The clerics were barking again. When Rachel turned her head, she noticed that the white cloud had developed several dark grey patches. Little by little, it was turning red at its core. The clerics resumed their attack, jabbing at Malkor's suspended body with their staffs. They added more red and white flashes to the mix, but Rachel got the impression that they were fighting a losing battle. They were becoming increasingly agitated. It looked like Lord Hades might be right. The stasis field was failing, and the clerics were running out of ideas. They struck out with their staffs, and they backed away from the white cloud, struggling to contain it between them. The grey patches were growing increasingly unstable, flowing into each other in ever more turbulent vortices. Rachel noticed that the red core had started expanding.
A bony fist flew out of the stasis field, catching the nearest cleric full in the face. He stumbled backwards with blood running from the corner of his eye. He tried to rejoin the others, but his legs buckled and he fell dead on the floor. Black shapes crawled across his broken face, and grey fluid spilled from his ears and nose. The other clerics backed further away. The stasis field stretched thin between their extended staffs. One side of the cloud distorted, wobbling in the air as it extended down towards the floor. Several loud popping sounds resounded along the corridor.
The clerics barked even louder, hobbling from one foot to the other as they swung their staffs even faster. Malkor struggled in the centre of the stasis field, his haggard red face twisting into a sickly smile. The clerics glanced towards Rachel and made guttural noises in the backs of their throats. She could see that their confidence was fading fast. She had watched them trap Malkor. They had fought so hard to ensnare him in the white cloud, and they had paid a heavy price for their success. Now the stasis field was failing, just as Lord Hades had said it would. The clerics didn't look like they knew how to stop it.
Rachel felt her heart pumping hard inside her chest. Memories stirred within her. She remembered seeing Malkor before. The memory was many hundreds of years old, from a time long before she was born. It couldn't possibly be her own memory, and yet it came to her unbidden. Malkor was a war lord. He had fought in the Iridium Wars. She couldn't deny it anymore. He had found her by studying the patterns of the Lasrecon. He had come to hunt her down. Suddenly all of Lord Hades' words came back to haunt her. Why hadn't she listened to him? Why had she been so sure that he was wrong? She felt tears forming in her eyes, but she couldn't succumb to them now.
She pulled her impact pistol from its holster and fired straight at Malkor's head. The shot split into twelve slim rods that dispersed as they approached him. The rods formed a neat circle and froze just inside the stasis field, stopping a few centimetres short of Malkor's smiling face. Rachel stared at the rods. It was like shooting into thick glue. She had seen how the stasis field had prevented Malkor from moving inside it, but she hadn't expected it to block her shots.
Malkor glared at her, his opaque eyes shining bright. The stasis field was unravelling around him. It couldn't hold him much longer. He extended one leg down towards the floor. The clerics barked louder than ever. Rachel heard more sounds behind her. She turned and saw another cleric hobbling down the corridor towards her. His face was much more twisted than the others, and he looked older too. He walked with a confident stride, carrying a long bone-coloured staff under each arm.
'Merivon,' Lord Hades whispered from his slumped position against the wall.
Rachel stepped back as Merivon pushed past her, leaping over the bodies that lay scattered across the floor. He approached the stasis field on the balls of his feet. The other clerics made way for him, making low choking noises in the backs of their throats. They lowered their heads towards him as Merivon stepped in front of the stasis field.
Malkor was still struggling to fight his way out of the white cloud. Merivon swung both staffs in a wide arc over his head. He brought the ends down towards Malkor's head. Malkor thrashed back and forth. The stasis field collapsed around him. His feet hit the floor as he landed on his haunches, and his eyes watched the staffs descending towards him. He lunged to one side as the twin staffs struck the floor beside him, sending yellow sparks flying into the air.
Merivon turned sideways, calling out in a language that Rachel didn't recognise. He expanded his bony rib cage to its maximum extent and raised his twin staffs high above his head once more. Malkor gazed up at the staffs with contempt. He backed away, trying to stay out of range. Merivon saw his hesitation and dashed forwards, chanting under his breath. Malkor didn't back away this time. He lunged forwards, grabbing Merivon's lower jaw with both hands. Merivon tried to pull his head back, but Malkor wouldn't let go. They struggled together until Rachel heard a cracking sound. Merivon started to choke. His eyes bulged in pain, but he still swung the twin staffs high above his head. He brought them down hard, as he stumbled forwards, looking as though he might collapse.
Rachel had seen all she wanted to see. The stasis field was down. She fired her impact pistol again. Her shot struck Malkor's shoulder as he tried to get out of the way. Thick red blood spewed into the air, splashing against the wall behind him. The blood turned black as soon as it touched the stone. Malkor roared in pain, snarling at Rachel as his white eyes turned towards her. He yanked his arm back, ripping Merivon's jaw from his face. Merivon stumbled backwards, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. His legs crumpled beneath him, and as he fell, he brought both staffs down with all his might. Malkor tried to back away. He looked surprised that Merivon wasn't yet dead. He darted to one side but the twin staffs caught him on the side of the head, and a blinding white light erupted through the corridor.
A shock wave threw Rachel off her feet. She fell backwards, raising her arms to protect her face. She landed on her back and sat up at once, blinking to clear her eyes. A pungent smell of burning metal overwhelmed her as purple patches floated across her vision. When she could see clearly once more, she realised that Malkor was gone.
Merivon lay dead on the floor a few metres away from her. Blood pooled out from what was left of his ruined face. Three clerics knelt beside his fallen body, touching him with their trembling outstretched hands. Rachel could hear them chanting over his body. The words were alien to her, but she knew they were trying to bring him back from the dead. Merivon didn't stir. His injuries were beyond them. A great sadness spread amongst them all.