After comforting Daphne, Atticus began to interrogate the servants regarding the sudden appearance of the dead chicken. His kitchen staff were utterly perplexed when they found out one of their hens was missing.
They hadn't noticed one missing animal when they fed them in the morning― after all, the coop was entirely secure, with no signs of forced entry or breakage. Atticus had paid a visit to the grounds personally, suspicious of their claims.
Yet, they were right. The coop was entirely unharmed― by human means. However, Atticus could detect a faint trace of magic on the coop's lock and the mesh netting. He peeped into the coop and frowned as the chickens all but pressed themselves against the back of their coop, squawking in terror at an unfamiliar face.
Surely they weren't so cowardly before. Something must have scared them. Then, Atticus took a closer look at their living conditions and his frown deepened.
