“How. . . ?” he said, staring at my mother as though looking at a specter. “How can you be here?” He reached forward as if to touch her but stopped before making contact. “I was told you all died.” His voice radiated fury, and it was the simplest of self-preservation instincts that had me backing away toward my mother. Mum ignored him, tapped her index finger to her lips, and began to pace. I looked between them. Did my mother know who this was? She couldn’t, based on her inappropriate lack of fear. And how did Irrik know her?
