AI painting of Constantinople burning

Sensing that they were fast approaching the point of no return, Theano turned on her heel and ran back to Koralia. 

“Wake up, agapiti,” she exclaimed, pulling her beloved out of the slumber she’d so recently lulled her into. “We have to go!”

“Hmm?” Koralia groaned as she struggled to get her bearings on the reality she’d woken into. 

Theano was frantically gathering up Koralia’s remedies. Powders, salves, and bundles of herbs were hastily thrown into baskets and cloth sacks. As a midwife, Koralia was depended on by far more than just expecting mothers, and to lose her entire inventory of medicines would be a setback that could take months or years to recover from.

It didn’t take Koralia long to figure out what was going on, and immediately she was on her feet, pulling on her dalmatica and stolla before snatching up as much of the medicine as she could carry. Theano managed to pick up the rest, slinging a cloth sack over each shoulder and juggling what remained in her arms. 

Heavily encumbered, the two made their way out into the street, where they joined the tide of fleeing people, winding their way through narrow side streets, towards the outer walls of the city. The closer they got to the walls, the busier the streets became, until they found themselves surrounded as they converged on the thoroughfare which ran along the wall’s interior. 

Theano, who was built of more solid stuff than mortal flesh, was buffeted by the crowd as she attempted to shield Koralia. The unwieldy load she carried and the panicking throng left her precious little ability to navigate in what threatened to become a stampede, and she ended up dropping half of her cargo to take hold of Koralia’s arm. 

It was a herd of terrified goats which finally came between the two, ripping Koralia from Theano’s clutches and carrying her away in a river of frantic bodies. 

“Theano!” she cried, one arm rising above the crowd to reach hopelessly in her god’s direction. Soon even this was swallowed up, and try as she might, Theano couldn’t reach her. 

Even with the constitution of a god, there was no space in which to push through the tightly packed crowd -- not without crushing people like insects against the wall. Theano was admittedly tempted, but couldn’t bear the idea of Koralia looking at her as a monster.

As she moved with the current down the street towards the closest gate, she came upon an overturned cart and nimbly hopped onto its upturned side, surveying the crowd for any sign of Koralia. She thought she caught a glimpse of her dark, wavy hair up ahead, but she couldn’t be sure, and quickly lost sight of it. 

“Koralia!” she screamed, but her voice was lost amid the roar of the mob. She eased herself back down to the ground and once again began the agonizing process of moving through the crowd.

When she arrived at the Platea Gate she found it still barred for the night. Some members of the fleeing crowd had stopped to try and break it down, and their efforts slowed the progress of those who preferred to try their chances at the next gate. Theano cast about for any sign of Koralia, and seeing none, decided that she must have already gone past. 

She made a split second decision and joined with the enraged group attempting to force the gates. They had been built to withstand armies, but not gods, and so Theano put her shoulder to the solid iron doors, and using the cover of those pushing around her, forced them open with an ear-rending shriek of metal.

As she stepped out into the night beyond the city walls, the crowd began to surge around her once more, but she swiftly pulled away from them. Running to the northwest along the wall, the black waters of the Golden Horn to her right, she made her way to the Gate of Eis Pegas, where she hoped to catch up to Koralia. 

The gate was already open when she arrived, and a column of people poured from it, heading inland, away from the fires. There she waited, searching the crowd for any sign of her beloved. Eventually she caught sight of a goat, and then another. Soon the rest of the herd passed through the gate, and Theano caught the arm of the goatherd as he exited the city. 

“Where is the woman I was with?” she demanded, her panic taking over her better judgement.

“What woman?” asked the mystified goatherd. He struggled to pull away from her grip, but found it utterly unyielding. His eyes went wide with fear. “Who are you?”

It occurred to Theano that the man had very likely not seen what had happened, and she released him. “I’m sorry,” she began, “The woman I’m looking for has--” before she could begin to describe Koralia, the frightened man took off running after his goats.

Theano kept watch by the gate until morning as the fires continued to blaze within the city walls. When dawn broke, she walked back to the Platea Gate in search of Koralia, but found no sign of her there. She cursed herself for not having thought to have discussed a meeting place beforehand, and spent the rest of the day wandering the length of the sea wall.

In the evening she searched the encampments the refugees had formed to the north of the city, asking anyone who would listen if they’d seen a beautiful medicine woman. The answer was always “no”, and so she roamed from campfire to campfire, searching through the night. 

For three more days the city of Constantinople was blighted by rioting and fires. On the fifth day, Emperor Justinian sent his imperial troops to the Hippodrome. There the rebels were contained and summarily slaughtered. Over 30,000 souls lost their lives that day. 

When the fires were under control, Theano returned to the city, having failed to find her beloved among the refugees. It was amid the smouldering ruins of the tenement where they’d shared a room that she finally found Koralia. Her beautiful hair was matted and singed in places, her clothing stained and tattered. Like Theano, she appeared to have lost most of the supplies she’d been carrying when they fled the city. 

She stood with her back to Theano, her head bowed as she scanned the rubble which had once been her home. Theano steeled her nerve before calling out to her. 

“Koralia!” she cried. 

Her beloved froze, her shoulders tensing, before slowly turning to face her. Her face was streaked with tears and soot, and the eyes which had once gazed on Theano with bemused adoration now held only fear and disgust.

“You,” she hissed.

“I’ve spent these days searching for you, agapití,” Theano began, her hand reaching out, unbidden, to brush a tear from her beloved prophet’s face. Koralia recoiled. 

“Don’t touch me,” she spat. 

“My love…” 

“You did this, didn’t you?” Koralia’s voice cracked, tears of rage welling up in her eyes. It was no use arguing. Theano could see from her face that she had seen the truth of what she was: the progenitor of all, and a god of calamity. 

“I’m sorry… I didn’t choose it,” she lamented. “I would never--”

“Stop. Do not speak to me anymore,” Koralia demanded. “I never should have invoked your name.” With this she turned her back once more. Theano could see her trembling with anger, or perhaps despair. More than anything, she wished that she could take her in her arms and comfort her, but how could she, when she herself was the source of her lover’s pain?

There was nothing left but to respect Koralia’s wishes. With the feeling of a deep chasm opening in her chest, Theano turned and stumbled blindly away from the ruined building. 

“Goodbye, agapití,” she whispered one last time before vanishing into the smoke-filled streets of what remained of Constantinople. 

Glossary
Agapití - beloved Dalmatica - a wide-sleeved robe worn over the tunica Stolla - outer garment and head covering constructed from a folded and draped rectangle of fabric Tunica - a loose, draped garment of undyed linen

Fan Art Corner

HopefullAttempt made this meme based on chapter 1 months ago, and the first time I tried uploading it the file was too large, and I didn't have time to resize it. Then I forgot. But now here it is! Hopeful writes a dark fantasy novel, which I will link in the chapter description!