Ravens of Eternity

468 Raven Society

It was early morning when the two set off from their hospitia and back out into the city. And because neither really slept, they instead spent the night reading and studying. Afterwards, they sat on the windowsill in each others’ arms and soaked in the city as night passed by.

And so when dawn broke, they were pretty much ready to get going. They took a quick detour at the nearby bath house to clean up, then continued on their way to the Ravens.

The two made their way to the eastern portion of the city itself, over to the Esquilinus Mons, where a vast number of the city’s poor and immigrants lived. Of course, the district itself had its own quarter where the rich and influential had homes, though neither Freya or Lucifer were interested in going there.

They veered close to the heart of the district itself, near the Colosseum. It was close to there that the Ravens had made their home. Sort of.

Both were expecting some kind of large domus with tabernas out front, as was popular all throughout the city. Instead, they came across a small low-walled compound that took up the space of four domus on the block.

The compound itself had three buildings connected together by roofed porticos. A number of actual ravens were perched up on the roofs and on the entrance archway, all of whom cautiously eyed every visitor who approached.

One of them cawed and croaked on seeing the two of them.

In the middle of everything was a spacious courtyard covered in trimmed grass and edged with a variety of flowers and plants.

There in the courtyard itself were small groups of children that were led by a handful of young magisters and teachers. The magisters themselves wore the usual tunics that everyone else in the empire wore, except they also had light gray sashes with stylistic ravens stitched all along their hems.

.....

Each of the magisters instructed their students as best they could, in whatever activity they were doing.

Some of the boys were doing simple physical drills and exercises – running, jumping, boxing. In contrast, some of the girls were planting flowers or identifying herbs. Another group that had both boys and girls were busy reading and reciting poetry in near-unison as they sat under a tree in the center.

Every magister looking out after their charges seemed especially pleased with the results, even for any mistakes that were made here and there.

All of them turned and greeted Freya and Lucifer as they walked around the courtyard itself, underneath the porticos. Freya waved back enthusiastically, while Lucifer simply smiled widely in response.

The two then entered the main building – not only was it the largest one there, but it was also the northernmost building in the compound itself. They figured that was where they should go.

But the moment they walked in, they knew they were wrong.

This main building actually appeared to be an academy of sorts, and was host to a number of rooms on two floors.

Each room had a handful of students being taught by yet another magister. They scribbled on their wax tablets with eagerness as the magister lectured them on simple arithmetic or basic grammar. There were older students as well, who were being taught more philosophical and heady topics.

Both noted that the school taught both men and women of all ages – a few were even in their middle age, which was something that didn’t really occur in ancient Rome.

Sure there were schools, but they catered to the families of the rich and powerful. Most of their students were male, and their studies revolved around familial duties. Such as taking over whatever family business when they came of age.

If girls attended schools, it was to prepare them to be wives, and their studies usually revolved around caring for a household.

Freya and Lucifer found it incredibly refreshing to see that trend being subverted, right in the capital. And it was all thanks to the Ravens.

As they wowed at the school all around them, one of the administrative magisters walked up to them with a smile.

“Greetings,” she said with an infectious smile. “Welcome to the Society of Ravens’ Schola Futuro! Are the two of you here to gain instruction? We provide all levels – ludus, grammaticus, and rhetor. Or perhaps are the two of you here to learn household governance and keeping?”

“No, none of those, thank you,” Lucifer said quickly. “Especially the house thing. Definitely not that.”

“You sure?” Freya teased hir. “You’d make a great housewife.”

“Mhm. I think you just want to see me in an apron.”

When Lucifer realized she really was trying to picture hir in a some kind of frilly outfit, ze summarily ignored her and turned back to the magister.

“We’re actually here to chat with Azrael,” ze said. “For medical reasons.”

Ze then leaned in conspiratorially, and with a loud whisper told the magister, “something went off about her, recently. We’re all worried about her.”

“Oh, who’s doing the teasing now?” Freya said with a chuckle.

The magister laughed lightly at the pair’s antics, then pointed back out to the courtyard.

“Matron Azrael should be in her clinic,” she said. “She’s usually there, in any case. Just head back out the same way you came in, and turn right. Follow the pathway to the westernmost building and head inside. You can’t miss it. And please say hello to the matron for me.”

After giving their thanks, the two ducked back out and headed towards the western building, as instructed. It was a relatively short walk – the compound itself wasn’t very large – perhaps close to a third the size of Trajan’s Market.

Carved above the clinic’s entryway was a staff entwined with a single snake – the staff of Asclepius, symbol of the Roman God of healing.

“Shoulda realized she’d be in here,” Lucifer chided hirself.

“Can’t know everything,” Freya said with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s head in.”

They both stepped foot into the large clinic, though it was clearly smaller than the school they had just left. Most obviously, it was a single story rather than two. Otherwise, it was split into two halves.

The larger front half was a spacious room with numerous rows of stone benches and stools. Seated on many of them were a dozen or so patients waiting to be treated. Some were bleeding from small cuts, others sniffled and coughed, and a few complained of aching limbs.

All were being treated by a trio of attendants, one after another. They worked to bandage wounds, or provided herbal remedies, or rubbed analgesic ointments. All relatively simple treatments, certainly nothing close to surgeries or anything of the sort.

There was another section behind the open half, which the pair walked towards. They went under an open archway and entered the smaller half of the clinic.

In that room was an expansive storage cabinet that had containers filled with all kinds of medical tools, bandages, salves, potions, and ointments. Next to it was a small rest area with a few stools around a table with some breads, fruits, and nuts in a bowl along with a small pitcher of wine plus a few mugs.

Finally, there was also a small work desk in the corner, which sat next to a rather robust bookshelf cabinet. Seated at the desk was a fourth attendant who was busily writing records into a parchment paper book.

Behind her was Azrael, who was dictating some patient information to the attendant – his name, what ailed him, what cures they could try, and so on.

She noticed the two just as they walked in, and gave them both a welcoming smile. But before she greeted them, she put a hand on her attendant’s shoulder.

“Let’s continue this later,” she said. “Take a little time to rest and recharge, then relieve one of the others working in the clinic.”

The attendant neatly put away her quill pen, stood up, and shuffled off. Of course, she greeted the pair as she passed.

And once she was gone, Azrael walked up to both Freya and Lucifer, and hugged them both at the same time.

“Been so long!” she exclaimed before pulling away. “You two really oughta visit more often. Three years is kind of way too long, you know?!”

“Sorry, we got a bit distracted by all the countryside,” Freya said.

“Plus all the aurea and denarii,” Lucifer added.

“Can’t blame either of you, honestly,” Azrael said with a sigh. “City life is really tough sometimes. Most of the time, I only get to see these four walls. Anyway, what brings the both of you here? Just come to say hello?”

“Definitely that,” Lucifer answered. “Alsoooo, I kinda want you to take a look at Freya. Give her a physical or something. A checkup. Or whatever it is you city docs do.”

Mild alarm swept through Azrael, but she did her professional best to tamp down her emotions. At least, so neither of them could see her concern.

“Have a seat,” she said. She pointed to one of the open stools, which Freya quickly sat down on. “Something happen to you? And if you got any symptoms, lemme know now, alright?”

Azrael quickly got to work and checked on Freya’s vitals – her pulse, her breathing, her eyesight, her hearing. And as she did so, Freya easily confided in her.

“Nothing physical,” she said. “Not that I can tell, anyway. It’s more like… I keep getting flashes of old memories. Like I used to live a different life.”

“You mean like Old Earth?” asked Azrael.

“Similar, but not exactly. I remember all those memories clearly, easily. This is more like… like they’re fuzzy and they come and go. First time it happened, I thought…”

Freya’s voice quivered as she looked at Lucifer, as she tried to find the words.

“I thought that Lucifer was dead,” she continued. “All my memories told me that… that…”

She simply couldn’t finish the sentence. The last thing she wanted to imagine was that her partner was gone. Freya wasn’t sure if she could keep going without hir.

“Not sure how much I can help,” Azrael confessed. “I’m a physician, can’t really help you with mental stuff. Don’t think anyone can. It’s not like therapists exist here, not like Old Earth. Maybe the temples know something?”

Azrael finished up her physical checkup of Freya, but couldn’t come to any real conclusion. Not physically anyway.

“Definitely not the temples,” Lucifer said. “Damned grifters don’t know a thing about life. And besides, you would still know more than any of those idiots. Combined.”

“Well… I can definitely try.”

“I was kinda hoping that you mighta heard someone else talk about this kinda thing,” said Freya. “Like getting mixed up memories. I mean, if not you, then maybe at least one of the other Ravens.”

“Speaking of Ravens, where is everyone else?” asked Lucifer. “All we’ve seen so far is you. And a buncha teachers, which honestly nothing wrong with that.”

“It’s great to see,” added Freya.

“Thanks! Yeah, the Ravens expanded quite a lot these past couple years,” Azrael answered. “When you left, we were still at the city outskirts, doing what we could for refugees. Now we’ve got the Society, which is mostly an academy. The only public academy in the entire city, honestly.”

“Probably the whole empire,” Lucifer said, to which Azrael nodded.

“Raijin set up her workshop across the courtyard from me. She teaches her students all kinds of mechanics. All that’s beyond me. This week though she’s at Palatine Hill – got an invite from the Emperor to teach him one thing or another. Not really sure.

“Claire usually heads up the school, hell the entire academy itself. Keeps us all in check. But…”

“But?” Freya asked in alarm. “Something happen to her?”

“No no no, nothing like that! I honestly don’t know how to put it… But she became a member of the Senate. Can you believe that? The Society has been so important to the welfare of so many in the city that she was practically forced to represent the entire Esquiline Hill…

“First woman senator in the empire… I’m still kind of in awe. We oughta go watch her – Senate’s gonna be in session soon.”

Freya and Lucifer glanced at each other in surprise and wonder. A female Senator! That was huge! And she was a Raven on top of it.

“Alright, what about Xylo and Kali?” Freya asked after a moment. “Where’s she at? I’ll bet she’s doing something crazy with the Legionnaires or something.”

“Xylo? Kali? Who’s that?” Azrael asked with mild alarm.