It bothered Karla--at least, it did when her allowance was being given to her by someone she wasn't even properly related to.

"Tithes are also quarterly," she answered, trying to stop squirming. "Seasonal. And, I think the marks used to? A really, really long time ago, back before Uncle Saetan was born. But now Kaeleer's banks, the Dark Council, and the Keep all work together to keep the marks at a stable value. They're not even made from real gold or silver anymore. It's a special kind of foil, kind of like your paper money here."