Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 383: Suspicious Notes

Chapter 383: Suspicious Notes

Daphne read through all of Sirona’s notes, trying to commit them to memory. Unfortunately, Sirona’s notes were mostly medical in nature and they detailed Zephyr’s physiology in devastating detail.

Goosebumps rose on Daphne’s arms as she read about Sirona’s observations on his diet, his preferred activities, and even his sleep schedule. There were also notes about how to weaken Zephyr to restrain him in case of emergencies.

Such in-depth information would have made Daphne feel safe and secure in the past, but now, she only felt fear.

If Sirona wished to harm him, she had a treasure trove of information to start from. Daphne’s eyes kept returning to the incriminating lines in Sirona’s note, her stomach twisting with unease.

Element: Air.

Feathers didn’t work.

Bone needed. Magic from bone marrow? Blood?

Feathers didn’t work. What did Sirona do with the bagfuls of feathers she took off Zephyr? Daphne assumed she was busy looking for a cure, but it seemed like she was testing for something else entirely.

Was that why Zephyr didn’t recover for so long?

Why would Sirona need magic from Zephyr’s bone marrow or blood? None of it made sense. If she found out that Zephyr’s body might have healing properties, then she should have outright mentioned it to Daphne and Atticus. When Zephyr turned back to his human form, she could have asked him for permission to extract a bit of it.

Could the kidnapper be sent because of this very reason? Why go through so much trouble to have someone kidnap him?

No, Daphne stopped herself from going down that road. Sirona had made a dossier on Zephyr’s health, but that could be explained by her healer duties. It was creepily in-depth, but that didn’t mean Sirona was guilty.

Daphne chewed her lip, trying to think of a reason to absolve Sirona. Perhaps someone else had sneaked in and saw her notes? And decided to steal Zephyr to experiment?

Unlikely, but possible.

That still didn’t explain how the infirmary was so empty in a way that was almost elaborate. Daphne recalled the look of surprise on the intruder’s face. He was well-armed, but he definitely did not expect to see someone in the room. Someone must have promised him that he would be able to pull off the heist easily.

Daphne didn’t want to think about it, but all roads of thought led to Atticus. Even without his men on standby, there should have been palace staff. The fact that no one was in the vicinity meant that they must have been ordered to stay away.

Who else had the authority to circumvent Atticus’s orders? Only her father could possibly attempt to do so, but he wouldn’t have a reason. He might not even know that Zephyr needed knights to look after him, considering how laissez-faire he had been regarding everything that happened so far.

Daphne pressed her hands against her eyes to relieve the ache. Every fiber of her soul refused to believe that Atticus was capable of something like this. She knew Atticus had no love lost for Zephyr and disliked how he took up her attention, but surely it didn’t justify hiring someone to kidnap him?

No, that was unthinkable. What would be the point of kidnapping him in this form?

Unless... Atticus wanted to harvest Zephyr’s wings. Daphne’s hands shook with the realization. That would make sense. Sirona might have a huge thirst for knowledge when it came to the medical field but she wouldn’t dare pull off such feats without Atticus’s go signal.

But even if he did, why?

Daphne pored over Sirona’s notes again, desperate to find a clue that would justify her husband’s decision. However, what came to mind was the book on Sirona’s desk: the History of Magic.

There must be something inside the book. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been on Sirona’s desk. She might have a mess there but everything was needed. Sirona had no unnecessary accessories lying around her workspace.

She hadn’t nicked the book from the infirmary. After all, it was a huge tome that couldn’t be burned away with just a small flame in such a short span of time. If it had gone missing, Sirona would’ve noticed. Hence, it was left on the infirmary floor for her to find. But now, Daphne regretted leaving it be.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Daphne tried to think what was between those pages. She briefly read through it before passing it to Atticus.

Element: Air.

This was a major clue, Daphne just knew it. However, she didn’t know why there was a mention of the element of air nor what it was for. Was there a ritual mentioned in the book?

Daphne’s eyes snapped open. There was.

A ritual whereby King Rowan and Queen Bethany-Anne had conducted to share the miracle of magic with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, that was all she remembered from that book’s quick glance. She had read it so long ago and not nearly enough times for her to commit it to her memory.

She needed the book. And, she had to find a way to get it back without raising Sirona’s suspicions.

Zephyr chirped from beside her, nuzzling his fuzzy little head into her arms. Daphne could barely even squeeze out a smile back for Zephyr― it was hard to act as though everything was alright when reality was toppling down right before her eyes.

Her husband might’ve betrayed her. Or, he might’ve even been lying to her right from the very beginning.

Daphne wasn’t sure who she could trust. However, she at least knew where she could start. She needed to find out why there weren’t any guards situated outside of the infirmary when Atticus said there would be.

Zephyr let out a small yawn, using his beak to prod at Daphne’s fair hands. He kept poking her before nodding at the bed, gesturing for her to get some sleep. Exhaustion was starting to creep on her as well and Daphne knew that Zephyr was right.

She needed rest.

Tomorrow, she would get to the bottom of this. Starting with Jonah’s supposed date with the mysterious blonde.

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