Aru Shah and the End of Time: Chapters 24–33

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. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    Chitrigupta eyed her shrewdly. “You must be the daughter of lndra.”
  2. matrix
    an array of quantities set out by rows and columns
    “But a matrix has nothing to do with color. In mathematics, a matrix is a rectangular array of—”
  3. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    Mini’s fingers reflexively curled over the cookie. Aru could tell how much it meant to her friend.
  4. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    “The word deign means to look down on. The arrow pointing up is a trap, because the whole point is that we have to look at what’s beneath us. It’s like when you have to make a choice you don’t want to make and you feel like you’re reluctant to do it.”
  5. uncanny
    suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
    A strange fragrance wafted up. It smelled uncannily like Aru’s apartment in the museum: musty fabric, chai, lavender candles, and old books.
  6. intangible
    lacking substance or reality
    Every tree they had seen so far had been intangible, so Aru had walked straight through them.
  7. mausoleum
    a large burial chamber, usually above ground
    The air had that unstirred quality of an abandoned house.
    Or a mausoleum.
  8. canter
    go at a smooth three-beat gait, of horses
    And then the sound of cantering hooves thundered through the palace. For one sparkling moment, Aru wondered whether Indra’s seven-headed horse was coming to save them and get them out of here.
  9. skulk
    lie in wait or behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
    It took a moment for Aru to realize that it wasn’t some dude skulking in the shadows who was talking, but the palace itself.
  10. brazier
    large metal container in which coal or charcoal is burned
    Two bright braziers sparked alive, slanting into eyes.
  11. whit
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    “Is this what I have missed out on during all these millennia in the depths of Death’s kingdom? Well, then, I’m not sorry. Not a whit.”
  12. deplorable
    bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
    My woods once wriggled with deplorable things. When the Pandavas decided to build their home, the creatures were banished.
  13. wistfully
    in a pensively sad manner
    “The eldest Pandava liked to read,” the palace recalled wistfully.
  14. sheaf
    a package of several things tied together
    Glass vials and sheaves of parchment dotted a worktable.
  15. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    Aru had no arrow. No athletic prowess.
  16. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    When Aru opened her eyes, she was standing once more in the decrepit palace hall.
  17. larder
    a small storeroom for storing foods or wines
    “For three hundred years after you left, I kept the floors polished and the ceilings free of dust. I kept the larders full, and I watered the plants. But you never returned. Did I do something wrong?”
  18. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    “And yet you must leave again?” asked the palace.
    There was a plaintive note to its voice. Like a pet who really didn’t want you to go and was convinced that if she were on her best behavior you might change your mind.
  19. trifle
    something of small importance
    “What is it?”
    “Just a trifle,” it said. “Something you might keep in your pocket and remember me by, should you not be able to visit me again.”
  20. rivulet
    a small stream
    The walls cried silver rivulets again.
  21. procure
    get by special effort
    I have no pamphlet and cannot procure you such a thing, because I do not know what that is.
  22. smattering
    a small number or amount
    Two minutes later, Aru’s stomach grumbling had gone from a smattering of sound to giant, growling there’s-a-monster-in-my-belly-and-it-wants-to-eat-you noises.
  23. affront
    treat, mention, or speak to rudely
    Mini looked highly affronted. “What do you mean, useless?..."
  24. stifle
    smother or suppress
    The air felt tight. Not that stifled, staleness of the palace. It reminded Aru of how sometimes in winter it hurt to breathe because the air had become overly sharp and thin.
  25. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    “My name is Shukra. I am the guardian of the Bridge of Forgetting. It is rare that I talk to living beings. You see, I do not venture often beyond my bridge.”
  26. remiss
    failing in what duty requires
    “I’ve already forgotten my manners once,” said Shukra silkily. “I would be remiss to do so twice. Pray, what are your names, children? Your full names, please.”
  27. discreet
    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
    “How did you know we were the daughters of gods?” Mini asked.
    “You reek of it,” said Shukra, not unkindly.
    Aru discreetly sniffed her armpits.
  28. waver
    be unsure or weak
    When my bride first looked upon me, her smile never wavered.
  29. resplendent
    having great beauty
    Four years passed, and by then her love had made me more handsome. And my wife? She was resplendent.
  30. incite
    provoke or stir up
    I no longer had the kind of ugly face that incited horror or pity, but now I was made unremarkable by my passing good looks.
  31. appraise
    consider in a comprehensive way
    I installed mirrors everywhere, even in the floors. I made checklists by which I might daily appraise my altering visage.
  32. visage
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
    I made checklists by which I might daily appraise my altering visage.
  33. ill-gotten
    obtained illegally or by improper means
    I tried to tear at my skin. To burn every trace of her love—my ill-gotten beauty—from my body.
  34. stalactite
    a cylinder of calcium carbonate hanging from a cave roof
    Pale stalactites dripped down from the ceiling, jagged and sharp, and crowded so tightly that they reminded her of teeth.
  35. lavish
    characterized by extravagance and profusion
    Almost everything she had seen that had anything to do with the gods and goddesses was lavish and beautiful.
  36. halitosis
    offensive breath
    They hadn’t gotten this far just to be killed by whale halitosis.
  37. predisposed
    made susceptible
    “I think I’m predisposed to having joint problems,” she said.
  38. iridescent
    varying in color when seen in different lights
    The walls had that iridescent quality of polished oyster shells.
  39. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    Large incense burners floated silently above each one.
  40. lofty
    having or displaying great dignity or nobility
    “I’d want to come back as a cow,” said Mini loftily. “Then I’d be worshipped.”
Created on Tue Jun 18 14:28:50 EDT 2019 (updated Tue Jul 02 15:51:11 EDT 2019)

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