The envoys from the areas near the capital had returned well before the noon deadline set by the edict; all were deeply shaken, many could not even express themselves intelligibly.
It was immediately clear that the miracle had occurred throughout the entire country: the infected had returned healthy, even invigorated, and, to prevent the outbreak of other diseases, they had immediately set to work removing corpses, cleaning public places, and isolating homes where the disease had wiped out entire families.
The collective message that arrived addressed to the court was one of thanks... to Jezebel and then, secondarily, to the Sovereign! Little Lightning had become a LIVING LEGEND.
It was not immediately made public for fear of riots, but Jezebel at that time was not able to receive those thanks because she was fighting between life and death... the spell had been an enormous effort that had literally drained her, she was reduced to skin and bones, was unconscious and occasionally raved with incomprehensible words, perhaps uttered in an unknown language...
Jezebel woke up, vomiting, only a week after the miracle and, despite the insistence of local authorities and countless court envoys, her parents managed to impose her rest and absence from public events for over a month.
The battle to allow Jezebel to rest was fought mainly by her mother, who cared for and watched over her day and night and barred the house door with her body and a look that brooked no argument. She had with her a gold-plated bell, and when some troublemaker, even the high priest himself, dared to force her blockade, she rang it, and in no time her husband would appear surrounded by notorious criminals armed to the teeth.
In fact, the father had hired the most dangerous criminals in the city, not trusting the soldiers in this circumstance. He had offered substantial compensation for guarding not only the family home but all the public roads that allowed access to it, and to show he was not joking, he had taken to wearing armor and a sword (about the origin of these, clearly his size and in his possession for a long time, he never spoke, nor was he ever asked about it in the family).
But what made the blockade impenetrable was a third, decisive factor.
The local population had managed to peek into the house and, realizing Jezebel's condition, had mobilized as one: the men devoted every free minute from their work duties to incessantly patrolling the streets, the housewives did their chores while watching the public roads from the windows, the children shouted at the mere sight of a stranger, the elderly surrounded him blocking the road and uttering unrepeatable words, and the rascals systematically pelted even the King's direct envoys with stones.
There was even the case of a well-known prostitute who, refusing to provide her services to a direct envoy of the sovereign, justified herself by hissing a single word: “Jezebel.”
Little Lightning had unknowingly performed a second miracle: The population had never been so united and supportive; in their love for Jezebel, everyone had found their place and role, even the hardened criminals.