Only Skeletons Remain

Chapter 42: Search and Rescue

"What do you mean, Clancy is your grandfather?" Lyra asked, her eyes wide. "You have Lorekeeper blood?"

"I guess?" Harper remarked with a shrug. "Abuelito never really talked about what he did, so he never told us anything. We knew better than to ask."

Lyra sucked in a breath. "Harper, if anyone finds out, you'll be made a host. They're going to bind you here." She gently put her hands on Harper's shoulder.

'They're already trying to do that...' Harper thought to herself. She gently put her hands over Lyra's. "Lyra, you don't want to leave here, so why do you care if I stay?" She asked.

"Because you want to leave, because it is your..." Lyra stopped, just giving her a kind smile. "It's time you head out. It's getting close to dusk."

Harper felt a pang of pain rush through her. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll see you soon." She then gently pulled herself away, leaving the High Tower. She walked toward the Academy, seeing her brother pacing around.

"Liam!" She called out, seeing her brother's head whip up. She picked up her pace, noticing him holding two cups. "What do you have?"

"Hot chocolate!" Liam handed her a cup. "I got it from one of the merchants." He said. "It's fantastic."

Harper took a sip of the drink, surprised by the warmth of it. "That is awesome!" She said, taking another sip before she heard footsteps coming up from behind her. "Blurryface?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm babysitting you." Blurryface grunted. "The bishop you're hunting doesn't like to listen to anyone but me, so I'm your last resort."

Harper glanced over at Liam with a confused expression. "I guess we should get going then." She replied before turning to leave, making her way through the Inner and eventually the Outer Circles.

Harper walked through the snow, walking through the frigid water running through the gorge. Liam walked at her side, looking over his shoulder as he picked up a bit of snow, crushing the ball of snow in his hand.

"Do you think they're trying to change us?" Liam asked, hissing at the cold sensation on his hand, shaking his hand a few times. "They're making us learn English." He sent a side-eye to Blurryface, though if he noticed it, he paid no attention to it.

"I don't know, Liam." Harper admitted. "They're trying to make me a bishop," she rubbed her arm a little bit. "Keons has been gone, so they've been needing someone to fill in the space. I don't know, maybe it's for the best."

"But didn't Papí say..?"

"Papí isn't here." Harper replied gently. "It's up to us to do what's best for the family." She felt the familiar pull in a direction, and she began following the pull.

"Why are you going this way?" Liam asked, walking next to her.

"Cause I feel the pull." Harper replied, scratching her arm beneath her thick coat as she continued walking through the gorge. She could feel someone staring at her, and she looked up, seeing a figure staring back down at her at the top of the gorge. Her eyes narrowed.

"HEY!" Liam yelled, and the figure disappeared. "Blurry, did you--" he turned to look at the bishop, but the bishop was gone. "Blurryface?"

Harper's eyes widened when she saw a huge wolf staring back at her. Its fur was ice-colored with icicles hanging off of its fur. "Liam..." She whispered, taking a few steps back. The wolf snarled and leapt forward.

Liam got back to back with Harper as another wolf-like creature jumped out from behind a corner. "Harper, what do we do?" He asked, grabbing Harper's hand.

"I don't know, Liam." Harper whispered, feeling the itching intensifying. "But I do know that Blurryface left us here."

'Duck.'

"What'd you say, Liam?" Harper looked over her shoulder at Liam.

"I didn't say anything?" Liam raised an eyebrow.

'Duck you moron.'

Harper ducked and suddenly her vision went white, and in an instant she was staring at the wolf-creatures' dead bodies. Blood stained her hands, and she could see her brother staring at her with wide eyes. "I did it again, didn't I?"

"You're a host?" Liam asked, walking towards his sister. "Already?" His brow furrowed.

"A host?" Harper blinked at her brother.

"So, Blurry was right." A raspy voice came from behind them, causing the twins to turn and look at them.

An asian man with green tips in his brown hair walked towards them. His eyes were glossy black with a small white dot as the pupil. Was this the lost bishop?

"Who are you?" Harper asked, moving to stand in front of her brother. "Are you a bishop?"

The man snorted. "They call me Spooky." He introduced himself. "You're Lisden's newest victim?"

"Victim?" Harper tilted her head, looking over at Liam. "Was I supposed to have a 'transformation' ceremony or something?"

"You didn't?" Spooky asked, raising an eyebrow. This seemed to catch Blurry's attention as well. "How long have you been in DEMA?"

"Like seven months." Harper replied with a shrug. "No one mentioned anything about getting a transformation ceremony."

Spooky and Blurry looked at each other, before they began leading the twins back towards DEMA. Harper glanced over her shoulder, seeing more silhouettes on top of the cliffs surrounding her. She then turned and began to follow after them, bending down to wash her hands in the freezing cold water.

She could hear Spooky and Blurry speaking in the bishop language, and she glanced at her brother, who seemed to be trying to pick up some words they were saying. The two of them walked side by side.

"You're sure you don't know your bishop?" Liam asked softly, glancing over at her as they walked.

"He speaks to me sometimes, but I've never seen him. Not fully..." Harper replied, remembering the flicker of an image she had seen when she had killed that prisoner.

The group had gotten into the Outer Circle, and a random person began walking towards them. He pointed his finger at Harper. "YOU! You killed my brother!" He snarled.

Harper stumbled backwards a few steps. "What are you talking about?" She asked, her eyes widening. Her eyes flickered yellow, and she could feel bile rising up in her throat. She hated this. Whatever was inside of her needed to get out.

The man grabbed Harper by her coat, and he threw her to the ground. Harper let out a squeak of pain, staring up at the man. He raised his fist, but he stopped when Blurryface grabbed his fist, his lip curled over his teeth.

"Try again." Blurryface said coldly, shoving the man backwards as Liam helped Harper up. The bishop stared at the man.

"B-Blurry-!" The man sputtered. "It's not what it looks like." He squealed as Blurryface pulled him up, and he flinched away.

"Touch that future bishop again, and I will... Actually?" Blurryface put a finger gun to the man's head and fired it, the sound akin to a dart gun whoosing by as the man dropped dead on the floor. He turned to Harper, who was staring at him. "Go tell Lisden our lost sheep is back."

Wasting no time, Harper immediately turned and walked towards Lisden's tower. Whatever power Blurry had, she wanted no part of it.