Half Upon a Time: Chapters 19–27

by James Riley
This first book of the trilogy introduces a descendant of men who fought and robbed giants: fourteen-year-old Jack the thirteenth, who is unwillingly training to be a hero, until a girl falls out of the sky.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–18, Chapters 19–27, Chapters 28–36, Chapters 37–46
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    After May’s scream, the Black Forest had gone dead, not a single sound escaping, not even the pattering of raindrops on the canopy of branches.
  2. latter
    the second of two or the second mentioned of two
    Jack stood up quickly, torn between hiding the sword and just ignoring the prince’s look. “Get up, Phillip,” Jack said, going with the latter.
  3. waver
    move back and forth very rapidly
    He managed to push himself a bit off the ground, though his vision still wavered alarmingly in front of him.
  4. bramble
    any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
    Jack pushed himself away from the prince a bit too hard, then led the way after the thing that had attacked him, slicing with his sword in every direction as he pushed through the brambles and branches.
  5. tedious
    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
    The slashing quickly grew tedious, taking all of Jack’s attention just to clear their way, and he soon lost track of how far they had come.
  6. bound
    move forward by leaping
    Even before Jack hit the ground, Phillip had bounded back to his feet, almost faster than Jack could see.
  7. wary
    marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    It took a step toward them, forcing Jack to swing the sword in a large arc, just to remind the creature of the weapon. The wolf still seemed wary of it, though less so than it had been; the monster’s anger was giving it courage.
  8. purge
    an abrupt or sudden removal of a person or group
    “How many other intelligent wolves survived the purge?”
  9. haunch
    the upper part of the leg of an animal, often used for food
    “She is safe,” the wolf responded as he sat back on his haunches, his eyes twinkling.
  10. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    “And how shall you do that, exactly?” the prince asked, shaking off his shock over the revelation about May’s grandmother.
  11. sheepish
    showing a sense of shame
    The wolf managed to look a bit sheepish, which must have been difficult for him. “I did not yet realize that you were her servants.”
  12. recede
    pull back or move away or backward
    The wolf’s snout shortened as they watched, shrinking back into his face, while the black fur all over his body receded, disappearing entirely in places.
  13. implicitly
    without doubting or questioning
    I served your grandmother for many years, and she trusts me implicitly.
  14. sentiment
    a personal belief or judgment
    “Wait, what?!” May said.
    Jack tended to agree with that sentiment. This was not good news.
  15. minion
    a servile or fawning dependent
    “One of the evil one’s minions, the Red Hood, stole the Mirror after the crown was removed,” the wolf said.
  16. lope
    run easily
    All three grabbed fur and managed to keep themselves on the wolf’s back as he loped off into the woods.
  17. gait
    an animal's manner of moving
    While Samson had a rhythmic gait, the wolf’s loping seemed to change every few seconds as he adjusted his stride for the terrain.
  18. slink
    move or walk stealthily
    A few seconds later, they caught sight of him slinking low to the ground across the clearing, moving silently to the cottage’s nearest window.
  19. momentous
    of very great significance
    Jack cleared his throat, feeling that this was too important a time not to say something, something to impress upon the other two just how momentous their find truly was.
  20. subsequently
    happening at a time later than another time
    The frilly quilt that covered the sides of the bed and subsequently hid them also did a great job of obscuring what was happening.
  21. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Only the woman on the ground wasn’t some grotesque creature of the night. Instead, she was actually quite pretty, her eyes a deep blue, wide open with fright and anger as they flashed between Jack and May.
  22. adrenaline
    hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stress
    When he saw what they were staring at, all the adrenaline of the moment drained from his body, and he almost fell over.
  23. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    “He’s royalty,” Jack said with a shrug. “I doubt we’re allowed to tell him what he should and shouldn’t do, regardless of the inherent stupidity.”
  24. decent
    socially or conventionally correct; refined or virtuous
    We’re going to win because we’re good, decent people trying to accomplish something noble.
  25. determination
    firmness of purpose
    “I must know now,” the wolf said, his eyes dark with pain, but also filled with determination.
  26. tinge
    affect as in thought or feeling
    “That’s not all, either,” May said in a voice tinged with anger. “They broke the Mirror.”
  27. court
    make amorous advances towards
    “I hardly care what you do, but try not to wake me with your courting rituals again.”
  28. canopy
    the uppermost layer of branches and foliage in a forest
    The gentle breeze still managed to find him under the tree’s canopy, and the air blew his hair almost playfully.
  29. labored
    requiring or showing effort
    The wolf was breathing hard, but it wasn’t as labored as it had been.
  30. coalesce
    fuse or cause to come together
    As they spoke, the smoke seemed to be coalescing into some sort of shape, almost like...almost like a body, a torso.
  31. magnitude
    the property of relative size or extent
    Merriweather never took her eyes off the smoke as the sheer magnitude of it began to block out the sunlight.
  32. folly
    foolish or senseless behavior
    “I know the one who trapped it in the Mirror,” she said. “Her folly invites ruin upon us all.”
  33. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    “The younger genies are close to being all-powerful, but are forced by their elders to learn humility through service to lesser beings, usually humans.”
  34. kerosene
    a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel
    Fortunately, one of my fellow fairy queens tricked it into trapping itself within a kerosene lamp, then hid the lamp where no one will ever discover it.
  35. delve
    consider in detail in order to discover essential features
    He gently took her shoulder and turned her back toward the genie, where eyes the size of small lakes stared down at them, each delving into a shade of black that Jack wouldn’t have believed actually existed if he weren’t staring at it.
  36. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    All three grabbed the animal’s legs, and together they managed to pull him back a few feet into the dubious safety of the woods, as Merriweather boldly strode forward to stand on the fallen roof.
  37. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
    Her form grew slightly transparent as if she were also made of smoke, and she spread out more and more until she was the same size as the Ifrit. Then she solidified back into her normal, opaque body.
  38. monotone
    unvarying in pitch
    “Little fairy,” it said to her in a completely monotone yet booming voice, “you do not know what you are attempting to do.”
  39. vaunt
    show off
    “I realize that you may destroy me, and if that is my fate, I welcome it. Come now, let us see if the vaunted reputation of the djinn is well deserved!”
  40. bluff
    deceive someone about your strength or intentions
    “She’s probably bluffing!” Jack said. “She wouldn’t just throw her life away, no matter what she thought she owed May. What would be the point?”
Created on Fri Apr 26 10:19:41 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Apr 27 13:27:08 EDT 2024)

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