The Gilded Ones: Chapters 27–37

by Namina Forna
After learning that her blood is gold instead of red, sixteen-year-old Deka is forced to fight for the emperor of Otera by joining the alaki — an army of nearly immortal girls with golden blood and superhuman gifts.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–18, Chapters 19–26, Chapters 27–37
40 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. culmination
    a concluding action
    It’s early morning, and we’re standing before the statue of Emperor Gezo, watching her make this triumphant announcement, the culmination of months of grueling labor on her part.
  2. outcropping
    part of a rock formation that juts above surrounding land
    Britta, Belcalis, Adwapa and I are perched on a bluff above the rock outcropping where deathshrieks have made a nest.
  3. chafe
    tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading
    That’s why I’m here, sweat trickling down my back, leather armor chafing at my skin.
  4. irreverence
    a mental attitude showing lack of due respect
    “She’s right. We should be getting ready to kill them all. I know I am,” she says eagerly. Months of raids have encouraged Adwapa’s irreverence toward death, although she always kills only her quota of deathshrieks and not a single one more.
  5. enthrall
    hold spellbound
    I no longer have to worry about accidentally enthralling them.
  6. glean
    collect or gather bit by bit, especially information
    “And what, read his mind to glean whatever it is he’s seeing?” I ask, sarcasm dripping from my words.
  7. sibilant
    of speech sounds forcing air through a constricted passage
    Its voice is stranger than anything I’ve ever heard. It’s deep and sibilant, and even more alarming, it’s not speaking Oteran.
  8. incapacitate
    make unable to perform a certain action
    “Deka, what are you doing? Kill them!” Belcalis’s voice emerges as if from afar, an awful reminder that I often participate in deathshriek massacres, immobilizing the creatures, then slaying them as they’re incapacitated.
  9. dispatch
    kill without delay
    Keita runs over, concern in his eyes as he dispatches a nearby deathshriek, then turns to me.
  10. scourge
    something causing misery or death
    This whole time, I thought I was the hero, the righteous savior, here to liberate Otera from the deathshriek scourge.
  11. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    I glance up, frowning when I discern the rest of the statue under the weeds and mist.
  12. naive
    lacking information or instruction
    Deathshrieks in their wild state are much too difficult to control, especially for the naive, unschooled neophytes freshly condemned by the Ritual of Purity who come here.
  13. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    The last few stragglers from the jog make their way indoors.
  14. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    White Hands had Karmoko Calderis make Ixa a suit for his drakos form, because she wanted to ensure that the rest of the army sees the power of the Warthu Bera, that our prowess shines above that of all the other training grounds.
  15. incite
    provoke or stir up
    Nevertheless, he uses the moment to incite the other soldiers.
  16. threshold
    a region marking a boundary
    It’s a bright morning in the desert, and we’re riding toward the small range of hills in the distance, the threshold to the N’Oyo Mountains.
  17. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    We should be making plans—survival plans, contingency plans.
  18. disconcerting
    causing an emotional disturbance
    It’s a disconcerting thought. I can’t imagine a life without Britta, can’t imagine what I would do if she had to lay down hers for mine.
  19. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
    Images from this afternoon have begun flashing through my mind, confounding and frightening me all at once.
  20. monolith
    a single great stone, often in the form of a column
    In the distance, mist swirls around frightening black monoliths with glittering white peaks.
  21. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    I nod, smile wanly.
  22. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    Above the din, the generals call to the troops from their mammuts.
  23. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    The deathshrieks are bursting through the mist, their bodies covered in crudely fashioned leather armor, their hands holding weapons—actual weapons.
  24. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    Massive swords and maces flash as they cut a bloody swath through the army, heading in our direction.
  25. unadulterated
    without qualification
    There’s a look on the emperor’s face I’ve never seen before—one of pure, unadulterated rage.
  26. keen
    express grief verbally
    A low, keening wail builds in my throat.
  27. intersperse
    place between or among
    The deeper we go, the more the salt takes over, until soon we reach the depths of the cave, which are just white rock salt interspersed by the black rocks.
  28. subterfuge
    something intended to misrepresent the nature of an activity
    Subterfuge is their art, disguise their trade.
  29. sluice
    pour as if from a conduit that carries a rapid flow of water
    “Keita!” I gasp, water sluicing from my body as I strain to rise.
  30. cusp
    the point of transition when something happens or changes
    Deathshrieks can smell girls on the cusp of turning into alaki, smell the gold running in their veins.
  31. volition
    the act of making a choice
    I have to convince them to obey of their own volition, not force them using my voice, as I was doing before with the deathshrieks.
  32. meticulous
    marked by extreme care in treatment of details
    Now more than ever, I understand how cunning White Hands is, how meticulous she’s been in her planning.
  33. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    Thankfully, I don’t feel the brunt of the chill. My celestial armor and war mask keep me warm and dissolve the ice crystals that form on my face.
  34. wry
    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    Ever since then, she’s been by my side, always ready with a joke, a wry, ironic smile.
  35. treacherous
    tending to betray
    My treacherous grandmother tried to convince me that it would come as a deathshriek, but I knew it would be an alaki.
  36. immemorial
    long past
    From time immemorial, we the jatu have vowed to protect Otera, so we imprisoned them and made sure they would never rise again.
  37. impasse
    a situation in which no progress can be made
    “You know I will free the goddesses. You know I will complete my task. That is what the karmokos trained me to do—what you made them train me to do.”
    “Then we’re at an impasse.”
  38. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
    Her massive form leaps into the melee, and within seconds, she’s grabbing Britta with one hand and Keita with the other and scurrying up the walls, just as fast now as she was when she was an alaki.
  39. convulsion
    a violent uncontrollable contraction of muscles
    When the goddess’s entire body vibrates, I step back, astounded to see that the tremor has turned into deep convulsions.
  40. turmoil
    a violent disturbance
    “Now our One Kingdom, Otera, is in turmoil and many are in pain.”
Created on Mon Jan 10 10:18:40 EST 2022 (updated Fri Jan 14 11:36:05 EST 2022)

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