Defy the Night

Tessa grieves Wes and has lost track of time since his death. She continues working, but is distracted and ruins a batch of products, which her boss charges her for. Mistress Solomon then sends Tessa to deliver products to the Royal Sector.

Now, instead of just Wes’s body, there are six bodies hanging at the gates. Tessa delivers the package, then passes the palace. She’s heard that the doses given to the royals are even stronger than what she used to steal, so she decides to try stealing from the palace. She spots a group of girls who seem to be palace servants and follows them. To Tessa’s surprise, she walks into the palace through the servant entrance, with the guards and servant girls not noticing there’s an intruder among them. Once inside, Tessa hides in a closet waiting until the sound of footsteps disappears.

By the time Tessa musters the courage to exit the closet, it’s night. She doesn’t know where the palace’s Moonflowers are kept, or how to get out. She also considers how easy it would be to kill the king with poison, but decides she’s a healer, not a killer. Tessa wanders for a while, but then runs into palace master Quint and some guards, who apprehend her and take her to Prince Corrick.

Guards search the palace and find no weapons or other intruders. Prince Corrick asks Tessa why she’s here, and she responds that he killed her parents. Arella argues that Tessa is clearly not a threat and shouldn’t be executed. Corrick concedes, but says she should still be put in chains in his room.

Tessa wakes up chained, blindfolded, and dressed in different clothes. Corrick speaks to her, and she finally recognizes Wes’s voice. He agrees to unchain her if she doesn’t scream or attract the guards’ attention. Tessa realizes Wes and Corrick are the same person and is furious. Corrick claims she’s safer in his room than elsewhere in the palace, but she feels betrayed.

Corrick’s worst fear has occurred: Tessa has been captured by palace guards. He worries she was trying to kill Harristan. Harristan asks why Corrick has Tessa captive in his room, as this makes it look like he’s planning to assault her. Corrick refutes this claim, but Harristan says gossip has already spread. Corrick still wants Tessa in his room rather than the Hold.

Tessa realizes that Harristan is sick with the pandemic and doesn’t know about Corrick’s double life as Wes, which would be considered treason. Quint reiterates Harristan’s concern that everyone thinks Corrick is assaulting Tessa. Corrick introduces Tessa to Quint, who has heard about her and now understands why Corrick is keeping her in his room.

Corrick and Quint decide they need to come up with a convincing explanation for why Tessa is not being kept in the Hold. Corrick asks how and why Tessa got into the palace. She confesses that she was considering stealing Moonflower petals, but didn’t have a real plan, and that she easily walked past the guards. Corrick plans to execute these guards. Quint prepares a separate bedroom for Tessa and creates the (incidentally true) story that Tessa is an apothecary offering medical knowledge to the palace.

The body appearing to be Wes hanging on the gate was that of a different smuggler. This smuggler assaulted and killed a woman, which made Corrick feel justified in killing him. However, he doesn’t tell the public about these crimes (other than smuggling), because he thinks it’s advantageous to maintain a violent reputation.

Harristan is confused why Tessa is being treated like a guest instead of an intruder. Corrick explains that she has medical theories that might save more people with less medicine. Harristan feels Corrick is hiding something and decides to meet with Tessa himself.

Like Corrick, Tessa is also confused why Harristan is sick despite taking so many doses of medicine. She doesn’t want Harristan to die because this would force Corrick to be king. She wonders if Harristan is taking too much medicine, or if he simply gets sick more easily than other people. A servant named Jossalyn helps Tessa bathe and get dressed, which she’s never experienced before. Jossalyn also teaches her etiquette and how to act around the king, who is nicknamed “Harristan the Horrible” (166).

Corrick wakes up and frets about Tessa’s upcoming meeting with Harristan, because he hasn’t gotten a chance to brief her on what to say and not say. Suddenly, Allisander appears and says smugglers attacked his supply run once again. The guards took the smugglers to the Hold, and Allisander wants Corrick to question them. Corrick writes a note to Tessa and asks servants to bring it to her.