"Her wedding!" Hershel exclaimed.
"Why yes! Didn't you know? It's only been the talk of the town for the last two weeks!"
"Well we had only just arrived in Folsense this morning. After checking into a hotel, we came straight to visit you."
"A hotel!" Anton gasped, sitting down on the lush sofa behind him. He gestured for Hershel and the rest to do the same. "You should have come here! There are plenty of spare rooms in this fine castle!"
"Well we did not wish to impose. Although I think I would have preferred to stay there anyway. I mean no offence to you, it is just that the manager has told us how little business had been. We are his only current guests."
"That is a shame to hear... Well, I don't think you would want to be in here anyway. This place is an absolute mess and Katia has been getting to her head. She runs about the place as if there is no tomorrow!"
Hershel smiled, absorbing everything Anton said with great interest. It was amazing how well he could speak. The last time he had seen him; Anton had a rasping voice and was hunched over. He was in very fine spirits now. This wedding was having a good effect on him.
"A wedding!' Flora squealed. "It's so exciting! Are we invited?!"
"Flora..." the Professor sighed. "We cannot-"
"Most certainly!" Anton beamed. "I would never turn down the Professor or any friend of his! Your invitation should have been sent out. Have you not received it...?"
Hershel gulped, glancing at Flora. Both knew very well he had not been attentive with his mail recently.
"Ah well," Anton said, whacking his knee. "No matter now, you are here and that's all that matters. But I forgot! Where are my manners?! I've been absent of those these last few days. Just the excitement..." Anton glanced at Dimitri, bowing. "I am Anton Herzen, and I know the Professor of course."
"Dimitri Allen." Dimitri smiled, tipping his hat to the elderly man.
"Flora Reinhold!" The young girl stated, a wide smile on her face.
"Well, now that introductions are in order..." the Professor smiled. "Who, might I ask, is the lucky man?"
"Ah, yes. He is from London, like you. His name is Oliver Strapping and he recently moved to the village a few months back. At first the two only met over his work, and then he started appearing at social events: her birthday, mine... but then they started to see each other more and more until one day she came running to me, love hearts practically bursting out of her ears, announcing that they were to be joined in matrimony!"
"That is wonderful to hear!"
"And SO romantic!" Flora sighed, happily.
"It is, isn't it?!" Anton grinned. "The wedding is this Saturday so that is why this place has been in quite a state."
"This Saturday..." Flora sighed, sinking back in her chair.
"That is indeed a shame..."Hershel muttered.
"A shame?!" Anton frowned. "Can you not make it, even for just an hour?"
"I'm afraid that we have to be out of town this Friday. That is when the Molentary Express is set to depart.
"Oh... Well... It would have been nice to have you there... Katia will be devastated..."
"I am sure she doesn't mind that much!" Dimitri said, brushing dirt off of his shoulder.
"Oh, but she does! Katia looks to the Professor as a hero for what he did. And a hero you are!"
"Well..." Hershel blushed.
"She has been talking all day, every day about how she wanted you to come. She kept telling me to call you or else she would. I promised her I would, but..."
"What is the trouble with calling the Professor?" Flora frowned.
"Flora. It's best if we do not pry into-"
"No, Layton. The reason I didn't want to call you - and I was glad you hadn't responded to the invitation - is because I didn't want you to get caught up in this mess. This horrible mess..."
"You mean the angry citizens?" Dimitri stated quickly, suddenly gaining interest once more.
"No... That is something that is puzzling, but I assume that will blow over... No, it is-"
A spry and welcome voice exploded from the doorway.
"Professor! Is that you?!"
Heads swiveled, eyes meeting that of a starstruck Katia, jaw dropped open.
"Miss Anderson," Hershel smiled, standing from his chair as she ran over towards him. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tight. He was surprised at her strength, even more so than her grandfathers. "It is good to see you."
"Please, call me Katia. It would make me feel more comfortable."
"Alright then. I presume you remember Flora."
"Actually, when we met, it was... less than ordinary circumstances..."
"Oh, that is correct. That false Flora you saw was Don Paolo, but the real Flora was left behind in Dropstone."
"That's horrible..."
"I'll say!" Flora tsked.
"It's just so great to see you. I wouldn't want you to miss-"
Katia's voice trailed off as the man of the hour entered the room. His eyes lit up as he spotted Hershel, and he looked is as if was about to say something, but decided against it.
"Ah, here he is!"
The man was dressed in a pristine black suit and he had long flowing blonde hair. Flora found herself dazzled at how handsome the man was.
"Oliver Strapping," the man grinned, shaking the Professor's hand. Hershel was sure he had heard that name before, but he couldn't be sure were. Lights had gone off when Anton had mentioned the name, but now the name seemed to carry a new resonance.
"Hershel Layton," Hershel responded.
"Oh please, as if you need to introduce yourself! Who doesn't know you?!"
Hershel waved away his compliment and took his seat once more.
"So, Oliver, we are all curious. How did you and Katia meet? Anton mentioned work..."
"Ah, well, I am a journalist you see. I was visiting this town through various stages of its... resurrection, and I came across Katia of course. Kind of hard not to meet everyone when this town is only in its blossoming beginnings."
Katia bristled.
"He was so charming. He just wanted to get to know everyone. It came across in his article."
Hershel's eyes widened, and he exclaimed.
"That's it! I knew I had heard your name before. You wrote the article in the paper I read the other day."
"Other day?" Oliver chuckled. "I wrote that thing a good many months ago."
"I was... Preoccupied," Hershel murmured, leaving the matter there.
Oliver strutted over and took a seat beside Katia, and she nestled against him, taking hold of his arm. Katia reached in for a kiss, and Oliver hesitated before accepting it.
"This is so exciting!" Katia proclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Our wedding just got... ten million times better!"
Flora, caught up in the excitement, rushed forward, taking Katia's hands in hers.
"It sounds so magnificent! I only wish Luke could have joined us."
"Where is Luke? Katia asked concernedly, as if only noticing his absence now.
"Young Luke has gone to stay with his father," Dimitri smiled, filling in for the Professor's unresponsiveness in the moment. "But I'm sure the two will be back together in no time, solving mysteries and being true gentlemen!"
"Perhaps," Hershel said, his smile a pitiful thing.
"Well..." Anton chimed in, no longer content to fade into the background. "I believe we have a serious issue at hand..."
"Yes..." Hershel stated, rising to deliver the rest of the story. "Well, while we intend to solve this uneasy townsfolk puzzle, the primary reason for our visit here was the search for an item known as the Legulus."
Oliver's eyebrows raised and Anton shifted in his seat.
"Legulus?" Anton queried.
"The Legulus is a piece of technology left behind by an ancient civilisation known as the Azrans. The exact use of the item is not confirmed, however, we believe that it can gather substances for some purpose. We have been trying to locate it before another group known as the Legentis can. We know that the device was once in your possession, Anton."
A knock at the doorway drew to their attention to a cheerful Dorothea, tray in hand. Hurrying over, she passed them each a cup of tea and her cheeks grew rosy as she looked to the loving couple.
Rushing from the room, she closed the door halfway and Flora stifled a giggle as she saw the maid's bottom sticking out of the doorway. It was clear she was listening in to the whole thing.
"Yes..." Anton noted solemnly, smacking his lips, drifting on a bitter memory. "Although I didn't know it as the Legulus. The item you are referring to was called the Gatherer. It can apparently gather substances, gases and liquids more prominently, and, as the legends go, can be used as a weapon."
"How did you end up with this device?" Oliver frowned.
"Well, after discovering that Folsense was under the influence of that infernal gas, I had hoped to remove all traces of it. I heard from business associates that this device could gather such gases."
"Why would you need it though?" Dimitri queried. "I heard that the collapse of this previous castle resulted in the leak's sealing."
"Rebuilding opened it up again... We tried to block it off, of course. But every time we thought we had it under control, a new leak would spring up. I eventually grew frustrated and tried to search for some device that could rid me of this trouble..."
"But this Legulus failed?" Oliver muttered, clearly a little more than curious. Flora noted his intense gaze, but when she turned to the Professor, she was shocked to discover he didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. He was slipping, missing things he otherwise would have picked up on.
"I couldn't work out how to work the blasted thing!" Anton grumbled, gazing deeply into his tea. "It seemed to have some riddle on the front. I thought of calling you, Layton, but then the leak was finally closed off though. I didn't need it and so I sold it."
"To whom?" Oliver asked, leaning forward.
"Well, I wasn't sure at first... I didn't really need the money. I thought of donating it to a museum... Eventually I decided that the best thing to do would be to show you first though, Professor," he sighed, turning to Hershel. "I wanted to call you anyway. I wanted to see the thing work before I knocked off. It's still here: the buyer doesn't come for another week at least."
"Don't say that!" Katia said, shushing him. Prying free from Oliver, she hurried over and took a seat next to her grandfather, placing her head on his shoulder. "You're as fit as Romie the adventurer. And he's super fit! Have you seen his muscles? They're-"
"Ahem..." Oliver coughed.
"Not as big as Oliver's here!"
The two laughed and Katia blew him a kiss.
Such love, the Professor thought admiringly. It reminds me so much of Claire and I...
"So you have the device here!" Oliver stated excitedly.
"Such a fine interest, Oliver," Anton chuckled, easing up a little. "but then again, you always have had such a fine taste. I knew it as soon as I saw you. You do make a fine journalist. Yes, I do have it here, the only problem is, I do not know where it is. It has been moved somewhere during all this chaos with the wedding!"
"That is excellent news!" Dimitri laughed, lying back in his spot on the sofa. "That wasn't so hard."
"Yes, I'm sure Dorothea or Remy will be able to find it."
"Remy?" Flora asked, placing her hand on her chin.
"Remy is a guard for Mr Anderson, and he usually stays at his mansion, but as he has come to stay for the week, Remy has come along too."
"Mr Anderson is here?" The Professor inquired.
"Well..." Katia muttered. "He hasn't been very well... He caught some flu a week back and has been bedridden ever since... He should be resting now. That's why he hasn't come down."
"That is most unfortunate news," the Professor sighed, reaching for his cup, before deciding against it. "We shall have to hope he feels well before we leave."
"You're leaving so soon..." Katia said dejectedly, her face dropping, a chill sweeping through the room as if to accentuate the moment.
"While the mystery of the Legulus' whereabouts is now solved, we still have the matter of the troubled townsfolk at hand. Until that is solved, we cannot stay for chit-chat for very long."
"Most true!" Anton smiled, trying to stand. Katia helped him up and then everyone stood up. Once Anton was up properly, he approached the Professor and hugged him once more. "Do visit if you have any troubles. If you need an expert in the town... Katia is your person."
Flora chuckled and pointed at Anton. "I thought you were going to say yourself!"
"Sadly, no," Anton grinned back. "Katia has known the people here as she lived in Dropstone all of her life. However, I can help you if you need to know some town secrets. I did know a few when I was a... vampire."
"We most certainly will visit you for that!" Dimitri laughed, smacking Anton on the back. The old man grunted, but smiled back.
"Can I..." Katia began. She put her hand to her mouth, uncertain, but then she shook her head. "Can I come with you?"
Hershel smiled, but then glanced wryly at Oliver.
"I would very much like that; however, it seems you have someone else to keep company..."
She looked over to Oliver and then grinned.
"Of course... And I love him dearly."
The two kissed once more and they held hands as the Professor made his way towards the door, followed by Flora and then Dimitri.
"I'll have Dorothea send you a message when we find the Gatherer. I trust you are staying at that very same hotel you stayed at the last time."
"The very same," Hershel smiled warmly.
"Good bye, Professor!" Katia waved, her smile not quite whole again. "Don't forget to come visit!"
*****
The three were making their way down towards the boat when Dorothea appeared in front of them, startling them all.
"Oh, don't do that again, Dorothea!" Flora exclaimed, clutching at her beating heart.
"Sorry about the fright. I just thought you ought to know that there is only one way to cross the lake."
"Why is that?" Dimitri frowned. "Surely you've had plentiful time to create a bridge of some sort!"
"Oh, there was. It suddenly collapsed the other day though. Very weird..."
"How so...?"
"Well, the foundations were extremely strong. Even a storm wouldn't bring that bridge down... Though here we are... I'll tell you the weird thing..." The others leaned in once more, interested in her gossip. "I was here the other day, helping Mr Anderson across when I saw some footprints and screws laying on the ground where the bridge supports were..."
"So you think someone intentionally brought down the bridge?" Hershel asked.
"Maybe... but it certainly spooked Mr Anderson though."
"You say that he was in the boat the other day."
"Yes. He was very eager to cross."
"If this was recent, how is it that Mr Anderson crossed the river? Didn't Katia only just tell us that he has been bedridden for the past week?"
Dorothea went silent as she reflected on this new development.
"How did I miss that?!"
"Do you know where he was going?" Flora inquired.
"No, he said that he needed to go visit a friend, but that I should just wait for him to return."
"Very strange..." Dimitri muttered.
"Indeed..." Hershel agreed. "Mr Anderson is definitely a person of interest. We shall have to keep an eye on him... For now, let us go to the town. We have a puzzle to solve, and you know what I say...?"
"A true gentleman leaves no puzzle unsolved!' Flora exclaimed happily, studying the Professor with awe in her eyes.
It was good to have the Professor back. If only in small doses.
But small steps were the order of the night.