Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 443: The Other Wing

Chapter 443: The Other Wing

Eventually, after one of the longest nights Cordelia had the misfortune to have, Zephyr’s wound finally healed. There was no replacing that missing wing, but at least he had stopped bleeding. Instead, his skin was a raw pink when they finally laid him face down on an altered infirmary bed, one specially made to stop himself from possibly tearing open his newly healed skin.

The lack of another wing was very conspicuous indeed. Once Daphne regained consciousness, there was no doubt she would start questioning and investigating the cause, just like what happened with Nereus’s eye.

While Cordelia and Nereus wanted nothing more than for Daphne to see the truth — her husband was a psychotic monster that was filled with a thirst for blood and violence — Sirona preferred to keep things under wraps.

Zephyr had surprisingly woken up before Daphne did with just one day of rest. And the moment he was coherent enough and moped around in his despair, Sirona was by his bedside.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, holding her notes as she jotted down various observations about Zephyr’s wound.

The griffin merely pursed his lips and then turned his gaze away, unwilling to reply to Sirona. She couldn’t blame him. After all, she was working for the man who was directly responsible for his handicap.

"I have some findings that you might be interested in," she said. She noticed Zephyr’s ears moving― he was paying attention. Nonetheless, he still didn’t turn around to face her. "Your wing. I might be able to regrow it."

Zephyr turned around so quickly that Sirona was worried he might just rip his wounds open again. He bolted upright, the look in his eyes sparkly and bright, though Sirona wasn’t sure if it was a result of tears or hope.

"You can?" he asked, his voice cracking a little near the end. "How? What do I have to do?"

"I might be able to," she reiterated. "It’s not a hundred percent chance. It could fail, and even if it does succeed, it will take a long time to regrow."

"Any chance is a chance!" Zephyr exclaimed, elated.

He thought his world was about to end when Atticus took his wing from him― he would never fly again, and what’s a griffin that could only stay grounded for the rest of his life? His wings were the source of his strength, just like a kelpie’s eye. If there was any chance at all, Zephyr would take it.

"I’ve discussed this with Prince Nathaniel earlier this morning," Sirona said. She read off her notes, sighing as she flipped through the pages. "We have some of the ingredients necessary, and coincidentally, in theory, the iron meteorite ore could be used to help you regrow your wing. However, since there are no previous studies on this subject, it might not work."

Hearing that, Zephyr’s heart soared. He thought he could finally see the light again. Perhaps Healer Sirona wasn’t as bad as he previously thought after all. She seemed genuine enough― nice and kind to think of new ways to fix the troubles that her king had caused.

Perhaps she was even secretly studying methods that could help with Nereus’s eye!

"But," Sirona said, pulling his thoughts back to the present. The smile on Zephyr’s face froze.

"But what?" Zephyr prompted, suddenly feeling anxious.

His fingers trembled as they gripped the sheets of the infirmary bed, worried about the next few words that would slip from her lips. Surely she wouldn’t give up so quickly? Would it cost more to try than not?

But could Zephyr live with never being able to fly again?

"But you’ll have to hide your other wing in the meantime," Sirona said. "We shouldn’t let Daphne worry, especially since she’s still recovering from the loss of her child. I’m sure you would want her to have a speedy recovery as well, wouldn’t you?"

Upon Sirona’s request, Zephyr’s heart prickled. He frowned, scanning Sirona up and down a couple of times, a thousand thoughts blitzing through his head. While he understood why Sirona would make such a request, he was worried about how she was planning to implement it.

"I can’t exactly hide this," Zephyr said, flexing his left wing. Then, his gaze darkened. "Unless you’re planning to chop this off as well."

"Oh heavens, no," Sirona said, waving that foolish idea off. Hearing her definite reply, Zephyr’s chest felt a little lighter. "Prince Nathaniel and I came up with a formula that could grant you the ability to retract your wings. However, retracting and extending it will both come with an enormous amount of hurt. Your bones will be reentering your body every time you keep your wing, and when you extend it, your skin will be ripped apart to give way."

"What’s the point in all of this?" Zephyr asked, wincing. That did sound utterly miserable, and frankly, if it weren’t for the fact that Prince Nathaniel’s name was also mentioned in this, Zephyr would be a thousand times more wary.

Who knew if he retracted the wing, it could never be extended ever again?

"If Daphne saw that both my wings are missing, she’ll still freak out over it," Zephyr pointed out, frowning.

’You’re just trying to hide the crime that King Atticus committed!’ was what Zephyr actually wanted to say, but he kept it to himself. Partly, he thought that he did deserve it― after all, it was true that Daphne would not have fallen if it weren’t for him. He had a part to play in all of this and even now, Zephyr wasn’t sure how he was going to beg her for forgiveness.

However, another part of him knew that there was no point in pointing out the King’s crimes. If anything, King Atticus might just learn of Zephyr’s outward antagonization via Sirona. If he did, Zephyr wasn’t sure that he would be able to keep his life after that, much less a wing.

"And you’re sure this will not cause me to permanently lose my left wing?" Zephyr asked, pursing his lips right after.

"Positive," Sirona affirmed.

"Alright then." Zephyr sighed heavily, his eyes fixed on her with purpose. "When do we begin?"