The inquisitor stumbled from the smoke, coughing as he clutched his arm. Blood soaked his white garments and beaded on his gleaming steel armor. The source of the bleeding was a long, shallow cut that ran from his elbow to his shoulder. The skin nearby was cracked and blistered, with white ash flaking from the edges, as if his skin were crumbling stone.
The instant the smoke cleared, the Star Guard fanned out around Luke and me, adjusting their grip on their weapons. They didn't need the Oracle of Eternity to sense the seventh-level power radiating from the inquisitor's soul. Even injured, this man was dangerous.
"Inquisitors. Who could have guessed?" Luxxa muttered, shaking her head.
"What, this kind of thing happen often?" Luke asked.
"Too much."
The inquisitor shook himself, raising his head to look around the courtyard. His eyes narrowed as he saw our party, but his attention was on Selena.
