Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  Robert had been thinking about it for many years. Viewing it as some greater justice for the sake of the planet made it easier for him to accept his destiny. He was hoping that Aeterni would understand and support him.

  But she ruined his illusions ruthlessly.

  “You’re wrong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “In thinking that the planet is happy to get rid of you, ruining your cities and growing trees… Things aren’t nearly as dramatic.”

  “But look at that!” Robert pointed at the map. “It’s all one big forest now!”

  “Yep. Only it’s not about nature. When I told you I know what a satellite is, you shouldn’t have made conclusions about why I know it. It’s not some knowledge I got from humans. All Hente know that. We are aware of your technologies, and we know when and how you can watch us. Hente have been planting those trees deliberately. Now that they’ve grown, we can move over the continent without being detected from above. You can’t see us, and you won’t see some Mother dragging her huge body under those trees.”

  Robert couldn’t believe his ears. She was saying something that could change the whole attitude to the humanity’s main enemies so calmly, as if it didn’t matter at all! And people had believed that Hente weren’t capable of any complex strategies for decades!

  All this time the main strategy had been unwrapping right in front of them… But that wasn’t too surprising if he viewed each Clan as an organized structure.

  “Do you know where all Mothers are?” he whispered.

  She moved her palm over the map again, creating a vortex of digital particles.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I have some guesses.”

  “And you’re not telling us about it?”

  “I’m not,” Aeterni confirmed. “Because I know you too well. You’ll do something stupid – for instance, send a large squad there, sacrifice many lives, kill a Mother’s temporary body, and she will be reborn in no-time. You population recreates itself slower than our Clans.”

  “But you’ve told me that Tsiara is weak now…”

  “She is – and she knows it. She must’ve designed a hundred escape plans, and you don’t have enough power at this point to destroy her.”

  “So what is left for us?” Robert frowned. “Do we have to accept that we can’t change this world? Judging by the amount of their spies in Barcelona, they’re moving in on us.”

  “You must learn to work with my Clan instead of blaming me for every crime that happens in this city, especially when it’s obviously meant to set me up,” the Hente commented. “If you follow the conditions I named upon my arrival here, my Mother will have more opportunities for creating new soldiers. And once our number increases, we can think about getting some of the territory you’ve lost back.”

  It was a perfect moment to ask the main question. The one that refused to leave his head, the one that scared and mesmerized him simultaneously. And now that he was ready to ask it – there was a knock on the door.

  “I told you I’m busy!” Robert replied in irritation. “Is it really that urgent?”

  “I’m sorry, Lord Laas,” his assistant said from behind the door. “But you’ve told me to monitor all events linked to Hente. I believe that case is worthy of your attention, because it’s connected to Aeterni.”

  “You told them to monitor everything connected to me?” Aeterni raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Sounds paranoid!”

  “It’s a matter of safety,” Robert moved to the door and opened it. “What is it?”

  “Another strange attack happened, similar to the one that caught your interest. The victim was gnawed to the bone, just like in the previous cases. Aeterni is blamed for it once again, and the citizens are restless.”

  “How did they drag me into this?” the Hente asked in surprise. “I’ve been here for hours now!”

  “The exact moment of death hasn’t been announced yet,” the assistant explained. “But even if you were here when that happened, people in the city don’t know that. Few of them have the precise data on where you are.”

  “And I don’t want them to know! But why are they talking about me? Just because I’m a Hente?”

  “It’s an important argument, milady. And the police were informed that you had a conflict with the victim.”

  Aeterni, who was quite relaxed initially, became noticeably tense.

  “What is the victim’s name? And please, don’t tell me it’s Gabriella…”

  “It is,” the assistant nodded. “But you’d better keep silent about it. They’ll take it for the proof of your guilt. You should stay low for a while and...”

  The Hente didn’t even wait for him to finish, she turned to Robert and announced:

  “I need to get to the crime scene and study it while there are some clues left there!”

  She had to know it was dangerous, and she was probably not too worried about with. Robert suspected that if he refused to help her, she’d find a way to get to the city herself. He had to stay with her – and protect her if it was necessary.

  “Get us a car,” he told his assistant. “I’m going with Aeterni. And make sure the police know about it.”

  His assistant wasn’t thrilled about such a reckless decision, but he didn’t dare to object.

  The Hente didn’t comment on his desire to accompany her, she didn’t show any reaction at all. But Robert had studied her long enough to realize she was intrigued, though she was mostly concerned with this attack.

  He rarely left his house, and when he did, he preferred to use the same car. It was an armored vehicle with part of the seats removed to free enough space for the wheelchair. But the rest of the seats were in their old places, so a normal person could keep him company during the ride.

  Or a creature that was no different from a human.

  They were delivered to the shore by the ferry, and then the car picked them up to drive them to the dark streets. People rarely left their houses at this time, and they usually stayed close to the sea. The fear was growing again…

  “What was this conflict with Gabriella about?” Robert asked.

  “She was the reason I was kicked out of the Church, and now she was trying to teach me how to live my life.”

  “Are you happy she’s dead?”

  “Absolutely not,” Aeterni shook her head. “I just slapped her once, and it was enough of a punishment for her stunts. Her death will upset Sebastian, they’ve known each other since childhood. I don’t like that.”

  The house where Gabriella was killed was still surrounded by the police. The inhabitants were evacuated… or rather, they were forced to stay outside. Some of them were scared, while others didn’t hide their anger. And none of them welcomed Aeterni’s arrival.

  Each of them was horrified by her, but when they were together, it made them feel protected. They even dared to shout insults, and one man tried to throw a rock at her.

  Luckily, the police were quite proficient in their task. They moved the crowd back, making way for Laas and his companion. The officers didn’t approve of Aeterni’s arrival either, but they were on duty, so they had to hide it.

  The Hente ignored all of them completely, as if they weren’t even there.

  It was an average residential house made for middle class, clean and well-kept, with a good entrance door made to keep any predator outside. But the killer didn’t use it…

  They took the main staircase to get to the upper floor, and Robert was glad his wheelchair was equipped with a special set for this, because this building didn’t have an elevator. On the floor where Gabriella lived police officers were mostly replaced by church warriors.

  Sebastian, Aeterni’s former partner, was also present. They saw him in the flat – he stood on his knees beside the remains of the body.

  If he hadn’t known who the victim was, Robert would never have guessed it was a girl. An intact skeleton was lying on the floor, surrounded by torn clothes and a puddle of blood. The bones
were in perfect condition though, not a single crack left on them. There were pieces of muscle left here and there, but the attacker ate most of it. The jaws were open slightly, and the gaping eye sockets were watching the ceiling soullessly.

  Robert managed to remain cool because he was a scientist. He had worked with dead bodies before, and he performed more than one autopsy. But he didn’t know those people – and he didn’t know that girl. He couldn’t tell how he would’ve reacted if something like this happened to his friend. Or to Alberta… He didn’t love her anymore, but he would never wish it upon her!

  Aeterni froze on the threshold, untypically timid. She was looking at Sebastian who was kneeling in that blood, and he didn’t raise his gaze at her.

  Meanwhile, other church warriors noticed her quickly. One of them stood in front of her; it cost him a lot of effort to control his horror.

  “How dare you come here?” he asked shakily.

  “Who else should be here?” Aeterni replied. “I’m the only one who can catch the Hente who did this.”

  “Are you going to hunt yourself?”

  “Avoid such statements,” Robert ordered. “Your opinion wasn’t asked for.”

  “I’m sorry, Lord Laas, but your power doesn’t work here!” the warrior replied without proper confidence. “Many people heard that creature threaten Gabriella! And then, less than a day after their fight, she was killed! How can you explain that?”

  “Provocation,” Aeterni stated. “And a lousy one. Threatening does not equal killing her. I told Gabriella to stay away from me. That goes for you too, by the way.”

  “Or else what, you’ll kill me too? It won’t be as simple as attacking a helpless girl!”

  “Enough!” Sebastian told him without looking their way. “Aeterni didn’t do it. Let her pass.”

  They didn’t have the guts to argue with him, not in that situation. Aeterni walked into the room and went down on her knees beside him. They were discussing something, but their voices were so quiet people around them couldn’t hear anything. Robert was the only one who noticed her holding his hand secretly.

  There was some deep understanding between these two that Robert couldn’t even dream to achieve. But he was glad Sebastian managed to avoid the spreading insanity and didn’t blame her. They had to do anything within their power to make Aeterni stay in the city!

  Robert let them have their privacy, he moved to the police expert waiting in the hallway.

  “Are there any signs of who could’ve done this?” Laas asked.

  “A Hente, clearly…”

  “Are you mocking me? I’m talking about clues!”

  “There are no clues here,” the policeman sighed. “The door isn’t broken, but the window was left open. There are no signs of a fight inside the apartment. She just didn’t have the time to fight when this thing came for her!”

  “Have you identified the cause of death?”

  “Lord Laas… are you serious?”

  “I very much am. I think the creature eats its victims when they’re already dead, and that explains the silence. The neighbors haven’t heard anything I presume?”

  “That’s right…”

  “See? The way it kills people may become an important clue for us. Do you know the time of her death?”

  “It’s very uncertain… Judging by the blood, this girl was killed three hours ago.”

  That was the main answer Robert wanted to hear. He needed to trust Aeterni, he believed it was necessary. And for that he had to be free of any doubts! Theoretically, she could’ve done it – she had no inner discipline, she was guided by her instincts. If Gabriella pissed her off, she was capable of anything!

  But the policeman’s answer returned peace into his soul. Three hours ago Aeterni was inside the mansion! This house was far from the shore, she wouldn’t have been able to return so quickly and wash the blood away while she was at it!

  He was ready to help her now, because the truth was on her side.

  Aeterni wasn’t studying the apartment the way he expected her to, but Robert didn’t try to hurry her up. He saw her hold Sebastian close and whisper something into his ear; the warrior showed no reaction, but he wasn’t pushing her away either.

  They had to leave when the crowd outside got so loud their screams started reaching the apartment. Robert suspected that at some point the police could let the people attack and then pretend it was just an accident. Those citizens couldn’t harm Aeterni – but she could harm them. Nobody wanted that.

  They reached the car through the backdoor. Aeterni appeared thoughtful and sad.

  “There weren’t any tracks of that Hente there, huh?” Robert asked carefully.

  “No, and that’s not the point. I’ll find that Hente soon enough. It’s about Sebastian… It’s so strange…”

  “What about him?”

  “He’s hurt now,” the Hente whispered. “But I feel like this pain is mine…”

  Chapter 13

  Sebastian didn’t tell anyone where he was going, even Aeterni. Because other warriors would’ve tried to stop him, and she’d want to go with him. He couldn’t accept it, not now, he needed to do everything alone.

  He had never believed Aeterni could’ve done this to Gabriella. Even before he saw the body, he didn’t suspect her. He learned to believe her. She wasn’t perfect, not even close to it, but she had her moral standards, and he knew them.

  The only person whom Sebastian blamed was himself. Gabriella considered him her family – and he was her family! But he forgot about it, turned away from her instead of trying to understand. And now she was gone, and he couldn’t even say he was sorry…

  But he could avenge her. He had to destroy the predator who did this to her! To Aeterni, it was just another hunt, but to him it turned into a matter of honor. This monster left almost nothing from Gabriella’s body! Nothing but a naked skeleton… Sebastian could only hope that her death was quick and she didn’t suffer.

  Aeterni told him everything he needed to know. She mentioned not feeling any Hente inside Laas’s house ever since Alberta and Mikael had left. She searched through all rooms and found nothing suspicious.

  That was the answer. The deaths started when that pseudo-doctor came to Barcelona – Sebastian had already checked that. And his ability to pose as a human so perfectly… Aeterni warned him that Nuria’s Clan was special. Anything could be expected from them!

  So it was a single source of danger, easy to remove. Even without Aeterni. Sebastian had been fighting Hente long before she entered his life, and he was ready to do it again.

  He left the monastery secretly, taking all of his weapons with him. Sebastian knew all patrol routes, and he could avoid the squads without much effort. He knew he could be punished for this, but he didn’t care. He didn’t know why, because he certainly didn’t want to spend part of his life behind bars!

  It was just too important for him. He had to deal with the monster no matter what, and then he could figure how to live the rest of his life.

  He found the address of Alberta Laas’s current residence, the Church had all the information about her. He had no doubts about the doctor, Mikael Salmany, living with her. Alberta was that guy’s lover, a guarantee of his safety. She probably didn’t know who he really was, and she’d try to get in Sebastian’s way… But he wasn’t going to kill her or even wound her, none of this was her fault.

  He reached the house he needed in the middle of the night, he chose the time when the citizens were either asleep or too scared to look outside. It was an expensive neighborhood, but not the best one. It had no direct access to the sea. These houses were inhabited by people who could afford a good hydro protection, and nothing else. If the pipes with salt water failed, they would be doomed.

  Such houses normally had no security guards. It made his task easier.

  He broke the lock carefully. Sebastian was ready to disable the security system, but it turned out to be already damaged. It alerted him, but it wasn
’t enough to make him retreat.

  The windows on the first floor were blocked with metal shutters, it was a standard security measure. It created a special type of darkness which made the dim light pouring from one of the rooms even more obvious.

  ‘He noticed me,’ Sebastian thought. ‘It’ll be even faster than I expected…’

  He walked towards that light. He wasn’t trying to hide his presence, he knew how sharp a Hente’s hearing could be. But he wasn’t letting his guard down, he held his sword ready for battle.

  The door to the room remained open, and Mikael was truly there. He sat in a large armchair in the middle of the hall. To his right there was a small table with a lamp on it – the only source of light in this place. To his left, two twin swords were waiting, leaned over the armchair. Sebastian had never seen this kind of weapon before – the blades were short and twisted, with wide guards and a single sharp edge.

  Hente didn’t use weapons, but this one was special.

  This time Mikael wasn’t wearing the white medical robes. He changed them for a traveling suit made of expensive black leather; a large bag was waiting in the corner.

  “I think you already know why I’m here,” Sebastian said.

  There was no fear in his voice, because he truly wasn’t afraid. He felt nothing but cold rage in his soul.

  “Yes. I knew that Gabriella’s death would speed things up,” Mikael nodded.

  “Aeterni knows who you are.”

  “Sure she does – and while she’s right, you are wrong. That’s why she let you come here, she wanted to protect you.”

  His words confused Sebastian, but he wasn’t sure it was not a trick meant to distract him.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She figured that I’m connected to Nuria’s Clan,” Mikael explained eagerly. “But she also knew I’m not a Hente. I’m a human. She decided your knowledge and experience are enough to cope with another human. She would never let you fight one of Nuria’s kids one on one, trust me. But I don’t think you have what it takes to defeat me.”