Witchlings: Chapters 1–5

by Claribel A. Ortega
To seal their coven, keep their magic, and avoid being turned into toads, twelve-year-old Seven Salazar of Ravenskill must work with the bully Valley Pepperhorn and the new girl Thorn Laroux to defeat the Nightbeast.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapters 18–22, Chapter 23–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    In the darkness of the woods
    Listen, listen well—
    Every little noise you hear
    Might be the thing that dwells:
    Crunching leaves, a subtle breeze
    Or a monster as it breathes.
  2. rue
    strong-scented herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves
    Hang the rue and heed the bells,
    Beware, beware The Thing that dwells.
  3. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    As Fox moved around the kitchen, the moonlight hit her pendant and seemed to adorn everything around her with shimmering stars.
  4. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    Seven looked more like her dad, tawny-brown skin and dark curls.
  5. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    But now she knew it was more likely that her mother had been named Fox because of how cunning she was.
  6. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    “I’m not just nervous, Dad. I’m freaking out. What if I didn’t do enough, or what if the magic gets fudged somehow, or”—Seven dropped her voice to an ominous whisper—“I get placed with Valley?”
  7. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    “A hug for good luck?” he asked, and Seven smiled as her dad pulled her into a warm embrace.
    Talis, short for Talisman, had always been lucky.
  8. trellis
    latticework used to support climbing plants
    Her teachers had assured them those were all rumors, but she had noticed the older witches around town had begun enchanting their garden gates with stay-away spells, hanging rue from their trellises and above their doors, and panicking on the Ravenskill message boards.
  9. devolve
    grow worse
    The pair of Witchlings devolved into laughter, the excitement of the ceremony too much to contain.
  10. liaison
    a means of communication between groups
    The Uncle was charged not only with being the Gran’s right hand in everything she did, but also in being the liaison for and caretaker of all the animals of Ravenskill—an immensely important job indeed.
  11. brooch
    a decorative pin
    He wore the customary special-occasion robe of the Uncle, adorned with trees and various animals enchanted to scuttle about the fabric, and, of course, the bluebird brooch he received when he became Uncle.
  12. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    They stood rigid, looking in Valley’s direction intently.
  13. haphazardly
    without care; in a slapdash manner
    She stood opposite Seven in the circle of Witchlings, scowling, her hair tucked behind her ears and her hat sitting haphazardly on her head.
  14. amulet
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    With a collective ruffle of fabric, the twenty-eight Witchlings pulled out their crystal amulets, which hung from black cords around their necks, and held them in front of their faces.
  15. intone
    recite musically; recite as a chant or a psalm
    “Now, intone the spell with me.”
  16. careen
    move sideways or in an unsteady way
    Then, with a flick of her wand, she sent the smoke careening back and straight into the amulets, which began to whir and vibrate.
  17. frugal
    avoiding waste
    Next, the Witchlings for the emerald-colored Frog House (focused, frugal, truthful to the last) were placed.
  18. lurch
    abrupt up-and-down motion
    Seven’s heart gave an awful lurch as the two friends looked at each other with delight.
  19. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    Even one misgiving about what coven you were placed in could spell disaster—could prevent your coven from closing.
  20. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Valley just stood there, looking smug.
  21. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Exasperated, Seven grabbed the hands of the two Witchlings beside her.
  22. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    That required level-five magic, advanced incantations and spells that Spares rarely achieved but Forever Witchlings never ever could.
  23. undaunted
    unshaken in purpose
    The crowd around them gasped, but Seven continued, undaunted.
  24. invoke
    request earnestly; ask for aid or protection
    “As we’ve learned, any witch is entitled to invoke this clause in order to save themselves and their coven from permanent Witchlingdom. I know it’s not done often, and I know the task we’ll receive is impossible, but I am willing to take that chance.”
  25. clause
    a separate section of a legal document
    The Clause of the Impossible Task was not to be used lightly. It provided a chance for Forever Witchlings to close their circles by completing an impossible task. Impossible because only one coven of the eight who’d invoked the clause in the history of the Twelve Towns had solved it.
  26. full-fledged
    having gained complete status
    Once they were proclaimed Forever Witchlings, they’d never have the chance to become full-fledged witches again.
  27. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
    Would they have to construct a seaworthy ship and find the elusive Boggy Crone River creature?
  28. holographic
    of or relating to 3D projected images
    Moments after the Gran ended the ceremony, the Oracle swept through the square, their long holographic cape billowing in the night breeze, their crystal ball suspended in the air beside them.
  29. aback
    by surprise
    The Gran looked taken aback by something the Oracle had said, and seemed to say, “Are you sure?” but Seven couldn’t be positive.
  30. bode
    indicate by signs
    Whatever it was, the look on the Gran’s face did not bode well.
  31. scry
    divine the future, especially by gazing into a crystal ball
    After only moments of scrying, the task has presented itself, and the Oracle and I have come to a unanimous conclusion.
  32. unanimous
    in complete agreement
    After only moments of scrying, the task has presented itself, and the Oracle and I have come to a unanimous conclusion.
  33. quirk
    twist or curve abruptly
    Seven quirked an eyebrow.
  34. conjurer
    someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience
    The tall walls were covered in posters of famous conjurers, sorcerers; fan art of her favorite book series, the Witches of Heartbreak Cove; her favorite bands, Kill Le Goose and The Love Spells; and, of course, her favorite newspaper articles.
  35. strew
    spread by scattering
    At least she’d finally be in the paper, she thought as she flopped onto her pillow- strewn bed.
  36. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    She had failed herself, her family. No matter what they said to try to make her feel better, she knew that what happened this evening was an embarrassment for them. A stain on her family legacy.
  37. dole out
    distribute or dispense, as in small portions
    She paced back and forth, tapping her pen on the clipboard as if she were her father’s manager at the magical disaster insurance agency doling out instructions instead of a Witchling with no froggin’ idea what she was doing.
  38. banshee
    a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death
    Jelly bean fish were pretty enough to look at—they were clear, and their insides looked like hundreds of colorful jelly beans—but if you bit into one, they tasted like spoiled meat and they screamed like banshees to boot.
  39. coarse
    rough to the touch
    “Plus, they have coarser, thicker hair than normal dogs, and their hair usually gets stuck on the trees they pass,” Valley said.
  40. mortified
    made to feel uncomfortable because of shame or wounded pride
    Seven flew through the woods and out into the road like the Cursed Forest had literally spit her out. She was seeing stars, but mostly she was mortified.
Created on Wed Feb 01 12:09:45 EST 2023 (updated Wed Feb 01 14:39:47 EST 2023)

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