“My father would have called it a waste. A waste of good treatment when those who can’t afford it are dying.

Then again, my father was executed for treason and smuggling, so I don’t call it anything at all. I just do what I can.”

This quote introduces how language has been perverted as part of Kandala’s totalitarian regime. Telling the truth is often punishable by death, if the truth goes against what the royals say. Furthermore, royals use terms like “treason” to describe the actions of people who are trying to help the kingdom, which voids the term of its real meaning. Because of the twisted state of language and morality in Kandala, Tessa often chooses not to say anything at all, even in front of her only friend, Wes.

“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.