Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 436: Foreign Anomaly II

Chapter 436: Foreign Anomaly II

Zephyr’s eyes darted back and forth, looking between Nereus, Queen Lavinia, Sirona, and lastly, Daphne. Sweat began to bead across his forehead as he fiddled with his thumbs, his heart thundering wildly within his ribcage.

It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t do anything. If Queen Lavinia said that this foreign ice magic was what was causing Daphne’s condition, then Zephyr definitely wasn’t to blame. So why was it that he felt as though he was the one who hammered the last nail into her coffin?

Nereus’s sigh was what broke the tense silence ultimately. The kelpie didn’t speak very often and he loathed the thought of having to converse with this two-faced healer, but it was obvious that Daphne’s health — at least — was a concern to her.

She needed to know this truth.

"Jean Nott did it."

"Jean Nott?!" Sirona echoed, her voice high-pitched as she screeched the name out. "And none of you thought you should’ve told us that he was sneaking into the palace?!"

Zephyr and Nereus exchanged a glance before Nereus continued to speak. "He surprised us in the gardens. The conversation went south and he attacked with ice magic. Some hit Zephyr and Daphne, and they fell from the force."

As Nereus began to recount in detail what happened, Zephyr felt his face burn. His fingers had wrung out his clothes so much that the poor fabric was turning wrinkled and distorted. Even so, every word that left Nereus’s lips felt like another sin added to Zephyr’s list of crimes.

When Nereus finally finished his explanations, the entire room was pin-drop silent. Even Queen Lavinia was at a loss for words, her lips parted in shock as she furrowed her brows, staring at the unconscious Daphne.

"Jean Nott’s magic isn’t pure," Queen Lavinia slowly said. "If it’s artificially created, it would explain why Queen Daphne’s body is reacting so negatively."

"It’s as good as having a shard of glass flowing through her system," Sirona finished, her palm rubbing across her face with so much force that it seemed as though she was close to ripping her own facial features right off. "Fuck."

Queen Lavinia could only sigh before she channeled a stronger wave of magic into the water bubble that had Daphne encased. The water glowed and pulsed like a beating heart. For a brief second, Daphne’s expression seemed to relax― the furrow between her brows disappeared and her frown melted into a more neutral position. Her lips had even parted to take a small gasp of air.

"This should temporarily stabilize her condition but it is definitely not a permanent solution," Queen Lavinia said. "We’ll need stronger herbs and ingredients."

She glanced at Nereus, then at Zephyr, who shrunk under the Queen’s gaze. Zephyr inched behind Nereus, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. However, the Queen’s gaze simply followed him wherever he went. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake her off, nor the feeling of dread that was starting to build inside him.

"He is a griffin, yes?" Queen Lavinia directed the question at Sirona, her gaze still glued on Zephyr― or to be more exact, the huge set of wings dragging along the floor behind him.

Sirona frowned in confusion. Nevertheless, she nodded and answered, "Yes. Evolved into a human state with the help of a dragon’s flame.

"That is indeed a rare specimen," Queen Lavinia commented, murmuring under her breath thoughtfully. She then turned her attention to Nereus. "You said that both Queen Daphne and this griffin were hit by Jean Nott’s ice shards?"

Nereus nodded firmly, unsure of what the Queen might be thinking of. However, it only took him a second before his eyes widened with realization.

True enough to his suspicions, Queen Lavinia then said, "The ice shards did nothing more than superficial damage to Zephyr here due to griffins’ high resistance to magic. Paired with his evolution from dragonfire, his body naturally counter-reacted with the ice magic that belonged to Jean Nott, whether artificial or not. That’s how he’s still on his own two feet with nothing more than a few bruises and scratches."

The dots had also aligned for Sirona, creating a clear picture. Of course. She should’ve thought of it.

"Does that mean that Zephyr could be Queen Daphne’s cure?" Sirona thought out loud, her gaze locked on the trembling griffin, who felt like nothing more than a piece of meat in the market, freshly butchered and ready to be sold.

Queen Lavinia nodded. "A drop of his blood would be enough for a dose. However, she would need to take it as a supplement for at least a week straight, three times a day. The blood has to be fresh as well and cannot be pre-collected. This might be detrimental to Zephyr’s body if he continues to offer blood without allowing his wound to rest and heal."

"If it helps Daphne, I’m not afraid!" Zephyr exclaimed, stepping out of Nereus’s shadow. He was the one that had pulled her down. If he hadn’t, maybe the effects of Jean Nott’s magic wouldn’t have triggered this series of events. He needed to right his wrongs.

"Of course you’re not," Queen Lavinia patiently said, smiling softly. "But as your friend, I doubt Queen Daphne would be too pleased to learn that you’re risking your own health for hers."

"Is there an alternative, then?" Sirona asked. Then, her eyes sparkled with realization. "What about his feathers?"

"Hmm..." Queen Lavinia pursed her lips, deep in thought. "It wouldn’t be as potent as his blood, but it could work. We might have to double the dosage or increase the recovery time. However, for her first dose, we might have to trouble Zephyr. Blood would work much faster than feathers would since it’s a direct life source and hence, a direct source to its properties."

"If it’s just a dose of blood, that can be easily done," Zephyr said.

He stepped forward and with his own talons, sliced a line right down the center of his palm. He hovered his hand over a clean, empty vial, allowing the red droplets to fall into it.

"Is this enough?" he asked.

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