Her words pulled him from his thoughts. “We don’t have much time until Flavius arrives. You’d better dress up. I will comb your hair, and then we will have something to eat.”
Saul stood and complied.
He had a task on which to focus. During the night, he would think about Cassandra.
During three hours of waiting, Saul helped Marcus Tiberius as much as possible.
Suddenly, Flavius appeared between the heavy curtains that divided the working room from the rest of the house.
“Good day, Father. Saul,” greeted Flavius as he came in.
“You sound tired, Master. Didn’t you sleep properly last night?” Saul asked.
Flavius hadn’t slept at all. “Something like that, Saul. I can’t remember the last time I had a good sleep. While I was kept prisoner, I barely slept; since I returned home, I have been obsessed with finding the hand that hurt you.
“Master, I need to talk to you alone, if possible,” Saul said to Flavius, keeping his voice as steady as possible against the heartbeat chocking his breath.
Marcus Tiberius asked, “Is there something you are hiding from me or something I should know?”
“Father, I am sure Saul has a good reason if he asks to talk to me. I need to speak with him in private as well.” Flavius beseeched him. “Please, let’s not make it a personal issue.”
Marcus Tiberius smiled. “So it shall be. I will leave you alone, so you will have all the privacy you will need.”
When his father’s footsteps receded, Flavius moved closer and put his hand on Saul’s shoulder. “So, what do you need to talk to me about?”
Saul wondered how long his young Master’s voice would remain soft and gentle after he told him the truth. However, he was going to do that.
Inhaling, he closed his eyes to gain strength. “I asked to talk to you because I am going to disobey an order for the first time in my life.”
Flavius narrowed his eyes. “Did my father order you not to tell me something?”
“Everything at its time. I have been feeling badly about it, and I prefer to face a punishment rather than go through with what your father wants me to do. I care very much about you, and Marcus Tiberius could not take this into account. How could he ever understand what I feel?” Saul started to talk, almost to himself.
Flavius shifted and caressed his face from the temple to the chin. He raised Saul’s head to look into his absent eyes and softly kissed his lips.
“Master, I don’t know how I am going to say it. Please remain calm and carefully consider my words from the start to the end. I want you to keep any impulsiveness at bay and listen to everything I have to say.”
“I will try to do my best.” Apprehension rose in Flavius.
“I hope you won’t be upset with me, as I am nothing but a slave and whatever my Master orders, I have to obey.”
“I know, Saul. That's the reason we have slaves.”
“I…” A big lump formed in his throat and his words could not slide around it.
“Saul, I’m here; I am going to protect you.”
He swallowed and spoke in a rush, “I know who blinded me, but I’m not sure it was the same person who planned your kidnapping.” Saul inhaled deeply and exhaled. His pulse pounded in his ears.
Flavius felt like a blade had stabbed him in the chest, piercing his heart. His breathing became shallow, and his legs wobbled, unable to support his weight. He slumped onto the sofa.
Silence reigned as he struggled to control his body and thoughts. “What do you mean, you know who did it?”
“When your father brought me here, he didn’t know either; I was determined to keep it secret. I will explain the reason later. Marcus Tiberius recognized I was lying. When he realized it, he ordered me to remain on my knees for the entire night to think about whether protecting myself was worth more than being honest with him. Cassandra came to talk to me. She also thought that I knew more than I told, and in the end, I confessed the truth to her. Marcus Tiberius overheard us.” He continued, “He forbade me to tell anyone the truth. Being here, considering the deal broken, he was my only Master, and I had to obey him. I thought it would be easy, but I was wrong.” He glanced in Flavius’ direction. “I didn’t want to lie to you.”
Harnessing his impatience with difficulty, Flavius said, “Fine, but I want a name. Who blinded you, Saul?”
The slave gulped. “It was Mistress Claudia, helped by two other men. She came by night into my room. As I woke up, I found myself tied to the bed. Two men held me steady by the legs and wrists as she sat beside me. She said how disappointed she was that I took your attention away from her. She believed I overshadowed her in front of her guests when they asked me to sing for them. Sometimes your mother asked for my presence when she visited. For being too beautiful, smart, too much of everything, for not keeping my place as a slave, she was going to punish me,” Saul said, immobile where he stood. He waited for Flavius to rage.
A tense silence followed, then he burst into loud, hysterical laughter which grew in volume until it transformed into a scream.
As tears flowed from his eyes, Flavius lost all strength, and his cries turned into painful sobs as his body fell to the floor. He felt unable to stop crying, to move, or to speak, frozen by the horror of Claudia’s cruelty for the purpose of her sadistic pleasure masked as punishment for crimes never committed.
No matter how she would justify her hatred for Saul to herself or to others, he knew she enjoyed being cruel to all her slaves. Nara was another example. What kind of excuse could she have had for beating him as she had? Was he too beautiful to compete with as well? All the slaves feared her. What would have been their fault?
He tried to regain control of himself and stood up from the floor. The kidnapping flashed into his mind. “Was everything organized just to hurt you?” he whispered. He thought about Dionysius, Lukos, and Leandros, killed without any reservation, like animals. He thought of the threat of his kidnappers. Was she really so blinded by hatred to order his kidnapping?
With his strength regained, Flavius screamed, hoping that the gods would hear him and feel shaken by his request for justice.
He closed his eyes and let heavy silence fall between Saul and him; he could almost feel his questioning, absent eyes. He could hear his breath and found it consoling.
Comforted by the presence of the only person he trusted, the one who remained silent while his rage unleashed, undisturbed.
Flavius opened his eyes and turned, looking at Saul; he was still there waiting for him.
“I’m sorry, Saul,” he uttered, knowing that nothing he could say would fix anything; the words in his mind sounded empty and useless.
“I should have told you about it. Forgive me.” Saul raised a hand in the direction of Flavius.
“I will make her pay for this, and for all she has done to me as well,” Flavius vowed.
“Are you going to tell her I told you?” Saul’s heart started beating fast as veins pulsed on his neck.
“She will confess. You are coming back to my house. I won’t leave you alone for a single moment. She will not do anything to harm you now that I know what she is capable of.”
“Master…” Saul hesitated.
“Do you trust me, slave?”
“With my life, Master.” Saul smiled weakly.
“I will order Nara to be at your side as Cassandra has been so far. Answer me, though, do you love Cassandra?”
Saul wasn’t prepared for this question and wondered how he was supposed to answer. “I…Yes, Master, I love her,” Saul admitted, willing to be totally honest with him.