The Alchemist

astride

with a leg on each side of; straddling:

abraded

to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing.

agitated

excited; disturbed

avidly

showing great enthusiasm for or interest in

apprentice

a person who works for another in order to learn a trade

averting

to turn away or aside

abashed

ashamed or embarrassed; disconcerted

Bedouins

an Arab of the desert, in Asia or Africa; nomadic Arab

bitterness

having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste, like that of aspirin, quinine, wormwood, or aloes

bade

to command; order; direct (past tense)

brandished

verb: to shake or wave, as a weapon; flourish
noun: a flourish or waving, as of a weapon

contemplate

to look at or view with continued attention; observe or study thoughtfully

Centurion

(in the ancient Roman army) the commander of a century

conveyed

to carry, bring, or take from one place to another; transport; bear (past tense)

Coptic

an Afroasiatic language of Egypt descended from ancient Egyptian, largely extinct as a spoken language since the 16th century but surviving as the liturgical language of the Coptic Church

clamored

a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people (past tense)

capricious

subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic

caravan

a group of travelers, as merchants or pilgrims, journeying together for safety in passing through deserts, hostile territory, etc

cobbler

a person who mends shoes

coincidence

a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance

consultation

the act of consoling(to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort); comfort; solace

conspire

to agree together, especially secretly, to do something wrong, evil, or illegal

decipher

o make out the meaning of (poor or partially obliterated writing, etc.)

devout

devoted to divine worship or service; pious; religious

divination

the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means (like Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter)

descending

to go or pass from a higher to a lower place; move or come down

daunting

to overcome with fear; intimidate (Dauntless faction in Divergent)

dismantle

to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc

exultant

exulting (to show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; rejoice exceedingly; be highly elated or jubilant); highly elated; jubilant; triumphant

embossed

to raise or represent (surface designs) in relief

entrusted

to charge or invest with a trust or responsibility; charge with a specified office or duty involving trust

ewe

a female sheep, especially when fully mature

fringes

a decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip

habituated

to accustom (a person, the mind, etc.), as to a particular situation

hookah

a tobacco pipe of Near Eastern origin with a long, flexible tube by which the smoke is drawn through a jar of water and thus cooled

imperceptibly

very slight, gradual, or subtle

impenetrable

not penetrable; that cannot be penetrated, pierced, entered, etc

Infidels

1) a person who does not accept a particular faith, especially Christianity.
2) (in Christian use) an unbeliever, especially a Muslim.
3) (in Muslim use) a person who does not accept the Islamic faith; kaffir.

immersed

plunged or sunk in or as if in a liquid

incessantly

continuing without interruption; ceaseless; unending

incredulous

not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical

intuitively

perceiving directly by intuition (direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of any reasoning process; immediate apprehension) without rational thought, as a person or the mind

innumerable

very numerous

inexhaustable

not exhaustible; incapable of being depleted

lamenting

to feel or express sorrow or regret for

melancholy

a gloomy state of mind, especially when habitual or prolonged; depression

monotony

wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery

mirages

an optical phenomenon, especially in the desert or at sea, by which the image of some object appears displaced above, below, or to one side of its true position as a result of spatial variations of the index of refraction of air

mania

excessive excitement or enthusiasm; craze

manifestations

an act of manifesting (readily perceived by the eye or the understanding; evident; obvious; apparent; plain)

mused

to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject (past tense)

nocturnal

of or relating to the night

nostalgia

a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time

obscure

(of meaning) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain

obligation

something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a sense of duty or results from custom, law, etc.

omen

anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future; portent

persisted

to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc

primitive

being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, especially in an early age of the world

proprietor

the owner of a business establishment, a hotel, etc

prognostications

the act of prognosticating (to forecast or predict (something future) from present indications or signs; prophesy)

preconceived

to form a conception or opinion of beforehand, as before seeing evidence or as a result of previously held prejudice (past tense)

ravines

a narrow steep-sided valley commonly eroded by running water

refuge

a narrow steep-sided valley commonly eroded by running water

resolved

firm in purpose or intent; determined

reiterated

to say or do again or repeatedly; repeat, often excessively

scimitar

a curved, single-edged sword of Asian, especially Eastern origin

seer

a curved, single-edged sword of Asian, especially Eastern origin

Sentinels

a person or thing that watches or stands as if watching.

surveillance

a watch kept over a person, group, etc., especially over a suspect, prisoner, or the like

solitary

alone; without companions; unattended

Seminary

a special school providing education in theology, religious history, etc., primarily to prepare students for the priesthood, ministry, or rabbinate

suffused

to overspread with or as with a liquid, color, etc

stimulus

something that incites to action or exertion or quickens action, feeling, thought, etc

tract

something that incites to action or exertion or quickens action, feeling, thought, etc

textile

any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting

teeming

abounding or swarming with something, as with people

whets

to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction

wearisome

causing weariness; fatiguing

whinnying

to utter the characteristic cry of a horse; neigh

wary

watchful; being on one's guard against danger

yearn

to have an earnest or strong desire; long

zenith

the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer