We walk up to the vineyards, my party, Jatu and I. We're expecting to need to do some pest control, and are bringing weapons and in a relaxed fighting formation; Jatu in the lead as our guide, with Alesha and Ace at my side, and our archer in Sio, skirmisher in Sekhmet, and self-propelled artillery piece in Hikaru behind us.
For a while we walk seriously and in silence, and anyone who wants to comment about it sees Jatu leading us and the amount of steel we're packing and remembers an urgent errand.
After a few minutes of this, Ace - who has spent the trip up frowning into her fist - closes her eyes, and one of her ears twitches.
"Go on," Alesha says softly.
"It's probably stupid," she says.
"Ask anyway," I insist. "You're not dumb, you just didn't study economics, which makes six of us."
"Possibly Sio has. But please, Ace - you've never struck me as unintelligent," Alesha says.
Ace takes a deep breath. "Kay. Okay. Uh - Jatu." She turns to the catte in front of us. "How are the taxes here actually, like, collected? Does the lord throw all the grain on a wagon and cart it away, or do people pay money, or what?"
Jatu's ears turn to her, and her head follows. "I would imagine you'd be the one collecting back home."
"I, uh, busked in a city. We paid a clerk with money." Ace says, frowning. "Mom used to say 'In God we trust, all others pay cash.' "
The cackle that issued from Jatu's lips made Ace wince, before she adds, "That is in fact what cash is for, as far as we can tell."
Ace nods a little too quickly. "But stuff definitely works differently here. I think knowing how differently is going to be important."
"Definitely," Alesha says, tapping her fingers on the pommel of her sword.
Jatu inclines her head, the slightest bow, towards Ace. "In general - in most years - we keep an accounting - and by we, I specifically mean my husband, Leon Alcazar."
"Oh," Ace says, eyes going wide. She's probably thinking, right along me, that's someone who's going to get targeted.
"The accounting is in coin," Jatu clarifies. "Sheaves and Rooks, chiefly, though through Flamma's touch on the vine some of us make the odd Crown - though they may be coins that exist only on my husband's parchment, do you ken?"
"Numbers in an account," Alesha says, nodding. "Five silver to their credit is more convenient than five ounces in a pocket."
"Harder to steal, unless someone bribes the accountant," Ace says. And after a beat, "Someone is totally going to accuse your husband of that before we're done, I'm so sorry."
"The thought occurred to me," Jatu said, not unkindly. "As for how it's paid, we take a mix - labor paid by the hour, coin, goods, mostly crops. The farmers sell their grain to we keepers of the windmills, and buy back flour with surplus or credit."
"And in Jubilee years, the coins stop being numbers on a page and start being silver in pockets," I suggest. "The rare times that peasants have coin in their pockets."
"It is good for us and to our lord Molinaro to be seen as generous in times of plenty," Jatu says. "Moreso in times of want. But never forget that he has a retinue to feed."
"And is part of a retinue to feed," Alesha says. "The Contessa is also taking coin, crops, favors and people from him, especially when there's a war or crisis going on."
"This is so," Jatu says.
"Payment in labor, though - it was a smarter question than you gave yourself credit for, Ace." Alesha says, brightly. "If you hadn't asked we wouldn't have realized that wrinkle."
Ace looks down at her feet and mumbles something that might have been 'thanks.'
"You're far from dull, you know," Alesha says. "Sharper than most, and I'll remind you until you believe it."
"She's not wrong," I say. "None of us are keeping up with the amount of bullshit that's getting thrown at us, I know how smart you are."
"Okay I get it," Ace says, covering a blush. "Go me."
I take a deep breath. "I imagine that the wine is where most of the actual gold gets written on the ledger," I say.
"You imagine correctly," Jatu says. "We are a Vinyedo Real - our wines are sold upriver, to the royal palaces of Macan Alebur. Those villeins here who are rich are blessed by Flamma's touch on the vine."
"And does Flamma's temple have much to do with how it gets in a King's cellar?" Ace asks.
She grins. "You see where my keen interest in technique comes from. We have bluebloods to impress."
"The Flammite temple organizes wine sales?" Alesha asks.
"In exchange for a tithe for the upkeep of our temples and services," Jatu says, "we arrange meetings between vintners and sellers of wine, brewers and sellers of beer - and make sure that the prices paid are just ones for the effort and expense."
"Sounds like the Flammite temple gets a lot of money from that," I say.
Jatu shrugs. "And spends most of it in turn. Shipping delicate and temperamental potions by the barrel without ruining it is an art. Just ask your friend who deals in linens, flax and wool why he prefers it to dealing in wine."
I glance at Alesha, and then at Ace. Then I turn to Jatu.
"If whatever this is blows up, the rest of the village is going to take it out on your family. You realize that, right?" I ask.
Jatu pauses, before sniffing. "Name not she who you would abjure," she says. "For She might take it as an invitation. But yes, we are keenly aware."
"Remind me to get something nice for your daughter the next time we meet with Lord Orlando," Alesha says.
"I will hold you to that," Jatu replies, as we reach a gate.
Jatu takes out a ring of keys and presses her hand to the gate - then frowns, squinting at it, giving Hikaru and the others time to catch up. She traces a claw down the wooden slats, then sniffs the iron hinges and locks, then finally turns to Hikaru.
"Examine this, if you would, ser magus," she says.
Hikaru nods, closing his eyes - then opening eyes that are nearly all pupil, flecked with starlight, to see any lingering auras on the gate.
"I take it I'm not meant to see nothing," Hikaru says. He closes his eyes, blinks, a hand on his head for the aches that his Spirit Sight inflicts. "Maybe some cut threads of fire and wood magic."
"And only an Enthused and anointed mage could brute force these wards," Jatu says. "One who knew to look for them."
"Meaning there's trouble," Alesha says, drawing her sword and shield. "I bet you wish you weren't right to call us."
I roll my shoulders and neck, and crack my knuckles. "What's the plan, fearless leader?" I ask.
"Tank the front, and watch your fire," she responds, raising an eyebrow. "Don't want to damage the product at ten crowns a trellis or the smile on your face, do we?"
I give her a thumbs up as Jatu carefully, wordlessly, opens the gate and lets us in, and we advance into the grape trellises proper, eyes on the shapes crawling on the vines.
It occurs to me that this is the first time Alesha's response to the fearless leader crack was to lean into it instead of groaning about it - and she definitely didn't remark on protecting my smile before.
It also occurs to me that there's something much larger, between the trellises, rearing up taller than any of us.
"That," Sio says, "is a lesser lindworm."
"Which can be summoned as a pet by Adventurers around our level," Hikaru adds, through gritted teeth.
It hisses, and its drool sizzles, alkaline on the grass it touches - and turns to ash - under it.
"Well, at least we know it's definitely enemy action now," Alesha says. "Makes this simple."
Ace grips her axe handle tightly enough that her knuckles are pale.
"Are we ready, ladies and gentleman?" Alesha asks.
Our shared ki-ai serves as a ready check, and we charge as one.
