The Naked Truth

The High District always awoke earlier than the rest of the Senatorial Ring.

Even with the eclipse casting the sky over Castra Devana in the color of lead, the wealthy did not change their habits. They forced their servants to sweep the marble-paved avenues while Stoneborn whispered near their rickshaws, and on the stone balconies, perfumed flowers competed for space with the coats of arms of many of the great and small Houses of the Empire.

The day’s target was at the end of an L-shaped block: the most exclusive bathhouse in the Senatorial Ring.

Daniel stopped beneath a portico supported by white marble columns and pretended to admire the façade. Mosaics in red, blue, and gold covered the friezes, while deities with hollow eyes raised amphorae from which warm water trickled down channels into a reflecting pool at the entrance.

From inside came a constant murmur of low voices, running water, and the discreet crackle of embers beneath hidden cauldrons. The coming and going of clients who planned to use the facility early created a hurried rhythm, mixing the steady slap of sandals on stone with all the other sounds.

“Last chance to claim a false stomachache?” Thanatos whispered to Daniel, visibly uncomfortable with the visit.

The traveler from another world laughed.

“As incredible as it may sound, I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

“I know” Grace replied, studying the jester. “It’s just that you seem so at ease in places far more lascivious than this one. I simply found it amusing, that’s all. Do me a favor and don’t ruin our disguises. We go in, hear what we need to hear, and get out. Understood? Lais and Sallustia already know what to do.”

Lais, in the shadow of a column, adjusted the simple servant’s tunic the attendants at Fort Tinuso had arranged for her. Her red hair was tied back in a plain bun, her face unpainted.

Beside her, Sallustia wore an identical tunic and a white apron bearing the insignia of the House de Lio. Their other belongings would remain stored in the individual towel baskets Daniel had rented in the bathhouse’s antechamber.

“The rules are simple, fool” Lais explained in a voice that sounded gentle only to those who didn’t know her. “We observe and don’t react. No confrontations… and no explosions,”— here a note of disappointment crept in —“so for all the gods’ sake, behave like a nobleman taking a bath.”

“Wonderful!” Thanatos grumbled. “Too bad I’m just a jester with a horror of hot water.”

The doorman — a broad-shouldered eunuch in an immaculate white tunic and a collar bearing the house’s arms — opened his arms in a gesture of artificial welcome.

“My lords, welcome to Balneum Serenitas. Your names, if you please?”

“Fidenzio Crisci de Lio and his secretary, Thanatos” Daniel said without hesitation, extending a signet ring bearing the House of Lio’s coat of arms for quick inspection.

“The ladies?”

“We are servants of the noble master de Lio” Lais replied, eyes lowered, voice obedient.

Coins changed hands discreetly, and the eunuch nodded, made a brief gesture, and two young slaves appeared to guide them through the atrium. They left behind the cool street air and crossed a vestibule covered with dolphin mosaics; from there, a corridor led to the main bathing hall.

High beams supported a domed ceiling painted with golden constellations. Between the columns, shallow pools alternated with larger basins, some with water nearly cold, others hot and perfumed.

Steam rose in misty fingers that caressed the skin gently, interrupted by shafts of light from thaumaturgic lamps, lit in the absence of sunlight through the hall’s skylights. Statues of the Nine Gods of Orthodoxy watched over bathers who conversed in moderate tones.

Barefoot servant girls passed with baskets of grapes, figs, and cheeses. Others carried pitchers of wine, towels, and small pots of oil.

“Your belongings, please” one of the slave girls said, extending a wicker basket to them.

Daniel undressed without much modesty, long accustomed to public baths from his time in Arx Noctis during his training. After Lord Juncuso had so often been naked, this place seemed far less intimidating — though, to his credit, the Lord Cohortes had been in far better shape than most aristocrats.

Sallustia’s victorious look as she evaluated him while he undressed, however, was unsettling.

Thanatos hesitated a moment too long, glanced around with obvious embarrassment, but obeyed.

Gods! Grace even looked away. If he’s that embarrassed even with the size… well, what does that say about me?

They wrapped themselves in white towels, and when the servants withdrew, Daniel drew a deep breath.

“You two may go now” he said to Sallustia and Lais. “Mingle with the others and gather as much useful information as you can.”

The magus nodded and left almost at once. Sallustia stared at Daniel with a terribly penetrating look for a few seconds longer and then left as well.

What does that woman want now? Has she still not gotten over her defeat to Bellusa that day in the warehouse?

Daniel entered the hot water and relaxed, forgetting for a moment Sallustia’s strange reactions and all the problems surrounding the mission. The tension in his shoulders, nearly unbearable, eased considerably thanks to the miraculous bath salts in the pool.

“I’m naked, master de Lio” Thanatos muttered in a whisper, crouching until his chin touched the water’s surface. “Among so many people of high society.”

“No jokes, my friend?” Daniel asked, not denying it was amusing to see the jester’s discomfort. “I thought you, of all people, would have nothing to worry about in a place like this.”

“How funny! I thought you wouldn’t have problems in this place” the jester grumbled, mocking Daniel’s voice. “Do you know why I became a fool? So I could live a thousand lives as an artist without ever having to be myself. Without my costumes, what am I, Daniel? A pale, skinny creature without charm or talent. No matter the size of my… well, you get the point. Here I’m nothing.”

“Don’t say that, Thanatos. I know you’re still grieving over recent events, but we have to remember we’re alive, and as long as we stay that way, each of us has an important role to play. Come on! To the west edge — two groups are talking there, away from the fountains’ noise. A little intrigue might do you good.”

They drifted to a medium-sized pool, half-lit beneath a niche decorated with lotuses. Two burly men and a thin, bald one occupied the opposite edge, their cups resting on the marble.

Discreetly, Daniel leaned on the edge, closed his eyes as though savoring the heat, and listened.

“… ever since Mave Lestat secured the shipment of uninspected wagons” the thin man was saying in a greasy voice. “The senator didn’t need to expose himself like that, but if results are what matter to him…”

“It’s outrageous” one of the burly men growled. “Has no one figured out the war in the north was orchestrated by the Great Houses? No one’s that stupid, to let it slide for so long.”

“And what good would it do to know?” replied the thin man, his voice lower now, but not enough to escape the ears of an artist and a master thief. “Mave Lestat acts under Prebito’s orders, and everyone has dealings with them — the senators, the Pontifex Maximus, the empire’s magi, even Lord Ciniana.”

Daniel exchanged a quick glance with Thanatos, who widened his eyes behind the curtain of steam. The name Mave Lestat, so often whispered… and Lord Ciniana? He was on their side now, as promised, but still had dealings with Prebito? And the Pontifex? Working behind the scenes for Ultio Fatidica even after they stole the God-Sword?

Too many questions — and as he pondered them, Daniel spotted Sallustia at a distance, a tray in hand, her steps careful. Lais walked two paces behind, distributing towels. They passed by without exchanging glances.

So far, so good.

Until a side door opened.

“Don’t look…” Thanatos whispered, who, by reflex, was already looking. “Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look!”

Madame Umbra entered the bathhouse wearing a dark robe — and nothing else. Her hair was tied high, with polished metal ornaments etched with runes. Behind her came two attendants carrying steaming bowls and wooden cases.

The damned bath is mixed — how could I forget? I should have kept one of my two bodyguards closer.

The whispers changed tone — curiosity giving way to respect, tinged with a certain fear.

Umbra wasn’t searching for anyone in particular. She let herself be guided to a shallow pool, sat on the edge, and dipped her feet in the water. The steam seemed to obey an invisible command, clearing around her.

“We need to leave” Thanatos murmured, hiding in the deepest part of their pool. “We need to leave now, Daniel!”

“Calm yourself!” the traveler from another world replied without moving his lips. “She doesn’t know we’re here…”

Without warning, the witch took from a case a copper coin with holes, clasped it between her fingers, and muttered short words. The coin spun, vapors coiling around it, and Daniel felt a faint sting.

“What was that?” Thanatos asked, alarmed, perhaps feeling the same thing.

“Thaumaturgic detection” Daniel growled. “She’s searching for us.”

Umbra laughed softly, as though savoring a fine wine. The coin spun again, and she raised her face to scan the hall. Her eyes passed over Daniel, then returned with the faintest lift of her brow.

“It’s now!” Thanatos whispered, standing too quickly, sending water spilling over the edge. His wet towel slipped from his waist and fell onto the marble with an indecent sound.

The thin, bald man turned his head, and so did Umbra, spotting the pale, naked jester leaping back into the pool.

“Very well, you idiot!” Daniel scolded. “You’ve only managed to expose yourself to ridicule and draw attention to us.”

Thanatos only whimpered.

Three steps later, Madame Umbra was at the edge of their pool. She looked down at them, a short, calculated smile on her lips.

“Lord de Lio, what a pleasure to meet you! The heat seems to have done your skin well. And since we keep running into each other everywhere… why don’t we talk?”

Thanatos opened his mouth. Closed it. Slid backward until his neck hit the marble edge.

Coward!

Daniel rose, keeping his chin firm.

“Madame Umbra.”

“Don’t look so surprised” she said, shedding the robe and sitting beside him in the hot water. It must be said the witch was quite a sight. “I didn’t come here for you, but the gods do have… volatile humor. To place us together like this.”

“This isn’t the place” Daniel said, trying to leave.

“This is the place” Umbra countered, composed. “Here, the rich confess more easily than before any temple altar. And I enjoy hearing confessions.”

She tilted her head, studying him.

“Will you ask me about the Pontifex Maximus? About Mave Lestat? About Prebito? None of them intend to lose, even if you’ve deprived us of two fine instruments: Vega and La Farfalla. You don’t want to lose either, I imagine. So why not call it a draw today? Let’s be frank with one another.”

“Draws don’t win elections. Nor wars.”

“That’s why I’ve grown to admire you” Umbra smiled, shaking her head slowly. “Your belief that there is such a thing as winning in all this. Tell me: Convergence? Do you still obey a word no one else understands? Even after witnessing the power of our saviors?”

“Sometimes I obey. Sometimes I give the orders. I’ve heard plenty too, especially from the Truth That Is Blind. What do you want, Madame?”

“For Ordinem Finis to die” she said simply. “For no one to need as much as I once did — to the point of begging permission to live in this diseased world. Your Blind Truth likes to play god, but in reality, it’s a creature that’s already given up on making this world anything better. A coward and a fool if it thinks it can defy us.”

“Us?” Daniel frowned.

“I’m a blessed one, traveler from another world. Don’t deny it. Everyone knows by now, and Vel’Shaad knows. She’s interested in you, which is why we’re speaking. You are an agent of change before you’re of the Convergence. Look around: the world darkened by an eclipse lasting three days, and these fools still argue their empty politics. You must have heard the names: the Pontifex Maximus, Mave Lestat, Gnaeuso Diusylvin Metiuso, and Prebito. Enemies you can’t dream of defeating.”

“Names” he repeated. “And the cost of uniting all these great names? You call yourself blessed, but that day in the warehouse I felt nothing but fear and disgust. Is that how you plan to rule in this so-called new world? After the Empire’s fall and a second Millennial War?”

She paused, looking deep into Daniel’s eyes.

“Vel’Shaad offers you courtesy. Reject us now, and Ultio Fatidica will count you as an enemy forever.”

Daniel felt a chill along his neck but didn’t yield.

“Tell your powerful names they killed many of ours. And that I’ll come for each of them before this ends.”

Umbra leaned in, lips a breath from his ear.

“Your fate will be nothing happy. You’ll die with a world that isn’t even yours. Alongside the old rulers. The old gods. The old injustices. That I promise you. Are you satisfied with your choice?”

“No! I’ll only be satisfied when I stand upon your cold corpses, witch!”

He rose from the water, grabbed a towel far too large, wrapped it around himself, and the fabric caught beneath his feet. Daniel stumbled and nearly fell but managed to recover his balance with a gesture that would have made any dancer proud.

The jester, seeing it, slapped his palm to his forehead.

“Dignity intact, I suppose” Thanatos murmured. “Barely. The speech, however, was good. They killed a slave girl who planned to escape, a fine informant. I want their blood too!”

“All in good time, my friend. Where are those two?” Daniel asked, scanning the hall.

Thanatos and Daniel followed a corridor of spiral columns to a warm pool where a fat nobleman occupied half the edge with a towel over his face and the complacency of a man accustomed to commanding.

Sallustia, now wearing nothing but the apron of the House de Lio tied at her waist, held a tray of fruit for him. Her expression was a block of cold marble. Her gaze, a blade.

“Why…” Thanatos began, choking on his own words “… why are you… without…?”

“Because the servant girls here obey orders!” she snapped. “And the order was ‘bring grapes and don’t disturb my rest. Oh, and you’re overdressed.’”

Annoyed, the nobleman pulled the towel from his face.

“You two” he said, pointing with his fleshy chin, “are interrupting my therapy. Call the eunu—”

He didn’t finish.

Across the pool, Lais appeared with a towel so short it barely covered her thighs. Her hair now loose, dripping. Her eyes, as always, cold.

“Sleep” she said flatly, touching the noble’s forehead lightly. His eyelids dropped like stones. Heavy breathing filled the pool.

“Madame Umbra saw me” Lais added quietly. “And knocked me into the water. When I rose, I was already stripped. A warning, I think. She’s letting us play at espionage today.”

“Then the game’s over” Daniel said. “Let’s go. Now!”

Sallustia handed the tray to a stunned servant and tried to use her hands to shield her bare hips as she left. Lais adjusted her towel with the dignity of someone turning cloth into armor. Thanatos still lacked color in his face, and Daniel had to pull him along to stop him staring at the magus’s voluptuous body.

The four skirted columns, ignoring curious eyes.

In the vestibule, the doorman raised his hand to call them back, but Daniel dropped on the counter a gold coin — an emperor of metal worth more than the First Citizen to many men.

Fortunately, he was a man trained for greed.

The quartet soon reached the street. Palanquins and rickshaws passed slowly, and the eclipse tinted the mansions’ marble a dark, nameless hue.

They walked two corners in silence. Stopped in an alley where a Fort Tinuso carriage awaited them.

“I will never, ever speak of this experience to anyone” Thanatos announced, hugging himself like a wounded animal. “If anyone asks, I was in a dark warehouse reading poetry.”

“The important thing” Lais said, with a sigh masking both shame and anger, “is that we left in one piece.”

“And with some valuable information about who’s playing which side” Daniel confirmed. “I need to pay another visit to our friend, Lord Ciniana.”

Sallustia stared at him for a long moment.

“She knew who we were. Knew who you were, didn’t she? And she let us go.”

“She offered me an alliance” the traveler from another world replied. “Vel’Shaad is interested in me... She’s a woman, apparently — Umbra let that slip.”

Sallustia bit her lip.

“And what did you say?”

“That we’ll trample on all their corpses. The Empire will survive, but Ultio Fatidica will not.”

“Never again!” Thanatos cried, staring at the carriage roof. “Never again public baths.”

“Agreed” said Lais.

“Unless it’s unavoidable” Daniel noted.

“Never” Sallustia cut in, still looking strangely at Daniel.

Suddenly, they all laughed — until the sound turned back into mere breathing.

The city slid past the windows, and the night that was not night endured. Daniel leaned his head against the padded wood and closed his eyes for a moment.

“We got what we came for” he concluded. “And we will speak of it no more.”

The eclipse’s shadow followed them back to the Outer Ring.