Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  “That’s indirect homicide. Hente would never miss such an easy prey.”

  “I know. I don’t want to believe it was all planned,” Ulmanas sighed. “But… I told you, those people weren’t welcome in the country.”

  “Hente came for those refugees, didn’t they?”

  “On the very first night. Sebastian’s mother knew that would happen. During the day she dug a hole under her tent and disguised it with tree branches and dirt. She hid Sebastian there.”

  “Why didn’t she join him?”

  “Because she knew exactly how intelligent Hente were. She understood that they’d find an empty tent suspicious. But they wouldn’t look through it if they get their prey right away. Basically, she sacrificed herself to save him.”

  Ulmanas was the only one Sebastian trusted enough to tell this secret. He wouldn’t be happy to learn Ulmanas was discussing it with someone… He didn’t want to lose his friend, so he could only hope Aeterni would remain silent about it.

  “That pit was hidden under branches…” the Hente pronounced thoughtfully. “Do you think he managed to see anything on that night?”

  “He never talked about it. But I think he did… He was the wildest kid in the orphanage at first, shying away from everyone. The fact we were the untouchables didn’t make the situation any easier.”

  “Untouchables?” Aeterni frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “I told you about the fear of epidemic… People coming from the wild lands were automatically considered infected. Nobody wanted to catch it from us, so they tried to avoid us, and some were cursing us openly.”

  It was still hard to return to those memories. Sebastian was actually the only one who didn’t care about it. He was too obsessed with his dream – to avenge his parents by destroying all Hente – to notice the attitude of other children.

  Things were much worse for Ulmanas. He felt like his entire life would be like this from now on. The good days when he had been happy with his family were left in the past, and nothing but emptiness awaited his soul.

  But then they were sent to study. Sebastian chose the warrior school right away, while Ulmanas didn’t want this. He wanted to become a confessor or a teacher, or at least a temple priest. But he was basically forced to become a soldier: there weren’t too many boys who remained healthy and strong back then.

  “I don’t remember the moment people stopped being afraid of us,” Ulmanas admitted. “We were studying, and that fear was becoming less obvious. The epidemic was no longer a popular topic. But the effect had already been too deep for us to forget.”

  “You were his only friend?”

  “Not the only one! There were three of us – him, me and Gabriella. It just happened this way, we got into the orphanage at the same time.”

  “Gabriella… I think that’s the girl who circles around our house almost every day,” Aeterni smirked. “She’s funny. She’s jealous.”

  “She’s just worried about Sebastian!”

  “She shouldn’t be. He’s a capable warrior, better than I initially expected. I’m simply helping him to do what he has always wanted to do – save the city from Hente. I can protect him.”

  “She’s worried for a different reason,” Ulmanas shook his head. “Sebastian is a church warrior. He should destroy Hente and stay away from women. And instead he’s spending days with you. That’s just wrong!”

  He finally dared to say it. His fear increased, and yet Ulmanas felt better.

  Aeterni remained as indifferent as before.

  “The only thing wrong here are you rules,” she said. “You created a weird set of rules based on your ideas, not your nature. Anything natural can’t be wrong!”

  “That’s the kind of thoughts Gabriella is afraid of…”

  “That’s ridiculous. I have no power over Sebastian’s thoughts, and I definitely can’t infect him with anything! But I can tell him what nature designed humans for. Thank you for telling me all this. It was important for me to hear it.”

  Ulmanas wanted to believe his interference made things better – at least a little bit! Aeterni would understand how many losses Sebastian had already faced and stop torturing him! Gabriella’s wish seemed to be fulfilled…

  But in his soul Ulmanas knew that this talk had probably brought the opposite result.

  ***

  The street life in Barcelona was quieter and calmer than in Madrid, and Alberta felt almost embarrassed to show it. The situation wasn’t too bad during weekends though, because things normally got lively. The streets were filled with people, musicians and artists were entertaining the crowd. Most of them were the refugees from other countries and the wild lands, so Alberta considered each coin thrown to them to be charity.

  She insisted on Mikael wearing a special medical bandage on his shoulder during their walks. She would put on one of the dresses that accentuated her pregnancy, and everything became clear. Lady Laas was simply accompanied by her family doctor, nothing to gossip about!

  But they were still stared at with curiosity. They always would be. Alberta wasn’t upset, she was going to follow only the basic rules of conduct.

  “Many things here are connected to church,” Mikael noted quietly.

  Alberta rolled her eyes in irritation. Even during the weekend they couldn’t escape this! A group of actors was showing a scene from the Bible, a choir was singing psalms, icons and statuettes of saints were sold everywhere. There was no escaping it!

  Mikael caught her reaction:

  “Don’t get mad, it’s okay!”

  “It’s not okay! They’re always shoving that faith into my face, as if they want me to believe it too! And everyone is just crazy about it… Disgusting!”

  “I don’t think there are that many men of true faith around here. The Church is just an important idea that unites people. When Hente brought chaos into this world, such idea was needed greatly. There wasn’t a scientific explanation to what was going on, no clear strategy… There was only fear which they had to fight through other emotions. That’s how New Vatican became one of the largest countries in the world.”

  “What’s the use?” Alberta asked. “It was even bigger before. I’ve heard that the number of attacks at the Northern border has increased. A pack of Hente managed to get here for all I know!”

  “It’s not that drastic, and the border has been stable for the last ten years. You have no reasons to worry. It’s bad for someone in your condition! Look what a wonderful day it is. Enjoy it without thinking of anything else!”

  He was right, the weather that day was truly magnificent. There were also many shows not connected to the Church. Alberta watched fragile ballerinas swirl around in their golden dresses, and she listened to violin music – played by a little girl with a horrible scar across her cheek. At those moments she couldn’t help thinking about her baby; she was glad her child wouldn’t have to face such nightmares. No matter how bad the situation at the border was, no-one would let Hente get here!

  Her attention was attracted by a large number of people gathered next to a fountain on one of the squares. Joining them, Alberta saw something unusual and captivating.

  A blind painter was sitting by the fountain. It was a young man whose eyes were hidden under a tight bandage. His clothes were poor but clean, his travel bag and his cane lay on the pavement beside him. He was sitting in front of a set of white paper sheets and three large bowls: one of them was filled with water, another had soap solution in it, and the third one contained shiny black paint.

  Without seeing anything the painter was still drawing – he was creating portraits. As soon as he had a new client, the blind man got down to business. He washed his hands demonstratively, dried them and gently ran his fingers over the client’s face. After a short study he put his fingers into the paint and used them to draw an image.

  Those sketches were quite original – black and white, as if made of moving lines, and very precise. His blindness didn’t stop him from creating
amazingly accurate portraits, and the process of their making was a show in its own: his fingers literally danced over the paper, no movement made in vain.

  The blind man couldn’t see what money the clients were giving him, it was totally up to them. But his reward was always generous, even from those who were by no means rich. That tramp had obviously found his new place in life!

  “Do you want to try it?” Mikael whispered in her ear.

  “Actually, yes…”

  “Then why are you hesitating?”

  “I don’t know… The crowd hasn’t noticed us yet, but if we come closer, they’ll be staring – look, it’s Lady Laas!”

  “Does it really matter? They won’t change, so why should you deny yourself this experience because of their stupidity?”

  He was right – as always. Alberta had promised herself before that she wouldn’t limit her life to other people’s expectations! She had to keep that promise.

  She threw back the hood of her coat and walked to the painter. She was recognized quickly; people grew silent around her, moving out of her way. They didn’t leave altogether, they just kept their distance.

  The blind man noticed that:

  “It looks like someone either gorgeous or as monstrous as a cop is approaching me. But judging by the aroma of perfume, it’s the first option. I’ve never met a cop fashionable enough to wear a perfume. Who are you, lovely lady?”

  “I’m just a client who wants her portrait from you.”

  “Well, then it’ll be my pleasure to make it. Please, keep me company for a while.”

  He pointed at a small cushion lying on the pavement. All of his previous customers used it to sit in front of him, while he was “looking” at them. Alberta was angry at first, and she almost ordered him to rise to his feet instead. But then she remembered he didn’t know who she was. Why should he treat her like a noble lady if he didn’t know she was one?

  So she went down on her knees slowly, holding her stomach with one hand. This sudden change of position didn’t go unnoticed: she felt a stab of pain inside, and the baby started kicking. When she complained on something like this, Mikael would usually laugh and say she was just imagining things. But she knew what she was feeling!

  The painter wasn’t aware of that. He washed his hands and touched her face. His touches were careful and warm, like summer breeze. His fingertips were very soft, they smelled of dry herbs. Alberta knew he was just a beggar, a refugee with no home or money. But she couldn’t feel the same hatred for him she felt for most of the tramps in this city.

  “You are exquisitely beautiful,” the blind man commented. “It’s an honor for me to create your portrait.”

  “Thank you. Can you truly see without your eyes?”

  “Of course not. Once you lose your eyes, you can’t replace them. I had to find a new way to see, because a completely blind man won’t survive in this world. It’s a cruel world…”

  “How did you lose your eyes?”

  “Where do all losses come from? From Hente, naturally,” he pointed out.

  “When did it happen?”

  “Not too long ago. I’m surprised I’ve learned so quickly and managed to get here. That has to be my destiny. Or how does it go in this city? The will of God.”

  “Not everyone in this city thinks so.”

  He kept talking to her and drawing at the same time. Alberta couldn’t help noticing that all of his fingers remained on the paper. They could stay without movement, but he didn’t lift them. That was probably how he knew the size and proportions of his paintings.

  His work was hypnotizing, and the result was amazing: Alberta liked her portrait even better than her reflection in the mirror.

  When the painting was over, she knew she’d never be able to throw it away. And this sketch, created by a simple tramp, would find its place among the extremely expensive masterpieces belonging to her husband.

  Alberta took five golden coins out of her purse and put them into the painter’s hand.

  “Don’t show them to anyone. People kill for such money in this city.”

  “People kill for any money these days,” the blind man smiled. “But since I’ve managed to live this long, there must be some higher purpose waiting for me.”

  She could argue with that. Death was a strange beast, and no-one knew how it chose its prey. But she didn’t want to argue with that tramp… and she didn’t have the time for it. She was distracted by the screams that sounded from one of the streets.

  She turned around to see where the noise was coming from and just couldn’t believe her eyes: a monster was running through the narrow street, straight to the people on the square! This creature didn’t look like a human at all, it was a shapeless mass of black flesh on four paws that reminded of deformed hands. The only thing that could help in identifying the monster’s head were the jaws, huge, bloody, ready to kill any victim in its way… And above the jaws were the Hente’s eyes, shining with madness.

  The warriors of the Church were following the predator closely, a whole squad of them, but they were hopelessly falling behind. One of them tried throwing a knife at it and failed; the creature avoided the weapon easily, leaving a track of black blood behind it.

  It was wounded and it needed some energy to heal itself. That was why all of its rage was to fall on the people by the fountain. And no-one could stop it!

  Mikael ran to Alberta, helped her get to her feet and hugged her carefully… that was the only thing he could do. She was in no condition to run from that monster. And the doctor didn’t have any weapon to protect her, the predator was just too big! They froze on the spot, waiting for what was to come next. Alberta felt the baby moving in her belly, and she covered it with her hands.

  They would surely be dead if the Hente reached them. But it didn’t. A girl jumped at it from the roof of a nearby building – she attacked it like a little falcon. In spite of the impressive height, she landed straight on the creature’s back; she didn’t look anything close to scared or even worried. Her small size and fragile frame had no importance now. She killed the creature in one blow, breaking through its back with her hand and extracting something that looked like a black sphere.

  The Hente was dead in an instant. It almost finished falling into ashes when its assassin jumped onto the pavement. She sank her black fangs into the sphere carelessly, like a child eating an apple. Alberta felt so sick she had to turn away.

  The weekend holiday way over. Crowds of horrified citizens were running around the square, the church warriors were screaming at each other, the police seemed lost and useless. The only person remaining unaffected by that mess was the blind painter. Either he didn’t understand what had just happened, or he had been through too many trials to be impressed by this. He could no longer be scared by anything.

  And Alberta envied that gift.

  Chapter 8

  When he first started working with Aeterni, Sebastian expected some serious problems – which didn’t appear. Her behavior was far from perfect, she broke a number of traditions every day, her outfits were a slap in the face of the Church, she didn’t show a shadow of respect for the warriors or the police and she seemed to be enjoying putting those sinful thoughts into his head. But when it came to the hunt, Aeterni demonstrated perfect discipline, and that alone was a worthy excuse for the rest of her stunts.

  Eventually they got into trouble, just not the kind he expected. The two of them tracked down a large Hente disguised as a human. Aeterni was about to kill it when Lukas’s squad got in her way. It turned out that they wanted to deal with the predator themselves, showing they didn’t need any help. But their appearance was so untimely and clumsy that Sebastian and Aeterni had to pull back in order not to get hit accidentally.

  And the Hente wasn’t a fool. It broke through the block, wounding two warriors, and made a run for the streets full of people. It most likely understood it wouldn’t survive, so it wanted to bring as much destruction as it could before everyt
hing was over. And the creature almost made it, it died a step away from the crowd! Luckily, Aeterni used the roofs to chase it, where no-one could slow her down. It was the most scandalous hunt they had!

  But the church leaders managed to remain objective about it: they didn’t punish Aeterni, and Sebastian didn’t even want to think about what awaited Lukas. One of the warriors from his squad died from the wounds, and that couldn’t be corrected – in the middle of the city, in a battle that wasn’t necessary! Remembering about it brought helpless anger into his soul.

  “You’re thinking about what happened again,” Aeterni noted. “Don’t. We have to leave soon.”

  “You’ll go there dressed like this?” Sebastian gave her a surprised look.

  “Yes. I’ve already told you, I dress the way I want. End of the story.”

  She was wearing a loose white dress on straps that left her shoulders open, but didn’t show any cleavage and covered her body from chest to the middle of her hips. But it was still too short to walk the streets in it! Aeterni paired it with black flat boots, the type ladies were allowed to wear only on country trips.

  “There are certain norms, and I told you about them!” he reminded.

  “Norms are for humans. I’m not a human.”