No, her parents were simply stuck. Their identity had been rooted to a reality that didn’t exist anymore, and unlike her, they were struggling to adapt to their new circumstances.
“You’re not doomed,” Harlow said. “But if you continue to live like you have been, you will be.” She thought of Brantley. He and his family lived on a meager quarry income. Aiden didn’t work, and they had two whelps. If he could make ends meet, surely they could with three adult dragons contributing.
“Oh, Harlow.” Her mother sighed in exasperation. “Don’t you think we know that we need to tighten our belts? We’ve tried!”
“No, Mom, actually, I don’t think you have. What I know is that the reason you’ve stopped spending your days at the Silver Sunset is not because you have some newfound sense of responsibility but because Roosevelt cut you off. You haven’t been paying your tab.”
Her mother’s face flushed red, and her gaze darted to the floor.
“And Dad, I know that wine you pulled out for Adradys was from the stash you keep for yourself. I’ve heard the rumors. Everyone in the marketplace knows your reputation, and I don’t mean for doormaking. When we went together, there was a reason the vendors required dragmars instead of credit. You haven’t been covering your debts, have you?”
“No credit.” He massaged the bridge of his nose, looking positively ancient.
Silence stretched between them. At least her parents seemed genuinely contrite for their actions.
Neither one of them argued her point or would meet her gaze, until finally her mother crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “Well, Harlow, you seem to be the only one of us who has adapted to our new situation with any grace whatsoever. I’m ashamed to say, I don’t know what to do. If I could marry Adradys, I would—”
“Excuse me?” her father protested.
“You know what I mean, Darium. At least Adradys asked her. Harlow had an option. He didn’t ask us. Any talk about hiring your father was completely dismissed.”
Darium spread his hands, entirely humbled. “That is true. I would have taken the work. I would have swept the floor in his door factory if he’d have me.”
“I know,” Harlow said softly. “But we’re out of options now. Each of us needs to find work. Anything we can get, and I mean anything.”
Her parents stared at each other for a long time, communicating in that wordless way that dragon mates often did. Her father stood and faced her head on. For the first time since they’d lost everything, Harlow thought she saw a hint of who he once was in his eyes, which were powerful and determined.
“That’s settled, then. Tomorrow, we find work.”
Chapter Fifteen
Marius tried his best not to yawn as each member of the Council of Elders reported on their sector of the kingdom. It was all he could do to keep his head from bobbing. In fairness, the topics so far had been far from invigorating.
“Someone has stolen one of our mountain sheep from the herd,” Elder Montdrake said, his eyes shifting to Varilus, the elder from a neighboring sector.
“Is that an accusation, Montdrake? For the goddess’s sake, it’s one sheep in thousands. Why would I risk your anger over a singular mountain sheep?”
Marius shook himself awake. “Probably a teenager,” he muttered.
The queen glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.
He expounded. “They shift unexpectedly and have a hard time with impulse control. Always hungry. Mountain sheep are easy pickings.” He focused in on Montdrake. “Anyone in your sector have an adolescent?”
His ears reddened. “Er, actually, my nephew.”
“I’d check his treasure cave for bones. Varilus is right. If it was a common thief, you’d be missing more than one.”
The two men nodded.
“Nochtbend is raising the price of gold again,” Elder Shallice started in. His sector bordered the vampire kingdom and benefited greatly from the trade industry.
Queen Raven inclined her head. “I can speak with Master Demidicus, but Paragon’s demand for gold is not based on need. Our citizens can survive quite well without it. If people are willing to pay the price, I’d say it must be worth the cost.”
“But our economy depends on the trade!” Shallice blustered.
“If the decisions of Nochtbend will so strongly impact your sector, you need to consider how to diversify. We can’t control the price they set, and I won’t leverage what goodwill we have built with the vampire kingdom over something as trivial as gold. If people think it’s too high, they should stop buying it. If they do, I think you’ll see the price come down as quickly as it has gone up.”
“Roosevelt, what’s your update on Hobble Glen?” Marius asked, moving the conversation along.
