Chapter 173

There were no windows in the basement cell, and the light from the lantern cast long shadows along the floor and up the far wall. Judah was standing with his back to her and didn't even turn around when she stopped in front of the small cage where they'd been holding him for nearly a week.

It was inhumane to say the least. His room contained a mat on the floor, a tattered blanket, and a bucket. Hope thought if she laid down on the floor inside the cell, she could likely touch all four walls at once. And he'd suffered all of this on account of her.

She didn't want to startle him, but since he hadn't moved at all since she'd entered, and she'd been standing there for several seconds, she finally decided to just say something. Maybe once he realized it was her, he'd come back to reality. "Judah?"