Liam mindlessly tossed the cloth ball he had constructed from old clothes into the air. Nothing had happened in quite some time. He didn’t even know what day it was. He didn’t care what day it was, really. Time meant nothing in this hellscape, his daily feedings blurring together as the hours passed unending. Nothing mattered much to him anymore. There was no point to anything, especially when he already knew what would happen now the war was over.
He’d seen the evidence that Lord General Crompton and Lieutenant Bryant had gathered against him over the last two and a half years. It was extensive and thorough. It would have even Liam believing that he was guilty if he didn’t know better. There was no way his judges would find him not guilty.
“Liam?”
Liam jumped, fumbling to catch his ball. The despondent tone scared him more than the sudden appearance of another person. Cedric stood at his cell door.
“Cedric? What are you doing here? Is there something new with my case?”
Cedric shook his head. His shoulders drooped more than usual, and his eyes were full of sympathy. “I’m not here about your case.”
Standing, Liam went to the bars. “Then, why are you here?”
“I…” Cedric grabbed the bars as if he needed support. “I’m here about your parents.”
“Are they okay?”
“Liam…”
Liam backed away from the bars, a sinking feeling consuming his stomach. “No.”
“Liam, I’m sorry. Your parents—”
“I don’t want to hear this, Cedric.” Liam shook his head. He didn’t want to hear anything to do with the tone Cedric had. It wasn’t going to be good news.
Cedric hesitated before he said, “Your parents have both passed on. With the high body count of the war, there have been more diseases being spread, and I’m afraid they succumbed to the plague.”
Liam shook his head, tears coming to his eyes. His nose burned until he scrunched it. “No. I don’t accept it. My father was healthy, and my mother was too scared to leave the house. How could they get the plague?”
“I’m sorry, Liam,” Cedric said quietly. “They were buried two weeks ago on the property, and no will was found.”
“They didn’t have one. We didn’t own anything to pass on.”
“Do you need anything?”
Liam shook his head, wiping his face. “No.”
“I’ll leave you, then, to let you grieve.” Cedric let go of the bars to his cell. “I’ll check on you tomorrow.”
Closing his eyes, Liam sat on his cot. This couldn’t be happening. His parents were supposed to be safe. They were supposed to outlive him until their hair was white and their joints grew sore with arthritis.
His lips trembled, and he clenched his fists. Tears slipped down his cheeks, and Liam stood once again. Liam paced the small cell, needing to let out his emotions. He didn’t know how to feel. He let out a yell and hit his fists against the craggy walls until they were bloody.
Liam collapsed onto his cot, letting out one choking sob.
At the very least, they wouldn’t have to see him executed.
Liam watched Cedric sort through his papers, sighing as he waited. He had plenty of time to wait, but he wished Cedric would hurry up.
“Well, I’ve asked around several places, but it seems like everyone from your old unit in the war—excepting several lords who refuse to talk to me—was killed during battle, so that avenue ended poorly,” Cedric said. “I’ve asked within the city guard where you served before the war, and no one there will listen to me past your name before they start cursing you.”
“Should I really be surprised?” Liam asked.
“No.” Cedric shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t be surprised. No one likes a traitor, guilty or not. And you, my friend, look very guilty at the moment.”
“I’m not.”
“I’m not here to pass judgment on you, Liam,” Cedric assured him. “I’ll support whichever claim you make, because that’s what I do.”
Liam sighed and leaned back against the wall.
“Now, on to your court date. With the war over, the king has requested your court date be set. The next available date is in four weeks, so we have until then to try to find someone who will testify on your behalf.”
“The people you’ve already asked would be the only ones who would support me, and they’ve already said they wouldn’t.”
“I’ll keep on trying until the day of your trial, but I want you to know it isn’t looking good for you,” Cedric said.
Liam shrugged. “I didn’t expect it to. I’m supposed to be a traitor, after all.”
“As long as you know and you won’t get your hopes up.” Cedric pulled his glasses down his nose. “It makes it easier.”