It was the next morning that Arcaedus paid them a visit. He shuffled in alone and turned his head, as if looking around the room. Claudia sat at the table, scrubbed clean, her dress also clean. Surrounding her was a pile of books and manuscripts. She was poring over it all, taking it all in. Dmitri, likewise scrubbed clean, had the cadaver on a workbench and was carefully inspecting it.

“Ah,” said Arcaedus, “I’m glad to see you’ve already started. That’s an interesting form of magic you have around it. It’s keeping it preserved I see. But I trust you recognise the malady?”

“Glad to see?” asked Claudia, looking up from her books.

“A figure of speech my girl. Besides, one can see with more than one’s eyes yes? You should remember that from your training with the druids.” Replied Arcaedus evenly.

“Yes, of course,” said Claudia blushing, “I’m sorry.”

“No harm done.” He replied gently. “Now Dmitri, what have you found?”

“Well,” started Dmitri, in a tone for lecturing, “When I was in Russia, I encountered the same disease. You can tell immediately by the lesions on the body. I helped a man there die by removing his pain, but I can see from this man’s muscles and the way his body was contorted that he was in agony. The disease seems to concentrate in arrears of high blood flow.”

Arcaedus was nodding, following every word. “How would you cure it?” he asked.

Dmitri thought for a moment, “I’m not sure. With Fyodor, that was the man in Russia, I couldn’t save him. He was too far gone. But I would prevent it by purifying the water. That’s what I did in the town.”

“Ah yes, of course,” said Arcaedus, remembering, “The town that you say you met a demon called Akahaziel. He sounds like a formidable foe. What about him, how would you defeat him if you encountered him again?”

“We’ve been trying to figure that out actually, but we’ve had nothing so far,” replied Dmitri soberly.

“You’ve actively been trying to find a way to defeat him? But that was twenty odd years ago. He wouldn’t still be around would he?” asked Arcaedus curiously.

“But he was the root cause of this very same disease, you just said that yourself! This is even more reason to find a way to stop him. And you can’t tell me you haven’t seen the way that Draycott behaves?” said Dmitri, incensed.

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This surprised Arcaedus, “Draycott? What does he have to do with Akahaziel? You think he’s the cause of Draycott’s behaviour?”

Claudia got up, “No, we think it’s more, we think that Draycott is-“

“Enough!” Arcaedus snapped, raising his hand to stop Claudia continuing. “It is bad enough that you have made me side track onto the topic of something that isn’t even real. A demon, in this age?” he snorted in derision. “Lord Draycott is my patron and I’ll not hear a word against him.”

“But you-“ started Claudia, but was overridden immediately by Arcaedus once more.

“I know him. I have been in his service for many years. He is like a son to me, maybe an irrational son, but a son nonetheless. Now, you have a job to do; this disease kills too fast. The Lord Draycott needs you to extend the life of the disease so that it spreads more effectively and affects more people.”

Claudia’s jaw dropped open, “What?!” she exploded

Arcaedus continued as if no one had said anything, “So you must do what you can to extend its lifecycle without killing its host. It only lasts a day or two at the most. It’s hardly an effective weapon if anyone that contracts it dies before they can pass it on is it?”

“But that’s monstrous!” Claudia shouted, “Who could possibly deserve a fate like that?”

“What?” asked Arcaedus surprised, “Don’t you know? Why the French of course. As ordained by God himself. He started the scourge at Agincourt; it is Draycott’s honour to continue the Lord’s work.”

The look of horror on Claudia’s face said it all, “You can’t possibly believe that nonsense. Surely you’ve lived long enough to have seen the type of madman that Draycott is?” She reached out and grabbed him, pleading with him, “You can’t do this! You have to break free from his control!”

Arcaedus raised his hands and with a simple gesture sent Claudia flying across the room where she hit the scaffolding and fell to the floor.

“I am not without my own defences Claudia, do not try my patience,” said Arcaedus and then turned to Dmitri, “If you have not made the choice by sundown, I will kill you both and find another willing to do His work.”

He left then; shuffling out the door which was then closed and bolted behind him.

Dmitri went over to where Claudia had gotten up and was brushing herself off, “Thanks for helping me reason with him just now,” she said sarcastically.

“What could I have said?” Dmitri asked.

“I don’t know,” she said angrily, “anything! You could have supported me.”

“I do support you,” he said.

“Yeah, sure,” she replied quietly, looking down.

“Claudia,” said Dmitri, but she didn’t respond.

He took her gently by the shoulders, “Claudia, listen to me,” he said gently, and she looked up, “I do support you. His mind had been made up. Nothing I could have said or done would have changed his mind. However, now that he is gone, we can decide how to act.”

Claudia took a deep breath and nodded, “You’re right. I’m sorry. What do we do?”

“I’m not sure,” said Dmitri, “we can’t say no though, I know that much.”

“You’re not going to condemn the lives of hundreds to the whims of a pair of madmen are you?” asked Claudia in disbelief, her voice close to breaking.

“Not as such, what we need to do is appear to be working on it, but what we actually are doing is finding a cure. And more, we can also find a way to defeat the demon. This way we’ll be ready.”

Claudia put her arms around Dmitri, “I’d hoped you’d think of something.” And she rested her head on his chest as he held her close.