Flavius let go of Claudia’s hair and shoved her to the floor in front of Saul.
“What is wrong with you?” she screamed, struggling to stand.
“Stay where you are.” He said, pushed her with his foot. “It’s time for the truth; the truth I kept inside for a long time; the bitterness I’ve carried with me since I was kidnapped; the truth behind Saul’s blind eyes. I want the truth you hide behind your pretty face, behind the lies when you claim to love me. You are incapable of love. You are incapable of human feelings. It is time for the truth. It is time for justice!”
Saul opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He no air left in his body, no voice, and no strength to oppose his Master’s rage.
“I don’t know what you are talking about. You are getting crazy with your ideas that someone has plotted against you. No one conspired in this house, and probably not even in the entire city of Rome. You are your only enemy,” she spat.
“Am I going insane?” he asked, immobile as if thinking about it. “Perhaps I am going crazy, but if this is so, then I can do something like this.” He jumped and grabbed Saul by his hair and forced him to his knees in front of Claudia. “Here it is, slave, your Master is going to show his madness to both of you. Do you also think I am insane?” He glared at Saul without releasing his grasp on his hair.
“No, Master,” Saul cried.
Flavius let him go and leaned over to gently caress his face. In a calm voice, he said to Claudia, “You see? I’m not crazy. My slave still believes I am not.”
“A slave does whatever you order him to do because otherwise he gets punished.” She grinned.
Flavius’ patience and rationality faded. He grabbed both Claudia’s and Saul’s hair, dragging them closer to each other. “Look at my slave, Claudia. Look into his eyes carefully.”
“Let me go, you maniac!”
“Look at his eyes, Claudia!”
She looked into Saul’s absent foggy eyes, unable to see or ever express anything again, constantly reminded her of that night when they were blinded.
“What do you see?” he asked in a serene tone.
“What should I see?” she asked, fearing for her life.
Tears flooded Flavius’ eyes. “I used to see the rage of the underworld in his eyes, the darkest of nights, the most intense eyes I’d ever seen. They are gone, never to return.” A lump in his throat choked his breath.
“That was an accident, Flavius.”
Flavius pushed Saul violently away and grabbed her by the shoulders, pinning her to the ground.
“LIAR! Was my kidnapping an accident too? Was the assassination of Dionysius Lukos and Leandros an accident? Were all the slaves you beat up without reason an accident? How many accidents do I have to accept?”
She looked at him, gasping for air as terror pervaded his soul. Does he know what happened, or is he trying to make me confess? Did Saul tell?
She dismissed the thought. Saul would never have said a word about it. Then the strange dream she had when she was unconscious came to mind. She remembered Nara telling her that she would confess to Flavius. But was it really Nara? She started to doubt it.
“I have no idea who kidnapped you. It was a shock for me, too. Do you think it was fun for me to have these men threatening to kill you?”
He glanced at her and burst into laughter. “Or maybe it was you threatening them,” he said. “Not even Orcus can threaten you. I am sick and tired of you. I hate you; I despise you. I'd rather die than kiss you, and the reason is your cruelty, Claudia.” He stood, straightening to his full height. “Can’t you be honest for at least once in your miserable life?”
She cried silently, fearing that the end of her secret loomed closer, but how, if she hadn’t said anything? How, if not by the mouth of that filthy slave, she thought.
She turned her face to look at Saul. He kneeled on the floor trembling unable to see, or to predict what was coming, incapable to run away.
She thought she should have killed him.
Disgusted, she stood up.
“You are not leaving,” Flavius said, deadly calm.
She glared at him. “What do you want from me?”
“I thought it was clear, or maybe I have behaved too crazily for you to understand. I want the truth,” Flavius replied, struggling to keep the same tone.
His soul was still in turmoil; he felt exhausted and out of strength.
Claudia tilted her head, failing to understand what he was saying.
“What kind of truth are you seeking?”
“The truth you are hiding from me. I don’t believe someone intruded that night just to hurt a worthless slave like Saul. Why would they do that?”
A glimmer of hope that he didn’t know the truth sparked. “I have no idea who, or why they did it.”
“They? How many? According to all our slaves, no one had seen anyone in the house that night.”
“I…I haven’t seen anything, I just thought…”
“What have you thought? Did you think that to blind a slave you needed more than one man?” he asked provocatively.
“Shut up!” She raised her hands to cover her ears.
Flavius came nearer and grabbed her wrists. “What happened that night?” he asked between clenched teeth.
“I don’t know. I was sleeping,”
Flavius let her go and slapped her. The SMACK resounded in the morgue-like silence of the room. “What happened to Saul?”
“I have no idea. You should ask him!” Her hand cradled her stinging cheek.
Flavius looked back at Saul, who still cringed on the floor. “You know? That is a great idea.” He grabbed the slave by the hair and pulled him to face Claudia.
“Come on, slave, now it is your turn. Your mistress just called you into this story, and I order you to tell me what happened to your eyes.”
Saul tried to free himself from Flavius’ grip, but his Master’s hold tightened, pulling more of his hair. “I gave you an order, slave.”
“Master, I…” Saul protested.
“OBEY MY ORDER!”
“And I am the one who is cruel to the slaves?” Claudia said sarcastically.
“Master, I told you already what happened that night. Why do I have to repeat it?” Saul said in a trembling voice.
“Because your mistress seems to have forgotten, and needs her memory refreshed,” he said softly at his ear without releasing his hair.
“It was Mistress Claudia who blinded me as a punishment for having been between you two,” he replied, closing his eyes.
Claudia felt her heart was going to explode. She slapped Saul. “Liar,” she hissed.
Flavius released Saul’s hair, pushing him away, and snatched Claudia’s wrists. “You are right, Claudia. Slaves obey their Master’s orders…blindly,” he said. “And, when there is a choice who to obey, they are like pets; they obey the Master who cares for them the most. Therefore, I can always rely on Saul’s honesty, but I can’t rely on yours. Of course, you are not a worthless beast like a slave is, are you?”
“Let me go. You can’t really believe him,” Claudia whimpered.
“Why? Isn’t it so that he will obey whatever order I wish?” Flavius asked, tightening his grip. “ISN’T IT SO?”
“Let me go, you are hurting me,” she pleaded.
He complied and slapped her again. “Now that it is clear who did that to Saul, I wish to understand something I don’t know yet. I am confident you will tell me, considering your loyalty to your husband,” he said sneering, grabbing her shoulders.
“I have nothing to say,” she taunted.
“Let’s see, was it also you who organized my kidnapping just to buy time to hurt Saul?”
A chill coursed through her veins as her blood froze. Her body shook.