Defy the Night

The narrator switches to Prince Corrick, as he worries about his brother, King Harristan, who suffers from the pandemic. Corrick is confused because Harristan takes three times the recommended dose of medicine and yet is still sick. However, Harristan was sickly as a child, and is perhaps more susceptible to the pandemic. While Harristan sleeps, Corrick works, reviewing a request to fund a new bridge before a meeting with the nine consuls. He decides the bridge shouldn’t cost as much as requested and writes a letter to reject it, which Harristan signs when he wakes up.

Harristan and Corrick witnessed their parents’ murder four years ago. Harristan was shot in the shoulder when he dove to protect Corrick. Consul Barnard Montague tried to stab Harristan with a dagger, but Corrick stabbed Barnard with an arrow, killing him and saving Harristan. Privately, Harristan calls his brother “Cory,” which is what their parents called him. However, now the masses call him “Cruel Cory.” Following their parents’ murder, Harristan ascended the throne and appointed Corrick as King’s Justice. Two consuls took issue with how young both boys were, but Corrick had them replaced. Now, most people are afraid to speak out against Corrick and Harristan.

Corrick and Harristan go to a lunch meeting with the consuls, whom they do not trust. They review the funding proposal by Consul Jonas Beeching from Artis, asking for a bridge. Jonas argues that his sector is particularly ill and needs faster travel to the Royal Sector. Consul Arella Cherry from Sunkeep backs him up, but the brothers still deny the request. Sunkeep is the healthiest sector, theoretically because it is hot and humid.

Corrick hates Consul Allisander Sallister from Moonlight Plains, one of the two sectors that grow the Moonflower and sell it to everyone else. Years ago, Allisander’s father, Nathaniel, asked the previous king to take lands from another sector and give them to Moonlight Plains so they could generate more crops and profits—which the previous king refused. Allisander pushed Harristan to convince his father to fulfill the request, but Harristan refused as well. Since then, Allisander has hated Harristan, causing Corrick to hate Allisander. Nathaniel retired, and Allisander took his place. Allisander constantly raises the price of Moonflower petals, and Consul Lissa Marpetta from Emberridge (the other sector that grows Moonflowers) often follows his lead. They have the most sway over Harristan, due to their control of medicine prices and distribution, making their sectors the wealthiest.

Tessa and Wes can distribute medicine to “over a hundred” people in a night, but still don’t have enough to save everyone. They visit a woman named Mistress Kendall and her ill 13-year-old son, Gillis. They give Gillis medicine, but he dies. Tessa and Wes try to give medicine to Kendall, but she says they should give it to someone who actually wants to live because now, she does not. They leave, promising to return the next day. They hear guards and hide. Kendall is distraught and goes outside to accuse the guards and the king of killing her son. The guards shoot her with a crossbow, and she dies; the guards leave. Tessa wants to bury Kendall’s body, but Wes says it’s too dangerous; they also have more people to save. Tessa says she hates the king and this new version of Kandala, and Wes agrees.

Harristan wasn’t allowed out much as a child, because he was sick often. However, he and Corrick would sneak out in disguise and explore the Wilds like normal children, eating snacks, climbing trees, and talking to non-royals. They enjoyed the freedom that comes with anonymity.

Allisander visits Corrick in his room to complain that his medicine shipments have been getting attacked by smugglers more often. The smugglers steal medicine and harm the deliverymen, so Corrick needs to punish them. Corrick says he’ll provide more guards and weapons for Allisander’s supply runs. Allisander says he’s raising the price of Moonflowers by 20%, and so is Lissa Marpetta.

The palace master, Quint, announces that a group of 10 smugglers was caught in Steel City. Two of them were killed, but the other eight are now in the Hold. Corrick worries that Allisander’s complaint is correct, and isn’t looking forward to having to torture and execute.

Tessa is distracted at work, thinking about Kendall and Gillis, as well as Wes. Mistress Solomon’s other assistant, Karri, asks Tessa if she has a boyfriend, and Tessa admits she has someone from Steel City. Mistress Solomon overhears them talking about Steel City, and asks if they’re discussing the smugglers who were caught. This is news to Tessa and Karri. Mistress Solomon thinks it’s a good thing that smugglers are killed. Tessa disagrees, but doesn’t say anything. The guards caught four women and six men, but two of the men died during their capture. Once Mistress Solomon is gone, Karri asks if Tessa’s boyfriend is a smuggler, but Tessa denies it. Karri sympathizes with smugglers, but warns Tessa that some male smugglers convince women to help them and pretend to be their boyfriends, but secretly already have wives. Tessa worries that Wes may have been killed, imprisoned, or have a secret wife.

After work, Tessa goes to the workshop and meets Wes, who confirms he has no secret wife or children. Still, Wes discourages Tessa from becoming too attached to him because of how common death is. Tessa tries to embrace him and he rejects her, but says it won’t always be this way.

Corrick and Allisander visit the captured smugglers in the Hold; Harristan never goes there. Allisander urges Corrick to torture the prisoners to get information, but Corrick feeds them first. Corrick hates torturing people, but does so to maintain authority. He also feels pressure to obey Allisander. Corrick allows Allisander to question a prisoner named Lochlan. However, Allisander gets too close to the bars and Lochlan punches him in the face, breaking his nose.

Back at the palace, Corrick and Harristan discuss the upcoming public execution. The palace master, Quint, brings a letter from Consul Arella Cherry asking Harristan to pardon the smugglers, whom she thinks are desperate people trying to survive. Corrick and Harristan worry the situation will cause tension between Arella and Allisander. Harristan wants to pardon the smugglers, but Corrick says they can’t risk upsetting Allisander.

Mistress Solomon wants to attend the public execution, and expects Tessa and Karri to come because it will take place during work hours. Tessa thinks back to when the pandemic first got out of control and people started fighting over medicine. Tessa’s parents began working with smugglers to provide medicine to the masses. However, they were executed for this.

Karri finds Prince Corrick handsome, but Tessa hates him. One of the prisoners who is about to be executed starts yelling to the crowd to rebel and listen to the “Benefactors.” The guards start shooting the prisoners, but the crowd gets riled up and rushes the stage. Tessa and Karri flee.

Corrick recalls another assassination attempt that took place six months after his parents died. The former King’s Justice saved the brothers and killed the would-be assassins. Corrick feels that his role as King’s Justice is similar: He must commit violence without thinking first.

Three of the smugglers who were supposed to be executed, including Lochlan, escaped during the commotion; the other five were executed. Corrick doesn’t know who the Benefactors are. Harristan worries that Allisander and Consul Lissa Marpetta will be upset and demand more than just additional guards for their supply runs.

Corrick and Harristan meet with the consuls. Arella stands by her position that the smugglers should have been pardoned. Allisander wants to kill the guards who failed to prevent the three prisoners from escaping. The other consuls accuse Arella of harboring the smugglers, but she claims she isn’t. Harristan increases the number of guards and offers a large reward for people turning in smugglers or illegal medicine distributors.

Tessa meets Wes at the workshop. Neither Tessa nor Wes knows who the Benefactors are. Wes thinks it’s too dangerous to make rounds tonight because the night patrol has increased and there’s a large reward for turning people in. However, Tessa still wants to distribute medicine. Wes concedes, but only if he goes alone and Tessa stays behind, as he is faster. Once Wes is gone, Tessa hears the alarms, again indicating that the night guard caught someone. Wes said he’d return in an hour, but time passes.

It comes time for Tessa to head to work. On her way, she passes a young girl and her mother discussing corpses that the king hung up nearby. Tessa sees one of the corpses: She can’t see the person’s face, but recognizes Wes’s hat, mask, pack, and treble hook. The body is clutching a Moonflower. Tessa blames herself for Wes’s death, but has a reinvigorated resolve to steal Moonflowers from the elites, whom she thinks deserve to die.