Aru Shah and the End of Time: Chapters 34–44

by Roshani Chokshi
When 12-year-old Aru Shah lights a cursed lamp in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, she releases an ancient demon. Now she must find a way to stop the demon and rescue her friends and family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–23, Chapters 24–33, Chapters 34–44
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fanciful
    having a curiously intricate quality
    Her hair was done up in fanciful curls, and she wore a brilliant tiara.
  2. jeopardize
    put at risk
    “If you insist on taking this path, you will jeopardize your family. You will defeat the purpose of the panchakanyas.”
  3. treatise
    a formal text that treats a particular topic systematically
    “I’ll find an answer. I’ll examine every ancient site, read every treatise. And I will find a way to free both you and Aru. I promise.”
  4. hack
    cough spasmodically
    Aru thought she was going to hack out her ribs, but finally she was able to take a deep breath.
  5. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
    “My mom told me it was Indra who taught Arjuna how to use all the celestial weapons. He even tried to sabotage Arjuna’s nemesis.”
  6. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    A large archway was emblazoned with the sign: REMAKE, REBUILD, RELIVE!
  7. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    “Out-of-commission bodies running rampant!”
  8. notion
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    “We’re supposed to be trying to save you!” said Mini. “You should probably go into hiding or something.”
    “What a quaint notion, child,” said Time.
  9. impertinence
    the trait of being rude and inclined to take liberties
    “Did I just detect a trace of impertinence?”
  10. insufferable
    extremely unpleasant or annoying
    “No! Not at all! That’s just how she talks! She’s got a medical condition. Um, Type One Insufferable-ness. She can’t help it.”
  11. bemuse
    cause to be confused emotionally
    All Aru remembered when she crossed the threshold was a curious sense of bemusement. As if she had done this before, and never quite wanted to, but submitted to it all the same.
  12. stagger
    arrange in a systematic order
    Translucent staircases staggered down from the clouds, ending right in front of Aru and Mini.
  13. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    A crocodile lumbered down the steps, followed by a peacock.
  14. sable
    of a dark somewhat brownish black
    Its sable eyes did not immediately rest on her, but on the bracelet, Vajra.
  15. dorsal
    on or near the back of an animal or organ
    It had definitely been a shark. Shark dorsal fins stood up straight, and dolphin fins were curved back.
  16. intrigue
    cause to be interested or curious
    And, as it turned out, all cats—even celestial ones—were highly intrigued by boxes.
  17. dissuade
    turn away from by persuasion
    "Strange choice of location,” sneered the Sleeper. “Although perhaps predictable for a little girl who needs her mommy. If you thought coming back here would dissuade me, you were wrong.”
  18. thrum
    a low, continuous sound
    Aru felt that strange humming buzz once more, the same thrum she’d experienced when they’d fought together in the library.
  19. sophistication
    the quality or character of being intellectually worldly
    “Nicely done,” he said, impressed. “But a little lacking in terms of sophistication. An ambush is so bourgeois.”
  20. commission
    the state of being in working order and ready for operation
    “They’re not dead, unfortunately,” said Boo, landing on Aru’s shoulder. “But they’re out of commission for now. The problem is, this is only a fraction of the Sleeper’s army.”
  21. cunning
    crafty artfulness, especially in deception
    “Bravely?” Aru guessed.
    The horse heads snorted.
    “Valiantly?” she suggested.
    “Cunningly,” it finally said.
  22. headlong
    with the upper or anterior part of the body foremost
    “ARGH!” it shouted, spinning around before knocking itself unconscious by running headlong into the wall.
  23. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    The Sleeper stared at the lightning bolt poised an inch from his heart.
  24. proximity
    the property of being close together
    According to Boo, their proximity to the lamp when it was lit meant that they were going to be stuck in place for just a little bit longer than everyone else.
  25. tutelage
    teaching pupils individually
    “It would be a privilege to train you, Pandavas,” he said. He raised his head but did not look at them. “You will still accept my tutelage knowing who I once was?”
  26. troth
    a solemn pledge of fidelity
    “My troth,” he said solemnly.
  27. betrothal
    a mutual promise to marry
    “It’s a troth! Not a betrothal!" said Boo, looking thoroughly disgusted.
  28. remnant
    a small part remaining after the main part no longer exists
    There, huddled in a corner with the broken remnants of the lamp’s glass case, stood Burton, Poppy, and Arielle.
  29. etiquette
    rules governing socially acceptable behavior
    Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for three hours, Aru and Mini learned war strategy from Hanuman, dancing and etiquette from Urvashi, and folklore from Boo.
  30. remedial
    tending or intended to rectify or improve
    But before they could join the other students, their parents had wanted to make sure they had mastered the basics and caught up. It was essentially, said Boo, “remedial classes for divine dunces.”
  31. dunce
    a stupid person
    But before they could join the other students, their parents had wanted to make sure they had mastered the basics and caught up. It was essentially, said Boo, “remedial classes for divine dunces.”
  32. contract
    be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
    I’m 99% sure I’ve contracted bubonic plague.
  33. bray
    make a sound characteristic of donkeys
    Until recently, Aru hadn’t given much thought to what made a boy good-looking. Just the basic standards of not sounding like a braying donkey and not smelling like a pair of cursed sneakers ruled out half the guys in her class.
  34. suave
    agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication
    “I remember Arjuna being a lot more...” started Urvashi.
    “Suave?” offered Boo.
  35. trudge
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    “This way,” said the monkey-faced demigod, bounding ahead of them.
    Aru and Mini trudged dutifully after him.
  36. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    On the other side of it, the landscape was steep and more treacherous. They peered down into a deep canyon with a wide river rushing through it.
  37. vigorously
    in an energetic manner
    Mini nodded vigorously.
  38. coddle
    treat with excessive indulgence
    Still, it was hard for Aru to go to Mini’s house and see how she was fussed over and coddled and always tucked in at night….
  39. imposing
    impressive in appearance
    The Death Danda, as if it were matching her mood, hopped and danced, then turned from a purple compact into an imposing stick at the blink of an eye.
  40. deranged
    driven insane
    She had her best friend at her side, a slightly deranged pigeon, and the Otherworld’s knowledge to guide her. She could handle whatever came next.
Created on Tue Jun 18 14:29:25 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 02 16:16:36 EDT 2019)

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