Endling: The First: Chapters 26–42

by Katherine Applegate
In this second book of the trilogy, the dairne Byx, with the help of humans Khara and Renzo, the wobbyk Tobble, and the felivet Gambler, journeys through warring lands to search for a hidden colony that would prove that she is not the last of her species.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–11, Chapters 12–25, Chapters 26–42, Chapters 43–56

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. affront
    a deliberately offensive act
    “May we know your name, old one?” Khara asked gently.
    The dairne stiffened, as if it were an affront.
  2. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    “Does it matter?” Renzo said cynically. “The Murdano or the Kazar, they’re both power-hungry madmen anxious to start a war.”
  3. loath
    strongly opposed
    “Though I would be loath to do anything to aid the Murdano.”
  4. galley
    a crescent-shaped seagoing vessel propelled by oars
    “What is a galley?” I asked.
    “A boat that uses thralls to drive the oars. Some galleys have as many as twenty men, ten to a side. A galley cares nothing for wind. They have very shallow drafts, and thus may be hiding in a channel beyond our sight.”
  5. abstraction
    a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance
    They were not just an abstraction, the proof my species might yet survive. They were specific individuals.
  6. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
    “It seems your father is being used to assess the veracity of spies and traitors for the Kazar Sg’drit,” Khara said bluntly.
  7. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
    Between them, they had five swords and one cudgel, plus anything that the woman might be hiding.
  8. innocuous
    lacking intent or capacity to injure
    I glanced up and saw that most innocuous of seaside sights: gulls wheeling.
  9. shoal
    a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
    “Aloish says there’s a shoal ahead, a submerged reef. If we can reach it before the Kazar’s galley gets to us, we will clear it. The other galley, which sits lower in the water, may be stopped.”
  10. trough
    a narrow depression, as between waves
    Tobble sent us straight into the trough of white foam between the rocks.
  11. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    I had the sense, though I couldn’t be certain, that a peculiar yellow glow emanated from the bubbles.
  12. palatial
    relating to or being a large and stately residence
    Soon we were sinking past the tallest of the coral-and-stone buildings, aiming, it seemed, for an open square facing a grand palatial structure.
  13. lattice
    framework consisting of an ornamental wood or metal design
    The palace, like all the natite buildings, was a lattice of structural beams resolving into floors.
  14. endeavor
    attempt by employing effort
    “The Murdano’s Seer, Araktik, declared dairnes extinct. We endeavor to see whether this is true.”
  15. surmise
    infer from incomplete evidence
    And you surmise that we natites allowed this to go on, yes?
  16. conventional
    in accord with a tradition accepted from the past
    The sword has power of the conventional kind. It is sharp and heavy and made of a metal whose secrets have long been lost.
  17. liege
    a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service
    “The Donatis are sworn enemies of my liege lord.”
  18. transgression
    the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle
    There have been many transgressions on both sides.
  19. serrated
    notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
    I went in search of wood for a fire, as the serrated yellow dendro fronds create too much smoke when they burn.
  20. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
    Together, Maxyn and I were finally able to cajole the fire into burning.
  21. harrowing
    causing extreme distress
    We taught Maxyn Tobble’s worm song and shared our harrowing tale of the Crimson Forest.
  22. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
    When they’d given up, breathless and flushed, Maxyn began singing an old dairne song about an obstinate pup.
  23. brigand
    an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
    In the old days it was guarded lightly, and only brigands were stopped.
  24. unscrupulous
    without principles
    They’re a rich, greedy family, dishonest and unscrupulous.
  25. outcropping
    part of a rock formation that juts above surrounding land
    The other, a smaller, more slender watchtower, was perched improbably atop a rock outcropping.
  26. trebuchet
    a heavy war engine for hurling projectiles such as stones
    In the round fortress, Khara suspected, were engines of war. Trebuchets capable of flinging stones weighing hundreds of pounds.
  27. noxious
    injurious to physical or mental health
    Frightened struzzi release a bitter, noxious odor that makes a skunk’s scent seem like a delicate rose perfume.
  28. chagrin
    cause to feel shame
    “You’re unhappy I survived?” Renzo teased.
    Tobble looked chagrined.
  29. straggling
    spreading out in different directions
    Beneath a pile of furry animal skins I saw a head with thin, straggling gray hair.
  30. decrepit
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    The old head rose from pillows and I was shocked, not by how ill and decrepit he looked, but by the sense of what he must once have been.
  31. robust
    sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction
    “Kharassande,” Baron Donati said, trying for a robust tone that was subverted by a wheezing cough.
  32. vanguard
    the leading units moving at the head of an army
    If—when—they finish it, they can attack with complete surprise. And send thousands of terramants ahead as a vanguard to terrorize any defenders.
  33. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    Finally, it was Khara who broached the topic on both their minds.
  34. perfunctory
    as a formality only
    I noticed that the cheers for Albrit had ranged from enthusiastic to perfunctory.
  35. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
    After that, Tobble went after Mountain’s eyes, poking and prodding enough to leave his adversary squinting and dripping tears.
  36. reedy
    thin and high-pitched in tone
    His voice reedy and shrill with excitement, he yelled, “Yield! Yield or die!”
  37. ponderous
    slow and laborious because of weight
    He backed up to get room, ran, and swung, with a terrible war cry, toward Khara, sword extended to pierce her.
    Too slow. Too ponderous.
  38. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    She delivered this bit of ruthlessness without apparent qualms, and once again I was reminded that there were hidden depths to the girl I’d once considered my captor.
  39. interloper
    someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another
    If this dairne colony exists, then they have survived against very long odds. They will be wary and afraid, and they would never trust a human interloper, with good reason.
  40. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
    “I am pleased to meet you, Byx of the dairnes,” Sabito said with a more mellifluous voice than is common in raptidons.
Created on Sun Oct 09 12:02:50 EDT 2022 (updated Wed Jul 12 15:36:15 EDT 2023)

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