The Man From U.N.C.L.E: The Thief From Moscow

Chapter 17: The Kuryakin House

The Kuryakin house was not far from where Illya had stopped, but he felt like he was moving slowly. The snowflakes nipped at his cheeks as he finally knocked on the front door of the old, wooden shack.

His mother answered the door, taking him into her arms. "My son, you're home!" She whispered in Russian in his ear as they embraced.

Illya quickly pulled away from her arms. "I'm just here to see Maria."

Maria had always been a sickly child. Illya remembered them both playing together when they were growing up. She would've turned twenty a month ago, but when he saw her lying helpless in bed, she still looked like a child.

"Illya..." Maria smiled when he came through the door. "You're tall." She tried to giggle, but her giggles turned into a deathly coughing fit. "I'm sorry."

Illya held her hand and squeezed it. "It's going to be OK."

Maria sighed. "We both know that's a lie. I stayed alive because I knew I would see you again one day." She coughed again. "Now I don't really care if I die."

He cared. "I'm sorry if I've been away so much."

"You being here wouldn't have changed anything. I would still be here."

He knew it was true, and he rubbed her palm with his thumb. "I'll come to visit you again, Maria."

"No," she said firmly. "I don't want you to see me again like this. You seem to be getting on fine." She smiled, but Illya could see the pain in her eyes, instantly making him feel guilty. "It was nice seeing you again, big brother."

It felt like only a couple of seconds he had been by his sister's side, but when his mother led him to the door, he realized it was already dark outside. She hugged him again and sighed. "We have to talk."

Illya knew what was coming. He didn't reply. Instead, she did all the talking in between his silence. "Your betrothed has asked to see you. She knows you're in Moscow, Illya."

Illya rolled his eyes. "I don't care. Maria should be first priority."

"I expect you to honour your family."

The word honour made him shiver. It made him think of his father in Siberia. "Goodbye mother." Before she could say anything, he leapt out of the door and lost himself in the floods of people. It was easier than turning back to see the house he had grown up in for the last time.