As soon as he finished speaking, a dull thud came from the courtyard.
It was not an explosion or a collision, but a deeper, more muffled sound-like something heavy falling from the sky and smashing into the ground. The ground shook, several cracks split the flagstones in the center of the courtyard, and fragments of stone and dust flew up.
Linley turned and saw that Sessler's old corpse demon had already fallen to the ground. Its body had been cleaved in two down the middle, its grayish-blue flesh peeling open to either side. There was no blood inside, only a grayish-white powder. Green ghostfire drifted out of its eye sockets, flickered twice in the air, and went out.
Sessler stood at the courtyard gate, his face deathly pale. His lips moved as he chanted a spell, but his fingers were trembling.
A man stood in the doorway of the courtyard's eastern wing. He had short, silvery-white hair and wore grayish-white robes, and he held a narrow sword. A thin layer of white frost coated the blade, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Steller.
He looked at Linley, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "Linley Baruch. I never expected to run into you here. And you, Sessler, an archmage of necromancy. What day is it today, for me to reap such a rich harvest?"
Linley did not answer. He reached into his robes and gripped the scroll.
Bebe darted out from beside Linley's feet, becoming a black blur as he lunged at Steller. Haeru charged from the side at the same time, claws aimed straight at Steller's throat.
Steller did not move. He merely raised the sword in his hand slightly.
A cold light flashed. Bebe and Haeru were both hurled backward, slamming into the wall and leaving two craters. Bebe