Anya and the Dragon: Chapters 12–20

by Sofiya Pasternack
While trying to capture a dragon to collect a reward and save her family's home, eleven-year-old Anya discovers that the dragon is friendly and also in need of being saved.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–20, Chapters 21–29, Chapters 30–39
35 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    The trees
 thinned as well, getting smaller and more sparse;
 only the most dedicated among them could get a
 roothold in the rocky soil between the shaded cliffs.
  2. ruddy
    of the color between orange and purple in the color spectrum
    Her stringy, wet hair hung down her shoulders and arms, spreading in the water like ruddy tentacles.
  3. appreciable
    enough to be estimated or measured
    A second cold, wet hand touched Anya’s other arm, and this time she nearly choked on her own tongue, still unable to make any appreciable sound.
  4. lurch
    move suddenly or as if unable to control one's movements
    She lurched away from the water spirits.
  5. waif
    a person, especially a young woman, who is extremely thin
    They were waiflike but stronger than they looked.
  6. poignant
    arousing powerful emotions, especially pity or sadness
    “But you’re lucky. You just have to read to your mama and me. Do you know what you want to read for your bat mitzvah yet?”
    Anya didn’t. She knew it had to be good. Poignant.
  7. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    Babulya shook her head emphatically.
  8. idolatry
    the worship of objects or images as gods
    “That’s an unforgivable sin, Annushka. Murder, idolatry, and adultery. Never. Never, ever.”
  9. mull
    reflect deeply on a subject
    Anya mulled over what Babulya had said, not sure if she completely bought into it.
  10. rafter
    one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
    Most of the chickens were up in the rafters of the barn, screeching at the scene on the floor below.
  11. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    Anya stood by the door, incredulous, convinced she must be having a hallucination of some kind, when the domovoi spotted her.
  12. scrutiny
    the act of examining something closely, as for mistakes
    The dragon watched the pitchfork, eyeing it with what Anya could swear was something close to scrutiny.
  13. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    The face-off lasted for seconds that stretched into eternity, and then, with the scrabbling of claws, the dragon fled to the darkness at the rear of the barn.
  14. sweltering
    excessively hot and humid; marked by sweating and faintness
    She pulled the door open more and slid into the sweltering smithy.
  15. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    She was still wary of waking his brothers, but the rest of them were just as asleep as the ones upstairs were.
  16. furtive
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
    She reached into her pocket and, after a furtive glance around, pulled the scale out for Ivan to see.
  17. proffer
    present for acceptance or rejection
    Anya proffered it to him, and he took it with trembling fingers.
  18. assessment
    the act of judging a person or situation or event
    At Anya’s barn, Ivan measured the hole with his hands. He said “Hmm” a lot. Anya sat on the pile of hay behind him and watched his assessment of the hole.
  19. intelligible
    capable of being apprehended or understood
    The Russian out of his mouth was thick with an accent, but it was still intelligible.
  20. abreast
    alongside each other, facing in the same direction
    Ivan was a step behind her, and then abreast, and then ahead, long legs pushing him faster.
  21. gouge
    make a groove in
    Her heels gouged ditches in the soil as she struggled to stand, to push up, to run away.
  22. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    His face was obscured almost entirely by a huge beard and mustache, and a domed helmet with a point on top came down to his eyebrows.
  23. artful
    marked by skill or cunning in achieving a desired end
    His hands were in the air, artfully manipulating strings.
  24. firmament
    the sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
    He made motions like tying strings into bundles, then tacked them to the firmament above him in the same way garlands were hung at the festivals in Mologa.
  25. squall
    sudden violent winds, often accompanied by precipitation
    His voice was like thunder, but the warm rolling of a welcomed summer storm. Sigurd's was the rumble of a winter squall.
  26. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    Sigurd swung his axe at the water column, cleaving a piece off, and he grabbed at Anya as she scrambled by.
  27. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Anya hid behind the willow tree and watched the two giants hack and swing at each other. She was mesmerized but terrified.
  28. sidle
    move unobtrusively or furtively
    They called back and forth as Ivan sidled up beside Anya, still staring at Dobrynya.
  29. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    “You didn’t tell me he used water magic.”
    Ivan blanched. “He does?”
  30. exemption
    immunity from an obligation or duty
    “There’s an exemption. Since your papa went to the war—"
    “No,” Anya said. “The magistrate told us that exemption didn’t apply to us.”
  31. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    He pulled ahead of Anya, excited and gesticulating as he spoke, so he got caught in the trap first.
  32. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    The warmth dissipated, and water flooded in.
  33. futile
    producing no result or effect
    With fingers weakening in the cold, Anya tugged futilely at the barbed rope on the outside.
  34. coherent
    capable of thinking in a clear and consistent manner
    Anya’s heart still hammered and her belly twisted with fear, and the first coherent thought she could dredge up was why the dragon hadn’t tried to eat her yet.
  35. dredge up
    bring to mind something unpleasant from the past
    Anya’s heart still hammered and her belly twisted with fear, and the first coherent thought she could dredge up was why the dragon hadn’t tried to eat her yet.
Created on Wed May 11 12:47:44 EDT 2022 (updated Mon May 23 09:16:09 EDT 2022)

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