Stolen by the Rebel King
Chapter 512: Regaining What’s Lost III

Chapter 512: Regaining What’s Lost III

Initially, Daphne had thought that even though this portion of the palace had collapsed, since there was barely anyone around these parts, there should be little to no injury. Atticus was fully capable of taking care of himself, and right when the blast of water shot out from Nereus’s body, Daphne had witnessed Sirona ducking under the table for safety.

However, she quickly realized that there was something amiss.

"Daphne, you’re bleeding!" Zephyr’s voice rang in her ears, echoing and reverberating as though someone had placed a pot over her head and then hit it with full force.

She didn’t need someone to tell her that― she could smell the blood that was missing previously in this enclosed space. The dull, familiar coppery scent quickly filled the air, though it smelled as though it was right under her nose.

Daphne reached up a hand, touching the wet trail that touched her lip. As she had guessed, there was a sticky feeling that coated her fingers. She didn’t need to look to know that it was blood.

A nosebleed was fine. That was the least of her problems, thankfully.

There wasn’t a chance for her or Zephyr to say anything more. A rumble came from outside, and without warning, the slab that was weighing down on them was quickly removed. Zephyr’s wings opened just a little to allow some light in― without the ceiling over their heads, sunlight streamed into the infirmary without obstruction.

Daphne instantly winced, squinting her eyes shut as she tried to peek through her eyelashes.

"Daphne!"

She was pried open from Zephyr’s arms with no other word, pulled into a warm embrace that was choking the life out of her.

"Atticus! I-I can’t b-breathe!" As she spoke, Daphne used her fist to hit Atticus’s chest all the way till he was willing to loosen his grip. She heaved a deep breath through her mouth, her fingers still pinching her nose.

"Shit," Atticus cursed under his breath, his head immediately turning to where Sirona was getting pulled out of the rubble by Jonah. "Sirona! I need you!"

"Apparently everyone does," she grumbled under her breath but dutifully made her way over once she was fully out.

There were some scratches all over her body, but they were nothing too serious. With Jonah’s help, she hobbled her way over, leaning down to examine Daphne’s face just as Zephyr heaved himself out of the debris.

"Check on Nereus," Sirona barked, gesturing in a general direction.

Daphne turned to look just in time to see the kelpie lying in the pile of stones and dust, seemingly unmoving if not for the rise and fall of his chest. He wasn’t buried in the debris, but being unconscious was not a good sign. Instinctively, she rose to her feet, wanting to go over and look for herself, but was quickly pressed down by both Atticus and Sirona.

"You stay put," Atticus commanded, frowning. "Sirona, her nose."

"Calm down, Daphne," Sirona reassured, "Zephyr will have a look, won’t he?"

Prompted, Zephyr merely nodded before he took off. He used his wings to propel him up and over, flying over the wreckage to where Nereus was, taking Jonah with him.

"He’s alive!" he yelled, and for now, that was all Daphne needed to know.

Obediently, she sat back down and relaxed into Atticus’s arms as Sirona tilted her head back and forth.

"I can’t check for sure, but it seems like she’s fine," Sirona commented, her eyebrows furrowing as she examined the Queen’s face. "It might’ve been the magical blast reacting with her body."

"A bodily reaction?" Atticus echoed, frowning. "Why only her?"

Sirona raised an eyebrow. "Your nose is bleeding too. You realize that, right?"

Atticus’s eyebrows quickly shot up his forehead as he raised a hand, swiping his nose with the back of it. True enough, there was a bright smudge of red over his skin to prove Sirona’s words true.

"The blast shattered the stone," Atticus said, cursing under his breath. "If we wish to ask Prince Nathaniel for his opinions, we’ll need to find another crystal as a replacement."

"I wouldn’t regard the nosebleed as a big issue," Sirona frankly said. "However, as for Nereus―"

She was abruptly cut off by a startled yelp that came from Zephyr.

All three heads turned to look in the direction where Zephyr and Jonah were, along with an unconscious Nereus, just in time to see the kelpie sit up sharply. His eyes, however, were still glowing brightly as he stared straight at them. They were colored just as Daphne observed during the burst of power― one blue and one pink.

No matter how much Zephyr prattled off right next to him, Nereus didn’t seem to pay him any mind. He continued to wordlessly stare at them, and Sirona couldn’t help but uncomfortably shift in discomfort.

"Something’s wrong," she observed. "His eyes..."

"Why are they glowing like that?" Daphne asked, horrified. "They usually only glow when he’s tapping into his magic, and a huge amount, at that."

"Kelpie eyes will glow whenever they are pulling magic from their eyes," Atticus explained. "That means that whatever that was, it was only just the beginning."

"But he’s not doing anything right now," Sirona said.

"Will he still retain his consciousness?" Daphne asked. "Does he know what he’s doing?"

"We can’t say for sure," Sirona said, biting her lip. "In theory, yes. The pearl should’ve been a perfect replacement after our alterations. However, he isn’t acting very... normally."

Less needed to be said.

Nereus shot up suddenly, knocking Zephyr and Jonah out of his way as he came flying straight for them. He completely ignored the way Zephyr yelped in surprise, or how Jonah tumbled a short distance away due to the force, relatively unharmed.

Sirona and Daphne collectively gasped as Atticus’s expression hardened. He braced himself; perhaps the kelpie was finally using his regained powers to take revenge for what Atticus had done to him.

However, to Atticus’s horror, Nereus whizzed right past him, his arm stretched out and targeted for one person only― Daphne.

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