Ilyan paced as he spoke, his jittery movements making me feel more on edge then I already was.
“What do you mean, ‘a blood connection’?” My stomach flipped. I was not sure I wanted to know exactly what this could mean. Visions of severed hands filled my mind and I cringed.
“You’re an only child, right?”
“Yes,” I said, my eyebrows rising in confusion.
“And you are sure your Mother is dead?”
My insides froze at his question; I brushed away the pit of loss before answering him.
“She was crushed by a refrigerator and didn’t flinch, Ilyan. I am sure she is gone.” Ilyan sat down next to me on the bed, his hand reaching to rest on my knee. I reluctantly looked at him, knowing he would wait until I acknowledged him to continue. His eyes were apologetic, but not for what he had said, it was also for what was to come. My insides seized.
“What?”
“They have your Father.” I narrowed my eyes at Ilyan, waiting for something worse, but there was nothing. My Father. The man had barely been part of my life.
“My Father? But how…” I stopped and exhaled, trying to find the right words to fit my confusion. “He disappeared before they even knew about my mark. How could they have him?”
“I am afraid they have him for a completely different reason, Joclyn. How they found out he was your Father, I have no idea. I worried about what had happened after he disappeared, but I never imagined…”
“What are you talking about?” I interrupted his rambling. “What would Edmund want with my dad?” Ilyan’s eyes locked with mine for a moment before looking away, his hand moving to drag through his hair. I reached out instinctively and grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he avoided me.
“No, Ilyan. You have to tell me now. I don’t care if you don’t tell me everything, but you have to tell me about my Dad. You have to tell me this.”
The pause between us was deafening. It dragged on and on as Ilyan looked deep into me. The blue of his eyes was shocking. I could see each fleck of gold move as he contemplated what to tell me. I kept my hand firm on his wrist, my resolve strengthening. I knew I wouldn’t want to hear what was to come, but I needed to.
“Please, Ilyan.” I was surprised when my voice broke. Ilyan nodded once before turning away from me, his phone moving to his ear. He hadn’t even dialed. I saw the screen flick white as a call was connected, the system being overridden by Ilyan’s magic.
“Thom.” Where had I heard that name before? “They have Sain. I need to tell the Siln?. Tell Dramin of our arrival. We will be there in two days.”
Ilyan dropped the phone without even waiting for a response, the screen flashed white before returning to its screen saver. I looked from the phone to Ilyan, more confused than before. Ilyan was looking at me, his eyes bright and fearful. My body froze at the look he was giving me and the strength that was radiating off of him.
“Thom?” I asked, still trying to place the name in my memory.
“Thomas. He is my brother.”
My jaw must have dropped a visible inch. Wyn had told me of him, of how he went missing years ago.
“But I thought he was missing, I thought…”
“I hid Thom after Cail found where he was hiding. I couldn’t trust anyone with the knowledge of his survival, it was easier to have them believe he was dead.”
The explanation of Thom made sense, but still left me confused, “What does Thom have to do with my Father?”
“Thom had been your Father’s bodyguard for four hundred years, until twenty-five years ago when they were found at a University in Ohio. Thom was able to wipe your father’s memory and put him into hiding, before he, himself had to run to pull Edmund off of your Father’s trail. We never thought your Father would fall in love, let alone have a child. So when he found me in Prague, with no memory of who he was, you can imagine my surprise. I almost told him of his past right then, but I could already see bits of the magic breaking away, parts of his memories seeping through. It was how he knew to find me; how he knew that something was wrong with your mark. I needed to break the truth of his past to him gently, and right then we didn’t have the time. I needed to get to you first.”
Ilyan ran his hand heavily through his hair in agitation. I couldn’t piece any of it together in my mind. I tried to sit and listen, waiting for Ilyan to finish, but my disjointed questions kept flowing of their own accord.
“Wipe his memories?” I repeated, “Why would Thom do that?”
“It was necessary. Thom knew he could get Edmund’s men to Follow him, but your father had to stay behind. Your Father’s memories are more of a curse. It was essential to displace them in the chance that Thom failed and your Father was found.”
“But he…” I tried to form a question, but it didn’t come. After all, I didn’t want to hear this. What he was saying couldn’t be true. There wasn’t any way it could be.