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Chapter 48
Nariana
Maela ended up getting an appointment for the next weekend. It was in the morning, so when the date rolled around, I got up early to make sure I was presentable. Talin put on his best suit, I pulled out my initiate robe, and we met Maela in the nave. That was her idea, since she said she knew her way around enough to find that.
It also made it clear that she didn't need her hand held in the temple anymore. She'd been coming to have lunch with me for almost ten months now, but it seemed as if her talk with the gods had been the piece she was missing. I knew Merci's approval meant a lot to her, but it sounded like she valued Zeal's approval just as much.
Twenty minutes before her scheduled time, Maela walked into the nave carrying a leatherbound book and multiple folders. Her suit was feminine but business-like, and her hair had been styled in a very conservative manner. Maela was beautiful, yet the impression she was going for was more power than seduction. It also worked for her.
"Ok," she said when she saw me and Talin. "I have population counts, tax numbers, and the barony's budget. Yamina helped me look into what the Baron should be doing, and it's a mess! Tarben couldn't keep up with everything in the last few years of his life. I'm sorry, Talin, but your father was simply too sick to do all of his duty. Tath based his responsibilities on the time before Tarben died, which is why he's doing basically nothing."
"That doesn't sound good," I mumbled.
"It's not," Maela admitted. "So I had a visit with my father last week. He showed me what he does. I don't have all the numbers, because some of them should come from the temple, but I plan to sort this out." Then a little smile touched her lips. "It's actually interesting."
"Sounds like you've found your passion," Talin said.
Maela nodded. "I think so. My mother trained me to run a large household, and this is basically the same thing. I have to track the spending for the staff - or civil servants. Then there's the budget for the resources. In a house, that would be food, clothing, and upkeep of furniture and such. For a barony, that's roads, financial assistance, and other expenses. It's all the same, but this can change lives!"
"Did you figure out what Zeal's so worried about yet?" I asked.
"Not yet," she admitted, "but I have a suspicion. The temple hasn't given us a budget breakdown in five years. Priest Kinen has been given an increase in funds annually, but he's made no effort to explain where the excess is going. It looks like the number of priests is actually decreasing due to age and a reduction in surrenders, so there should be less people to feed and house. I need to get the official records, which should be sent to the Baron annually, and figure out what's going on."
"Just remember that you've got this," I told her. "Talin will mostly be a shadow in there, and I'll follow your lead, but I'm just for moral support."
"Just stand with me," she said. "As long as I don't feel alone, I think I can do this. I've spent all week making sure I know what I'm talking about."
With that, we headed for the door to Kinen's office. I walked on Maela's right. Talin followed behind us, but Maela's back was straight and her head was high. When she reached the door, she lifted her hand and knocked solidly. Nothing happened. The three of us waited, then waited a little more, but it seemed the High Priest was either not in his office yet, or the man was trying to put Maela in her place.
The next time, she pounded. Again there was a delay, but the door eventually opened to reveal a priestess on the other side. Her name was Yana, and she'd been a part of checking my lace after my choosing. The woman seemed kind and caring, but I had a feeling she wasn't.
"Lady Ranndor," she greeted Maela. "If you'd like to come in?" Then she looked at me. "This is a private meeting, priestess."
"Nariana's with me," Maela said. "I've asked her to serve as my advisor. That is, unless Priest Kinen intends to have none of his own present. If that's the case, I wouldn't want to overwhelm the man."
Yana's eyes flared in surprise, but she stepped out of the way, leaving room for all three of us to enter. I glanced over at Maela proudly, but she was focused on what came next. Inside the High Priest's official office, there were half a dozen other priests. All of them wore robes with elegant trim. That meant they were high enough ranking that no one would complain about the break from tradition. They also flanked the High Priest's desk, standing around where Kinen sat as if they were sycophants.
"Good morning, Priest Kinen," Maela said, moving to take the chair across from him without invitation. "Nari?" And she gestured to the second chair.
Kinen glared at me. "Good morning, Lady Ranndor. How is it that Priestess Nariana is involved in this?"
"Oh, she's my sister-in-law," Maela explained. "I asked for her assistance because I'm not familiar with all the rituals and nuances of the temple. You see, I was raised in Compassion, but I became the Baroness of Temptation upon my marriage. Since my husband is indisposed, that means the responsibility for the barony falls on my shoulders as his wife. Two halves of a whole, am I right?"
"That is how our faith sees it," Kinen grumbled. "So what can I help you with, ma'am?"
"Well, I've been balancing the budget for the temple's annual tithe. That comes up again at the start of the year, you know. In doing so, it seems I cannot find the records for the last five years of temple expenses and budgets. Tarben was very ill at the end of his life, and his wife wasn't involved in helping run the barony, so it's possible things were lost. I was hoping you could get me a copy of those, and I was wondering when the year-end report for this year's spending will be available?"
The advising priests in the room began to shift nervously. Kinen's jaw clenched, and the man pulled in a breath so hard it whistled through his nose. Then he lifted a finger, silencing the movement around him.
"The financial disposition of the temple isn't of any interest to the Baron, Lady Ranndor. You simply need to know our funding requirements."
"Oh, that's not quite what the law says," Maela assured him in her sweetest voice. "I did double-check. The budget should be included with your financial report. You see, the spending from the last year is used to judge the expected costs of next. Since tithes to the temple come from the tax burden of the citizens who live in the barony, we need to know if we should raise taxes to feed the Priests of Temptation, or if we can reduce them to give our citizens a break."
"You mean reduce the tithe to the temple?" one of the advisors asked.
Maela made a face as if thinking about that, and then she nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about, priest. It seems counterintuitive to take money from people unable to feed themselves and give it to those who are also earning tithes on their own. Zeal has tasked us to find the balance so that both of our people can thrive - or were you speaking of something else? After all, if the budget is being met, where would you use the excess funds? Surely a priest wouldn't put their own comfort over that of the patrons!"
"Of course not," Kinen assured her, seemingly unaware of the jeweled rings on his hands glinting in the lantern light. "I'm afraid I don't have those reports ready."
