The Burning of Tofrith

Chapter Three

Lethe found herself at the entrance to Tofrith with the sun high above her. A metal gate at least thrice her height towered over her, the surrounding walls built up nearly as tall and the best part of a metre thick from what she could discern. She pushed against the wall to test for movement but only succeeded in scraping her hand against it. This stone would be nearly impossible to break through, especially without heavy artillery; it was undoubtedly built for the instance of war. Lethe found it peculiar that the city built so many defences to keep their enemies out when many of these so-called ‘enemies’ would rather drive their own blades through their hearts than venture into its borders.

She approached the gate, rubbing her thumb over her clenched fist.

‘State your business,’ demanded one of the guards as she approached. He stood on the left side of the gate while his companion was on the right, and both were dressed in a thick chainmail that she imagined would be suffocating under any kind of warm weather. The chainmail swayed as the man reached for the pommel of his sword. His armour’s chest was covered in a deep blue strip of fabric, a silver deer embroidered in the centre. Everything about him screamed enemy to Lethe but she refused to show him her fear.

‘My name is Lethe Rivas. I believe you were anticipating my arrival?’ She made sure to inject as much certainty into the words as possible, hoping that she sounded comparable to one of the entitled citizens of Tofrith. The guard didn’t seem too impressed, but his companion spoke up before he could get another word in.

‘The aspiring physician?’ Lethe nodded. 'We've been told to expect you, you can enter,’ said the guard as he stepped away from the gate.
‘You’re lucky Felix needs help,’ muttered the other guard as he reluctantly mirrored his partner’s movements.

She pushed past the heavy metal and was promptly greeted by the warm aroma of freshly baked bread. It was the same scent as her father’s baking, about as strong here as when she used to stand right beside the oven. She would happily take a bet that the potency of yeast in the air alone was enough to inebriate someone, if not by traditional methods just from the feelings that the smell evoked.

Lethe looked around and found that the smell was coming from some stands along the street. The bread was one of the many items being sold, everything one could ever wish for on display from produce to potions. The crowd on this street alone, she was sure, could easily match the population of any village outside the walls of the city.

She didn’t let herself be pulled into the crowd, conscious of the depressingly meagre sum of coins in her purse that she had dedicated only to unavoidable expenses, and hoping that Felix was serious about giving her a job.

Lethe was shocked out of her musings by a sharp blow to her chest. She had bumped into a woman, one in her late thirties if she had to take a guess. The woman had dropped her (thankfully empty) basket during the collision and bent down to grab it, apologising profusely to her. She was very soft-spoken, a contrast to the harsh bun that her dark hair was pulled into and the deep lines of premature wrinkles that were visible around her eyes and forehead.

‘It’s quite alright. I should have been paying attention to where I was going,’ Lethe interjected, attempting to quell the stream of apologies. She used her most pleasant voice, hoping that if she sounded nice enough the woman would help her to find Felix.

It seemed to work, a bright smile spreading across the woman’s features, softening them nearly enough for the wrinkles to fade away.
‘Are you new here?’ Even without the panic, the woman’s voice was much higher than her own. Lethe concluded that she most likely worked with children.

‘I am. If it wouldn’t be too much of a bother, could you show me where Felix lives?’ She dug her teeth into her bottom lip, waiting for a response.
‘The physician?’ She nodded. ‘Certainly, follow me.’ Lethe was given another smile as the woman turned to lead her. Well, she thought. That was easy.