Chương 21: Chapter 1.21: Consider Cunning

As soon as the door fell shut, Favius took a deep breath. Alright, I'm going to count to ten. One, two… He studied Caliga, whose tilted head still betrayed her amusement, and Urania, who looked between him and Brutus. Three, four… Next, he looked at Brutus and grit his teeth, forcing himself to keep counting. Five, six… What the fuck is his game? Seven, eight. Brutus burst out laughing and walked toward Favius.

"That was well done, boy." Favius froze, his eyes narrowing.

"Well done?" he hissed. Brutus pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes a fraction, still smiling.

"Yeah. Couldn't have done it better. You set him up well so I could go for the finish. That was what you intended, right?" Favius sputtered.

"He— No. That was not what I intended. What do you think you were doing? Everything was going fine until you kept provoking him." Brutus scratched his beard, then shrugged.

"Seems like it was a lucky convenience. Well, it still worked out in the end, so—""It worked out in the end?" Favius replied, trying and failing to keep his voice from rising.

"He was finally behaving and could have helped me learn about—" He cut himself off and glared at the man, unable to verbalize everything in the presence of his siblings. He would have been another useful perspective. Is Brutus trying to isolate me? He chose to take another deep breath and steadied himself. Slowly, deliberately, he addressed Brutus—yet he couldn't help but glance at his siblings. Can't be too open. If they grow suspicious, they might be harder to convince than Brutus.

"Alright, Brutus. I wanted to establish a better relationship with him so I could potentially turn him and use him against Hesnia. Or at the very least learn from him. You know. Like you're supposed to do from a tutor." Brutus made a face halfway between disappointment and biting into something foul.

"You… By the Void, I sometimes forget—" he glanced sideways at the siblings "—that you don't know certain things."

"Things like what?" Favius replied, settling down on his desk's bench.

"What your father did to his family." Urania perked up.

"What did he do to his family?"

"He led the process in the Senate that resulted in two members of his familia being publicly whipped for corruption and other offenses against the Republic." He smirked.

"They took it somewhat personally." Favius groaned and pressed his hands against his face.

"And why did you think I shouldn't be informed of that?" Brutus tilted his head. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Well… based on what I've heard about your behaviour, I assumed you knew he was an enemy. And why Hesnia brought him in. But—" Brutus sighed. Favius let out a bitter chuckle. Then he looked at his sworn protector. I hate that he took control of that away from me because I didn't know. But I'm caught up in a complex political web. Favius let out a long breath. And I'm going to have to trust him and others if I want to achieve my goals. Yet— He shook his head.

"Brutus. Let's forget about this. But—" He raised a hand, and Brutus studied him with a neutral expression.

"I want to be told about such issues in the future. Ignorance won't keep me protected from politics." Brutus considered for a moment, then nodded. They left the room. Caliga put a hand around his shoulder, and Urania hooked her elbow under his. But Caliga studied him, then Brutus, with narrowed eyes for a long moment before they left. The next morning, the four of them were all breathing heavily. Well, Favius wiped sweat from his brow and looked at Brutus. Three of us are breathing heavily.

Urania kept fussing around Caliga.

"You did well. You almost had him."

"I had nothing," Caliga replied and glanced sideways at Brutus, who merely chuckled as he took the bucket provided by one of the bathhouse slaves and slowly emptied it over his body, washing off sand and grit. Favius stepped under his own stream of water, giving only a short, hesitant look to the slave. They really do blend into the background… once I stop thinking about it. He grumbled at the cold water, scrubbing the grit off his body. Soon, all of them were in the shallow end of the large black pool.

As they soaked in the water that had grown warmer as late spring edged toward summer, two slaves brought snacks to the pool. Well, that's a first. He picked out a piece of cheese and a handful of olives from the plate that had been set between himself and Brutus at the edge of the pool. With a flick of her wrist, Caliga threw an olive at Brutus. The man's attention was on the plate, but he spun around and snapped up the olive with his mouth. He chewed, smiling.

Urania's nervous chuckle broke the resulting tension, and Brutus cleared his throat.

"You know, girl, I told you to be more cunning in your attacks."

"What you are trying is still too straightforward. However, I believe it's time for another lesson." Caliga's eyes widened, and an excited smile spread across her face.

"Another lesson?"

"Yes," Brutus said. Favius looked between them, the edge of his mouth twitching. She looks so hopeful. I don't think she'll like what's about to happen. Caliga leaned forward eagerly.

"What's this lesson about?" Brutus popped another olive into his mouth and chewed slowly, as if studying the taste. His eyes settled on her.

"Consequences." She shrieked and got to her feet, but Brutus was at her side instantly. He picked her up under the arms, and in an explosion of splashing water, his laughter mixed with Caliga's panicked and Urania's offended screams as he hurled her head over heels into the deep end of the pool. Favius grabbed another handful of olives and popped one filled with cheese into his mouth. While Caliga sputtered in shock, Brutus blurred after her.

The girl struggled to get her head above water and took a single breath before the cultivator dunked her under. She struggled and kicked at him. But she might as well have been kicking a statue. Within half a dozen heartbeats, her struggles ceased, and all tension left her body. Yet Brutus held her underwater by the throat, smiling unrelentingly. Favius narrowed his eyes, and Urania voiced his thoughts before he could.

"Is she fine?" Urania stood up, her eyes wide. Brutus shrugged.

"What do you think?" His younger sister took a few steps forward.

"You… you can't let her drown!" she said, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Favius!" Favius grabbed another olive and enjoyed the show. He felt Brutus looking at him and turned, swallowing as he addressed his sister.

"Her suddenly relaxing—that's not how drowning people behave. So… it should be any moment now." Brutus's grin widened.

"Indeed. Don't worry, Urania. Just—" Caliga began struggling again underwater, this time much more viciously, with an urgency that had been absent before. Water bubbled up from her mouth, and after a few more heartbeats, Brutus pulled her up out of the water, holding her under the arms like a wet cat. Caliga feebly tried to splash water at Brutus, but he shook her until she stopped resisting, and a sad expression settled on her face.

"I was so sure…" she murmured after she was done gasping for air. Brutus grinned and set her down.

"That was quick thinking. But the third lesson, relating to cunning and consequences, is that power matters most. And sometimes you just face someone who's smarter and better than you." Caliga pouted as she swam back toward Urania, who was trying to keep a straight face. Favius, however, began laughing and ate another olive.