Children of Virtue and Vengeance: Chapters 44–63

by Tomi Adeyemi
In the second book of the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy, Zélie and Amari must fight the monarchy in order to protect practitioners of magic.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–13, Chapters 14–26, Chapters 27–43, Chapters 44–63, Chapter 64–Epilogue
30 words 17 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mantle
    a sleeveless garment like a cloak but shorter
    Before the Raid, past clan elders wore mantles like these, garments to mark their revered status.
  2. revered
    profoundly honored
    Before the Raid, past clan elders wore mantles like these, garments to mark their revered status.
  3. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    My chest flutters with awe as my Reapers conjure animations in unison. Though each spirit holds a unique shape, the animations rise as one, blooming from the grass like a garden of calla lilies.
  4. incarnate
    possessing or existing in bodily form
    Mári’s words make every Reaper light up, but the memory of wielding Baba’s spirit makes a pit open up in my chest. When he tore through my blood, the shadows that exploded from my skin were more than powerful. They were death incarnate.
  5. transcribe
    make a written phonetic representation of
    I unravel the cobalt scroll in my hand, struggling to piece together the sênbaría transcribed inside.
  6. finesse
    subtly skillful handling of a situation
    She wields her shadows with a particular finesse, practically floating to the ground.
  7. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    “I know my brother has made mistakes,” I say. “More mistakes than most. But no one will ever understand what it was like to grow up with my father. Inan bore the brunt of his torture.”
  8. scour
    examine minutely
    We tend to lose contact with our scouts once they enter this zone. But as we speak, my soldiers are finding new ways to scour the location.
  9. vested
    fixed and absolute and without contingency
    “Well, like your mother, I have a vested interest in keeping you alive,” he says.
  10. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
    I want to believe that Zélie would do the right thing, but after all that’s happened since magic came back, that feels naive.
  11. baseless
    without a foundation in reason or fact
    “What do they need to end the fighting?”
    “Power.” I picture the elders’ faces. “True freedom. They want an end to the torture and the baseless persecution. A real place in this monarchy and a say in what happens in this kingdom.”
  12. persecution
    causing someone to suffer
    “What do they need to end the fighting?”
    “Power.” I picture the elders’ faces. “True freedom. They want an end to the torture and the baseless persecution. A real place in this monarchy and a say in what happens in this kingdom.”
  13. dissipate
    move away from each other
    The shadows of death dissipate in puffs of smoke, transforming to form a board under her feet.
  14. induct
    admit as a member
    I can only imagine the trouble he’d get Mâzeli into once he saw how he could move. He’d probably try to induct the poor boy into his mercenary crew.
  15. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    Amari’s lithe form passes between two large hills in the distance, seemingly unaware of our presence. She doesn’t move like she’s taking a stroll. She moves like she doesn’t want to be seen.
  16. leach
    use a liquid to dissolve out or remove a substance
    Blue wisps of magic leach from his skin as I suck the ashê from his veins.
  17. scourge
    something causing misery or death
    Mári and Bimpe fall in line as we turn back, facing the scourge of charging soldiers.
  18. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    Mâzeli trembles in my arms as the wind abates with a vicious hiss.
  19. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Violet light shines from our eyes and our mouths. The same particles of light materialize before our hearts.
  20. wane
    become smaller
    His waning lifeforce pulls on my own, an anchor dragging me under the surface.
  21. feral
    wild and menacing
    Zélie’s sobs grow feral, forcing Khani to step in.
    “Sedate her!” the Healer orders. “Her body can’t handle the strain!”
  22. crass
    so unrefined as to be offensive or insensitive
    “I don’t want to be crass,” Mother says to me. “But there is no time to mourn. We can’t give the Iyika a chance to regroup. If they retaliate in Lagos...”
  23. reconciliation
    the reestablishment of cordial relations
    The next time we meet, there will be no reconciliation. Only complete annihilation.
  24. rile
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
    “This started in Lagos.” Kenyon riles up the crowd. “It ends there, too. We keep pretending we’re defenseless, but we held off the royal forces with the moonstone. We know what we have to do!”
  25. sequester
    set apart from others
    “You can’t storm Ibadan,” Na’imah retorts. “It’s sequestered in the mountains.”
  26. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Tzain blows out his cheeks as he stares at the crude maps, searching for a way in.
  27. croon
    sing softly
    Na’imah’s soulful voice croons over our heads as we move to the dance floor.
  28. ostracize
    avoid speaking to or dealing with
    Since the day we arrived, I don’t know if there was a moment I didn’t feel ostracized.
  29. ploy
    a maneuver in a game, conversation, or situation
    “Zïtsōl, we both know I don’t need ploys for that.”
  30. fluke
    either of the two lobes of the tail of a cetacean
    The blue whale fills an entire stretch of ocean, glowing like the bioluminescent plankton of Jimeta’s coast. The light spreads from the tip of its nose to the flukes of its tail.
Created on Fri Mar 06 18:21:29 EST 2020 (updated Wed Mar 11 13:15:11 EDT 2020)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.