Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  The third Hente was wounded by the soldiers, but those cuts weren’t deep enough to kill it. Aeterni had to interfere: she slid under its stomach and ripped it with her claws until she reached the life core. The fourth Hente was killed by Lucas.

  The whole battle took them about ten minutes, just as she had expected. The creatures that had been scaring humans for weeks were now nothing but ashes on the ground. The warriors collected four sets of jaws into a bag. They were casting disturbed looks at the life cores she was holding, but didn’t ask anything.

  “Are there any more Hente around?” Lucas inquired, keeping his sword ready.

  “Not a single one.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Then we’re going back to the village. The mission is complete.”

  “And that’s it?” Aeterni was amused. “So I’m the only one who thinks something’s wrong here?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Lucas remained unabashed. “It’s not the first case on my memory when Hente demonstrate brainless rage.”

  He probably didn’t believe his own words; he saw that the Hente were acting strange and he was trying to understand what their motive was. But Lucas was too proud to admit that. Besides, he was the commander of this squad, he couldn’t demonstrate insecurity in front of his subordinates.

  Aeterni wasn’t counting on him. She looked around and took a deep breath, trying to catch any foreign smells. It was no use. There actually were no Hente left here!

  “You think you shouldn’t have come here?” Sebastian asked.

  “I’m the only one who should’ve. If I didn’t appear fast enough, they’d start killing people – just to give me a reason to come.”

  “But they didn’t harm you!”

  “Yeah, and that’s just wrong. I’m not sure I can return to Barcelona.”

  “Do as you wish. I’m staying with you in any case.”

  Lucas might not be as democratic about it. But Aeterni knew that if the squad tried to bring her back by force, Sebastian would remain by her side. This knowledge meant a lot to her.

  They returned to the town and walked down the street. Nothing scary was happening. Aeterni was trying to analyze Tsiara’s past attacks, her strong and weak spots, her secret powers. There was nothing special about her children, except…

  Except their recent attack on Barcelona. And the crater in the ground they couldn’t identify.

  Remembering this made Aeterni fall to one knee, pressing her open palms to the ground. Her movement was so sudden that three of the warriors got their swords out immediately. Sebastian got in their way, ready to defend her…

  “Everybody calm down!” Aeterni screamed at them.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Lucas asked angrily.

  She didn’t answer. Aeterni closed her eyes, concentrating on her feelings. It was a light sensation, but she still caught it: a vibration inside the ground that was slowly getting stronger.

  It was a trap after all – about to close on them. Aeterni couldn’t avoid it, but she could minimize the damage.

  “Get the civilians out of here,” she told Lucas, looking him straight in the eye. “Evacuate the village. Now!”

  ***

  Once his own distrust was gone, Sebastian was annoyed by the people who still felt it. Aeterni had already proven that she was loyal to humans. Why should she start lying to them now?

  Nevertheless, when she mentioned the evacuation, Lucas didn’t move from the spot.

  “You’re in no position to give orders, Hente!” he said arrogantly.

  “Forget my position and my origin and just listen to me! This place will soon have more Hente than you’ve seen in your entire life!”

  “Yeah? And where will they come from, up from the sky?”

  “The opposite!”

  Sebastian had already understood everything, connecting her hands on the ground to the crater they had seen before. He remembered the size of that crater very well! The thing approaching the town had to be huge.

  And they were stuck with a hardheaded commander who refused to listen! There might be numerous casualties just because one person didn’t want to believe Aeterni’s warning. Sebastian wasn’t going to argue with him. He was made her companion not only to keep an eye on her, but to make sure her talents were used to their full potential.

  On such missions every warrior got not only cold weapons, but at least one gun. Officially, it was meant for Hente, but all soldiers knew its true purpose… When their comrades were dead and the predators were coming from all sides, they had the option of choosing their way to go.

  Sebastian wasn’t going to kill himself though – or anyone at all. He lifted the gun to the sky and made a couple of shots. That attracted the attention he needed: the civilians were looking at them through doors and windows.

  “You have to leave the town now!” Sebastian shouted. “A large pack of Hente is coming from the south! Try to get to Barcelona, you’ll be safe there!”

  “What the hell are you doing?!” Lucas took the gun away from him. “It’s a crime against the Church!”

  “Saving lives has never been a crime,” Sebastian reminded him.

  In a big city panic would lead to tragic results: horrified crowd always crushes the weakest, and sometimes it brings more damage than Hente. But there weren’t enough people for that in the town. Those who heard Sebastian hurried to their cars or simply started running away – to the north. Others, who were too far to hear him, had been alert to begin with, and now that they saw their fleeing neighbors, it was all the warning they needed.

  The people were disappearing from the town at an impressive speed. This kind of evacuation was against the rules, but Sebastian wasn’t afraid of any punishment. He believed Aeterni and he knew they were about to face something serious.

  “Give me your weapons!” Lucas commanded. “I knew she was dangerous, but I didn’t expect that from you!”

  “I won’t,” Sebastian replied calmly.

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  “No, it’s possible that I’ll die soon. But the word “possible” makes me hopeful. If I give you my sword, I’ll die for sure, and I wouldn’t want that.”

  “The danger is real,” Aeterni warned them. “I think things will get hectic in ten minutes or so.”

  “What exactly are you talking about?” Lucas was finally starting to realize she wasn’t fooling around.

  “I don’t know yet. But it’s big, and it wants me. So if you move after our escaping hosts, your chances of surviving this will increase. You can guard them while you’re at it! I won’t be angry with you, really. This trap was meant for me, and I must be the one to deal with it.”

  Sebastian expected them to leave. Their dislike for her was too obvious and aggressive to stay, and yet none of the warriors turned to join the civilians. They weren’t happy to be here, they were afraid… but they stayed.

  “I believe that you are evil,” Lucas said slowly. “And I think the others will agree. But it’s our personal opinion, and there’s no place for personal opinions on a mission. If it’s a trap for you, the Hente must’ve designed something massive. You are strong, but this trap took your strength into account. You may fall, and that’s against our agreement.” He turned to his subordinates then: “I know that the chances of death are very high here, and it’s not the mission His Eminence sent us for. So as your captain, I declare: any of you may leave now and he will not be punished for this later. You are not betraying the Church by this, your life is more important than this Hente’s. But I’m staying.”

  Once again, the warriors remained where they were. Sebastian was observing them with gratitude, Aeterni – with curiosity. She might not be able to appreciate their sacrifice, she wasn’t a human after all. But Sebastian believed her soul was deeper that most people thought.

  The Hente stretched, as if getting ready for some exercise. She wasn’t scared at all. Sebastian had already learned that s
he didn’t view her death as a tragedy. Her Clan was more independent and unique than the others, but in the end they were also part of one complicated organism.

  “That thing has to get to the surface somewhere. I think it’ll be over there,” Aeterni pointed at the square in front of the town hall. “Don’t try to act all tough! If you see that the opponent is stronger than you, retreat. Or else you’ll just get in my way!”

  And then there were long minutes of waiting. None of the warriors gave their nervousness away, they were taught to hide it. Sebastian suspected that they were actually more influenced by this than he. He believed in what he was doing, and that was his main advantage.

  He wasn’t thinking about why he wanted to protect her so much. He was satisfied with knowing he was doing it on his own accord, not because someone ordered him to. If he was to die today, he didn’t want to spend his last moments criticizing himself! Accepting his wishes was more natural.

  They grew so accustomed to waiting that the moment when the pavement on the square exploded caught them completely off guard. At least, the humans. Aeterni didn’t even blink an eye, watching large stones fly to all sides.

  The noise was deafening, but there was no fire to this blast. The pavement was thrown up to heavens with unimaginable force. Its source showed up just a moment later – it appeared from the hole in the ground, surrounded by clouds of dust.

  It was a worm, so huge it had no natural right to exist. Only its head appeared on the surface, but it was as large as two-stored cottages that surrounded the square. The fact they were looking only at its head could be proven by the behemoth jaws taking most of it. Its mouth had a weird octagonal shape to it, and the endless rows of black fangs inside were moving constantly. A little below the jaws there was a line of black eyes stretching over the head. The body of the worm was protected by harsh skin of dark brown color covered in multiple bleeding sores.

  Sebastian had never heard of such a creature, he couldn’t even guess its existence was possible. He had no idea how to fight an opponent like this! The worm, with its monstrous size, could ruin the entire town in a matter of minutes!

  But only if it tried to – and it didn’t. The creature froze for a moment, and then opened its mouth wide. From out there, from the throat still hidden in the ground, new Hente were coming – quite large, but in comparison to their carrier they were midgets.

  These Hente were normal – Sebastian had fought them before. However, this pack had two subspecies in it, which was also new. The Slayers were actually the minority. Most Hente from this pack were those really quick ones that looked exactly like humans, with only their eyes and fangs giving them away. Thanks to Aeterni Sebastian knew they were from Goar’s Clan.

  The pack brought to the town was truly impressive – over thirty beasts in it, more than in the battle of Barcelona! Back there, the creatures fought many squads, and there were still losses. And here they had a ten men squad, plus Sebastian, and that was even less than the number of corpses after the first attack.

  But they had Aeterni. And that protected them from despair.

  After letting the pack out, the worm hid underneath the ground again. The stones remained on the streets, but the earth collapsed over the hole, blocking the tunnel and leaving a crater in its place. Well, now it was clear how Hente were getting through the border! Sebastian wondered if any of them would live long enough to tell the Church about it.

  If they lost, the remaining Hente would head for Barcelona, and that was unacceptable! But how to destroy them? Sebastian suspected that even giving his life wouldn’t be enough…

  The tension hung in the air like an electric cloud. Everyone wanted to scream, run, do something to change that situation – but nobody dared to. They knew that a single movement on their behalf could provoke the pack’s attack.

  And in that icy silence a sole voice suddenly sounded, quiet and free of any fear.

  “Now that’s gonna be a feast,” Aeterni grumbled. “I’ll get so fat you’ll have to roll me to Barcelona, guys!”

  Lucas, who stood beside Sebastian, couldn’t help smiling, one of the soldiers laughed. And the death they were facing didn’t seem so inevitable anymore.

  The humans started to move first. They didn’t have any particular plan – there could be no plan in a situation like this. To kill and not get killed, that was what it was all about.

  Nevertheless, Sebastian tried to stay close to Aeterni all the time. She was confident, jumping into the heart of the fight. She remained the main goal for the predators, and they were ready to do anything to get her. She was the reason they remained in the town instead of running after the civilians immediately.

  It was the first time Sebastian reached such level of proficiency during the battle. He was surprised by this: he felt like the sword and the dagger were the continuation of his own hands, and throwing knives were simply flying around him, hitting their aim without a miss. He wasn’t worried about himself, and yet he didn’t receive a single wound. As if his body knew he couldn’t die or move back until she was safe…

  But there was still a limit for him, and he couldn’t protect her from all attacks. Soon he lost sight of Aeterni: she was surrounded by a ring of Hente. Sebastian tried getting to her, but he nearly paid with his life for it: black jaws closed right in front of his face. He could’ve died if someone’s sword hadn’t cut the Hente’s head off.

  “Don’t lose your cool!” Lucas shouted. He was the one protecting Sebastian. “You’re the only one who believed in her from the start, why can’t you believe in her now?”

  “Because they may attack her from behind!”

  “She’s a Hente, she knows them better than you! The more of them we kill here, the easier it will be for her. If they’re still here, she’s alive, and we must continue!”

  It was hard to accept this truth, but Sebastian had to. He couldn’t get any closer to her, and he had no idea how she was.

  He could barely feel his body – as if his muscles turned into wind and were moving on their own. What else could he do but fight? The Hente were everywhere, jumping at him from all sides. Sebastian could hear other warriors screaming, but he couldn’t help them. If he got distracted for at least a second, he would pay for it dearly. Wounded humans didn’t survive in such fights, so it was either winning or dying.

  And then it was all over. After killing the last Hente, Sebastian was even scared when no-one tried to slash him with sharp claws. Was this a new strategy? Another trap for them?

  But the reality was actually better. The sunny day became gray with ashes, the air was so thick with them Sebastian couldn’t keep from coughing. His eyes were irritated to tears, but he was looking around; he had to see her.

  A wave of relief washed over him when he discovered Aeterni was alive. She wasn’t even wounded, though her clothes were partly torn, and there was a layer of black blood on her skin. But it wasn’t her blood. The pavement around her was covered in many jaws that looked like some wild exotic flowers. Dozens of life cores were waiting for her on the ground.

  “I thought there’d be more than that,” Aeterni commented. “Goar used to do better…”

  She wasn’t pretending – she wasn’t even tired! Sebastian didn’t know how that could be possible. He could explain that only with the life cores she got, because generally she knew what exhaustion was. She must’ve gotten so much food that she returned her energy and healed her wounds in an instant.

  Not everyone was that lucky. Of the ten warriors, only seven remained standing, and even of that seven, four were wounded. Two warriors were torn into pieces by Hente, their bodies barely recognizable. One was alive… so far. Everyone knew that wouldn’t last long.

  Some Hente got to him, ripping his stomach and chest open. The wound was so deep that the bones were visible through it, and the organs were seriously damaged or crushed completely. Lucas covered the dying soldier with his cape so he didn’t have to look at it.

  The captain remai
ned beside him, while the others were watching them from a distance. But Sebastian walked closer, because he felt like he should be there.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Lucas lied. “We’ll get you to the car. Barcelona is a bit far from here, but you’ll make it to Andorra, they’ve got great hospitals there! Just hold on a little longer…”

  But the dying man paid no attention to his promises. He spit the blood out of his mouth and said shakily:

  “Call… her…”

  Aeterni’s hearing was sharp enough to catch it. She stopped smirking proudly and walked to the warrior, going down on her knees next to him. He took her hand and held it.

  “I don’t know… if you’re from heaven or hell…” he tried to smile, and it became clear half of his teeth were missing. “But you are our hope… last one… My sister lives in Barcelona… She has three kids… Protect them… I don’t want them to see… these monsters…”

  “You have my word,” Aeterni spoke quietly. “Your city will survive this war. None of the Mothers will ever get to your family.”

  He died the moment she finished talking. He wanted he hear her answer.

  Chapter 10

  Robert hated such meetings and usually he sent his wife to attend them instead of him. It wasn’t just about so many people staring at him – even though they knew his story, seeing him was a challenge to them. He simply didn’t like to waste his time on this bureaucracy. Sitting there for hours, he felt miserable thinking about all the experiments he could’ve dedicated that time to.

  But today was different. He had been informed about the giant worm and the role Aeterni played in its attack. He couldn’t miss the meeting dedicated to that case.

  The Hente who volunteered to help humans mesmerized him. Sure, her words about his project being doomed to fail were a shock – at the beginning. He didn’t want to believe her! He was afraid that if he accepted this, everything would be over for him.

  But then he began to think about the positive prospects of it. All the things Aeterni said… even the Hydrocompany didn’t know it! All those Clans, and the powers of each Mother… Maybe that was the salvation he’d been searching for? Not some treatment, but the natural power of Hente!