The Lies We Conjure: Chapters 13–18

by Sarah Henning
Sisters Ruby and Wren accept a lucrative offer to impersonate an old woman's grandchildren at a dinner party. But when the hostess dies, the gates lock, and every other guest is a witch, Ruby and Wren wonder if they will escape alive.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–26, Chapter 27–Epilogue
15 words 4 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
    There was no sense in contradicting her with platitudes and overconfident reassurance.
  2. mollify
    make softer or less rigid
    “Do not try to mollify my feelings, Evander Hegemony. That’s not leadership, that’s dismissal. I’m not a...robot.”
  3. sycophant
    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
    “The man’s a textbook sycophant. He attaches himself to power like a tapeworm.”
  4. schmooze
    talk in a friendly way, especially to gain an advantage
    Apparently, she was busy schmoozing with the rest of the lines in her free time.
  5. herringbone
    a pattern that looks like zigzagging V's
    The faint scent of out-of-season lilac announces Ursula’s floor before we finish our approach, the smooth dark planks of the staircase bleeding into a lush herringbone carpet that traps the sounds of our footsteps like secrets.
  6. claustrophobic
    uncomfortably closed or hemmed in
    Built-in shelves line every bit of wall space, and more ring the chairs in the middle, low and perfectly aligned with the chairbacks as not to make everything claustrophobic or lose what’s likely a very lovely view of both the mountains and Wood Rose in the day.
  7. parse
    analyze in detail in order to discover essential features
    I’m trying to parse through this, pinching the bridge of my nose.
  8. temperamental
    likely to perform unpredictably
    Elementals have long been able to avoid detection and, thus, persecution for their magic, simply because the temperamental aspects of the natural world allow for blurring the line between magic and normal fluctuations in the elemental forces.
  9. poplin
    a ribbed fabric used in clothing and upholstery
    Barefoot, she twirls in place, showing off a strapless sundress with an A-line skirt and blue pattern embroidered on the white poplin to look like waves.
  10. croissant
    a very rich, flaky, crescent-shaped roll
    Then, croissant in hand, I decamp to my room, where I wash my face and trade the buttery flakiness of the lingering pastry for a toothbrush and paste.
  11. carafe
    a bottle with a stopper
    Laid out is a tray of delicate pastries, whipped butter to match, several bottles of Evian, three carafes of coffee and one of hot water for tea, and actual cream served with sugar cubes and wafer-thin bone china.
  12. X factor
    a special quality that makes someone or something stand out
    But without actual magic, and with the multiple x factors making up the rest of the Hegemony family, a butter knife—two—seems like a reasonable weapon to keep on hand.
  13. missive
    a written message addressed to a person or organization
    Short entries line page after page, with longer missives taking up pages in handwritten ink.
  14. behoove
    be appropriate or necessary
    “If these are hints—as you surmised last night, Auden—these are hints you Hegemonys recognize better than the rest of us. It would behoove all of us to learn everything we can from your successful hunt this morning.”
  15. effusive
    extravagantly demonstrative
    Evander narrows his eyes at Hector’s rare but effusive stiff-arm.
Created on Thu Oct 15 20:32:14 EDT 2026 (updated Fri Oct 23 13:40:51 EDT 2026)

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