| covenant | a solemn agreement or request |
| accost | to approach and speak first |
| avid | intensely eager |
| devious | done in a shifty or underhanded way |
| overt | open, not hidden |
| histrionic | melodramatic |
| sacrilege | improper treatment of something sacred |
| maelstrom | whirlpool or great size |
| undulate | wavelike |
| talisman | object that serves as a charm |
| brackish | having a salty taste and unpleasant |
| propriety | being proper, socially acceptable |