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Chapter 35: Plants & Plots
The curtains were drawn blocking out the sun, allowing no light to penetrate the room. A long, sturdy work table ran through the centre of the room covered in page marked books, scattered leaves of notes and post-its covered in scribbles. In one corner stood a lab table that was home to a delicately assembled apparatus filled with chemicals in hues of green, red and purple exuding an eerie glow in the darkness.
Across the room was a large writing desk strewn with papers and a solitary desk lamp perched on the edge. Facing the chair was a aged journal filled with minute scratchings and a notebook filled with copious notes. On the wall behind the desk was a large pin board with several hand drawn maps attached to in. In the centre, the largest of them all was, sketched in ink on a frayed sheet of browning paper was the map of an island, one shaped like a turtle and the fading sketch of a beast in the left hand corner.
The room shook when Dr. Adler entered, slamming the door open as he did. His eyes were bloodshot form having barely slept in several days and his lab coat was was littered with varied stains. He placed the clipboard he was carrying on the work table and shuffled over to a side table to pour himself a cup of coffee.
He then slumped into the desk chair and pulled the journal closer to him and turned on the desk lamp. He had recently procured it from his former teacher's study – without the knowledge of said teacher's son – and strongly believed that it held the key to finding the answers he was looking for.
It had been some time now since he returned to Briarwood. The musty odour and the fumes of the chemicals that surrounded his lab were like a breath of fresh air. It was good to be back home away from imprudent minds that would never be able to understand the work he was trying to do. Besides there was no point in staying any longer, he had found what he was looking for and the boy had put an end to their plans of forging a connection with the Earhardts. If he was honest, he didn't care much for the idea but there was someone who was furious with the outcome.
Lady Pimvare was not happy and did not hesitate to make it known. The brat had happily informed her of his newfound interest in the school teacher and while she said nothing to him, it was Adler who had to deal with her rants about sticking to the plan and how there was a reason for everything. Thus far he had avoided her demands, citing that he was busy. After all he had finally made a breakthrough and he wouldn't let her whims and fancies get it the way now.
But she had her way of getting what she wanted, the woman was a dark force that stormed her way into his life more than two decades ago and turned everything on its head. It was a day he recalled vividly.
He lived in Turtle Cove at the time and that night was a particularly stormy, one with raging winds and thunderous rain pelting his windows. He was holed up in his apartment with only a single candle for light and in one corner of the room a baby shifted in its sleep unaware of what was going on around him.
One week, it had been one week since his adventure in the Amazon that left him friendless and guardian to an infant. To top things off, the mysterious death of two respected scientists didn't sit well with the university they worked at and Adler found himself unemployed with all grants for their research retracted. He had nothing left, except a discovery he could tell no one about and a howling infant that did nothing but drive him crazy.
That was when she walked in. It started with a knock on the door, one he ignored. Then came another, which was ignored as well. It happened a third time but when he didn't answer it was followed by the distinct sound of someone turning the knob and the crunch of a breaking lock.
Startled, he got off the floor and turned to the door just as it slammed open revealing a gentleman dressed in an all-black suit accompanied by dark glasses and a red tie. He stepped into the room barely acknowledging Adler and took a step to the side. He was followed by two others, dressed similarly, each ignoring him as they strode into the room.
The third was followed by a slim figure covered in a dark hooded cloak. Pale hands reached from beneath it to unfasten the clasp and pull back the hood revealing a tall, woman in a form fitting ensemble of black leather, accented with white fur. Her skin was pale and her hair dark.
"Good evening Dr. Adler," she spoke, sending an icy shrill down his spine.
"Wh… who ar..are… you?" he stammered, eyes flitting from her to the three men standing motionless in different corners
"Now, now is that anyway to greet a guest?" she drawled, as she took a turn around the room, eyes scanning, calculating, studying everything they fell on, finally coming to rest on his bandaged face.
"Not the uninvited kind," he growled, his hands clenching into fists.
"Considering the circumstances, that cannot be helped I'm afraid," she drawled as she stepped towards the rickety table in the middle of the room, trailing a gloved finger along it as she moved closer to him. She stopped and sneered at the dust gathered on the tip but flicked it away and picked up the letter opener as she turned to him again.
"You see, I have a proposition for you, one I think you would be very interested in," she explained, as she walked around the table, turning away from him, twirling the letter opener between her fingers.
"Why should I listen to anything you have to say? You haven't even told me who you are, or how you know who I am," he spat out.
"Oh I know a lot more about you than you think doctor," she said, stepping up to the baby's basket and looking down at his sleeping form - how he remained undisturbed despite all the racket was beyond him."And seeing as you have yet to tell me to leave, I think you are at least curious. However, you are correct, introductions are necessary. My name is Lady Necrolai Pimvare…"
"Pimvare? As it the rich guy from Briarwood that just kicked the bucket?" he questioned, recognizing the name he had read about in the paper.
"Yes that Pimvare," she sneered. "Dear Calindor was a sweet, sweet man. But he outlived his usefulness, early retirement was the best option for him."
Adler's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the words sank in,"You killed your husband?"
She didn't flinch or bat an eye, she just stood there, smiling as she dangled the letter opener over the baby. "Now, now dear doctor did you hear me say that?"
He didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the sleeping infant before flickering to the men in suits and turning back to her. Her lips were curved in smug smile that told him all he needed to know. He gulped and nodded which seemed to satisfy her. She strode towards the table again, this time accompanied by one of the suits who pulled out a chair so that she could sit.
"Now that we have that out of the way, why don't you sit down so we can have a little chat." When he didn't move she tilted her head to the side and looked at him like parent would when trying to reason with a child. "Come now Dr. Alder, don't be difficult. I would hate to have to let everyone find out what really happened to your friends on your trip to South America."
He paled but as he watched the smug smile on her face widen, his fists shook and eyes narrowed. What do you know about that?" he barked.
"I told you doctor I know a lot more about you that you can imagine. Now, are you ready to talk or do we have to keep playing games?" she asked.
Adler looked from her to the sleeping infant then back at her. She was poised and confident, and if she wanted to kill him he was sure she would have done it by now. The only logical explanation was that she needed something from him. He hesitated but slowly lowered himself into a seat across from her. After all, he had nothing more to lose. "Alright, talk!"
And talk they did. Lady Pimvare outlined how she had been following the work he was doing with his partners. She expressed how interested she was in the phenomenon that was the Animarium and the power of the ancient orgs. It was connected to something she had been searching for herself and her research pointed her in the direction of the Earhardt Estate.
She knew of his connection to the old man and his will. With the turn of events in South America, his new charge stood inherit it all and when that happened, she wanted him to turn it over to her. In exchange, she would relocate him to his very own laboratory on her estate in Briarwood, pay for Cole's upbringing and fund his research in whatever way was necessary.
To say he was shocked would be an understatement. She was offering him so much in return for something so little but something he could not promise her. And he told her so revealing that as far as he knew his old friend had only one daughter but there was no certainty he would not have a son in the future.
"Leave that to me," she'd said. "I only want your word that should it fall into young Cole's hands the estate is mine. Of course I will be asking for the odd favour here and there and a say in how the boy is raised but that shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it?"
It wasn't a problem at all. In fact, if he looked at it correctly he wasn't losing anything at all. Sure he would have to look after the brat but that was a small price to pray. Yes, the estate did hold a lot of valuable information in the form of his teacher's work but he was certain that Lady Pimvare wouldn't deny him access to it. She seemed to understand what his research was really about. Yes at the end of the day if was a fairly small price to pay for the answers he so desperately needed.
He was curious though, she had enough resources at her disposal to take the estate whenever she wanted. Why then was she willing to wait for years, decades even for it. Her answer was simple, that for some things you just have to wait for the right moment.
It didn't make a difference to him, so a contract was signed and for twenty six years he followed it, raising Cole and continuing his research. Necrolai used her sources to keep an eye on Zedd and as it turned out he did have another child, four more to be exact but his curse and Adler's blessing was that they were all girls. As Cole got older she began taking an active interest in his life and he looked up to her almost worshipping her in a sense. It was her intent that he marry one of the Earhardt girls to cement his claim on the estate but that did not go as planned. As it turned out Cole wasn't the well trained puppet they thought him to be.
A soft knock at the door drew him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see his red headed assistant poke her hair through the door.
"Yes Flora?" he grunted.
"S…s…sorry to bother you Dr. Adler. B…b…but Lady P…P…Pimvare is here to see you," she quivered.
"I see, let her in."
"There's no need I'm already here," the familiar icy drawl, drifted through the door.
"Ahh, Lady Pimvare, to what to I owe the honour?" he stated, rising from seat and shutting the journal.
"Enough with the niceties Viktor, we need to talk," she said striding into the room without really looking at him.
"Of course, perhaps in the greenhouse," he suggested.
"I don't have a problem with the dark," she sneered.
"I am very well aware of that my lady. But it is a nice day and perhaps you would like to see the results of the research you have so generously funded," he pushed, leading her away from his office and towards the greenhouses.
"Very well then," she complied.
As they stepped out of the shadowed hallway into the light of the sun Dr. Adler got a good glimpse of her. Time had been good to her, her slim figure had not changed much and her face though older was more striking. The greatest change was perhaps her long dark hair, now cropped to just beneath her ears. Her outfit of choice too had evolved, black leather giving way to a black silk.
She shielded her eyes from the sudden burst of light as she stepped into the first greenhouse. A thick white smoke covered the ground and from it sprang thin green tendrils that spiralled upwards.
"Is that it?" she asked with apparent distaste.
"Yes, but they still have a long way to go. Once they are full grown they will be simply beautiful," he said with a wistful, dreamy look in his eyes.
She whirled around to face him and immediately averted her eyes. She took a minute to compose herself but refrained from looking him in the eyes when she next spoke. "I see you haven't been taking your medication."
"Why hide what nature had given you?" he said raising his arms wide in gesture.
Her eyes hardened as she folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips. "We agreed that you would at least try to keep up some kind of appearance for investors. How many times must I tell you, if you want people to give you their money they have to like what they see," she stated.
Adler dropped his hands behind his back and walked in-between the rows of vines, his shoulders hunched as he took careful steps, ignoring the impatient tapping heel of his guest.
"Well my dear, it is good for us then that you continue to look ravishing. I'm sure those infatuated old fools will have no problem giving you their money. And for any ass kissing that might be required you have the brat at your disposal. You seem to have done an excellent job of training him. If I didn't know better I'd say he was completely under your spell," he said facing her with a mischievous grin.
Her eyes narrowed as she straightened her shoulders, raised her head and pursed her lips.
"Yes, about that brat of yours. If I recall correctly our plan involved you not returning until he was engaged to one of the Earhardt brats. Yet, what do I hear on your return, he not only overlooked five of them but is courting another girl altogether. Explain yourself," she seethed.
"What can I say? Things didn't go quite according to plan. It appears that the boy does have a heart of his own, if not a head. However this change of course does not upset our ultimate goal and I see nothing to worry about."
"The point," she said marching up to him without a care of whether she was stepping on the plants or not. "Was that this engagement cemented our claim over the estate. I have waited a long time I will not have it drawn out longer than necessary because the girls feel the need to fight this in court."
"That will not be a problem, Zedd's resources are limited and do not compare to yours in anyway. Besides, the Earhardt girls would not have suited your purpose."
"You know this how?"
"Let's start with eldest shall we, the prettiest of the lot, yes and plenty of potential but is wasting away in insecurity and doubt. She would take no stand. The youngest two are copies of their mother with frivolous dreams and no cares, and far too young. Zedd would never entertain the thought. The middle one, poor thing was completely enamoured by the brat's false knowledge but he never noticed her and she spent all her time buried in books."
"And what of the fifth? The one you said was the most agreeable candidate."
"I said that because she was the only one I could tolerate in that house. And while was also the most potentially dangerous of the lot, her job keeps her away a lot. And believe me when I say she loves her job. Too much to give it up for her family," he added with a sneer.
"I see and the girl he has chosen to court, what do you know of her?"
"There's nothing worrisome about her. She is a close friend of Zedd's daughter but far more cautious and conscientious. She will be no trouble at all and should the brat decide to marry her, her connection with the Earhardts will negate any chance of opposition on their part, especially the troublesome one."
"You seem to have thought this through."
"I do have a benefactor to please. And unless my old friend had another child, a son at that, something he has been given five chances to produce, the estate is as good as yours."
"For your sake I hope you're right. But I want to meet the girl. Have Cole fly her here on a weekend. I will judge for myself where she stands."
And without waiting for an answer she turned on her heel and stormed out of the greenhouse leaving Dr. Adler to return his attention to his plants, gazing upon them lovingly.
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