"Trying to establish a more stable communication link with the Prime Realm," he explained, not looking up. "The distance and interference from this realm's unusual properties are making it difficult. The dying star emits random solar flares that block communication in random intervals."
"Have you received any news about my parents?"
His hands stilled briefly. "Yes, actually. I was going to tell you at supper." He set down his tools and turned to face me. "Your father is fully recovered. He and your mother have moved temporarily to Saurah's family home in the outer bend, as planned. They're safe, and Gideon's men haven't found them."
Relief washed through me. "Thank you for checking."
He nodded, then hesitated. "There's something else. Your mother... her condition has stabilized somewhat. The new medicine I ordered seems to be helping."
"That's good news," I said cautiously, noting his careful phrasing. "But?"
"But it's only temporary relief, not a cure." He removed his eyeglasses, cleaning them with the edge of his shirt, a nervous habit I noticed. "Juno, I have a theory about your mother's illness."
I straightened, suddenly alert. "What kind of theory?"
He hesitated, fingers tapping nervously on his workbench. "I've seen something similar before.". It's rare, but..." He shook his head. "No, it couldn't possibly be the same thing."
"What?" I pressed, leaning forward. "Vic, if you know something about my mother's condition,pleasetell me."
He met my eyes. "Among the Nytherian refugees in the Dredge, there was a condition. We called itblack breath. It affected only a select few. Those with certain... magical aptitudes."
"What does that have to do with my mother?"
"The symptoms are remarkably similar. Black fluid in lungs, progressive weakness, resistance to conventional treatments. It occurs when someone with innate abilities is prevented from using them properly. The magic turns inward, corrupting the body from within."
"That doesn't make any sense," I said, shaking my head. "My mother doesn't haveabilities. Before I was born, she was just a librarian for the Assembly. She sorted books and scrolls until she got too sick to work."
Vic's expression became more troubled. "Are you certain about that? About her past?"
"Of course I'm—" I stopped, suddenly uncertain. "I mean, that's what she always told me."
"What about her family? Where did they come from originally?"
I opened my mouth to answer, then closed it again. A strange hollowness opened in my chest as I realized I didn't actually know. "I... I never met any grandparents. No aunts or uncles. It's always been just Mom and Dad." I frowned, searching my memories. "And Kora's parents for a while, but they weren't blood relatives. They were just friends before they died."
Vic watched me carefully. "You never asked about your mother's family?"
"I did, when I was younger. She always changed the subject or said they were gone." I rubbed my temples, trying to remember if she'd ever given me anything concrete. "I assumed they'd died in some accident or illness. After a while, I stopped asking."
"And your father? Did he ever mention them?"
"No." The realization felt strange, like discovering a room in my home I'd never noticed before. "He always deferred to Mom on family matters."
Vic nodded slowly, as if confirming something to himself. "Juno, I believe your mother may have been keeping secrets about her past."
"Why would she do that?"
"Protection, perhaps. For herself, for you." He leaned forward. "The black breath I observed in the Dredge refugees affected individuals with a specific genetic predisposition."
The implications hit me then. "You think my mother is... what? From Nytheris?"
"I don't know," Vic admitted. "But I do know that the condition affecting her is extremely rare in the Prime Realm. Almost unheard of, in fact. Yet it's documented in Nytherian medical texts."
My mind raced. "But she's been in the Prime Realm my whole life. If she had magic that needed expression, wouldn't I have seen signs?"
"Not necessarily. Some abilities manifest subtly, or only under specific circumstances." Vic's voice gentled. "And if she was deliberately hiding her nature, she would have learned to suppress those abilities, which could explain the progression of her illness."
I stood abruptly, needing to move. The workshop suddenly felt too small, too confining. "This is... I need to think."
