Nara looked at him, his spoon dropping on the floor. “How you can say something like that?”
“I’m just stating the possibilities, and you know that a slave is not worth keeping alive,” Julius pondered, continuing to eat.
Saul shook his head, not wanting to think about Dionysius, Lukos, and Leandros laying dead. He stood and went to bed.
Nara followed him to his room. “Saul, don’t take what Julius says seriously. He always lacks diplomacy when he has something to say. As a physician, I guess he became kind of insensitive to human feelings, but he feels the stress as well.” Nara said, sitting on his bed beside him.
Saul sighed. “I’m truly starting to miss him. I am not sure I can say I love him. As you know, I love Cassandra, but there is something about the way he kisses me that soothes my soul and makes me feel safe. I thought this feeling of safety was possible only with Marcus Tiberius. I have never been his lover, regardless of the erotic pleasures he allowed himself with me. He never took me as Flavius did. He has been a guide, a father, a god. I would have followed him blindly, certain he would lead me safely.
“Flavius is caring and gentle, but something in his tenderness reminds me of my place. I fear, respect, and love him, but he will never be the guide Marcus Tiberius represents to me,” Saul said.
“Wouldn’t you follow Flavius blindly?”
Saul smiled. “I would do anything to have him back.”
Nara hugged him. “Keep your faith; he'll return soon.”
“Thanks. Goodnight,” Saul replied as Nara left the room.
Soon silence and darkness lay over the house like a shroud. Masters and slaves slept, waiting for a new day to come, a new day which would bring better news and joy to the household.
However, not everybody was sleeping.
Dark, evil shadows moved soundlessly through the rooms. Quiet as ghosts and dangerous as demons, they sought their prey, led by a white-dressed figure with a dark purpose in her soul.
Three of them, night creatures, walked across the garden and reached their target.
He was peacefully sleeping.
The first ghost tied his legs; the other, his wrists; and the third lighted up an oil lamp.
“Wake up, slave,” she said, whispering, covering his mouth to prevent him from screaming.
Saul opened his eyes still half-asleep. Of the three figures, he recognized only one; the others had their faces covered.
“Mmmh,” he tried to say, realizing he could almost predict what was going to happen to him. “You don’t make a sound, slave, or it will be the last this world will hear from you,” Claudia hissed.
He tried to calm down and nodded, hoping that whatever was her intention, he could make her reconsider.
“Please, don’t harm me. What did I do?” Saul whimpered.
“You simply exist, slave, and your existence disturbs me. It is always about you; everything is about you, and I can’t stand it. You are always intruding in my life: in the relationship with my husband, with my guests, and the entire world. Now it is time for radical lessons; now you will learn your place. You are nothing but a tool.” A grim smile crossed her face.” And what happens when a tool becomes useless?”
He looked up her and began to whimper, unable to say anything anymore. Between choking sobs, he pleaded, “Please…don’t…”
She remained silent for a while, enjoying his cries. “So? Answer me. “What happens when a tool becomes useless?”
“It is thrown away…” he replied, fearing the direction of that topic.
“Right, slave. This is exactly what will happen when I am finished with you. Keep your mouth shut, if you don’t want to face worse consequences. And, believe me, I can find a way to make it worse. You’re going to become totally useless, and even Flavius won’t have anything to say about getting rid of you,” she said.
“Please, Mistress, please don’t. I beg you.”
She shook her head and grabbed his face. The last thing he saw was the shining blade of a knife.
Then an excruciating pain exploded on his face as the blade sliced cutting through his eyes and nose. A searing heat blazed through his body, and he screamed.
Instantly, the pain came, as sharp as the blade that blinded him. The three ghosts dissolved into the darkness before the other slaves, startled from their slumber, jumped out of their beds.
His voice ripped the thin curtain of the night's sleep of the other inhabitants of the house. The slaves gathered in Saul’s room, but none of them dared to touch him. They remained at the door, shocked at what they saw.
Nara made his way through the crowd and ran to Saul, who held his hands to his bleeding eyes.
“Please, Saul, let me see,” he said, prying his hands from his face. Nara’s blood froze in his veins.
He shouted, desperation clear in his voice, “Julius, where is Julius? Get him here NOW!”
“Saul, calm down. Everything will be fine. Julius will take care of you,” he said, holding him in his arms.
“Marcus…Marcus,” he tried to call through the pain.
Julius charged into the room and took from the arms of Nara. Saul’s cries turned to whimpers, and he trembled as shock took control of his body.
“Now, calm down, boy. I need your full cooperation,” Julius said. With these words, he pressed Saul’s neck, and he fell unconscious. Julius covered his head with a cloth and carried him out as the shocked slaves parted to make way for them.
Julius ordered Nara, “Come with me. We need to bring him to my ambulatory. Only there will I have the right tools to take proper care of him.”
They walked through the garden to the back door.
“Where are you going, and what is this commotion?” Claudia yelled.
“Mistress, something happened to Saul. We are bringing him to my ambulatory so I can take care of him.”
“What happened to him?”
“I don’t know. I hope he can tell us once he comes back to his senses.”
Claudia begged, “Please, Julius, take good care of him. Flavius will be terribly upset if something happens to him.” Turning to the throng of slaves, she said in a harsh tone, “And all of you, return to sleep. There is nothing to see.”
Chapter 17.
Julius and Nara walked through the dark streets in silence, hoping not to encounter any criminals on their way. Nara could not believe what had happened, and nothing made any sense. Were the gods angry with Saul? Why? He shook his head to rid it of the foolish thoughts.
When they arrived at Julius’ ambulatory, Julius placed Saul on a wooden table. “I know it’s not comfortable, but I need you in the best position to check on you, son
“Nara, light the fire and heat water. When it boils, put some of these bandages in the pot. We need to make them really clean.”
Without a word, Nara ran out of the room happy to be told what to do, His mind, numb with shock, needed something to focus on.”
In that same moment, Saul started to come back to his senses. “M-Mar-cus.”
“Not yet, son,” Julius replied, pressing on the lower part of his neck to render him unconscious again.
When the water was ready, Nara brought the entire pot of water and the clean bandages. Julius cleaned the blood from Saul’s face. “Keep his head steady. I need to check the eyes.”
Without saying any word, Nara walked to the head of the table and clasped his face between his hands. Julius opened one eye to the damage. He sighed sadly. Who could have done something like that, and if it were a man, how did he come into the house without being heard? If it wasn’t a man, then what else could have done something like that?
He cleansed the wounds and tried to fix as much as possible. After a couple of hours, he covered Saul’s eyes with clean bandages.