Black Bird, Blue Road: Part Four

by Sofiya Pasternack
Desperate to prevent the Angel of Death from taking her twin brother, twelve-year-old Ziva bat Leah hopes that a half-demon will keep his promise to guide them to a city of eternal life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
35 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. elation
    a feeling of joy and pride
    He looked up at her with watering eyes, coughing behind his bandages, and between fits he managed to whisper to her, "I'm still sick, Ziva. This place hasn't changed that."
    Ziva's elation at escaping Death dulled, and she said nothing.
  2. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    A pleasant scent, like cinnamon and fresh bread, permeated the air.
  3. lush
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    She tried to find the palace that Ekrem had spoken of, but all she could see was a garden. It was lush, thick, and quiet. The trees were enormous, casting the entire place into peaceful shadow.
  4. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    It came closer and the shadows faded away, revealing feathers that shimmered in the dappled light that fell on them.
  5. riotous
    produced or growing in extreme abundance
    A beautiful, colorful bird with riotous blues and golds catching every mote of light and reflecting it out.
  6. mote
    a tiny piece of anything
    A beautiful, colorful bird with riotous blues and golds catching every mote of light and reflecting it out.
  7. scrutinize
    look at critically or searchingly, or in minute detail
    The Milcham scrutinized Almas, then turned to Pesah.
  8. infirm
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    We were wondering if...well, we'd heard that your feathers can heal the sick or infirm.
  9. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    Her tentative smile dropped off her face.
  10. coherent
    marked by an orderly and consistent relation of parts
    Ziva's mind swirled with frustration and anxiety, but she couldn't arrange words in any sort of coherent way.
  11. slew
    a large number or amount or extent
    She could think of a whole slew of words that she'd use to describe the Milcham other than "wonderful."
  12. maneuver
    move skillfully, as around obstacles or into a position
    Ziva stared at the lost feathers as she helped Almas maneuver Pesah onto the bench, and before she could make room for Ekrem, he was off, walking briskly down the road.
  13. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    The floors were swept stone, dotted with woven rugs. There was sparse furniture.
  14. pallet
    a mattress filled with straw or a pad made of quilts
    A stack of pallets they could arrange at night for sleeping.
  15. sterile
    deficient in originality or creativity
    It was very small, and sterile, and...
    Ziva hated it.
  16. mete out
    distribute or bestow
    Ziva snatched her hand away, heart pounding, afraid someone had heard her talking about stealing feathers and had come to mete out justice.
  17. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    The woman went down in a heap, lying motionless on the road, and the crowd inside the city writhed and moaned and wailed for her.
  18. scrabble
    grope, scratch, or feel searchingly
    The weighty flaps of its wings, the scrabbling of its claws on the stone, and the furious shrieks as it demanded to know who, who, who had come into its garden.
  19. trough
    a long narrow shallow receptacle
    Ziva and Almas pressed against the wall, breathing as quietly as they could while the Milcham's shadow filled the alley the way water fills a trough, sloshing from front to back until it poured over the tops.
  20. maul
    injure badly
    You might not be brilliant like Pesah, but when you sense any kind of injustice or unfairness, you're like a lioness on an antelope. I've watched you dig in your claws until you mauled a situation into equality and fairness for everyone involved.
  21. resent
    feel bitter or indignant about
    "That's different," she said, somewhat resenting his description of her, especially the mauled part.
  22. revelry
    unrestrained merrymaking
    Evidence of the party was still there, but had been tucked away neatly for the next day's revelries.
  23. flay
    strip the skin off
    His enormous sword seethed against the stone, as if angry it wasn't being used to flay her skin off right then and there.
  24. reflexive
    without volition or conscious control
    It had been warmed by his hand, and when Ziva bit into it, she closed her eyes reflexively. Exquisitely honey-sweet and pistachio-crunchy and filo-crispy. Perfect.
  25. unassuming
    not arrogant
    He was so small and unassuming, still peppered with baklava crumbs. Dressed like a regular boy with dark, dark hair and eyes like moss. Nothing angelic about him.
  26. corporeal
    having material or physical form or substance
    "Angels are ethereal. Baklava is corporeal. When I'm my regular self, I don't have a mouth. How am I supposed to eat baklava without a mouth?"
  27. flashy
    tastelessly showy
    "But as the Angel of Death, we get to be more corporeal. Any form we want. A lot of them choose to be big and flashy, but not me. I just want to be something with a mouth."
  28. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
    Ziva searched for something to assuage his guilt, to make him feel less bad about the white spot on her wrist.
  29. excursion
    a journey taken for pleasure
    "He said it made you weak, and you got a lung infection," Ziva said softly, thinking of all the times she'd taken him out and around their gardens, wondering if one of those excursions had done it.
  30. rail
    complain bitterly
    "This isn't living, Ziva."
    "It's fine with me," Ziva said, hating the way the lie tasted.
    Pesah laughed. "Not three hours ago you were saying the same thing. Railing against staying here. Insisting you could take the Milcham's feathers and free us all."
  31. denizen
    a person who inhabits a particular place
    They just walked slowly toward the city's gates, and Almas trailed behind, and the denizens of Luz emerged from their homes as the sky brightened.
  32. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    Pesah walked slowly, hobbling on his twisted feet. He breathed hard with the exertion, and with pain.
  33. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    He was still so small, so harmless. More solemn than he had been that night, but not frightening.
  34. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    He still had the scar across his face, but Ziva had noticed the other boys at the synagogue asking him about it in reverent tones, amazed that he had lived through an injury like that.
  35. litigate
    engage in legal proceedings
    "I suppose with all your litigating for Pesah's life, you convinced me to let you live yours."
Created on Wed Sep 20 12:36:08 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Sep 26 13:30:22 EDT 2023)

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