“Exactly what I thought, and I believe Marcus Tiberius has the same fear. I asked to be dismissed because I was thinking about the three slaves who had been assassinated during his kidnapping. They were young, strong, educated, and highly valued. Slaughtered like animals, left to rot in the dirt… I knew them all.” His breath caught as tears choked him.
Cassandra held him to her as she wept with him. She had no words to console his grief, nothing to say that would bring back those slaves, nothing that would help.
Saul parted from her. “What should I do? I can’t just tell him everything. I fear her threat.”
“She can’t reach you while you are here. Now you have the opportunity to do the right thing, but no one would blame you for defending yourself. I won't, and I am going to be with you forever, whether you are with Flavius or not.” She tried to smile.
He relaxed his expression. “I know and will think about it. There is no reason that can convince me to leave this house, and I know I have time before Flavius will take me back to his home.”
“Meanwhile, I will do my best to make you happy.” She pulled him toward her.
“Then we should move to a more private place.” He held her body against his. “I don’t think our Masters will need us. Marcus Tiberius is busy with Flavius, and Flaminia is out with a couple of friends at the Thermae. And you definitely need to be taken care of,” she giggled, guiding him to the bedroom.
Marcus Tiberius sighed and looked at his son.
“Father, how do we solve the situation?” Flavius asked,
breaking the grave-like silence between them since Saul left.
“I understand that you want to have him back. If the two events are connected, then whoever is responsible might take further actions against you or Saul,” Marcus Tiberius warned his son.
“So, you are suggesting that I should solve who was behind it before bringing Saul back? That might make sense, but I am still far from solving the entire mystery. I can’t even be sure this theory is the right one.”
“No matter whether it is true or not, why take the risk?”
“So it shall be, but please. If Saul remembers something, whatever it might be, don’t keep it to yourself. Please help me solve this case. I probably won’t do it on my own.”
Marcus Tiberius touched his son’s shoulder and smiled cordially. “You are my son, the most precious gift the gods allowed me, and I would do anything to help you; you should know that. I will try to reconstruct with Saul what happened that night or on previous days that might help. Be careful, though, sometimes, finding what you are searching for is not a solution to the problem.”
Flavius looked at him, puzzled. “I am not sure I understand what you mean, but thank you for your help, or at least for trying to help.
“It’s time for me to return to my wife. She does not like me being away. I think she missed me,” he said as he exited the room.
Flaminia arrived at the same moment as he was leaving. “Flavius, I didn’t know you were coming. I would have remained home to spend time with you.”
“Tomorrow, mother. I shall return every day until I can bring Saul home with me.”
“Why can’t you have him right away?” she asked.
Flavius looked at his father; he thought she knew everything about what had happened.
“Well, sweetheart, I believe that a Master should be able to avoid any accident to his properties, so I am keeping him until I know what happened that night,” Marcus Tiberius replied.
“You will always fight over Saul, won’t you?” she said, shaking her head.
Flavius laughed as he waved goodbye. “Maybe this is what the gods want for us.”
“Marcus Tiberius, I have a strange feeling that there is something more than a simple deal that keeps you from giving Saul back to Flavius. What is it?”
“It is a long story. Maybe it is better if you know what transpired. I’m sorry I have kept the truth from you, but it was for the best,” Marcus commenced as he mulled over how much he would tell her of what had happened. “Come sit with me in the garden and I will tell you.”
Once ensconced side by side on the bench, Marcus Tiberius took her hand in his. “The day after the accident, Saul came here escorted by another slave. He told me about people intruding in the night. When they realized that a slave saw them, they wounded him and disappeared. Saul also told me that Flavius had been missing for weeks. I was upset with Claudia for not telling me. Had I known, I could have done something to find him. When I talked to Claudia, determined to know the truth, what I got from her was more gruesome than the fact that Flavius was missing. He was kidnapped, and strangers had come to the house demanding money for his release.”
Alarm widened her eyes. “Flavius was kidnapped? What do you mean? Why wasn’t I informed?”
“Because you would have gone insane from the pain. I wanted first to see if we could solve the situation. Now that Flavius is back unharmed, I can tell you. Unfortunately, that is not all. Flavius believes Saul’s accident was not an accident, and that his kidnapping was related, He believes someone wanted revenge for something and decided to attack the person dearest to him—Saul.”
“We are dearer to him than Saul,” Flaminia replied, nervously shaking her head.
“Yes, but the assassination of a Roman citizen like us would bring more severe consequences than ruining a slave if he was discovered. This person wanted to play it safe. Under the law, there aren’t real penalties for a person who damages someone else’s property, besides a fine. Think about it.”
She realized that whoever was responsible had planned every detail. “But who would have anything against Flavius?” she asked, not convinced about the hypothesis.
Marcus Tiberius was not sure whether he should tell her about Claudia. Maybe it was too early, and Flaminia first needed to digest the news about their son.
“Why didn’t Claudia tell us anything? What was her excuse?”
“She claimed she was scared about it and couldn’t find the courage to bring such news to us. Somehow, I understand her, even if I am not totally convinced about it. Until the full story comes to light, I prefer to keep Saul here. If someone still wants revenge on Flavius, he might become dangerous for both Flavius and Saul.”
“So, Saul will remain with us forever?”
“Well, at least until Flavius finds out who is behind the plot.”
“Are there any leads?”
Marcus Tiberius tightened his hold of her hand. “Not yet, but I am sure that sooner or later he will find one.”
Skeptical of the version of Marcus Tiberius, her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head. “Is there something you are not telling me?”
“No.” He hesitated. “Why?”
“Because you can’t lie to me. You can hide things, but you are a terrible liar. If there is something else, please tell me. Anyway, no one is in danger anymore,” she replied, crossing her arms across her chest.
He smiled at how well she knew him, then his eyebrows tightened together as he exhaled. “I know who did it. Saul told me. He did not want to say anything because he was afraid. I had to punish him, promising further punishments to get the truth from him.”
“You know? So why do you not tell Flavius?”
“Because it will make everything more difficult. Promise me that you will not tell him.”
“I do not know…” She hesitated.
“Promise!” he said, raising his voice and grabbing her by her shoulders.
“Let me go! Fine, I will not tell anybody.”
“It was Claudia who blinded Saul. She did so because she was jealous. Saul is Flavius’ lover, and they were spending most of their time together, not only by day but also during the night. Flavius will never love her, regardless of whether she loves him or not. Unfortunately, Saul finds himself in the middle, and Claudia took the chance offered by Flavius’ absence.” He scrubbed his chin with his hand. “If it is true that Saul’s accident and Flavius’ kidnapping are connected, then she needed to postpone his return to give her time to secure help to put her plan into action.”