Endling: The Only: Chapters 24–33

by Katherine Applegate
In this final book of the trilogy, Byx needs more than her truth-finding power to unite the different species and prevent two tyrants from destroying everything that stands in their way.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–23, Chapters 24–33, Chapter 34–Epilogue

Click here to explore the trilogy.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. singular
    beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
    It was about the singular thrill of being airborne.
  2. compelling
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    On we flew as the sky turned a darker shade of blue, and the ragglers sang their silent but compelling song.
  3. orient
    determine one's position with reference to another point
    After a moment to orient myself, I said, “The sun’s on our right. We’ve turned north?”
  4. obscure
    make unclear or less visible
    I glimpsed a wisp- obscured hint of land.
  5. raucous
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
    Rorid eased off close to the fight and let loose a raucous screech.
  6. writhing
    moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
    The poison worked swiftly and mercilessly. In just a few seconds, anyone who felt the prick of a raggler spike fell to the ground, writhing and gasping for air.
  7. mace
    a heavy war club, typically with a spiked metal head
    With a great roar, Woad’s warriors picked up their shields and advanced in an orderly line, pushing into the broken shield wall, stabbing with spears and swords, hammering with axes and maces.
  8. carapace
    hard outer covering or case of certain organisms
    Our ragglers would no doubt be useless against them, given the thick carapace covering most of the huge insects’ bodies.
  9. starling
    a type of common, sociable bird with dark feathers
    Rising from the ground, just beyond the village, came a cloud of smaller birds: gulls, ravens, jays, starlings, even little sparrows.
  10. quail
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    They looked up and quailed at the sight. Quailed, but didn’t flee.
  11. carnage
    the savage and excessive killing of many people
    I stared in stunned disbelief at the carnage. Dead humans. Dead raptidons. Dead wobbyks. Dead ragglers.
  12. exultation
    the utterance of sounds expressing great joy
    “The day is ours!” Rorid screeched, and from the sky came an answering cry of fierce exultation from hundreds of raptidons.
  13. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
    Apparently, they’d avoided the fighting, perhaps slipping away during the melee.
  14. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    Woad had only one doctor in his company, and she was busy cutting off mangled limbs and sewing up great gashes.
  15. oppress
    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
    I was sent with this raid in order to make contact with felivets fool enough to join him. But I carry a very different message, one that does not come from a traitor, but from the oppressed felivets of Dreyland.
  16. provisions
    a stock or supply of foods
    They were able to confiscate all the weapons of the Dreylanders, as well as their horses and provisions.
  17. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
    I’d had to leave poor Havoc back at Bossyp, and my new pony, a little roan lent to me by one of Woad’s men, was a grumpy sort, given to sudden bucks and indignant snorts.
  18. contingent
    a temporary military unit
    We’d added a large contingent of raptidons, wobbyks, and ragglers, and I knew Khara would be pleased to see the new recruits.
  19. confluence
    a place where things merge or flow together
    We found the Army of Peace camped at the confluence of the Telarno and its tributary, the River of Reeds, a narrow, slow-moving stream bordered by wetlands and stands of stiff brown cattails.
  20. tributary
    a branch that flows into the main stream
    We found the Army of Peace camped at the confluence of the Telarno and its tributary, the River of Reeds, a narrow, slow-moving stream bordered by wetlands and stands of stiff brown cattails.
  21. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    Though stitches were visible down her flank, she moved like flowing liquid, a smaller, more lithe version of Gambler.
  22. offspring
    the immediate descendants of a person or organism
    “It is not the habit of male felivets to involve themselves closely with their offspring.”
  23. progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
    “I never knew you had children,” I said to him. “Kits, I mean.”
    “Nor did I. As Naleese explained, it is not the custom for males of my kind—for a Lonko—to raise kits—”
    “How very convenient,” Renzo interrupted.
    “But the thought of my progeny in a dungeon...”
  24. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
    It seemed as if our lungs would no longer fill. Each breath was meager.
  25. beleaguer
    annoy persistently
    She went up and down the beleaguered line of troops, cajoling, reassuring, and inspiring by example.
  26. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    She went up and down the beleaguered line of troops, cajoling, reassuring, and inspiring by example.
  27. ziggurat
    a rectangular tiered temple or terraced mound
    Some long-forgotten power had built a tall stone ziggurat in the middle of the pass, a narrow pyramid with a sloping pathway cut into the sides.
  28. don
    put on clothes
    We rested and refreshed ourselves and added whatever other warm garments we’d not yet donned.
  29. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    “That’s a long way down!”
    “It is,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant, even as I was calculating how long it would take to tumble down the mountain to my inevitable death.
  30. ruddy
    of the color between orange and purple in the color spectrum
    General Varis’s face was ruddy with frustration, or perhaps even anger.
  31. idly
    in a lazy, casual, or aimless way
    But I know that I cannot stand idly by.
  32. logistics
    supplying an operation with labor and materials as needed
    Khara, Tobble, and I were in her tent, poring over a map as we discussed last-minute logistics, when Renzo stormed in, breathless and flushed.
  33. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Tobble and I considered Khara’s words as we trotted between sparse trees.
  34. pike
    weapon consisting of a spearhead attached to a long pole
    Most carried staves and pitchforks. One old man had a sword. A middle-aged woman held a long pike.
  35. skiff
    a small boat propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
    A skiff powered by two oarsmen was mid-river, coming downstream.
  36. mar
    cause to become imperfect
    I had an instinct that they weren’t just planning to commit murder and steal our horses but might have spotted something even more valuable: a dairne.
    If so, they’d try not to mar my fur with a great bloody hole.
  37. brandish
    exhibit aggressively
    I brandished my small sword, and I knew Tobble would launch a crazed attack when they were close enough, but they weren’t fools.
  38. fibrous
    resembling or composed of elongated threadlike structures
    Renzo stripped the leaves until he had a half dozen. He rubbed them between his palms until they’d turned to a fibrous green paste.
  39. haggard
    showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
    Renzo sat back, looking haggard and exhausted.
  40. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    I wanted to ask why, but he’d already begun to rock back and forth, whispering his strange incantations.
Created on Fri Oct 07 10:40:27 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Jul 12 15:35:31 EDT 2023)

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