My Last Word

The Empire conquered the neighboring nation of Ayle. Soldiers occupy the towns, and children attend Imperial schools. But something is missing. Imperial officials are troubled—the people of Ayle are thinking about something that cannot be translated into Imperial speech. There is a word with no equivalent. That's where Rasko comes in. He is a twenty-six-year-old translator who loves words and can uncover the meaning of any language. The Empire's leaders tell him: "Translate all of Ayle's words