Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  He needed Aeterni to get close to Teresa. So Robert was ready to do anything to stop this city from harming her with its ignorance.

  It was a closed meeting. A spacious temple gathered the church leaders, police management and the Mayor’s team. The Hydrocompany was represented by Robert: he was sitting on a separate balcony, dimly lit, so his wheelchair wouldn’t attract too much attention.

  The observers were on the balconies, while the middle of the hall was occupied by the warriors who participated in that mission. Robert was told only three people died there – which was amazingly low for such a battle. A large pile of black jaws on the floor was a perfect illustration of that.

  When everyone finally gathered in the cathedral, the Cardinal spoke:

  “Each of us have already got the basic information about this mission from our own sources. Now it’s your turn,” he was addressing the warriors. “Tell us what happened there.”

  Robert was hoping Aeterni would answer that – and he wasn’t disappointed.

  “Do you really think they know that?” the Hente nodded at the soldiers standing beside her. “A huge worm appeared from the ground, spit out a pack of Hente and crawled away. The pack was of mixed origin. All of this is unfamiliar to them, they’ve lost their comrades and they don’t know how to react. Should they be talking about it at all?”

  “You should!” the Chief of the police claimed. “You must know what these monsters are up to, you’re one of them!”

  “Choose your words carefully,” Robert ordered him. “You’re talking to our ally, not a captive enemy!”

  The cop shut up immediately, embarrassed. He wasn’t used to Robert’s presence on such meetings – and he was afraid of him. Everyone feared the Hydrocompany’s top managers!

  Normally Robert didn’t like to use this power, but he remembered about his privileges. Aeterni was his only chance for a healthy life, Teresa’s eyes and ears, and he wasn’t going to let these men insult her!

  “Thanks,” she smiled. “Though I can’t say human words have such a great meaning to me. Now back to that worm… I admit, I haven’t seen anything like this either, that’s why I couldn’t warn you about it. But it’s okay for something new to appear. As I’ve told you, the world is changing, and Mothers have to adapt. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and now I have a story to tell. It’s not final, but I don’t have any other, and I doubt you do. This worm was used for carrying Hente around at least two times. The scheme is very simple: it swallows the pack without harming them and delivers them underground. It’s hard to track its movement since it reminds of natural seismic activity. It’s nearly impossible to foresee where it will go, though in about twenty minutes before its arrival the earth starts to tremble, and humans can sense it too.”

  “So the worm was created with the sole purpose of carrying the pack?” the Cardinal inquired.

  “I’m not sure about it, but even if you’re right, it’s not the kind of delivery you’re thinking about… Do you remember the main goal of any Hente? I told you – to feed its Mother. I believe the worm can gather the food collected by other Hente and carry it back to the Mother’s main body. But for that, its Mother must be sure it won’t be tracked down. And she’s not sure, judging by the fact the worm had been running away immediately after appearing all this time. The two missions it had were probably a trial. The first one was a test of its powers, the second one was directed against me. Before the worm brought the pack, they lured me to this town. The diversion failed to say the least: they lost a sufficient number of Hente, showed us their worm and didn’t harm me. Well, some Mothers are not too good at planning!”

  “Three soldiers are dead!” Father Viktor reminded.

  “I know, but it could’ve been all of them. I’m not saying that the death of three people has no meaning. Every death has a meaning! But it’s not a game, it’s a war, and only one side can win. Things will be getting more serious from now on, get used to it. The appearance of this worm proves that you won’t be able to hide on your safe lands any longer.”

  The people on the balconies started whispering something angrily, discussing her words. Robert wasn’t stunned by her warning, he expected something like this to happen one day. Studying Hente for years had taught him many things about their nature.

  But he was far from the knowledge Aeterni possessed. That was why he was so attracted to her.

  “Don’t panic,” she advised, observing the humans around her. “It’s too early for that. The worm is not an ideal weapon of some sort. Creating this thing was hard, besides, it was wounded, and those wounds didn’t heal. I believe its Mother doesn’t have enough food to fix it. Furthermore, the pack we fought had few of Tsiara’s children in it. That’s another proof she’s starving.”

  “How do you know the worm was created by Tsiara?” the Cardinal asked. “I’ve been told there were Hente from two Clans there.”

  It was slowly accepted – Clans, Mothers, their names… But before Aeterni’s arrival they had no idea about any of this! Robert wasn’t sure those people noticed how she influenced them. He found it very curious.

  “It’s Tsiara’s baby, trust me,” Aeterni chuckled. “I believe all of you have heard about the giant squids that live in fresh lakes of the wild lands. They’re called Pulpo, creepy monsters, it’s very hard to defeat them. They’re created by Vilena, one of the three original Mothers. Other Mothers can’t create anything like this. And Tsiara is Vilena’s daughter, she could’ve inherited her powers.”

  “If groups of such worms start attacking us, we’re doomed!” the Mayor exclaimed.

  “Have you been listening? What groups are you talking about, if creating a single worm nearly drained Tsiara? It’s clear why she needed that deal with Goar – she’s weak, she won’t be able to pull off such massive attacks by herself.”

  “And this worm wasn’t trying to attack us,” Sebastian added. He stood beside the Hente, like always. “It delivered the pack and moved back without paying us any attention!”

  “That actually means nothing,” Aeterni objected. “The worm can attack if it gets a command for it. It’s easy to see in the design of its muscles and jaws. But so far, Tsiara doesn’t risk using it, she doesn’t know whether she’d be able to heal it if it’s wounded. Potentially, she can create another worm capable of feeding itself.”

  “When will that happen? And will it happen at all?”

  “It’s hard to tell, but I think Tsiara and Goar are preparing for something, some large-scale attack. If this worm isn’t healed soon enough, it will die. The wounds I saw are pretty bad. I’ve caught the Hente from three Mothers on your peninsula: Goar, Tsiara and Illirika. With that said, I don’t think Illirika joined their pact, she prefers to hunt alone. She has a stable territory outside New Vatican, so she won’t risk too much here. Things are different for the other two.”

  “How do we know when they attack next?” the Mayor kept asking. “And where? The place is important! What if they appear in Barcelona?!”

  “Unlikely,” Aeterni shook her head. “Barcelona’s hydroprotection is too powerful, it can kill that worm. Madrid is a more likely goal, it has a lot of humans in it.”

  “But you said that the second pack came for you,” the Chief of the police reminded. “What if you are important enough for them to come to Barcelona?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t know for sure! What if you are on their side? You may lead them to our city!”

  Robert didn’t want to interfere again. He hated that part of official meetings – the time when they got too noisy and absolutely chaotic. It seemed so useless to him…

  But then he heard threats. People on the balconies were talking about how dangerous Aeterni was, they wanted to exile her, or even kill her – just to be sure! Robert knew they were stupid enough to do it.

  “Calm down!” he commanded. “What would you do without Aeterni’s explanation? You wouldn’t even know about this worm! Becau
se the pack it brought would’ve killed the squad and all the people in this town. No-one would’ve been left to warn you! It’s a real attack on the peninsula. But we’ve been warned! We know who we are dealing with and we can prepare for this war. If these two Mothers want to take our lands, they’ll try to do it whether Aeterni is here or not. She doesn’t need us, but we need her!”

  Not everyone agreed with him. The Chief of the police was too stubborn to be objective. Some of the Cardinal’s advisors were glaring at Robert with hostility. But the Cardinal himself seemed to share his point of view.

  Robert wasn’t too concerned about public opinion. He rarely used the power being part of the Laas family gave him, but he always knew he had it.

  “I want Aeterni to stay in this city,” he said. “Warn the Madrid authorities about a possible attack. Send additional load of salt water there.”

  “Does the Hydrocompany want to protect this creature?” the Chief of the police asked, pointing his finger at Aeterni.

  “It’s just my request to you so far. But if I have to use the Hydrocomany’s resources to get what I want, I may take care of someone’s position in this city while I’m at it.”

  Formally, he couldn’t fire the Chief of the police. But everyone knew he’d do it.

  Robert was the first to leave the cathedral. He heard everything he wanted to hear. He planned on making another appointment with Aeterni soon enough, because his life depended on the power of her Mother…

  ***

  Sebastian didn’t expect things to turn out like this. He believed that if he could see Aeterni’s sincerity, it should be obvious to everyone else too. But they ignored it and continued looking at her with suspicion!

  They connected her to that worm – like a bait for it and its main target. Only a few of them cared to think about it and analyze the situation. The others opted for the simplest option: if they sent Aeterni out of the city, the threat would be gone, and the world would go back to the way it used to be before her.

  But it wouldn’t be, and the Hydrosystem was no longer an ultimate protection… Sebastian understood it like no other man in that hall.

  “What are you thinking about?” Aeterni asked.

  “Why are you asking?”

  They had been sitting in silence for twenty minutes already. He kept going through the meeting in his mind, trying to find a way to influence those people. She was looking through the window at the men who were sure they were spying on her discreetly.

  “Your hormones have changed,” the Hente explained. “You’re sad.”

  “I hate it when you do that!”

  “Ah, and now you’re angry! What am I doing?”

  “Reading my emotions. I’ve asked you a million times – don’t do it!” Sebastian grumbled.

  “Not like I’m doing it on purpose… Getting information out of my surroundings is my natural ability. It’s like breathing: I’m doing it automatically. I can stop it consciously, putting my will into it, but I don’t want to – I’m too lazy for that. So what are you thinking about?”

  He hesitated, not sure whether to tell her or not. In the past he would never be open with a Hente, but those times were gone. They had survived too many things together… And even though she still gave no proof that she’d never harm this city, he believed her.

  “I’m thinking about that worm. If they manage to fix this one and create one more, we’re in for some big trouble. We can’t shut our border to that!”

  “True,” she nodded. “But it’s not the only thing you’re thinking about, such things can’t upset you. Have you remembered something bad?”

  He felt like she had read his thoughts and was now pushing him to the answer she needed. But Sebastian didn’t want to believe it, it sounded too much like paranoia!

  “Yeah. I remembered the time I came to this country.”

  He had never actually forgotten those days, he just didn’t allow himself to go back to them. He locked them into a distant corner of his memory, like a wild beast, to watch them rarely – very rarely, almost never.

  The growling of Hente and the screaming of people, the thick smell of blood in the air, and his mother’s eyes, already dead and glassy, looking at him through the boards of his hideout. His paralyzing, burning fear… He was there, a few feet away from her, when she was ripped apart by the predator. She wasn’t even trying to get away, she made sure they’d sate their hunger on her and wouldn’t look for her son. At first she was trying not to scream, she didn’t want to scare him, but then she couldn’t take it anymore. There’s this kind of pain that wipes away the remains of one’s personality, all the stamina and willpower completely…

  It would all happen again. But the beasts would enter houses instead of tents. And they’d build their nest here when everything was over! They would destroy all towns, farms and cities, only the sea would be able to stop them. And people can’t live in the sea all the time!

  Hente didn’t think about what they would do when there were no humans left on this planet. They had only one concern: to fill their stomachs with something.

  “Is that why you made yourself lonely?” Aeterni asked.

  “I didn’t make anything,” Sebastian smiled weakly. “Not like I had a choice…”

  “I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been told that many people were scared of the children who survived the Hente attacks. But there’s more than that to your case… When you got a chance to break that circle and become like everyone else, you didn’t do it. You decided not to do it. The warriors of the Church are motivated to be lonely, so it would be easier for them to accept death in battle, that’s why they’re prohibited to start a family. But you… it’s easier for you this way. If you don’t have anyone, you won’t lose anyone.”

  “That’s what I’ve been working on,” Sebastian admitted. “And failed. There’s Ulmanas, and Gabriella… I don’t want them to die.”

  “It’s different. You consider them close, but you don’t let them get to your soul, not in the roles they want.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Gabriella wants to be your woman,” Aeterni explained.

  “Nonsense!”

  “It’s true. You could’ve allowed that to happen if you had left the Church. But you won’t do that, because family brings love, and love brings losses. And Ulmanas would like to be a true friend to you. The one to whom you’ll go asking for help. But you are so strong you don’t need any help, ever.”

  “Is that bad?”

  “No. But it can lead to trust issues. Ulmanas is not ready to open up to you completely either. He hasn’t told you he almost died when you were out of the city.”

  Sebastian looked at her in surprise, trying to figure out if she meant it or she was just teasing him again. But she looked serious, she wouldn’t joke about something like this… And he was so concentrated on the worm attack he didn’t even ask his friends how they had been!

  But when did she?...

  “Why did he tell you?”

  “That’s a weird start,” Aeterni laughed. “I thought you’d ask me what happened!”

  “I will, later.”

  “Well, okay… He didn’t tell me. He’s not afraid of me anymore, but… he’s nervous around me. So he wouldn’t tell me he was cornered by two Hente who knocked him unconscious, but they didn’t have enough time to eat him, because someone saved him.”

  “Who?” Sebastian asked. His head was spinning from realizing all of this had actually happened, and he didn’t know!

  “Who knows?” the Hente smiled mysteriously. “Maybe his comrades or the police… Or maybe me!”

  “Skip the jokes, will you!”

  “Let’s go for a walk! It’s a warm night, why waste it on sitting in this house? We can stay here when it rains!”

  Changing the topic like this was something typical for her. Nevertheless, Sebastian decided to agree. Aeterni wasn’t prohibited to leave her house anymore, and he needed some fresh air. The war
riors would try to follow them, but they’d lose the spies easily, disappearing among the dark streets – they had already done it before.

  The night was truly amazing. The burning heat of the day was replaced with gentle warmth, and the air was falling onto the city like a blanket. It smelled of sea and salt, but Aeterni didn’t seem bothered by that.

  At first they were walking in silence, choosing their route carefully, opting for places with less light. If they saw a patrol ahead, they would turn to another street, or wait for it to pass. Finally his companion said:

  “Well, they’ve lost us, and I don’t feel any other patrols around us. Wanna go to the sea?”

  “Sure.”

  That reminded him of their first walk when she was caught. She had never told him if she was aware of the police chasing them that night, and he didn’t ask. He knew he might not like the answer. The world was against them, and they needed each other.

  They reached the distant part of the port. It had been destroyed completely by a large fire on the Hydrosystem station, and then rebuilt. Pumps, pipes and the concrete walls supporting them were stretching from the shore to the invisible horizon.

  “Why is Laas so protective of you all of a sudden?” Sebastian asked.

  He didn’t want to feel jealous to that poor excuse for a human – or to anyone else. A warrior of the Church shouldn’t know what jealousy was! And he knew Aeterni would detect this feeling immediately. But he wasn’t able to change it.

  Besides, it wasn’t the primitive jealously between a man and a woman. Sebastian simply valued his role as her sole guardian, a link between her and humanity. He didn’t want Laas to ruin that!

  “Me? Nah, he wants to impress my Mother,” Aeterni replied. “If you wanted to get a new body from someone, you’d act in the same way. Let’s stop here, I like this place.”

  Without waiting for his answer, she simply sat on the same spot where she was standing. Sebastian sighed, reminding himself that all thoughts appeared in her head suddenly and chaotically, and joined her.