Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  “I don’t expect you to, Sebastian. I’m just glad I met you.”

  ***

  Small fragile fingers obeyed her thoughts, and that was wonderful. Looking at her hand, outstretched to the blue sky, Aeterni still couldn’t believe that this miracle belonged to her. Her fast, agile body was a miracle after all! It could hear sounds, see the world around it, could feel the heat of the sun and the gentle breeze. And it belonged to her completely, she didn’t need to worry about anyone taking it away from her!

  She had this body, the gift to kill Hente and her name. Her very own name that she came up with! Thus she had a life. Naturally, she still felt the connection to her Clan, as she always would. But in the end Aeterni understood that she got something much more precious than other Hente.

  Sometimes she tried imagining those ten warriors whose blood was used in creating her body. Could they have guessed things would turn out like this? Probably not. People knew little about the true nature of Hente, they believed their own stories. It was hard for them to change those beliefs.

  But Sebastian was managing somehow. Aeterni liked him – she could sense courage in that man. She observed him facing the creature that could easily kill him, overcoming pain and weakness. There was some inner strength in him, which Aeterni couldn’t quite grasp, but that intrigued her. The thought of knowing even more in the future excited her.

  She heard the door squeak and walked to the edge of the roof to look down. Sebastian came to the street, just as she expected. She didn’t think he was right: it was better for them to wait for the morning, when he had more energy, but he insisted on going as soon as he could rise from the bed.

  He put on his full uniform and carried his sword behind his back. That took more strength than he had at the moment, and his pale skin was the best sign of his suffering. The only sign. He didn’t complain or ask her for help.

  That was a bit unnerving, but Aeterni could understand him. Would she trust a Hente? Unlikely. She couldn’t even trust a human completely, so she didn’t tell him all the secrets of the Clans.

  However, she was sincere in her promise never to hurt him. It was an impulsive decision on her behalf, the result of admiring his power and stamina. She wasn’t going to back out on it, because she believed that keeping promises was part of having her independent will.

  He left the house and looked around. He expected to notice her at once and was a bit confused. Aeterni wasn’t going to make it last, and she jumped off the roof.

  Sebastian couldn’t help moving away from her, and he barely managed to remain standing, leaning over the wall. He was too weak for this journey…

  “What are you doing?” he grumbled.

  “Jumping.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I like sitting on rooftops,” Aeterni explained. “The sky looks really beautiful from up there. But when I’m back to the ground, I can see ruined houses, and that makes me sad.”

  “I wonder who ruined them…” he said sarcastically.

  “Not me, that’s for sure.”

  She didn’t like the reproach in his voice, but decided to let it be. Sebastian needed time to understand. He grew up in the world where Hente were the Great Evil itself, and they were all the same. He wasn’t ready to accept the difference in them.

  They walked the road he had walked with his friends mere hours ago. They were dead now… Aeterni wanted to ask him what he felt, but she didn’t dare to. She suspected he needed her silence.

  Soon they reached the car – or rather, something that used to be the car. Now it was nothing but a large piece of twisted metal surrounded by broken glass. The asphalt beside it was covered in crimson lines – like something big had been dragged here.

  “Julian…” Sebastian said quietly. “I was hoping he made it… Ridiculous, isn’t it?”

  “You knew he couldn’t have escaped.”

  “I did. But I was hoping.”

  Aeterni frowned, trying to understand this contradiction, but she finally concluded it was just part of human nature. Her desire to learn more grew.

  “You can’t fix it, right?” she pointed at the destroyed car.

  “Not a chance.”

  “And what now? How are we supposed to reach Barcelona?”

  “I told you I’m not going to lead you to Barcelona,” he reminded. “We walk from here. We should either meet a patrol squad or find a connection point along the way. In any case, I’ll get a chance to contact Lord Cardinal and tell him about you.”

  “As you wish.”

  His suspiciousness was even entertaining to her. He should’ve know that she could reach Barcelona without him if she wanted to attack it! But he watched Hente tear his friends apart; that didn’t make him more sympathetic to the whole species.

  True to his word, Sebastian walked ahead, and Aeterni followed him. She had to adapt to his speed, and he was rather slow. That was dangerous in his condition… His wounds weren’t too serious, but he had lost a lot of blood and didn’t have much to eat. Aeterni was hoping they’d get to come connection point soon enough, or else she’d have to search for another human and start anew.

  She didn’t want it. She liked that one.

  There were hundreds of questions buzzing in her head. She got into the world that was protected from Hente, and through this developed and stable. It was so much better than the wild lands she had gotten used to! Sebastian was a priceless information source to her, and yet she remained silent. Talking to her would drain him faster than keeping quiet.

  Her patience paid off – he broke that silence himself.

  “Tell me… can I be infected?”

  “With what?” She was puzzled.

  “I’ve heard that Hente could infect people with something… And then people lose their mind and turn into new Hente.”

  “Have you ever seen that happen?”

  “No. But that can be happening outside New Vatican!”

  It was easy to see that the idea scared him. It was easier for him to die than to know his body could be used as a weapon against his brothers. Aeterni respected that, she decided to answer.

  “There is one Clan that can actually infect humans. But that’s not what you think it is. It’s not that easy for them to infect a human, for that they need to put a living piece of themselves into that human’s blood system. The process of enslaving the body will take a couple of weeks or even months. But even if that happens, the human won’t turn into a real Hente. He’ll turn into something like a mutant – strong, aggressive, but with limited lifetime.”

  “Then what profit do the Hente get in such situation?”

  “As long as this mutant is alive, it’s also connected to its Mother, it can serve her and bring her food. Actually, that’s the purpose of every Hente – to feed the Mother, so she can make new creatures. A mutant must complete its mission and die.”

  “And I…” his voice broke for a moment. “Will I become such a mutant?”

  “I think I’ve already told you – no! Have you been listening to me?”

  “You haven’t told me why that’s impossible!”

  “I can do it, you just haven’t asked me yet!” Aeterni fumed. “Only one Clan can use humans like that – Nuria’s Clan. You were attacked by the Clan of Tsiara. These Clans have nothing in common! As far as I know, Nuria’s Clan showed no interest in your peninsula, so you can relax.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was satisfied with this answer, but he didn’t ask anything else. Just as Aeterni had dreaded, he was exhausted by their talk, and judging by the change of his skin’s temperature, a fever was developing in his body.

  “Let me carry your sword,” she suggested quietly. “You don’t feel good.”

  “I’m not giving you my sword.”

  “Why are you so stubborn? You’re in no condition to kill me anyway!”

  “I’m not giving you my sword. That’s final.”

  Aeterni just waved him off in irritation. Let him suffer from his own stubb
ornness!

  There were no signs of civilization along the road they were walking, but that wasn’t surprising. Tsiara’s pack would’ve chosen the way where they wouldn’t be detected up to the last moment. Right now it was a nuisance, because Sebastian needed help, and fast!

  The weather was getting worse. The sky became cast in heavy clouds and depressingly gray. The air smelled of rain and had electricity in it, warning them of a storm.

  She suspected she would have to stop him by force at some point – to rest and find something to eat. He would be outraged by it, but he wouldn’t die, and that mattered the most to her. Luckily, she didn’t have to go that far. Soon they saw an old narrow road winding from the main one.

  It used to have asphalt on it, and parts of it even remained among the grass, but most of it was gone, and it was obvious that nobody had used that route for years.

  Nevertheless, Sebastian turned that way without hesitation.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Aeterni wasn’t trying to hide her doubt.

  “The best I can think of. You believe I’m too dumb to notice your pitiful looks? I know I’m at my limit, and I won’t be able to walk at night.”

  “I don’t think anyone will help us there…”

  “If there’s a road, there will be houses. Our squads often use such locations to leave emergency kits in them. If we’re lucky, I’ll contact Barcelona from there.”

  That sounded like an unconvincing plan to Aeterni, but she didn’t feel like arguing, she decided to play along. She expected Sebastian to have fallen unconscious by now, yet he was still walking, and his mind was clear. Her respect for him was becoming stronger.

  Soon they saw a mansion on the horizon, surrounded by an old unkempt vineyard. There were smaller buildings next to it, and Aeterni’s knowledge about human world was enough to figure they had reached something like a farm.

  Or rather, something that used to be a farm. It must’ve been abandoned for at least twenty years, or even longer. Part of the roof fell to the ground, the walls were covered with dry plaster that looked like husk, and wooden windowsills were rotten.

  Unlike the village, this place wasn’t abandoned by humans deliberately. The doors were broken into tiny pieces, the floor and the walls had lines left by sharp claws on them. But that happened many years ago… Long enough for the signs of destruction to be covered by grass and moss.

  Sebastian wanted to walk straight inside, but Aeterni held him by the elbow. She inhaled the warm air deeply and closed her eyes, analyzing her feelings. He didn’t ask her what was going on, he guessed it.

  “Are they here?” he asked. “Inside the house?”

  “No, you can go.”

  She didn’t lie, there were no Hente in the house. And he didn’t ask anything about the vineyard!

  The house was ruined from inside, but ruined only once. In the wild lands Aeterni had seen many buildings that became the ground for numerous battles. First Hente would kill the inhabitants and then the unlucky travelers who used those houses to get some rest. But this farm was different – like a ruined family nest that people started to avoid.

  That was logical for a well-protected peninsula where both Hente and homeless people were rare.

  They went into the former living room. The ceiling wasn’t damaged here, so they could stay inside without fearing for their lives… Even though broken furniture was lying in the corners, and the floor was covered in dark stains, left to remain there forever as a grim memento of the farm’s owners.

  Aeterni noticed small whitish objects by a distant wall – bones from someone’s shattered fingers. She saw a fabric doll, its dress smeared with the dry blood of the child who owned it. Locks of bloody hair hung from the ceiling beams – someone had been hit on them so hard their scalp was torn. She could only hope Sebastian was too tired to notice all of that. She felt sorry for him: the creatures who lived here were from his species. But Aeterni didn’t feel anything close to shame; she had nothing to do with what had happened in this house.

  She approached the fireplace and threw pieces of a crushed couch aside, freeing them some space. She broke a few chairs to make firewood for the long night. Meanwhile Sebastian went to another room as if searching for something. Aeterni didn’t need to follow him, she could sense the entire house from here and she knew they were alone.

  The creature wouldn’t try to attack them before nightfall. And then it would no longer matter.

  The first heavy drops of rain fell onto the roof and windowsills. The air was filled with gentle coolness, and thunder was growling somewhere, far from them. Staying here was for the better.

  She heard Sebastian’s voice, but he wasn’t talking to her. And since there was nobody else here, it was obvious he had found the radio after all. It was a good move on humans’ behalf: to leave such aid to their lost brothers.

  She could eavesdrop on his talk, but she didn’t want it. The idea of him describing her as a threat upset Aeterni, and she decided not to spoil her mood. She would have to risk her life tomorrow… She didn’t want to die, especially not now, when the future already lured her with so many prospects. But to reach them, she had to pass this test.

  Sebastian returned to the living room with a small metal case in his hands. That was probably part of the emergency set too.

  “They’ll come tomorrow to get me and you out of here,” he said.

  “I need to change the bandages on your hands.”

  “They won’t kill you at once,” Sebastian looked away from her. “But that’s all I can guarantee.”

  “I know. Thank you.”

  He seemed to be ashamed that he couldn’t repay her for the safety she brought him. Aeterni liked that: it meant that he didn’t see her as such a horrible monster after all.

  Inside the case they found medical supplies, water, salt cartridges and small dry biscuits which were supposed to be human food. Aeterni knew that salt cartridges couldn’t harm her if she didn’t touch them, but she felt uneasy around them. Nasty stuff!

  She spread her cloak on the floor, inviting her companion to sit down. Sebastian didn’t argue; he didn’t like depending on her like this, but he knew that his condition was unstable. Even though Hente couldn’t infect him with anything, there was still the threat of a banal blood infection killing him.

  So he stretched his hands to her resignedly. When she reached for his bandages, he suggested:

  “Do you want to take one of my knives? Don’t worry, I’ll get the salt out of it.”

  “I’m not worried, I just don’t need your knife.”

  She turned her index finger into a talon and used it to cut the bandages. Sebastian watched her with alertness, but without any fear. That was progress for them!

  His wounds didn’t look too bad – they were inflamed, but Aeterni couldn’t see or smell his flesh rotting, which was a good sign. It appeared that she managed to disinfect his traumas in time back in the cathedral.

  “You’ll live and you’ll get to keep your hands,” she declared.

  “How do you know so much about medicine?”

  “About anatomy, actually. That knowledge belongs to my Mother. When she decided her Clan was to become cannibals, she chose to make us as close to humans as possible. She studied humans to know how they were built.”

  “I already feel like a lab rat…”

  “No!” Aeterni interrupted him. “She didn’t treat humans like that, and she didn’t kill anyone for her studies. She gained some knowledge from her own Mother and found out the rest by studying the corpses on the battlefields.”

  “And you?” he gave her a suspicious look. “Have you?..”

  “Killed humans? Not yet. But I’m not promising I won’t.”

  “Yes, I remember that. Tell me about the Clans…”

  She didn’t want to tell that. Or rather, she didn’t want him to know everything. It would be hard to make a deal with humans, or even convince them not to pour her with salt the moment they sa
w her! Information was her main trump card in these negotiations, and Sebastian wasn’t one of the people she was supposed to bargain with.

  On the other hand, there was something special about him. Aeterni had spent many days in New Vatican, she saw different groups of people along the way, and she wanted to approach them – but she didn’t dare. They could betray and kill her, their cowardice was stronger than their common sense.

  And Sebastian believed her to the point where he agreed to give her a chance.

  “I can’t tell you where my kind came from. This knowledge is prohibited to warriors, because it may give you a new strategy in fighting us, and that can harm my Clan. But I can tell you what happened after Hente came to be. Originally there were three Mothers. Each Mother has the gift to create new life, and she’s the only one who can do it. They settled among humans, each of them creating her own Clan. At first humans didn’t pay them proper attention, they couldn’t realize how great the problem actually was. And then it was too late. You see, killing separate Hente is all but useless. They die, and their Mother creates new ones, a proper replacement.”

  “We know that,” Sebastian noted. “Sure, we didn’t know anything about Clans and Mothers, but we learned about Hente and how they were born by a large female – the queen…”

  “Technically, all Hente are females.”

  The look on his face was of such pure shock that Aeterni couldn’t help smiling. Of course it was hard for him to believe it! From his point of view, most Hente looked like men.

  “It’s not a matter of anatomy,” she specified. “The Hente anatomy is actually simplified in comparison to humans. They only look like humans, but they’re totally different inside. I’m talking about DNA here. The majority of Hente have two X-chromosomes. But that has nothing do to with how they behave and their ability to breed. It’s basically just a backup for Mother. Queen… yeah, right! Her Royal Highness!”

  “Skip the jokes, I’m confused,” Sebastian frowned. “We’ll get back to the question of anatomy later, and now… Those queens, I mean, Mothers… We’ve tracked them down pretty fast! There were several special operations, we sacrificed a huge number of soldiers to kill them! But they appeared again. That’s why we decided there were many queens among Hente! But three… how’s that even possible?”