Defy the Night

“He only ever calls me Cory when we’re alone, one of the few reminders of childhood we have left. A nickname from when I was small and eager and trailing after him everywhere we went. A name that was once spoken in gentle fondness by our mother or encouraging praise by our father, back before anyone knew about the fever, or the Moonflower, or the way our country would change in ways no one expected.”

Prince Corrick notes that his brother, King Harristan, still calls him “Cory,” illustrating how Harristan still views him as a younger brother and not as a monster, like how most in the kingdom view him. To further illustrate Corrick’s complex identity, the masses call him “Cruel Cory” in a mockery of Harristan’s fond nickname.

“My father used to say that the royal elites would sneer and call these lands the Wilds, a slur against the people forced to live and work there. But the people claimed the name for their own, and now living in the Wilds is almost seen as a point of pride, where sector borders are blurred and the people all feel united by desperation.”

Kandala is divided into nine sectors, each of which has its own consul who represents them on the royal board of advisors to the king. Each sector is known for different trades and exports. However, the area where Tessa lives and where she and Wes distribute medicine is somewhat different. Tessa is proud to be from the Wilds and, as a result, cares about the wellbeing of the whole kingdom rather than just one sector.

“They’ll wrap it up in pretty language and dance around terms like torture and execution by asking if I’m encouraging forthright answers or terminating a risk to the populace.”

Corrick further describes how language has been twisted in Kandala’s current political climate. People often use euphemisms to describe the horrors they expect Corrick to commit as King’s Justice. This language allows others, such Harristan and certain consuls, to turn a blind eye to Corrick’s actions while still expecting him to torture and kill.

“I’m not strong enough to rush a stage or attack the king or take down a patrolman in the woods, but I know how to save lives. Wes said that all we do is hide, and he’s right, but what we do while we’re hiding is what matters. What we do together is what matters.”

Tessa used to think hiding was cowardly and that she and Wes should be out in the open, trying to make change in broad daylight. However, she now believes that some changes can take place in the shadows as well.

“When the smugglers were hiding in the darkness, it was easy to see them as criminals, as individuals clearly doing wrong.

It’s hard to bring down the sword of justice on a thousand citizens who scream for rebellion and mercy in the bright light of day.”

Just like it’s easier for Harristan to pretend Corrick doesn’t torture people through twisted language, it’s easier for Corrick to pretend that he and his brother are properly ruling the kingdom—until he is faced with an angry crowd. This quote, like several others, makes use of the metaphor of light as truth.

“You are the King’s Justice, not his executioner. I thought someone should remind you.”

Consul Arella Cherry again addresses Kandala’s perversion of language by pointing out that the King’s Justice isn’t supposed to be an executioner. However, not everyone feels this way, and most royals do expect Corrick to behave like an executioner on their behalf.

“I’m not a killer. I heal people; I don’t harm them.”

Unlike most characters, Tessa is resolute in thinking killing is immoral, regardless of reasoning. She reasons that killing is diametrically opposed to healing, and her purpose as an apothecary is to heal. However, characters such as Corrick, Harristan, and Lochlan attempt to “save” the kingdom by killing people. Tessa’s ability to think clearly stands out against a backdrop where language and logic have been perverted to serve totalitarian purposes.

“‘I hate you.’

‘Everyone does,’ he says.”

The repetition of the phrase “I hate you” takes on new meaning when Tessa says it to Corrick instead of Wes. She used to say this phrase to Wes as a flirtatious joke, and says it to Corrick partially out of habit and partially because she does hate the royals. Corrick expresses that he’s used to everyone hating him to attempt to diminish Tessa’s importance—but in reality, he cares about Tessa’s opinion, more so than others’ hatred.

“Wes never really existed at all.”

Tessa’s perception of Wes evolves over the course of the novel. She initially thinks Wes is a real person separate from Corrick—her friend, crush, and trusted partner—but later sees “Wes” as a lie. She has not yet realized that Wes is but another side of Corrick, rather than a performance.

“Kindness leaves you vulnerable, Tessa. I learned that lesson years ago. I’m surprised you haven’t.”

Although Tessa and Corrick both witnessed their parents’ murders at a young age, they reacted differently due to their different circumstances. Tessa’s experience with violence reaffirmed her conviction that violence is wrong, whereas Corrick came to believe that kindness and trust are dangerous. Corrick believes it’s better to be feared than loved as a ruler, but ironically, this position stems from his own fear of betrayal.

“I hate you.

When she said it to Wes, she never meant it.

When she said it to Prince Corrick, I could feel her conviction in every syllable. I. Hate. You.”

Here, Corrick reflects on Tessa’s use of “I hate you.” To capture Tessa’s vitriol, Corrick uses italics and periods to emphasize each word of the phrase. In this moment, he realizes the full extent of Tessa’s anger toward the royals, exacerbated by “Wes’s” betrayal—something Corrick himself fears from others.

“‘You were his friend, too, weren’t you?’

‘No. I was friends with a man who doesn’t exist. A…a trick. An illusion.’

‘Are you so sure?’

Of course I’m sure.

But then I think of those few moments when the prince smiled, or when his voice gentled, or when he wasn’t being violent and instead treated me with thoughtful consideration. Ask your question, Tessa. When the guise of Prince Corrick seemed like a mask that Weston Lark hid behind.”

When Tessa discovers that Wes is Corrick, she thinks this means “Wes” was a lie. Palace master Quint reasons that her friendship with Wes is a friendship with Corrick, but Tessa doesn’t agree. However, as she spends more time with Corrick in private, where he doesn’t have to behave like an executioner, she considers “Cruel Cory” a potential mask for Wes.

“‘It’s easy to love your king when everyone is well fed and healthy,’ he says. ‘A bit harder when everyone is…not.’”

Although Harristan is young and makes mistakes as king, he is not without wisdom. Here, he comments on the main reason why he receives more opposition than his parents did: There is a pandemic and not enough medicine to go around. This bears some resemblance to how political leaders received scrutiny during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a vaccine had not yet been created. (However, in her Acknowledgements, Brigid Kemmerer clarifies that she started writing Defy the Night before the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it is not a “pandemic novel” per se.)

“‘Tessa may be safe, and she may not like the truth,’ he says quietly. ‘But here, you can only be Prince Corrick.’

‘I know.’

‘You can only be the King’s Justice.’”

After Tessa sneaks into the palace and Corrick puts her in his bedroom instead of the Hold, he refuses to torture the prisoners already in the Hold. Quint worries that Corrick is acting too lenient, not living up to his ruthless image as King’s Justice. Ironically, Consul Arella Cherry told Corrick that while he is the King’s Justice, it is not the same thing as an executioner. While Quint means well, his reminder to Corrick is another example of the perversion of language under Kandala’s totalitarian regime. Since people have come to view “King’s Justice” as synonymous with an executioner, Corrick now has to commit violence in order to secure medicine for those he can save.

“I wished I were Wes, free to help, instead of Corrick, trapped by circumstance.”

From Tessa’s perspective, Corrick’s claim that he has more freedom and power as Wes, an outlaw commoner, than his royal self seems ridiculous. However, once she witnesses Allisander’s corruption for herself, she realizes that “Wes” is in a better position to achieve Corrick’s goal of saving lives. However, the value of “Wes’s” access to money and resources is lost on him because he has lived a privileged life; still, he is correct that the role of King’s Justice doesn’t equate to total control.

“He wears the guilt like a mantle. I thought that all his power lay in his role here, as King’s Justice, but it doesn’t.

The only power he had was in the Wilds, as Wes.”

Tessa realizes that Wes possesses power that Corrick doesn’t, because Wes doesn’t have to answer to anyone—whereas Corrick has to answer to Harristan, Allisander, and other elites. But again, it’s important to note that Wes’s only limitation is Corrick’s schedule. In the armed conflict between the royals and rebels, the former still have an inherent advantage.

“He made an execution out of an act of mercy.

I wonder how many times he’s had to do that. How many times he’s had to choose the lesser of two evils, because the option was to execute a prisoner or to watch more people die for lack of medicine. It’s a terrible choice to have to make. A terrible position.”

This quote captures Corrick’s conflict throughout the novel: He tries to make the best call whenever presented with difficult choices. Charged with the role of King’s Justice and forced to negotiate with Allisander, who controls Kandala’s flow of medicine, Corrick is trapped in a cycle of violence. Only when pretending to be Wes can Corrick make better choices because he has better options to choose from.

“The problem is we all have different ideas of what’s right.”

During the rebellion, Harristan and Tessa reflect that everyone in Kandala wants the same thing: less death. However, everyone seeks to achieve this goal in different ways, treating each other as enemies who must be killed in order to prevent more death. Harristan comments that people have different means in mind, but Tessa recognizes an opportunity for negotiation between royals and rebels, even though it will be challenging.

“I’ve spent so much time wondering how a terrible man like Prince Corrick could spend hours secretly helping the people of Kandala, when I’ve been looking at it backward all along. I should have been wondering how a man who wants so badly to be kind and good, to do right, would be able to hide the truest parts of himself away to support his brother and protect his people.”

After struggling to reconcile Wes and Corrick, Tessa realizes that the only real thing about “Corrick” is his real name. “Wes” is closer to Corrick’s true personality, with the way he behaves in public being a means to protect people. However, this method is ineffective, which is why he ultimately casts aside his role as King’s Justice.

“He’s not Wes, because there is no Wes, not really. He’s Corrick. He’s always been Corrick. Everything we’ve done together is a part of who he is.”

Here, Tessa reconciles Wes and Corrick even further. While in Important Quote #20, she initially thinks the only real thing about “Corrick” is his real name, this doesn’t mean Wes is more real than Corrick—rather, Wes is a prominent part of Corrick, who is just as capable of violence as he is compassion. Tessa is now able to use Corrick’s real name, and recognize his layers, without associating his name with “Cruel Cory” or the King’s Justice.

“I suddenly feel like I have a foot planted in each world, and I’m not sure how to move forward.”

Similar to how Corrick existed in two worlds (that of the royals and elites, and that of the rebels and working-class people) using an alter ego, Tessa now occupies both as well. Having entered the palace and begun working with the king, Tessa doesn’t neglect her roots, but searches for ways to act as a liaison between both worlds.

“There’s nothing treasonous about protecting our people.”

In this quote, Allisander indirectly comments on the perversion of language under Kandala’s regime, where the word “treason” is often used to describe the actions of people who are trying to help, such as Tessa’s illegal distribution of free medicine. However, in Allisander’s case, his argument is ironic because he has been committing treason for years: He’s attacking his own supply runs to challenge Harristan’s authority and eventually overthrow him.

“They’re the richest people in Kandala, but they’re hiding from the poorest. All this time I’ve thought that the people within the gates were the most powerful, but maybe I was wrong. We all have power.”

After witnessing Corrick’s conflict for herself, Tessa reflects that other elites must also have limitations. This allows her to recognize “power” as multidimensional rather than something easily measured on a sliding scale. She now sees that there are different forms of power possessed by different people.