The priest nodded, his eyes narrowing. ‘Yes. I see.’ He seemed to recognize the strange name. ‘Azazel – the fallen one. Yes!’ He turned back to Erlan’s rigid body and bent over him, unafraid. ‘I know you, Azazel – demon of hell! You fell with the Morning Star. In the name of Christ, I command you to come out of this man!’ the priest bellowed, but the demon only filled the hall with another ear-rending shriek. Erlan’s eyes snapped open and rolled forward, except now they were not the eyes of a man but great pits of welling darkness. Eyes of evil. They rolled right and fixed on the emperor. Suddenly a surge of inhuman strength broke like a wave through his body, his hands threw off their restraint and he seized Leo by the throat.

‘You shit spawn usurper!’ the voice rasped, Erlan’s hand choking the life out of him. He leaned forward over him, spittle drooling down in strings into the emperor’s gaping mouth. ‘I will destroy your legacy, cross fucker. I will make your name a smear of shit.’

‘Pull him off!’ Domnicus tugged ineffectually at Erlan’s arm but only earned himself an elbow in the face and went reeling back. The emperor’s tongue was erect and quivering. There was panic in his eyes. His face was turning blue. Lilla pulled at Erlan’s shoulders but to no avail, and then a fist flew in from nowhere, slamming into Erlan’s skull and snapping back his head. He lost his grip on the emperor and went sprawling to the ground. Einar flung himself on top of Erlan, smothering his head and shoulders with the full mass of his brawn. ‘Work your bloody magic, priest!’ he bellowed. ‘Quickly now! I can’t hold him for long!’

Domnicus ignored the bloody stream from his nose and kneeled over Erlan’s writhing body. He lifted the gold cross high and then pressed it down hard again on Erlan’s chest, crying, ‘Azazel! In the name of Christ, I command you once more – COME OUT OF THIS MAN!’