The news of deaths, now occurring throughout the entire kingdom, increased at a disturbing rate; the epidemic had spread from the North, but within a few weeks it had become a national emergency... and not only that.
The infected had their internal organs attacked, which literally deteriorated by "rotting"; there was a particular incidence for the liver and pancreas, but the disease could be present (simultaneously) practically anywhere. There was no warning: the infected would suddenly experience weakness, nausea, often vomiting, and in some cases bleeding from the mouth and nose. The progression was extremely rapid; in a maximum of three months, it would lead to the death of the infected or leave them disabled (an understatement, that damned disease made you wish you were dead), and in the case of weak individuals (children or the elderly), it could last much less.
Jezebel had felt guilty since the announcement of the first cases in the north. Enthusiastic about the prestige and power derived from that knowledge, and afraid that the order would censor the entire activity, she had let those corrupt and inept chief priests believe it was all thanks to her, and she had never pushed to start a training program for novices in the magic of the lost book; so, years later, she was still the only one who knew how to practice it.
Over the years she had made great progress, but she was completely unprepared to handle an emergency of such proportions. Moreover, the severity of the disease and its distance from the place of first outbreak had slowed her down in the process of creating an effective spell.
No one blamed her for anything, on the contrary, but she knew that many of those deaths could have been avoided if only she had been more farsighted... AND RESPECTFUL OF THE GIFT SHE HAD RECEIVED!
Jezebel had reread the book even though she knew it by heart, but the procedures indicated for epidemics were all to be carried out with a group of priestesses/priests and were inapplicable by a single person. To complicate matters, there was her constant exhaustion due to daily interventions, often performed remotely which, even though for the moment only for people directly indicated by the sovereign, were enough to annihilate her every evening.
It soon became clear that Jezebel was the only hope for all the infected, and among the better informed it was considered imminent that a Royal decree would "secure" the sovereign from the risk of riots due to the ineffectiveness of his measures against the epidemic BUT would probably condemn Jezebel to exhaust her own energies until her inevitable death without a real chance of impacting the epidemic. It was in those desperate hours that Jezebel had an idea, or rather... a true illumination.
The magical techniques of the Book focused on "individual" interventions, as if a subject were struck by a single pathogen. BUT, Jezebel thought, since it was based on the assumption of a stable bond between ALL living creatures, it suggested the possibility of dialogue with/between GROUPS of living beings, like a human community, potentially an entire people.
Perhaps it was possible to modify the spells to activate them simultaneously with more people, and if this possibility existed, it represented the only effective practical solution.
Even though she was exhausted, she worked the entire night to perfect the spell before some emergency decree from the King could stop her, but there was a problem: it was necessary for the infected to pay attention at the moment the spell was activated, the patient's mind had to "activate" and "dialogue" with the pathogen, it was essential to "convince" it to withdraw and repair the damage done.
It took Jezebel only a moment to figure out HOW to do it; she gathered all her courage and asked to speak directly with the local governor and the high priest, TOGETHER. She knew it was madness... that they would think her crazy... or worse yet... a WITCH!.
The following morning there was an impromptu meeting: the sovereign received the governor and the high priest, who, despite their age, had preferred to spend the entire night riding on horseback to explain that crazy idea in person, judged impossible to convey through a letter. They managed to convince the sovereign, and he immediately issued an edict and sent an army of emissaries to quickly bring it to every corner of the country.
The order was most unusual but clear: at sunrise on the third day after the issuance of the edict, the entire population of the kingdom was to cease all activity, gather together as much as possible in family/city/community groups, and think solely and exclusively about the terrible disease, praying TO IT, addressing the Epidemic as if it were a sentient being, to DESIST/CEASE the destruction, for the entire morning, until noon.