Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  To allow that amazing feeling to bloom, she had to protect the city. And that became hard all of a sudden… Aeterni remembered who she was dealing with, and that memory chased those relaxing dreams away.

  Nuria was bad news. She had always been bad news! Illirika’s daughter was nearly as strong as her Mother – and much more intelligent. Aeterni didn’t think she was invincible though, and she wasn’t afraid. She was simply used to evaluating her opponents objectively. On her own, Nuria wasn’t such a disaster, but she could become one with the help from other Mothers. Judging by the weak trace Aeterni felt, only one child was present in the city so far, but… why did it come here? Its aggressive behavior and those demonstrative killings meant it wasn’t a surveillance mission. But then what was it?

  There were four victims so far. But the more that freak ate, the larger it became. She had to deal with it now, because if the creature confronted the church warriors directly, things would get worse – Sebastian could get hurt!

  Aeterni wasn’t offended by the Church sending her away and forcing her to accept Laas’s help. She had never overestimated those humans to begin with.

  “Hey you!”

  The voice that broke through the flow of her thoughts was loud and sharp, almost hysterical. Aeterni wasn’t expecting this. She got used to humans disappearing out of her way when she was walking the city streets. She even liked the peace it brought…

  And now someone was addressing her so tactlessly. Aeterni checked the aura that surrounded her and recognized the human that was talking to her without even looking back.

  “Hello, Gabriella. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

  Sebastian’s friend was as inexperienced in her feelings as he. Aeterni detected the hormonal attraction the moment she saw her and Sebastian together – while he remained completely indifferent. Things might’ve been more optimistic had Gabriella dared to admit her feelings for him at least partly. But instead both of them pretended they weren’t capable of feeling anything at all.

  At first Aeterni thought it was funny, and then she was glad. The feelings she developed were complicated, and jealousy would’ve made it worse.

  Meanwhile, Gabriella was nearly crushed by such jealousy. This feeling was torturing her from inside, and Aeterni was ready to forgive her the stunt at the beach because of that. This forgiveness meant she was going to ignore that human, not talk to her!

  “Don’t tell me you’re ashamed!” Gabriella said challengingly.

  She wasn’t brave enough to follow the Hente, so their paths must’ve crossed accidentally, and the human succumbed to her emotions; she was shaking with fear, but wasn’t going to back off.

  “I’m not ashamed,” Aeterni replied. “I’m just studying the city.”

  “Why? So you can kill someone else?”

  “Yeah – some Hente. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Oh really? And I thought you’re here to seduce men!”

  “Don’t generalize, you don’t care about all men. You’re freaking out because one particular man kissed me, not you. And I believe that after witnessing this you’ve already imagined yourself in my place for more than once in your timid sexual fantasies.”

  “How dare you!” Gabriella’s cheeks flashed bright red. “I would never want something that primitive!”

  “Oh please! You’re always nervous when he’s around. And then you sit in your little apartment, dreaming about him, ashamed and excited all at once, glad that the clergymen can’t read your thoughts. I bet you omit those naughty dreams during your weekly confessions!”

  While talking to her, Aeterni kept checking their surroundings. She had already let a human sneak up on her, and she wouldn’t let that happen again. If Nuria knew about this, she’d laugh herself to death.

  Humans were still hiding in their houses, but many of them stayed close to the windows, observing the talk. Aeterni didn’t like that attention, and she was going to leave, when Gabriella gathered the courage for another claim.

  “You’re a monster!”

  “Not like I ever denied that…”

  “You want to take his soul!”

  “I want to take his virginity,” Aeterni grinned. “He’s in the right age to lose it!”

  She knew she wasn’t making things any easier by this sarcasm, but she couldn’t hold back: Gabriella’s attempts to disguise her jealousy as high morals were too hilarious.

  “How dare you!” Gabriella covered her face with her hands in fear. “It’s… a sin…”

  “Look, you can’t even say it confidently! Sex is a normal part of life, and while Sebastian can’t be interested in it officially, you can, and yet you avoid men. Why’s that? Because you only have eyes for one man, and he’s mine.”

  “You must be annihilated right now!”

  “Now that’s the Christian spirit,” Aeterni nodded.

  “Sometimes we have to be strict! You kill human bodies and corrupt souls… You are pure evil!”

  “I’m not sure what you will call the one who actually killed those people then. Stop following me. Me and Sebastian will figure everything out on our own, the thing that’s going on between us is none of your business.”

  Just like Aeterni had expected, strong emotions in the girl’s soul outweighed her fear. Gabriella walked to the Hente and stood in front of her, keeping her back proudly straight. She wasn’t shaking anymore.

  “I’m not afraid of you!” Gabriella declared arrogantly. “And I’ve never been, you can’t influence me! I will fight for his soul, because…”

  Aeterni didn’t listen any further. She simply slapped the girl – without using her full strength or turning this into a real blow. But even that was enough to throw Gabriella back to the other part of the street.

  Naturally, the human didn’t pass out only because of that. But she didn’t get up either, holding her hand to her cheek and watching Aeterni with horrified eyes.

  “Relax, I won’t hit you anymore,” the Hente chuckled. “I just need you to know your place.”

  “I’m a human… and it’s my city!”

  “And I’m a Hente, and I’m part of the dominant species of this planet. Logic can be a very unsettling thing, can’t it? Put your teenage ambitions under control. You’ve already messed things up, made him miserable and stole a couple of pleasant days from me. If you don’t want to anger me, just disappear out of my sight.”

  “I won’t leave it like this! I’ll continue fighting for his soul!”

  That girl was so stubborn…

  “Oh yeah? And what can you possibly do to me? Sprinkle holy water over me? Bore me to death? Neither of this will work on me. And it’s not making you more righteous, you know, because you can’t be honest about your true motive even with yourself. So… just stay on the pavement.”

  Aeterni turned around and walked away. Gabriella didn’t try to stop her anymore, but it was logical: the Hente sensed that the human was depressed.

  People in the houses heard everything. They were most likely on Gabriella’s side, and now they’d spend hours grumbling that the Hente didn’t belong here. Aeterni didn’t care about what they thought, she wasn’t going to leave.

  Because if she abandoned the city now, even the church warriors wouldn’t be able to deal with this new enemy. Without proper resistance Nuria would bring more or her children here, and she might even share this territory with Tsiara. Then the city would be doomed in a matter of months, whether humans were ready to believe it right now or not.

  ***

  “Kids, the lesson is over. Let us finish it with a prayer!”

  Gabriella wanted to look cheerful and careless, but her voice was breaking traitorously from time to time. Luckily, the children didn’t notice this. Even if they were older, they wouldn’t watch their teacher attentively enough to understand her condition.

  She managed to hide the truth from her bosses, and that was all that mattered.

  “It’s all for today, I’ll see you tomorrow!”<
br />
  The kids ran to the door, and she gave a sigh of relief. Even if tears would sparkle in her eyes, there was nobody left here to notice them. But she was still planning to hold them back until she got home where she could cry in privacy.

  She felt humiliated and crushed, and that feeling wouldn’t leave her since her talk with Aeterni. That monster looked at her as if she was an insect! The Hente believed herself to be the owner of this city, and there was nothing Gabriella could do about it. She didn’t have the strength or the weapon to hurt that thing…

  But worst of all, there was no-one to stand up for her. Two of her closest friends became warriors, and she thought that guaranteed some sort of safety for her. Yeah, right! Ulmanas was scared of that creature, and he’d find a thousand reasons to stay away from her. He wouldn’t even think about fighting her!

  And Sebastian… he was becoming more distant with each day. Gabriella ignored her pride and came to talk to him, but it was no use. He couldn’t understand that she saved him on that beach! He even blamed her for something…

  “Gabby!”

  Here he was… Not Sebastian, of course. Sebastian thought only about his precious monster now! But Ulmanas felt guilty enough to wait for her beside the school.

  “I don’t want to talk,” she mumbled.

  She actually wanted to talk, but not to him and not now.

  Ulmanas didn’t get it:

  “I’ll walk you home.”

  “Don’t you have anything else to do?”

  “My shift is over. I’ll walk you home and leave, don’t worry.”

  “If that freak from the wild lands decides to attack me, there’s nothing you can do about it!”

  “Are you talking about Aeterni?” Ulmanas sounded surprised. “Why would she attack you?”

  “Because… we’ve talked recently. And she hit me!” Gabriella said. Just as she expected, the memory of that embarrassing moment made the first tears drop from her eyes.

  “That’s odd! What did you do to her?”

  Gabriella was so outraged by this she nearly slapped him. How could he suggest something like this?! A conflict between a human and a Hente would always be the Hente’s fault! These creatures were the very definition or malice and hostility.

  “Are you on Sebastian’s side now?!”

  “No,” Ulmanas shook his head. “It’s just not like her. Aeterni normally chooses strong opponents, and you’re not an opponent to her at all. If she actually bothered to hit you, you must’ve angered her.”

  “Leave me alone, I don’t want to see you!”

  “Don’t cry…”

  She started walking faster, even though she knew he wouldn’t stop following her. Gabriella hung her head low and covered her face with her hair, so the passersby wouldn’t see her tears. They didn’t care, and there weren’t too many people outside at this time, but still… At moments like this she felt like the whole world was watching her.

  Ulmanas figured that his words wouldn’t help her, and he walked behind her in silence.

  “Are you going to tell me what you want?” she asked quietly.

  “I told you, I’m making sure you get home safely. The Hente that killed those people is still on the loose. Aeterni said it’s a dangerous type, and I don’t want you walking these streets alone.”

  Aeterni said something to them… and they simply believed her! She’d say anything to stay out of suspicion!

  However, Gabriella decided not to deny his help. It was a good chance to discuss something important with him…

  “Sebastian doesn’t come near me…”

  “He’s upset,” Ulmanas noted. “Give him some time, he’ll get over it. You’re still important to him and to me. He’s just having a hard time.”

  “I know that. It’s not about me, it’s about him… While he stays away from me, he only has you left to support him. Someone must remind him how vital it is to protect his soul. Who will do it better than his friends?”

  Ulmanas knew what she was talking about – she saw it in his eyes that he did. But he didn’t say anything. She suspected he wouldn’t try to save Sebastian, mainly because he couldn’t apprehend the size of the problem they were dealing with.

  She had never felt so lonely before.

  He walked her to her house and up the steps to her door. Ulmanas was ready to accompany her further, but Gabriella stopped him.

  “Stay here. We’ve reached the house, and that would be enough.”

  “You’ve never chased me away…”

  “Many things have changed. Go have some rest. Tell Sebastian I want to talk to him when he’s ready.”

  Ulmanas didn’t insist, he nodded and walked away. Gabriella hurried to get inside and lock the door behind her. She felt so safe in this city in the past… and now she had no idea what creatures were crawling in these streets!

  But she wasn’t scared inside her house. She lived in a tiny apartment surrounded by dozens of families. She heard their voices when she walked down the corridor. The air smelled like food, and it made her feel cozy and protected.

  Then she remembered no-one was waiting for her home. And there never would be. Because Aeterni was right… No matter how hard Gabriella tried, she wasn’t ready to accept a man into her life. She needed the one who wouldn’t look her way. That meant she accepted her eternal solitude willingly…

  The tears that had barely gone dry started pouring from her eyes again, and there was no way to stop them. Gabriella got to her flat almost blindly, she locked the door behind her and she slid down the wall to the floor without turning the lights on. Her body was racked by sobs she had been holding back all day.

  She had plans for tonight. To make a supper, to think up a new lesson plan for tomorrow, to wash the dishes… It was so average and peaceful – and unnecessary. Why was she even doing it? Did it make any sense?

  She couldn’t find an answer to that, and calmed down only when she grew tired of crying. Gabriella finally got to her feet and noticed she wasn’t alone in the apartment.

  An elegant female silhouette could be seen beside the window. The darkness didn’t allow to get a good look at that person’s face, but Gabriella didn’t need it. The guest went through the window, not through the door, and the dress she was wearing was shamelessly short. Gabriella knew only one woman capable of this.

  “What do you want, Hente?” she asked coldly. “Haven’t you said enough already?”

  There was no fear this time. She didn’t know why. Deep in her soul she believed Aeterni wouldn’t hurt her – if not for her sake, than for Sebastian’s.

  Meanwhile, Aeterni wasn’t planning to answer. She remained on the same spot without movement, but there was something strange happening to her body. The silhouette started to shake and lose shape, changing rapidly…

  “Who are you?” Gabriella walked back until she hit the door with her shoulder. “Is… is this your true form? Does Sebastian know about this?”

  There were people outside. Gabriella heard them, she could almost feel them with her skin. She had to get out of the flat, scream, and someone would come to her rescue! What could be easier?

  But she didn’t have the time to make a sound…

  ***

  Robert didn’t feel like he lost something. He wasn’t even sure it was actually a loss. Sometimes the importance of a person could be recognized only after that person was gone – but that wasn’t the case with his wife. When Alberta left the mansion, he felt better.

  He had enough things to keep him busy! He was trying to spend as much time as he could with Aeterni. She rarely gave him such a chance, she spent days in the city, looking for new Hente. But occasionally she’d stay around, and he knew it was a favor on her behalf.

  Talking to her gave him a whole new perspective on these creatures. If Aeterni’s Mother managed to create an exact copy of a human, there was a chance the others would do it too someday! But that wasn’t his main concern. He was thinking about those bodies – and they were
so much better than human ones.

  “Come with me. I want to show you something,” he said.

  Aeterni had just returned from another trip to the city. The Church recommended her to stay out of the streets, and she had to obey reluctantly. She returned in the evening – to watch Barcelona from the window.

  He decided to use that time to entertain her.

  “Is it going to be interesting?” she asked.

  “I hope so.”

  “Well, okay. Not like I have anything more important to do!”

  They moved to an upper floor, the one with the computer hall in it. This room demanded absolute secrecy, and Robert normally went there alone. Even Alberta didn’t have the access to this place, which angered her greatly.

  But he was ready to make an exception for the one who could help him survive.

  They stopped beside a large table with mate surface. As soon as Robert typed a couple of commands, the machine came to life, creating a 3D map.

  It showed them abandoned cities that reminded of dead animals. The landscape of the continent became totally different – with lots of buildings on the shores, few cars on the roads, and rich forests in the middle of the land, home to animals… and Hente. Humans were rare guests there.

  Aeterni walked closer to the map and moved her hand above it, watching the little figures reassemble themselves after they were ruined by her.

  “It’s the result of the satellite observation,” Robert explained. “It’s getting harder to send new satellites out there, but the Hydrocompany still has them.”

  “Hydrocompany has everything. I know what satellites are.”

  “I forgot that your knowledge is mostly human… It’s the last chance for us to see what the wild lands look like. No-one travels freely anymore.”

  “You can travel by sea.”

  “I’m not talking about the very act of movement through space when I say travel. It’s mostly about the world we used to have… Those were our countries. And what do we have now? Nature is taking it all back. Look at how large those trees are! It’s as if the planet is trying to show that we don’t belong here…”