Chapter 49: Heart to Heart

Odeile laughed. Then, abruptly, a serious look crossed her face. “Trimble,” she said, “you did not tell Melkem that you were a Crownseeker, did you?”

Oliver looked up at her in surprise. “No. Why?”

Odeile let out a soft breath of relief. “Good. The Trebbons have no great love for humans, and even less for Crownseekers. You see, years ago, the Crownseekers of Dorne made a foray into the Rigvire Jungle.”

Spotting his confused look, Odeile explained, “That’s where we are now, boy. It stands on the border of Dorne, where we came in, and Velmor, which is mostly unsettled by humans. I believe you Dornians would call this the beginning of the Wilderlands.”

Oliver drank in all the information. Everything made sense now. It was hardly any wonder he felt like he had entered into an entirely different world after plunging into the forest after Vamira and Odeile. He might as well have.