Heir: Chapters 1-9

by Sabaa Tahir
In this romantic fantasy novel, the lives of three young people intersect: Aiz, a poor orphan languishing in prison; Sirsha, an outcast banished from her tribe; and Quil, a crown prince.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1-9, Chapters 10-17, Chapters 18-26, Chapters 27-36, Chapters 37-50
15 words 38 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. cloister
    residence that is a place of religious seclusion
    So, with dawn approaching, Aiz crept through the hushed, wood-beamed halls of the cloister and out to its stone courtyard.
  2. supplication
    a humble request for help from someone in authority
    Aiz clasped her hands in supplication.
  3. drudge
    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
    Aiz’s fellow drudges scurried amid the chaos, lowborn Snipes like her hauling buckets and poles and ice-encrusted flight leathers.
  4. subservience
    abject or cringing submissiveness
    “Having my basic needs met only costs subservience to the Triarchy,” Cero went on, “and offering my life to a Spires-forsaken megalomaniac who shouldn’t oversee a dog kennel, let alone an army.”
  5. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
    His ability to windsmith — to bend the air currents to his will — was prodigious.
  6. destitution
    a state without money or prospects
    She was weaponless and — irritatingly — bootless, with nothing but her wits standing between herself and complete destitution.
  7. rime
    ice crystals that form a white deposit
    Cero turned yet again, this time past a grate crusted with ice and rime and into a narrow passage.
  8. consummate
    having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
    Charming, quick with a blade, and wickedly clever, he was the consummate spy, appearing not quite Scholar nor Martial, but a bit of both.
  9. engender
    call forth
    Throughout Quil’s life, Aunt Helene had tried to engender a closeness with Marcus’s many family members.
  10. draught
    a large and hurried swallow
    An unfurling — warm, as if he’d taken a draught of hot, spiced cider amid a snowstorm.
  11. libertine
    a dissolute person
    Certainly, Tas was a libertine.
  12. eldritch
    suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
    The fire flickered and the wind screamed into the cave, an eldritch warning.
  13. capricious
    changeable
    The elements, however, were wide-ranging and capricious.
  14. abut
    lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
    The prison was built into a great granite mountain that abutted the western edge of the capital.
  15. internecine
    characterized by bloodshed and carnage for both sides
    “Mater Andricar mentioned it. Of all the people you could choose from, Empress, why the Kegari? All we know about them is that they enjoy internecine massacres and stealing their neighbors’ grain.”
Created on Wed Jul 09 08:31:46 EDT 2025 (updated Tue Aug 12 14:19:20 EDT 2025)

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