Salt of The Earth: The Fall of Barcelona

by Vlada Asta

  The battle that had been going on for hours ended in minutes.

  “The main danger is terminated,” Karim commented. “Ten managed to get further to the peninsula, twenty more hid in the forest. The others are dead.”

  Teresa looked around, as if making sure she had won. After that she started to fall slowly, turning into ashes right in the air.

  “What’s going on?” Sebastian felt his heart skipping. “She’s not wounded! Why is she dying?!”

  “She’s not dying. She’s destroying the body she doesn’t need. Teresa wasn’t going to keep it, she doesn’t work with such weapons. She came here to take it away from Tsiara and destroy it, but first she used it to help the city. Aeterni asked her for it.”

  “We have to go there!”

  “Wait, you can’t run! Your wound…”

  Sebastian wasn’t listening to him anymore. He saw where the remains of the worm’s body landed; Aeterni would be there too… if she was still alive. But she had to be alive!

  He was running through the empty streets, ignoring his own pain. Here on the pavement black blood mixed with the red one, and pieces of glass were everywhere. Could the city that met this dawn peacefully have expected such a dusk?

  His exhausted body could fail him any moment, Sebastian had no idea how much energy he still had left. But he couldn’t stop…

  Fortunately, the body fell not too far from the hospital. Turning around the corner, he saw that one of the houses there was shattered by a huge black sphere. He recognized the life core immediately, the only distinct feature about it was its size.

  He knew she was there. He didn’t need any proof, he just felt her. Sebastian was happy he didn’t drop his sword, because now he could use it to cut through the shining black surface. He saw a pale hand reaching out to him from the sphere at once…

  He pulled her out into the fresh air; he couldn’t keep his balance, but didn’t let her fall onto the ground, holding her close to him. Aeterni wasn’t wounded, and she was absolutely naked, her clothes gone inside the worm. Teresa probably had to rebuild her body completely.

  But she was alive! She was looking at him with those black eyes, and smiling at him just like before… Any words seemed inappropriate now, so he ignored all the prohibitions and kissed her. Both of them faced their death today, and that meant more than any laws…

  When they finally parted, Karim was already beside them. He took off his long coat and covered Aeterni with it.

  “I told you I can do it!” Aeterni announced triumphantly. “Have they escaped?”

  “Some of them.”

  “Then you know what to do.”

  He nodded and disappeared. No man could move that fast, but it seemed to come naturally to Karim. Soon he was out of their sight.

  “Where’s he going?” Sebastian asked in surprise.

  “This battle is over only for humans. It’s still going for my Clan.”

  “But you’ll stay with me? Please?...”

  “I will,” Aeterni leaned over him, putting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve done everything I could today. By the way, Teresa said she likes you.”

  ***

  Neither of them expected such a devastating defeat. They had been studying different options, including failure, but not like that!

  Goar’s Clan hadn’t been this close to complete destruction ever since she became a Mother!

  And working with Tsiara seemed to be such a great idea at the start, especially after that worm was created. They came so close to victory! The peninsula was almost in their hands! But that damned Teresa just had to ruin everything… Well, they probably shouldn’t have provoked her by killing one of her favorite daughters. But Goar just wanted to pay Aeterni back so much!

  She and Tsiara agreed they were going to put everything at stake. Goar sent nearly all of her children into this battle. She was confident that would be enough, since they had damaged the Hydrosystem in advance.

  But humans attacked them with those bombs, and then Teresa used the worm against them… and her child, Karim, finished off the remaining pack! Goar would love to have a warrior like him at her disposal, but she had no idea how to make him. Teresa was the only one who could design such weird, uncanny creatures.

  They’d have their chance for revenge someday. Goar was seriously injured by this defeat, humiliated, but not broken. She left seven spare bodies all over the continent to escape if needed, and her main body was still safe.

  At least, she though it was. For the first time after opening her real eyes, she discovered she wasn’t alone in her cave.

  By the entrance to the tunnel, right opposite her, an old woman was sitting. To a human, she would seem frail and helpless. But Goar knew perfectly well what power those black eyes were hiding.

  The Hente Mother was surprised by something else: how did she find her hideout?! As all Clan leaders, Goar was very careful about hiding her whereabouts, her main body capable of producing new Hente was priceless. She chose a remote cave for it, hidden from everyone! But then how?... And especially by that old hag, who was one of the weakest in Teresa’s Clan!

  “What are you doing here, Nuggi?” Goar asked in frustration.

  “Nuggi’s not here,” the old woman replied coldly. “I borrowed her body because it was the closest to your lair.”

  “Teresa?...”

  “The one and only.”

  “How did you find me?”

  This meeting was a disaster as such. Goar knew what it would lead to… Her main body wasn’t designed for battles, even Nuggi could defeat it. Normally, she kept a couple of strong guards nearby, but now she sent them all to the peninsula. That was a mistake.

  She’d have to move her mind to a spare body and keep it low for a while. But she could do it after talking to Teresa.

  “Nuggi’s body isn’t the strongest, but it’s perfect for tracking someone. Ginevra gave me a good hint about where to find you.”

  “So you were telling the truth? About working with her?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. You deceived me. My child accepted your conditions, but you still tried to kill the man she cares about.”

  Goar didn’t understand all that fuzz around Aeterni and her pet human. Why him? All those church warriors were the same to her! But no, both Aeterni and her Mother seemed fascinated by him…

  “It’s a magical feeling,” Teresa held the old woman’s dry hands to her chest. “Such warmth… Soft, not burning… Right here! That’s what I’ve been searching for. Something that used to be available only to humans became mine. It’s a precious treasure I’m intended to keep. And you tried to take it away from me… You know I came for your head.”

  “Yes. I also know it’s useless.”

  “Are you sure about it?” Teresa smirked.

  Goar didn’t like that smirk. She tried to feel her spare bodies, but failed – there was just nothing!

  They were dead. All of them! And she was so concentrated on the peninsula she didn’t even notice that. Teresa wasn’t wasting her time, most of her Clan had been spread through the continent, it wasn’t too difficult for her kids to find the remaining seven bodies. None of those bodies had the brain needed to escape!

  In the end, Goar had only one body left. Just like on the first day she became independent! But back then she could get lost in the wild lands, there was no killer in front of her…

  “Don’t,” Goar whispered. “I… I’ll do whatever you want! I’ll tell you where Tsiara is hiding! Just don’t do this”

  “Stop it. I didn’t come here to humiliate you. Sure, I’m interested in finding Tsiara, but I’ll find her without you. Because there’s this thing called honor! I don’t enjoy suffering, and I’m not going to torture you. But I can’t let you live. If Karim wasn’t fast enough, you would’ve destroyed Sebastian. I can’t forgive that.”

  “Teresa!”

  “I’ll make it quick. We’re sisters after all.”

  “Listen, I…”

 
She didn’t have a chance to continue. The old woman literally flew off her spot, crossing the distance between them in less than a second.

  Teresa kept her word. Goar didn’t even feel the last attack of her life.

  Chapter 18

  People in Barcelona weren’t informed about the battle in Toulouse. The border city was being rebuild urgently, while the rest of the peninsula continued living a peaceful life. Aeterni liked observing human children playing and humans smiling at each other. Sure, they did a lot of stupid things, and sometimes they were intolerable. But that species wasn’t supposed to disappear!

  She shifted her gaze to the sea shining at the distance. The view from the roof where they were standing was shockingly beautiful – a plane of water sparkling in the sunlight.

  “You look like you don’t want to leave this place,” Karim noted.

  All three of them gathered here – three representatives of the Clan. Humans had no knowledge about this meeting or the topic of their discussion.

  “I’m fine,” Aeterni shook her head. “It’s a nice place, but I can’t stay here. It’s not freedom.”

  “Have you told Sebastian about it?”

  “I’m not going to. He’s one of the reasons why I’m leaving.”

  They looked at her in surprise; they couldn’t understand. And she wasn’t able to explain that to them. One could only feel it…

  She wasn’t upset with him, she had long since forgiven his impulsive act. He was scared back then, new emotions confused him… That didn’t mean he didn’t love her.

  But that love was a problem to him! If someone learned about their connection, Sebastian would be in big trouble. And he was honest, he wouldn’t want to hide it. He’d have to give up everything that used to be important to him!

  She didn’t want to force such a decision on him. He already had to start his life anew, and she doubted it would be right to take him with her. A human and a Hente – that only sounded romantic. In reality, it was a couple forsaken by nature itself, and nothing good would come out of it.

  She didn’t want to make that decision for him, but neither of them was ready to discuss this. Too many things had happened lately, and their memories were too fresh…

  So she decided to leave alone. Quietly. She wanted to free him from herself and let each of them return to their normal lives. He would understand this with time.

  But she couldn’t forget about her duty. The pact with humans had already been made, and there should be a member of the Clan on the peninsula.

  “I think you should stay with the humans,” she looked at Karim.

  “No way.”

  “Why not? That would be right!”

  “Maybe to them, but not to me.”

  “Why should any of us stay here?” Maya interfered. “The city’s protection has been restored, and I doubt there will be any other large attacks after this defeat. We don’t have to use the strongest warriors of the Clan for this, Mother can send one of the weaker ones here – like Nuggi, or Fay, or Christina. Any of them would love to take that mission!”

  Humans had finally realized how important the help of the Clan was to them. In that regard, Tsiara and Goar’s diversion paid off to Teresa nicely. Besides, Aeterni didn’t inform them that one of those Clans had been terminated. That wouldn’t change anything for them, because there still were five more Clans willing to eat them. Apart from that, a new Mother could appear any moment, and she would be more dangerous than Goar.

  The Church had already promised to give privileges to the Hente that would stay in the city. No gossip, no false accusations – none of the things Aeterni had to face.

  “We need a strong warrior here,” Aeterni insisted.

  “But why?”

  “Two reasons. First of all, we must remember that Nuria has already demonstrated her interest in that peninsula. And I found Illirika’s spies in Barcelona. They’ve been around for a while! Besides, Nuria somehow managed to get human servants, and that makes her a serious threat. There should be a warrior here capable of fighting her alone, without relying on the humans’ help. Humans will view that warrior as a weapon, not as a creature that needs protection!”

  “Let’s consider I believe you. What’s the reason number two?”

  “Humans themselves. I’ve lived with them long enough to say this… They’re different, and sometimes they act upon circumstances. I’m not saying they’ll necessarily do something stupid. But if they decide to pull some dirty trick and ignore our agreements, the warrior staying here must be able to escape at any moment. Strong, wise, calm – that’s all Karim!”

  “You’re missing the point: I don’t want to stay here.”

  Some other Hente would’ve raised their voice, but Karim remained neutral. Aeterni knew him well, his perfect self-control wasn’t a sign of weakness. Even Mother didn’t dare to push him. He rarely denied, but when he did, he wouldn’t budge.

  “I don’t understand,” she sighed.

  “You should. You have your reasons not to stay here – why are you denying such right to me? I live in fights. This job is mostly about diplomacy and working with humans. I don’t want to go through this. It’s not my mission as a warrior.”

  “How severe… What about you?” Aeterni turned to Maya. “What are you arguments?”

  “About Karim?”

  “About yourself! We all know you’re the second in strength right after him. You’ll cope with this role perfectly!”

  “In this body? Are you kidding me? They won’t take me seriously!”

  Maya was trying to sound ironic, but Aeterni sensed her interest at once. It appeared that she wasn’t against it deep in her soul!

  “They will!” Aeterni assured her. “They’ve already heard about you killing dozens of Hente in Toulouse! And if you rip one more apart in front of them, they’ll keep their mouths shut for good! Do you really want to return to the wild lands? You’ve spent years there, aren’t you tired of this?”

  “I am…”

  “That’s the point! Karim has his warrior mission, while you may have a peacemaker mission! Look at this city. You’ll be able to protect it! The very fact you’re here will scare many Hente away!”

  Maya had truly been wandering the wild lands for almost thirty years. It must’ve become extremely boring to her. Besides, it was easy to tell she was mesmerized by the feeling that existed between Aeterni and Sebastian. It was a new age of development for her…

  Aeterni waited for her answer patiently. She saw the look in Maya’s eyes when the girl gazed at the sea, and she could already read her decision in it.

  “Fine,” Maya finally announced. “I’ll try…”

  “Perfect!”

  “I’ll just try it! If they’re not respectful enough to me, I’ll leave!”

  “Sure you will, because that way they’ll break our deal,” Aeterni reminded. “But they’ll be sweet to you, Toulouse has taught them a valuable lesson. I’ll explain to the Cardinal personally how they should treat you. You’ll love it here, I’m sure!”

  “We’ll see. When are you leaving the city?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  She didn’t add it would be an early hour – so she wouldn’t have the time to see Sebastian, and he wouldn’t talk her out of this. That was none of Maya’s concern anymore.

  ***

  The hologram was supposed to work for a couple of days – until it would be too late to chase him. Robert decided it was the best way to go. His family wouldn’t understand him, they wouldn’t accept his decision.

  Because they didn’t think he was a human, really. They stopped caring about him long ago. When Alberta died, none of them sent their condolence. Why would half of a man need a wife anyway? He was a dead man to them, kept alive only by machines. His unique mind was a resource they couldn’t lose, and it was all that mattered.

  So they wouldn’t be glad about any situation in which he wouldn’t continue working for them. But Robert tried to explain eve
rything anyway. He left them a video message about what he was going to do and his reasons for it.

  The city authorities also knew only half of the truth. He informed the Cardinal and the Mayor that he was going to lend his armored car to the Hente; it would be easier for them to leave the peninsula this way. He didn’t mention he was going to join them.

  He chose a special car for this trip. It was a titanium SUV equipped with salt water sprays. Its armored glass, self-inflatable tires, powerful headlights and amphibian mode made it perfect for such journeys. The salon could fit four people easily, or even more. And most importantly, he could control this machine from his wheelchair.

  It was perfect for the wild lands. Naturally, Robert would never go there alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Hente roaming there. But with two predators by his side, the best in their Clan, he was perfectly safe.

  The sun had barely begun to rise when he reached the shore. Aeterni and Karim had already been waiting for him there. Robert got used to the young woman and learned to trust her, while Karim still unnerved him a bit – he had a feeling this Hente despised all humans as a species. But Aeterni told Robert he was imagining things.

  “I thought you’d change your decision,” Aeterni said.

  “I won’t. Nothing is holding me in this city.”

  He wasn’t lying. For the last years, he had been working on returning his life, not on making humanity’s future better. But when he learned it was impossible, his scientific vigor was gone. Robert aimed for result, not the process. If some way didn’t lead him to his goal, he would change the route, not the goal.

  Plus, it was too painful for him to stay in that house. The horrible transformation Alberta had underwent still haunted him. It was probably her fault, but Robert didn’t think she deserved this.

  “You sure it’s wise to work with him?” Karim looked at Robert doubtfully. “He’s one of the Laas after all!”

  “So what?”

  “They don’t allow anyone to leave the family.”

  “They may allow or not allow me anything they want,” Robert argued. “I turned all tracking devices off. This car has a reflecting roof, it will be really hard to detect it via any satellite. And most importantly, I’m not a reason enough to go to the wild lands for them.”