didn’t want it to go. [She needs me...] He left again, and went to the bakery. The baker was there, of course, but he had not yet opened; Hyran walked in anyway. “Hello,” he said, “Nice to see you again. Is there more advice I can give?”
“You said you thought we of the clergy ought to be more involved.”
“Yeah. If clergy were more involved, we wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Problem?” Hyran didn’t know why he’d asked that, because he knew it was the proclamation.
But that’s not what the baker said. “Yeah. War, riots, suicides, poverty... should I continue?” [It must stop soon...]
“No, thank you. But I doubt the Rep can be convinced.” [Trust...]
The baker nodded. “I know.”
“You could try,” said Allega.
Hyran turned. How had he gotten here? “You want me to try?”
“Would it hurt? How much longer can you stay with the monastic life, knowing how bad things are in the camp?” [It must stop soon...]
“But I don’t know how bad things are,” replied Hyran.
“You will soon. You must go find out.” [Go...]
“But before you go,” said the baker, “You might see if any of your brothers up there will come along.”
“I could try.”
“The worst that could happen is that you will get thrown out,” said Allega.
“What about my vows?”
“You are only restricted by that which you allow to restrict you.”
He’d said that just that day! “But, what about my redemption? I could lose it.”
The responding voice sounded much larger than any of three voices he was hearing in his dream. “Trust!” they said. “Trust....”
[Trust...]

He’d never woken so energetically. He knew now what he had to do, he knew why, and he now knew that there was nothing, really, that could hold him back. He ate breakfast quickly, as the other monks gave him wondering looks. “What’s gotten under your robe, Hyran?” asked one.
“A dream,” was the only answer he gave.
When he was done, he took a bench, and began to talk. He talked about everything, events that all the monks knew about, and other events that only the townsfolk knew, and things the lord had said. He talked about the moral imperative to do what was right, to protect the lives and the freedom of all beings that was guaranteed by the Great Master. He talked about the inconsistencies and what that could possibly mean: that their faith in the consistency of the Great Master might be flawed! That got the most reaction.
And all of the reaction was negative. Most of them began to talk over him, telling him to step down and be quiet, that he should meditate before his redemption was revoked, that if that was how he believed, he didn’t belong as their brother anymore.
Through it all, he continued to talk. Then, a very solemn-faced abbot came over. The crowd quieted, but Hyran continued to talk.
“Hyran.”
The abbot’s tone was completely neutral, but it was enough to quiet Hyran. “Yes, Father.”
“This is not the way.”
“Yes, Father, but—”
“You are fighting a losing battle.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you continue?”
“Because I don’t expect to win today. But tomorrow, or the next day...”
“No, not today. Come.”
Hyran stepped down. What did the enigmatic abbot have in mind? Hyran followed all the way to the cathedral, and then up to the darkened altar. “Kneel,” said the abbot.
Hyran bent down reverently, as did the abbot beside him. “You believe you act with the blessing of the Great Master.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Though I find that hard to believe, I can see in your eyes that you believe you are. However, I find your actions so far destructive.”
“I merely ask another to join me.”
“Do you think that constructive?”
“Perhaps. If more believe that the light Vle must be freed, we can change the King’s mind.”
“That is the same rhetoric Varabia used.”
“It is logical rhetoric. It may even be what the Great Master wants.”
“And you would break your vows for a mere guess at what the Great Master wants?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. Hyran, by the power invested in me by the Great Master, I absolve you of your vows. May you find the happiness and fulfillment in your future that you could not find here. The Great Master bless you and guide you, Amen.”
“Amen.”
“Two things, Hyran: that service means you can never again take the vows. Also, it does not asbolve you from your duty to the Mandates.”
“I understand.”
“Very well. You may continue to live here, until such time as you know where to go.”
Where to go. That was a problem: He had nowhere to go, and no money to get there. Oh, well, it was something to meditate on.

He woke up early again the next morning, again before the sun had risen. It was somewhat cool; the feel of approaching autumn was in the air. He lit the glowworms, and packed as best he could. The answer of where to go had come to him in a dream, and he wouldn’t require much more than the provisions he could carry to get him there. After all, if thousands of light Vle could walk five days, he certainly could for three.
He left as quietly as before, stopping only at the kitchen pantry to gather some food. He’d eat breakfast at the baker’s again, he decided. He went to the railing of the platform, then, and looked out at the dark forest for what could be the last time from that viewpoint.
Then, he descended the steps to the bridge to town with but one thing on his mind:
Home.