Anya and the Dragon: Chapters 30–39

by Sofiya Pasternack
While trying to capture a dragon to collect a reward and save her family's home, eleven-year-old Anya discovers that the dragon is friendly and also in need of being saved.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–11, Chapters 12–20, Chapters 21–29, Chapters 30–39
30 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. maim
    injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration
    It had also killed a man and maimed another before they had successfully exorcised the thing.
  2. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    They rarely ventured into the water near the village, preferring to stay in the area near the swamp, so only the foolhardy were at risk of being dragged into the Sogozha’s depths.
  3. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
    The sounds got louder and louder until they bored into Anya’s brain, tearing at her sanity.
  4. scuttle
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    She could hear the bukavac’s steps behind her, the scuttling rapid-fire of six feet punching the ground as it chased her.
  5. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    She got one step into a run when the monster whipped out a long, spindly leg and swatted her feet out from under her.
  6. discordant
    lacking in harmony
    The creature screamed with both mouths again, different discordant pitches that rattled the marrow in Anya’s bones.
  7. wispy
    lacking clarity or distinctness
    She made out the wispy outline of something vaguely humanoid, and then her eyes focused long enough to recognize it.
  8. swathe
    wrap in or as if in strips of cloth
    One arm played strings in the air; the other was swathed against his chest.
  9. frenzy
    state of violent mental agitation
    Her mind was fuzzy and dark, vibrating against her skull in a frenzy, like it was trying to escape.
  10. roil
    be agitated
    She felt like she couldn’t get a breath, and she sucked at the air as her arms and legs roiled between burning and numbness.
  11. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
    Anya shrugged, and they walked back to some semblance of a path on the swampy ground.
  12. jaundiced
    affected by yellowing of the skin
    Two windows on either side glowed like jaundiced eyes in the darkness.
  13. lilt
    a jaunty rhythm in music or speech
    “Don’t just stand there!” the figure snapped. A woman. An annoyed woman. With a lilt to her words that was kind of like Sigurd’s and kind of like Kin’s.
  14. impish
    naughtily or annoyingly playful
    The woman turned with an impish grin on her freckled face. “Just kidding.”
  15. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    “Go, Ivan.”
    He balked. “But what if she—”
  16. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    The dagger, thrown by the blind brother, pierced the heart of the beloved brother, and he died. The mistletoe was so distraught, it vowed never to be rigid enough to form a dagger again.
  17. sprig
    a small branch or stem, usually with leaves or flowers
    The paragraph ended at a drawing of a sprig of mistletoe, and Anya looked up at the woman.
  18. entail
    impose, involve, or imply as a necessary result
    “Wait! What does helping entail? Are you going to possess Anya?”
  19. fulcrum
    the pivot about which a lever turns
    I see two ends, two futures for this story. This dagger is the fulcrum, the point on which both ends balance.
  20. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    He grabbed his sword and got to his feet, unsteady, but not unsteady enough for Anya's taste. He would still be formidable.
  21. erratic
    likely to perform unpredictably
    He was moving erratically, panicked, not thinking.
  22. breadth
    the extent of something from side to side
    The blade missed Håkon’s tail by a hair’s breadth, driving into the rocky ground instead.
  23. smolder
    burn slowly and without a flame
    The wood smoke still smoldering from the barn fire made Anya’s eyes water, and her stomach clenched.
  24. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Zvezda had his head lowered, gazing toward the river. If goats could be forlorn, Anya thought Zvezda looked very forlorn.
  25. bodice
    part of a dress above the waist
    Marina yanked Anya into a hug, pressing Anya’s face against her dress bodice.
  26. flounder
    move clumsily or struggle to move, as in mud or water
    His meager hair was plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck, with small pieces flopping this way and that as he floundered in the shallows.
  27. curt
    brief and to the point
    Mama nodded, a curt single shake.
  28. oblivious
    lacking conscious awareness of
    The magistrate was oblivious to the danger behind him. He continued ranting about Mama going to jail and ignorant children and respect for elders.
  29. hodgepodge
    a motley assortment of things
    The village square was decorated with a hodgepodge of greenery, flowers, and leafy garlands, plus a small birch tree the villagers had moved from the forest to the square.
  30. errant
    moving in an uncontrolled, irregular, or unpredictable way
    Anya wiped away an errant tear that ran down her cheek as Zvezda leaned in and nibbled on the edge of the letter.
Created on Wed May 11 12:48:19 EDT 2022 (updated Mon May 23 09:16:25 EDT 2022)

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