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Lord Cofsi made haste as he darted down the halls, a feather weighing heavily in his pocket. He

knew he had to move fast, he was beginning to worry Acastus might declare that the Dusk Lord

was overstaying his welcome.

Cofsi was determined to seek out the princess and warn her of Acastus’ state. He knew Evrardin would take issue with warning Mara about anything that Cofsi thought important enough. He’d have to do this without his permission.

Cofsi slid into the confines of the stuffy library, spying a languid Evrardin as he stretched backward on one of the chairs, his lack of armor a sign of rebellion, a loose piece of parchment on the desk before him.

“Captain,” Cofsi greeted.

Evrardin returned his stare, not bothering to adjust his sitting position to be more respectful, but he did grab the parchment and fold it into his pocket. “Cofsi,” he mumbled, his hand scratching his short beard.

“Didn’t know you could read,” he implored, his hands locking behind his back.

Evrardin scoffed. “You don’t see me with a book, do you?”

Cofsi suppressed the grin willing its way to his lips. “Is the princess here?”

“And why might you be seeking her whereabouts?”

Cofsi would have considered scowling if he wasn’t all too familiar with Evrardin’s brooding demeanor and uncanny ability to dodge questions. “I must speak with her.”

Evrardin gave him a blank glare, kicking his foot back.

Cofsi gritted his teeth in annoyance. “It’s rather urgent.”

The captain seemed keen to remain silent, he only took orders from the prince, he had no obligation to tell the Dusk Lord where the Crown Prince’s betrothed was lurking. But Mara stumbled, dropping a book somewhere deep in the stacks, her curses trailing out to Cofsi’s ear.

Lord Cofsi gave Evrardin a darkening look of vexation before tracing the sound of Mara’s voice like a warm pie on a windowsill, mumbling back at the captain over his shoulder. “I don’t know why I asked. You wouldn’t be in here if it wasn’t for her.”

When he found the princess, she looked away from the book she was reaching for. “Lord Cofsi,” she spoke through a genuine grin.

“Princess.” He stretched his arm easily and swiped the tome she had wanted and placed it in her hands.

She nodded her thanks before folding it in her arms. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

He shifted on his feet, leaning against the bookshelf, one of the skylights refracting the gold streaks in his hair. “I was hoping to bring something to your attention.” He paused. “If you have a moment.”

“Oh. Yes. I…” Mara’s words got lost in her throat.

“I realize this might be an awkward timing, as I’m sure you’re quite busy.” He glanced at the tomes in her hands, black ink staining her skin. He knew she was doing this for the prince. “But I’m afraid this must be discussed sooner rather than later. And I needed to talk when I knew you’d be alone.”

Mara rubbed her lips together, her throat bobbing, nerves clearly visible on her face at Cofsi’s low-spoken speech.

Cofsi turned to glance down the stack, reassuring himself they were alone in the maze of books, Evrardin still sitting back by the entrance, no lone librarian hovering about. His eyes traced hers, the lightness of them constructing a weightlessness. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I do not wish to place you in any more danger than you are already, but I must tell you that I’m well aware something dark is brewing within the prince.” He leaned his face closer to Mara as he delved into more details about his visit. “As you know, I came for the solstice celebrations. I’m worried my time here might be coming to an end. I plan to attend your wedding, Mara, but I make no promises.”

Mara furrowed her brows in confusion, her lips parting to pose a question, then shutting again.

“The balance of the kingdoms is falling,” he said flatly.

“What do you mean?”

Cofsi took in a sharp breath, pushing her down the aisle and around the corner. When he let her go, he gestured to one of the enamored stained-glass windows of the library, arched and glittering in the last rays of the setting sun. The art depicted all the deities, all sized the same apart from Trana, who posed closer to the viewer. “The balance of the kingdoms, Mara. The unity of the courts. The distribution of divine powers. It’s what keeps everything from sinking into the Veil. The Sun Court’s power surmounts while the others slip. The balance is shifting and becoming off-kilter.”

Mara turned to face Lord Cofsi. “Is that why my mother got caught between the Veil? I knew the gods had left us, but I didn’t realize…”

“I can’t know for certain what happened to your mother, but I do know it’s becoming the cause of all sorts of travesties across Junefell.”

Mara shook her head. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because, I think you’re the only one who can stop it.”

She scoffed. “Me?”

He could see the disbelief on her face. She truly thought he was pulling her leg. “Princess,” he said earnestly, Mara’s smile faltering. Cofsi grabbed her hand and her lips parted. “The Shadowed Isles are known for our heightened senses, same as Wrens Reach being littered with glassfairers. I can sense the imbalance. And it has led me here. To Kairth. To Prince Acastus.”

Mara’s brows unfurrowed as she thought. Cofsi narrowed, sensing her revelation. “I believe the prince is the cause of the disturbance.”

She shook her head, halting him from speaking any further. “But how does this have anything to do with me?”

“I do not yet know your role in the prince’s schemes, but he must be needing your glassfairing ability for his own malicious intentions if he wants to marry you. You’re the key to whatever terrible mess he’s befalling upon the kingdoms. Just look around”—he gestured to the decaying walls of the library— “Kairth is cascading to pieces, shrouded in dark shadows. And this is beginning to extend beyond the castle’s stone walls—the darkness unbalanced. If Acastus keeps at this, the dark will outweigh the light.” He swallowed a breath. “The kingdoms must always be left in balance,” he stressed.

“I… I can’t be of help. I don’t know what I could possibly do. Why can’t you ask someone like the captain? Surely he?—”

“I do not tell you these things to guilt you into biding my dirty work. But you must know, the prince is up to something malicious. It’s not just a trick of your mind. And you are one of his closest, unsuspected confidants.” Her breath caught in her throat. “Evrardin isn’t to be trusted.”

Mara’s eyes mooned and Cofsi bent his brows in pain. “Maybe once, long ago. And sometimes even now I trust the captain far more than I should. But to you, Princess, you cannot put your faith in that man. He wouldn’t want it either.”

“But you can?”

He shook his head. “That is not the point. I have known Evrardin all his life. Even when he was still a lonesome bastard of the king in the Wastelands. Do not mistake my distrust for mal intents. I hope to trust him again one day, and I just might be forced to soon, but you need to be wary. No one here is your friend. You are in dangerous territory, Princess. Trekking on threatening waters.”

Mara’s face contorted to bewilderment, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Cofsi sighed. “I came to Kairth because Evrardin asked it of me. And now I see just how sideways the kingdom has sunk. You must be diligent if you’re to live through this. I do not wish to frighten you,” he added after seeing the shift in her countenance at his looming threat. “I only wish to save my people.”

“What am I to do?”

“Glassfairing isn’t the only magick you can channel.”

Mara raised her brows at him.

“Perhaps it would have been, but after bonding with the prince, the power that runs through your veins is far loftier. He must have informed you of that, no?”

Mara nodded.

“Good. Well, you are able to do more than just your house’s magick, Mara. And I suspect it would do you good to learn more than just how to glassfaire.”

“Like what? What should I be studying?”

Cofsi sighed. “I wish I could tell you, but to be outright, I’m not entirely sure.” He stood back and glanced at the stained-glass to ponder. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he mumbled to himself, his fingers touching his forehead in frustration. He shifted back to look at her. “Had you spoken with the gravedoctor before his untimely death?”

“Crowrot?” Mara asked a bit dumbfounded. “But what would he?—?”

Cofsi hushed her, footsteps beginning to rapidly approach the two converted in the dark corner of the library. Cofsi searched her eyes before grabbing her hands again, something soft tickling his palm, her cheeks heating at his forthright touch. “Be safe,” he whispered before darting off, winding down the stacks and out of sight.