Surgeon Gavin proceeds with his plan. He gives his first patient a fake diagnosis saying that she has a mild version of the plague.
He pulls out his injection gun and injects a minor infection that has similar symptoms to the plague. The villager believes that he is giving her a vaccination.
“Please come and see me if your symptoms do not improve,” he says knowing that this patient will slowly begin to feel worst.
He repeats the procedure with the next patient…
…and the next…
…and a fourth patient for good measure. With these four patients affected, he can now claim that this plague is spreading fast.
Now that he has set the wheels in motion, it is now time to take the driver’s seat and make sure that news of the fake epidemic spreads quickly.
Chalyela is at her scribe table working on a new peace treaty with Tredony. If news of this affair does spread, she will feel much better if she knows that there is a peace treaty in place.
“Your majesty! I have dire news!” Gavin announces loudly for the benefit of those standing in the throne room.
Chalyela and Gavin stand in the center of the throne room, both ready to play their parts well in front of their audience.
“What is your news?” Chalyela asks attempting to make her voice sound very concerned.
“It is the plague! It is back! “
“How can this happen! I thought you found a cure to end this thing for good! How could the plague be back!” Chalyela shouts, finding that with her raging pregnancy hormones, pretending to be angry is coming far too easy.
“I am sorry to upset you. I will re-evaluate the patients to make sure, but I am pretty sure that they have the plague.”
“Did you hear that?” One of Ivan’s guards says in more of a statement than a question to Buildmaster Krispin. “The plague is back!”
“Oh! How can this be?” Chalyela says out loud, still playing her part.
Chalyela stands on her throne and makes an announcement. “For the safety of myself and my unborn baby…I forbid anyone to come to court unless they have first been cleared of a plague diagnosis by Surgeon Gavin!” Chalyela feels that this announcement makes the pretend threat that much more believable.
She then sits on her throne to reinforce her authority.
Gavin walks over to one of the patients that he injected earlier. Although she claims to feel terrible, Gavin knows that her symptoms are not as bad as she believes them to be. Gavin pretends to re-diagnose her.
“Oh no!” he says lifting her arm.
“What? What is it…it is the plague is it not?” The patients asks concerned.
“I am so sorry, but you must leave court. You have been infected with the plague!” Gavin says in a voice that he is sure is heard by everyone around them.
Gavin, satisfied with his work there in the castle, leaves to find the other patients in order to give them the same false diagnosis.
Gavin locates another injected patient.
“I have been ordered by the queen to re-diagnose you!” He announces.
“Yep, just what I thought! Your symptoms have worsened. You now have full blown plague!’
“Hurry! Go home and tell your friends and family. Tell them that they too, may be infected!”
