Boss Out of Town wrote:
Sara got drafted into the Ensirgim at the age of 11, IIRC, and has been with them for 7 years. While it probably beats being sold into a brothel or a sweatshop, she was old enough at the time of her mother's death to have been working every day, whether in her own home or outside it. Of course, she would have continued to perform household and nursery duty for the monks after joining.
If you can find the reference for that, please add it to the wiki; Sara's page is "unprotected" as of today. I haven't been able to find a reference, although somehow it also sticks in my mind that there has been one. In the Forum? In the strip? I don't know. It is known that she has been with them for 7 years, it's the joining-at-11 part that I can't find.
Incidentally, that would leave Sara one year older than Meji, rather than exactly her age.
I heard about it in the forum. Per someone else, Poe decided to make Sara 18 at this point in the story to avoid any more "jailbait" snark.