“Excuse me!” Theano called from the window. An elderly man who had been hurrying past in the street below paused to look up at her.

“Yes? What is it?” he snapped impatiently. 

“What’s going on at the races?” she asked.

“The races are over! The idiots are rioting again!”

“Veneti, or Parisini?”

“Both! They’ve joined forces!” 

“What on earth…?” Theano muttered. The two rival factions were, well, rivals, and this kind of thing was unheard of. Koralia, who had been listening to the exchange, got up, pulling the blanket tight around her, and stalked over to the window.

“What are they rioting for?” she called. 

“Dammit, I haven’t the time to answer all your questions!” the man snapped, and rushed away down the road. A younger man, who happened to be ambling by, stopped to pick up the other side of the conversation.

“It’s all because of the last riot. They’ve gone to the Praetorian to free their men.” This man seemed almost amused by the events, despite the palpable tension in the air.

“What men?” asked Theano, who had never previously taken any interest in keeping up with the drama of the demes.

“The ones arrested for murder during the last riot,” the man called. Theano shot Koralia a glance, seeking clarification. 

“They were supposed to be hanged for their crimes, but when the time came, the gallows broke. People have been saying it’s a sign that they should be pardoned. The church was even harboring them. How have you not heard about this?” Koralia explained with a sigh.

“I don’t care about the damn chariot races!” exclaimed Theano, a touch defensively.

In unison, Koralia and the man in the street responded, “It’s not about the chariot races!”

Theano fell to quiet sulking and the man went along his way, not appearing to be in any kind of a rush. 

“Do you think there will be more deaths?” Koralia asked, ignoring her lover’s brooding. 

“I couldn’t say,” Theano admitted, her brow furrowing as she peered in the direction of the disturbance once more. 

“What good is it having a personal god when they can’t even tell you this much?” Koralia teased. 

Theano straightened up from the windowsill where she’d been leaning. “I’ll go see how things look. Don’t say your god never did anything to help you.”

“Stay, agapití,” Koralia laughed. “They are far enough away for now.” She slipped out of the blanket and into her tunica, and busied herself with tidying up the room.

Theano remained at the window a little while longer, watching the horizon with distrust. Whatever happened now, the blame rested squarely on her shoulders. How Koralia could remain so calm she didn’t know, but her strength was one of the many virtues Theano loved about her.

When the long afternoon rays of the winter sun retreated into dusk Koralia sat down to eat what remained of their food. “I’ll have to go to the market in the morning,” she observed in a cheerful tone, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening outside of their room. After all, Constantinople had seen many riots in the past, and as long as one avoided getting caught up in them, it was usually safe enough. 

“I’ll go,” Theano offered. She loved nothing more than to see to her prophet’s needs.

“You’re too kind,” Koralia grinned. “Do you think that running errands is befitting of a goddess?”

Theano grinned sheepishly. “You should try to sleep,” she said, changing the subject.

“I don’t think I can,” Koralia admitted, betraying her calm exterior. She had learned to hide her own fear in her years of caring for others, and in moments like this that instinct kicked in. 

“Come,” said Theano, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bed. “In that case, I’ll hold you while you rest.” Koralia accepted the arrangement without complaint.

Theano cradled her beloved, stroking her inky hair and softly humming a melody as old as the universe as she watched the rise and fall of her chest. Gradually Koralia’s breathing slowed as she slipped off to sleep, her skin glowing slightly in the faint moonlight, which filtered in from the window. 

Even bathed in this ethereal glow, Koralia transcended the divine. It was her earthy vitality, the very ephemeral nature of her existence which made her so dear to Theano, who sensed their brief time together was already drawing to a premature close. 

Theano didn’t know how much time had passed as she admired her lover’s sleeping form, but she was suddenly called back to the world beyond their room by a not-too-distant scream. Her eyes snapped to the window as she realized that the light illuminating their room had grown brighter, long before the dawn.

With a growing sense of dread, she disentangled herself from Koralia’s limbs and made her way over to the window. The flickering glow of fire now lined the horizon in the direction of the Hippodrome, a black, billowing cloud of smoke blotting out the stars above it. The roar of the distant crowd had spilled over into shouts and frenzied footsteps which now pattered in the street outside. 

Constantinople was burning.

Glossary Agapití - beloved Demes - subdivisions of the city, each represented by a chariot team (ie. the Veneti and Prasini), also held political influence at this time Praetorian - jail/police building Tunica - a loose, draped garment of undyed linen