Half Upon a Time: Chapters 37–46

by James Riley
This first book of the trilogy introduces a descendant of men who fought and robbed giants: fourteen-year-old Jack the thirteenth, who is unwillingly training to be a hero, until a girl falls out of the sky.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–9, Chapters 10–18, Chapters 19–27, Chapters 28–36, Chapters 37–46
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. manacle
    shackle that can be locked around the wrist
    “We’ll get you fixed up, Phillip,” Jack said softly as he carefully sliced through the prince’s manacles with the witch’s knife.
  2. in vain
    without a successful result or effect
    “The locations were kept secret to keep the Wicked Queen from finding them.” He shook his head. “Apparently, that was in vain, if the Wicked Queen now holds your grandmother in one of her own castles.”
  3. ambiguous
    open to two or more interpretations
    “Where is the Palace of the Snow Queen located?” May asked the Mirror, carefully wording her question. Jack nodded in approval: The princess was learning. It was never good to be ambiguous with bitter magical creatures.
  4. tangent
    a message that departs from the main subject
    “I’m gonna break this thing again in about two seconds!” she yelled.
    “That can’t be the only way,” Jack said to Phillip, since May seemed to be off on her own tangent.
  5. eddy
    flow in a circular current, of liquids
    All around him the wind swirled and eddied, spinning snow into whirlwinds of wintery blankness.
  6. founder
    sink below the surface
    “Where is everyone?” he asked her as he worked through the tedious process of getting back to his feet.
    The dragon snarled, then growled, “They are all foundering, just as you were.”
    “Well, rescue them, then!”
  7. extremity
    that part of a limb that is farthest from the torso
    “We’ve definitely found the snow part of the palace,” Jack said when they’d all regained feeling in their extremities.
  8. comply
    act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
    “Mellifluent, show us the Palace of the Snow Queen,” Jack ordered the dragon, who for once complied without arguing.
  9. intoxicating
    extremely exciting
    Jack nodded, finding himself much more excited than he would have expected. This must be how it feels to complete an adventure. No wonder so many tried it. It was intoxicating!
  10. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    Jack nodded, looking from Phillip to May, and suddenly he felt the need to say something profound.
  11. loom
    appear very large or occupy a commanding position
    The walls themselves loomed higher than Jack could see, carved to resemble stone.
  12. dense
    having high compaction or concentration
    Besides the white color, the only thing giving away the fake stone was the fact that the snow was so dense and smooth it actually glowed.
  13. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
    “You kids are so gullible,” the Huntsman said, chuckling. He put a toe under the axe Phillip had dropped, then kicked the weapon up and grabbed it in midair. “Did you really think it would be that easy?”
  14. subside
    wear off or die down
    As the pain gradually subsided Jack pushed himself to his feet and stared angrily at the offending wall.
  15. explicitly
    in a clearly expressed manner
    “Now, listen carefully, for the spell to break this wall requires a powerful will as well as absolute concentration. You must explicitly follow every instruction I give you. Do you understand me, child?”
  16. foremost
    ranking above all others
    First and foremost, you must be careful to protect yourself.
  17. riddle
    spread or diffuse through
    The wall shuddered again, violently this time, cracks jutting out from the main breaks until the entire wall of ice was riddled with fractures.
  18. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    Despite her captivity, the woman looked like nothing less than a queen on her throne. Even the enormous iron boots locked over the woman’s feet did nothing to dispel the regal image.
  19. gawk
    look with amazement
    And just like that, Jack was back to being the gawking boy, awestruck in her presence.
  20. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    I think my captors fear my meager magic, dear.
  21. wellspring
    an abundant source
    Iron dries out one’s magical wellspring, in a manner of speaking. By forcing me to wear these boots, they have made me quite powerless.
  22. modest
    humble in spirit or manner
    “I know you must have been through quite a bit on your way here to rescue me.”
    “A little,” Jack said, toeing the snowy ground. “But nothing you should worry about, of course.”
    “You are modest. And courageous,” the woman said with an approving nod.
  23. invigorating
    imparting strength and vitality
    The animal was breathing hard, and his left arm was hanging limply at his side, but otherwise, he looked fine.
    “That was invigorating,” the wolf said.
  24. errant
    straying from the right course or from accepted standards
    I’m pleased to see you as well, Your Majesty. However, we’re on our way to find my errant granddaughter and have little time for pleasantries.
  25. opulent
    rich and superior in quality
    The room beyond the door was an opulent suite, filled with every shade of red imaginable, from the bed linens to the cushy rugs and heavy drapes.
  26. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    “What...?” Jack started to say, turning back to Phillip, but the prince pointed down at a plaque on the floor in front of the stone table.
  27. imposing
    befitting an important, distinguished, or powerful person
    A moment later a tall, imposing woman swept into the room, her deep blond hair longer than the woman was tall.
  28. conceivable
    capable of being imagined
    Every conceivable method of tying that hair had been used in one place or another on the woman’s head, yet it still ran down her entire body, past her feet, and back up again like an unending golden rope.
  29. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    “She’s my granddaughter,” Eudora said loudly to the new woman, her calm demeanor disappearing for the briefest of moments.
  30. gall
    irritate or vex
    “It still galls me that you, the least of your pathetic little band of rebels, would be the one to capture me,” she continued.
  31. reign
    royal authority; the dominion of a monarch
    You see, the Magic Mirror foretold that Snow White would someday help bring down her reign, so the Wicked Queen ordered her murdered.
  32. basis
    the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun
    Every story has a basis in truth.
  33. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    Since then, I’ve had men tracking the wolf, but he’s always managed to elude them.
  34. engaging
    attracting or delighting
    She did betray my Queen Eudora after serving her loyally for many years, but how could I kill so engaging a foe at her weakest?
  35. capacity
    the amount that can be contained
    The glass from the Mirror’s frame crashed to the floor as the same green fog they’d seen at the Red Hood’s cottage burst out in every direction, quickly filling the room to capacity.
  36. vortex
    the shape of something rotating rapidly
    For a moment Jack thought they’d all be sucked into the genie’s vortex, but as quickly as it started, the swirling fog exploded straight up into the snow ceiling.
  37. backfire
    return with an undesired effect
    “It’s one of the perils of knowing the future, you understand. I learned that with Snow—the Mirror told me that she would eventually be a problem, so I tried to remove her from the equation. But that backfired, and I quickly learned that you cannot change destiny.”
  38. makeshift
    done or made using whatever is available
    The entire ceiling had fallen in, blocking the way out to the courtyard.
    Fortunately, some of the crumbled rock had actually formed a makeshift ramp to the roof.
  39. mobilize
    get ready for war
    Rumor has it she’s retaken her throne, and her armies are mobilizing again.
  40. delusion
    a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
    “First, my grandson’s operating under the delusion that he won’t be coming with you on the next journey.”
    May’s right eyebrow shot up. “Is that a joke?” she asked. “Of course he’s coming. I need his help!”
Created on Fri Apr 26 10:20:04 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Apr 27 15:55:35 EDT 2024)

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