by Vlada Asta
Someone swore in the crowd, someone laughed. Lukas didn’t feel like staying silent any longer:
“How noble! The monster asks us to bow to her politely!”
“You can bow to yourself if you like,” the Hente replied. “I don’t need it. I need your swords. I want them pointed at my enemies, not at me. Besides, my Clan is different from the other Clans, we care not only about sating our hunger. We are close to humans and we are ready to share your values.”
“So that’s the deal?” one of the warriors beside Lukas asked in surprise. “We are to serve her and protect her?”
“It wasn’t too tactful, but Brother Adam is right,” Father Victor noted. “As far as I understand, your Clan is already hunting Hente. You need it to survive. From that point of view, we give you something useful, and you simply continue doing what you were doing.”
“Not quite,” Aeterni smiled slightly, looking at the balcony. “Father Abraham, remember you told me a story about a Pulpo destroying your squad, while you couldn’t even avenge them? I’m strong enough to kill that Pulpo. Father Samuel, you felt ashamed for letting the pack get so close to the city. I’d sense a pack of this size a day before they reached Barcelona. Father Victor, you remembered a story about kids disappearing from a village near the wild lands. Nobody knew why, until it was discovered a Hente was luring them out, pretending to be a forest fairy. I’d catch such a fairy in mere hours, and all children would be alive. Cardinal Jeremiah, you hated having to send those young boys to their death. If I join you, there will be less victims among humans. That’s what I can give you in exchange for a place to live and your respect.”
At that moment Sebastian felt something that reminded him of admiration greatly. It was hard to believe, and yet it was true – he admired a Hente! But she was talking to the ones whom he obeyed like an equal, though she was captured, surrounded, a step away from her demise! And still she wasn’t afraid. The committee was apparently impressed by this too, because they didn’t argue with her anymore.
But not everyone shared that admiration. Lukas was keeping to his point:
“Your Eminence, you shouldn’t believe that monster! I saw them… Evil is part of their nature!”
“You’re not the only one here who saw Hente,” Aeterni objected. “And if you still haven’t figured what’s the difference between me and the ones who attacked you, you’re not too smart.”
“I see right through you!”
“Not really an achievement. Arrogance – isn’t that a sin? To you, clergy, it is. But still you are too proud to admit you need me.”
“Because we don’t need you!”
“Think about it,” Aeterni shifted her gaze around the atrium slowly. “All of you! Originally, there were three Mothers, now there are seven of them. Your kind was forced to retreat to seas and oceans, your very survival depends on salt. You have to fight to maintain your population, while Hente are prosperous. Back in the wild lands, I saw packs consisting of Hente from different Clans. That means they’re ready to do something they didn’t need a century ago – work together. They will become almost invincible. My Clan alone is not enough to stop them, and I know it. That’s why I’m standing here in front of you!”
“It’s a trap!”
Lukas seemed to be ignoring all her words completely. As if her death was all that mattered, he didn’t even think about the consequence. His hatred for Hente was too strong to imagine any other course of events.
Aeterni wasn’t trying to convince him, she was addressing everyone else in the atrium.
“A couple of days ago your enemy was at your gates! They appeared out of nowhere and used the route where they couldn’t be detected in advance. How did they know this route? Pure luck? I doubt it. I believe they already have spies living on your land. New packs will keep arriving until they break your defense! But even if that doesn’t happen, people will continue dying. The ones you call your brothers! You have a chance to stop this… would you miss it because of your hatred for me?”
Being ignored was the last straw for Lukas. He leaned forward and threw a knife at her. It was so sudden and unpredictable, without the slightest attempt to ask for permission! No-one was ready for this, and all they could do was watch their prisoner die dumbly…
The weapon didn’t reach its goal. It wasn’t Lukas’s mistake – he didn’t become one of the best warriors for no reason, his accuracy was perfect. But in the air his knife was intercepted by another blade, and both of them fell into the salt water with a loud splash.
It took Sebastian a few seconds to realize that he was the one who threw the second knife. Never before had he acted so fast! He didn’t even think about it, his movement was entirely instinctive. His desire to protect her from such a useless death was too great for any hesitation.
Two thin blades found each other in space. That was the best throw Sebastian had ever made.
But Lukas didn’t appreciate this perfect move. He pointed at Sebastian and shouted in rage:
“There! That’s what I’ve been trying to prove! He’s on her side, I knew it!”
“Take him away,” Father Abraham ordered harshly. “His punishment is fifty lashes and the prohibition to come to these meetings ever again. As for Brother Sebastian, I don’t think he’s her acolyte. He was tested by salt water when he returned to the city. He’s a human and he’s not infected. He just obeys our will, the will of the Church, like everyone should do instead of making up their own conspiracy versions!”
“It’s a very complicated matter,” the Cardinal added. “It’s easy to succumb to hatred, but hatred has never been part of our way. We’ll think about Aeterni’s offer, discussing it with other people who care about our city. In the meantime, she’ll stay in Barcelona, but not as a prisoner, because we have nothing to judge her for. She’ll be our guest, and I appoint Brother Sebastian as her assistant who will make sure she won’t be harmed. I now announce this meeting finished.”
***
It was the city of eternal carnival. Street holidays happened every day, there were hundreds of bars and pubs, and nearly all squares had some concerts on them. It was the only big city in the country where prostitution was made legal. Formally, it was frowned upon by the Church, but that didn’t stop dozens of brothels from flourishing. The casinos also had no shortage of customers. That created the feeling of every citizen being happy, merry and a bit drunk.
Or maybe that was more than a feeling. When you live in a city where the chances of Hente attacks come up to sixty percent, you learn to enjoy every moment you have. If you were to die tomorrow, you should at least be satisfied today!
That was why Alberta Laas loved Madrid more than Barcelona – in spite of the sterile safety of her native city. This reckless carnival was much closer to her than the constantly gloomy faces of the priests, or the high society ladies, which were no different from those prostitutes in their soul, only less honest.
She felt at home in Madrid. No-one recognized her face here, so she didn’t have to worry about ruining the Laas family reputation. She could be herself – cheerful, fun-loving, a bit naughty, – without looking back.
Her husband wouldn’t accept this side of her. Luckily, she didn’t even have to lie to him: he didn’t care enough to ask about her journeys.
After reaching the hotel room booked for her, she hurried to let her security guards go. They were used to it; they tried to argue during the first trips here, but now they left without a word. Alberta paid them generously for that silence.
She changed clothes, replacing a long modest dress with a skirt that barely covered her thighs and a ruffled top that hid her baby bump effectively. She wanted to be sexy and attractive, not one of those fat “future mommies” who had nothing to do with sex anymore.
Although Alberta had to admit that the pregnancy was taking its toll on her. She became tired quickly, she slept more than ever before, and sometimes she felt so sick she couldn’t rise from her bed. But that was rare, and
her doctors told her it was normal.
Adding provocative makeup to her overall look, she left the hotel and headed down the street. She didn’t try to pretend too virtuous even in Barcelona, easily ignoring many laws of the Сhurch. But when she came here, she forgot all prohibitions. She had been living a life forced upon her for far too long, and now that she found her true self, she wasn’t going to hold back anymore.
She turned many heads along the way. The men were smiling and whistling to her, some women winked at her, while others looked at her with disgust. The later were a minority, mostly from other cities. People in Madrid knew how to have fun.
She had great plans for this trip – from wild parties to new wardrobe. But she had her priorities, so she was heading to the hospital now.
Naturally, it wasn’t one of those state hospitals. This private institution was hidden well among the houses, its doors were locked all the time, and only the chosen few were allowed to walk in. But that was to be expected, since the matters that led people here were very private – and cost a fortune.
They knew Alberta well there and recognized her instantly. They never called her name, because that wasn’t welcome here, but they were inalterably polite. Even now her outfit didn’t earn her a single weird look. They didn’t care what she was wearing, she might as well come in naked, as long as she continued paying them.
“Good evening,” the girl by the door smiled at her. “Come in, Dr. Salmany is expecting you!”
Alberta didn’t even look at her, she never cared too much about servants. She walked through the long, dimly lit hallway and turned to a familiar office.
A young athletic man was waiting for her there. His skin was tanned and his eyes were piercing green; he sat by the table, watching her intently. Small wrinkles around his eyes gave away his artistic nature, and his curly hair made him look like a poet rather than a scientist.
The man rose from his chair, and it was easy to see he was a head taller than Alberta, even though she was wearing stilettoes.
“Lady Laas,” he bowed to her, smiling only with the corners of his mouth. “Pleasure to see you again.”
She wanted to play along – because this was their favorite game. To pretend cold an uncaring, the wife of one of the most influential men on the peninsula facing a mere commoner. But she just couldn’t – it had been too long since their last meeting, and she missed him too much.
So Alberta literally jumped at him, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. He didn’t even try to act surprised, following her lead; he pressed her closer to him. When they finally parted, both needed some time to catch their breath.
“Missed you,” Alberta smiled dreamily.
“Me too – and even more… An eternity lasts less than this!”
She was attracted to him, nothing changed. Before meeting Mikael Salmany she didn’t even know such passion was possible! But then she was just gone… She thought that on her wedding day and a couple of years after it she loved her husband. Later, through that contrast, she realized it was a mere sympathy. She felt true love only for him, it was the kind of feeling that happened once in a lifetime.
So when he locked the door, she began to take her top off. She felt like her skin was burning with the desire to touch him… But Mikael wasn’t as desperate.
“Wait,” he told her. “First I need to check how the baby is doing.”
“It’s fine! What’s there to check?”
“You can’t be too careful about stuff like that. How are you feeling? Anything I should know about?”
“Nothing’s wrong, I’m okay.”
She didn’t want to tell him about her nausea or about those painful seizures she felt from time to time. She wasn’t shy of it, she just didn’t want him to think she was too fragile to take his touch. She needed him!
“Haven’t you missed me?” she asked capriciously. “Well, I can’t see that!”
“I did, and soon I will prove that to you. But first let me check on that baby, I’m worried about him.”
The memories of the night that baby was conceived in her body still filled her blood with heat. But there was also this warm, purely platonic feeling of joy – because she had her loved one’s child under her heart. It was her privilege, the best reward she ever got.
And yet, she couldn’t just follow his orders! So instead of partly lifting her top, she took it off completely and only after that she laid on the testing table.
“You’re becoming more beautiful with each day,” Mikael smiled. He leaned over her to kiss her stomach gently. “I hope this child gets your looks!”
“And your charm. That will be one hell of a heartbreaker!”
He pulled the scanning device down to her belly. Alberta was curious to see that baby too, but from her current position she couldn’t get a good look at the screen; it was turned in such a way that only the doctor would see it.
“I’ve heard about the attack on Barcelona,” he said, setting the device. “I hope it didn’t reach you.”
“I’ve heard about it too. Are you kidding me? Those freaks wouldn’t reach the Laas residence in a million years! They wouldn’t do it even if the whole city collapsed!”
“I was worried about you. You should avoid any stress now.”
“I wasn’t scared. I missed you.”
The device was finally on, and Mikael concentrated on the data he was receiving from it. He never talked to her during those exams, as if he didn’t want to get distracted from something really important. Alberta had been upset about it at first, and then she got used to it.
Just like before, she was capable of tolerating the silence for a few minutes only.
“Well?”
“It’s okay,” the doctor announced, looking quite pleased. “It’s a wonderful baby.”
“So it’s a boy, right?”
“I thought you don’t want to know in advance…”
“I don’t!” Alberta hastily assured him. “All that matters is that it’s your child. You know, I’ve been thinking… I don’t want to part with you again, I want you to stay with me till the baby is born!”
“I’d want it too, but it’s not safe for you to stay in Madrid for so long,” Mikael frowned.
“Who says I’m staying in Madrid? I don’t think it’s dangerous, I just need to appear beside my husband from time to time since I’m his representative. I need to return to Barcelona in a couple of weeks, and you’re coming with me!”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s simple, I’ll provide you with a room in our house! I’ll tell my husband that the presence of a doctor is necessary for healthy pregnancy. He doesn’t care, he’ll just accept it, you’ll see! He had offered me something like this before.”
The thought of having her love so close, of touching him every day, of giving her body to him while her useless husband was in another room excited Alberta. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to make it happen.
Robert wouldn’t know the truth. He was confident that this baby was the result of artificial insemination, because surely she wouldn’t cheat on him! If she lied to him that such pregnancy demanded additional medical attention, he’d believe her.
“I don’t know,” Mikael shook his head. “I’m not sure it’s such a great idea!”
“Why? I’ll be paying you!”
“It’s not about money.”
“Then what is it about? Weren’t you the one who claimed you were worried about me? There’s no guarantee Hente won’t attack Barcelona again! What if I become so frightened I have a miscarriage? Wouldn’t you blame yourself for this?”
He turned the device off and moved it aside. Mikael smiled at her gently.
“You’re great at blackmailing,” he noted. “And you love to play with fire.”
“Isn’t that why you love me?”
“I have many reasons for it! There’s not a single feature in you that’s not worth loving.”
“Then
it’s settled,” Alberta concluded. “You’re coming back with me. You know, Cardinal came to see me right before I left. It looks like those devotees are planning something big… What if it’s dangerous? Then you can protect me!”
Something strange flashed in his eyes, and Alberta had no idea what it was. She wasn’t even sure it was actually there.
“It’s settled,” Mikael whispered into her ear. “I’m coming with you to stay in your house for as long as you want. I’ve been waiting for my chance to meet your husband!”
***
Aeterni didn’t expect them to appoint her a guardian – or that it would be Sebastian. But she was glad. She was preparing for being surrounded by a crowd of angry warriors initially!
Surely they would keep an eye on her, and even try to do it secretly, which she liked. And Sebastian was chosen to keep her from any obvious violations and remind her where she was.
All in all, the first part of her plan was successful.
Sebastian couldn’t boast equally good mood. It was easy to sense he was confused by what was going on, no-one ever prepared him for this! But back at the meeting he protected her… That meant a lot to Aeterni.
She was to live in a huge mansion on the outskirts of the city, waiting for that final decision to be made. She had never seen anything like it before! In the wild lands there were ruins of great buildings, but time took too much from them. This place was all new with its posh furniture, crystal chandeliers and golden staircases. Everything was clean and shiny, just like on a picture! That was probably what humans called a fairytale…
While she was studying the mansion enthusiastically, Sebastian remained in the main hall close to the entrance. He was collected, and a mere human wouldn’t notice his concern, but Aeterni sensed such things on the hormonal level, and his reaction upset her. She had been hoping he would overcome it – but this was taking too long! So after inspecting her new territory she approached him.
“Are you upset about this job?”
“No.”
“You’re not happy to spend so much time with me?”