Only Skeletons Remain

Chapter 26: The Siege

2009

The air was thick with smoke, the once-brilliant neon lights of DEMA dimmed by the flames spreading through the outer districts. The Bandito siege was in full force, their war cries echoing through the streets as they clashed with the Bishops' forces. Javier stood at the entrance of the High Tower, his hands trembling as he gripped the sword he had sworn to never wield again.

Not since he had become Lorekeeper. Not since he had become a father.

Behind him, María held their newborn son, Andrew, cradling him in her arms, while Harper, Liam, and Micah huddled together at her feet. Fear etched across her face, but her voice remained steady as she whispered to the children.

"Stay close to me, mis amores," she said softly, stroking Harper's hair. "Papá will protect us."

Javier glanced back, catching her eye. Their unspoken understanding passed between them — he would fight for their family, for their survival, but he dreaded every step that brought him closer to the bloodshed. He could hear the cries of the Banditos growing louder, closer, as the battle raged through the Neon Graveyard and the Artisan Districts.

"Javier," María called out to him, her voice a low, urgent whisper. "Please... come back to us."

Javier nodded, though his heart clenched in his chest. He couldn't promise that. Not in this war. Not against the bishops. He stepped outside, the door shutting softly behind him as he faced the chaos.

Just outside the Tower's protective barrier, a group of Banditos clashed with DEMA's soldiers, their arrows flying through the air like black streaks of death. The flicker of flaming torches reflected in the pools of blood staining the ground. Among them, Javier saw familiar faces — rebels he had once known, men and women who had once believed in the same fight he did, now consumed by rage and the lust for revenge. And ahead of them, the towering figures of the Bishops watched, their twisted forms casting long, ominous shadows over the battlefield.

His heart raced. He could see the bishop Sacarver — the wolf — tearing through Bandito ranks, her fangs dripping with blood as she ripped into another rebel. Behind him, Lisden, the vulture, perched on the top of a building, his cold eyes scanning the chaos as though surveying his next meal.

"Javier!" a voice called out to him through the din. It was Gunner, leading a small group of Banditos pushing toward the tower.

He hurried toward them, ducking beneath a volley of arrows. "Where's your family?" Gunner asked, his voice tight with concern.

"Inside. Protected... for now," Javier answered, wiping sweat from his brow. "But they'll break through the walls if we don't stop them."

"We'll hold them off as long as we can," Gunner said, slamming the butt of his weapon against the ground. "But this isn't looking good, Javier."

Javier nodded grimly. "I know."

He raised his sword and charged into the fray alongside the Banditos. Every strike was filled with desperation, every move meant to buy time — not just for his family, but for everyone still trapped in DEMA. The clang of steel against steel rang in his ears as he parried an attack from a DEMA guard, swiftly countering with a strike of his own. The guard fell, but there was no time to linger. Sacarver was moving closer, the wolf bishop's eyes gleaming with savage intent as he tore through Banditos with feral speed.

A scream erupted from behind him — María's voice.

Javier whipped around, fear seizing him as he sprinted back toward the Tower. He could see María in the doorway, clutching Andrew tightly as Harper clung to her leg, her small hands trembling. Liam stood, his little face pale but determined, gripping the edge of his mother's dress.