“Why don’t you rest for today and go to your father tomorrow? One day won’t make any difference. Moreover, you might want to relax taking a bath.” She caressed his face.
“No, I'll go now. I won’t be there for long. I'll be back soon,” Flavius assured her before heading for the door.
As he walked to his parents’ house, he didn’t know what to expect; he had no details of what happened to Saul. The accident, as Claudia called it, must have been serious if his father had taken Saul back. Why would he think Saul was mistreated if he had been assaulted by strangers?
He hesitated at his father’s door before knocking. His heart raced in his chest. He couldn’t wait to embrace his family again.
When a slave answered the door, he smiled at her. “Good to see you, Nana. Is my father home?”
“He will be glad to see you, Master. He is in his room with Saul,” she said, guiding him to her Marcus Tiberius’ working room.
She opened the heavy curtain which divided the room from the rest of the house.
Marcus Tiberius sat at a table, focused on a document while Saul stood in front of him, with his head lowered as if he had disappointed Marcus Tiberius and awaited punishment.
Saul’s beauty was more stunning than Flavius remembered. His hair was gathered by ribbons, but something in his posture seemed odd.
His father looked as if he was worried, his eyebrows wrinkled.
From the entry, he said, “Good morning, Father.”
Marcus Tiberius’ eyebrows rose, and his eyes widened.
He slowly stood. “Flavius, you are…” he strode to hug him. “I was worried. When Saul told me you were missing, I thought my life was ending. What happened to you?”
“Everything happened so fast, I grasp all of it. What I can recall is that it was late evening and I decided to spend the night in a tavern. Suddenly, I heard the horses of my slaves traveling behind me get nervous. As I turned to check what happened, I saw two of them on the ground dead, killed by arrows. I turned to Lukos and saw a man pointing a knife at his throat. Lukos shouted for me to run away, but I was grabbed by another man. I was held hostage for two weeks. They told me they were going to ask for ransom money from my family, and if they did not pay, they would have killed me.”
“Who were they? How did they know who you were?” Marcus Tiberius asked.
“That is something I couldn’t understand. I tried to ask but got no answer. It was impossible to recognize them as they were covered by scarves and long coats all the time. Maybe they were following me since the beginning, waiting for the right moment…
“What I do not understand is why? I really can’t believe that they followed me only for the sake of money. Were they following me since I left Rome? How could they know about my departure? Too many things don’t fit. I know I should not think about it and try to forget what happened, but I want to know who did it and why.”
Saul didn’t move from his position. He kept his head down and wept silently for the death of the three slaves. At the same time, joy filled him at the sound of Flavius’ voice. He also felt terrified about what his Master’s reaction would be to his blindness.
Flavius turned his eyes to Saul, wondering about his behavior. He was sure he would have run to him.
He was sure he had been missing him.
As he walked to him, he realized Saul was crying. “Saul, what’s wrong?” he asked, but his lover didn’t reply.
Flavius caressed his cheek and gently raised his head.
When he saw the brightness of his slave’s eyes was replaced by a misty shade, he realized that something more frightening than he ever could have imagined had happened.
“Your eyes?” he asked.
“Master…I,” he broke into a desperate cry.
Marcus Tiberius touched his son’s arm. “Flavius, this is another issue. Saul was assaulted by strangers intruding during the nighttime into your house. He has been blinded, and there’s nothing we can do about it. The reason I brought him here is that if a Master cannot protect his belonging, it is tantamount to mistreating it,” he said.
Flavius quit listening after the words that Saul would be blind forever. He enfolded Saul in his arms,
“Master, I'm sorry,” he wept in his ear.
“I’m not going to let you down, remember? You are more than a slave to me. Since we were children, I considered you a friend. Did you forget our deal?”
“I haven’t forgotten that…Flavius,” he muttered.
Flavius parted from him, then cradled Saul’s face between his hands and kissed his lips.
“I shall die searching for the hand which blinded you, and I won’t find peace until I have ripped it away from its body. This is an offense, not just to you but also to my father and me. I’ll have my revenge.” he said, turning to glare at Marcus Tiberius.
“Flavius, revenge won’t bring Saul’s sight back. What kind of justice will we ever find? You are a man of law; you know better than me that, for a property like a slave, there isn’t any justice that will quench your thirst of revenge. Don’t seek for troubles from which you won’t easily find a way out,” Marcus Tiberius warned.
“So, you are suggesting I forget what has happened to my slave? I needed him in many ways, and now that he is ruined, some of his services are no longer available to me. He is also the most trusted friend I have. He is the only person who has ever understood me, the one who has always been by my side.” Flavius raised his voice. “No, Father, I am not going to turn my back on the one who never turned his back on me.”
“Master, please, listen to your father. It’s not worth it,” Saul urged.
Flavius looked at them, not understanding why neither of them was interested in knowing the truth, or in having justice. “Is there something I should know?”
“Why do you say that?” Marcus Tiberius asked,
“Because it sounds as if you are trying to protect someone. Am I wrong?”
“Yes, Flavius. There is no conspiracy. Before you make any decisions, you might consider taking the time to think about it,” Marcus Tiberius suggested. “If you cannot think clearly and calmly, you might lose touch with reality. You might find justice only when you start to think without rage or hatred. Do you understand what I mean?”
Flavius thought carefully. He was right, even if what happened to Saul deserved justice. “I’ll do what you suggest. Maybe I do not see things clearly. Explain something to me; our deal stated that you would take Saul back only if he were mistreated. Why did you take him? What happened to Saul was a terrible accident beyond mine or Claudia’s will.”
“Flavius, I took him away for two reasons. If a Master cannot ensure protection to his belongings, it means that he does not care enough, and from my point of view, this is also a way of mistreating a slave. Moreover, Claudia had hard times, and taking care of a blind slave would have been too much.”
“I see. Well, I was not home at that time, and I think you are unfair to me when you say that I wasn’t able to protect Saul. That was beyond my control. I agree that Claudia hadn’t the ability to take care of him in that particular situation. What I want now is to take Saul back with me,” Flavius pursued.
Marcus Tiberius looked at Saul, not sure if he should agree to that, but the emptiness in Saul’s eyes could not express what was in his mind. “Let him stay here for a few days while he is still under Rufus’ care, then you will have him back.”
Marcus Tiberius needed time to talk in private with Saul, to think about what to do. He thought that once again, Saul’s wisdom would help him to make the right decision.